Alternative medicine has been in the firing line for a very long time. By and large, the
critics are healthcare professionals who argue that the therapeutic
claims made for alternative treatments are neither evidence-based nor
plausible.
In recent years, their arguments have been increasingly
adopted by the legal profession and the battles over alternative
medicine are increasingly fought in the courts. In the UK, Simon Singh
famously won the libel case brought against him by the British Chiropractic Association.
Ever since Simon was sued, many of my articles for medical journals
have had to be scrutinised by libel lawyers before being published.
In the US, a patient has accused Stanislaw R Burzynski, a proponent of alternative cancer cures, of swindling her out of nearly $100,000 (£63,000) by using "false and
misleading tactics". The case is ongoing. Also in the US, a woman was awarded $7.4m (£4.7m) after suffering a stroke following the intake of a herbal supplement.
Source - Guardian
