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The Non-Prescription Products – Market-Profits and Public Health in Conflict
Published in Mickey C. Smith, E.M. (Mick) Kolassa, Walter Steven Pray, Government, Big Pharma, and the People, 2020
Pharmacists throughout the United States engage in quackery. Some practice unproven therapies such as iridology to boost their monthly income, but far more sell unproven products. Concerned academicians can report these offending pharmacists to the state board or other governing Agency, asking that the Pharmacy be issued an order to cease Promotion of unproven therapies. Should the pharmacist engage in “diagnosing” medical conditions through unproven therapies, such as iridology or reflexology, the State medical board or State Health department might also be able to intervene.
Complementary therapies
Published in Nigel Sykes, Michael I Bennett, Chun-Su Yuan, Clinical Pain Management, 2008
Jacqueline Filshie, Adrian White
Complementary therapies are methods of treatment which provide a range of physical and emotional support, but are usually regarded as falling outside mainstream medicine. Some are not far removed from it, having something of a scientific basis: this includes therapies such as acupuncture, hypnosis, and massage therapy. Other therapies, such as crystal healing and iridology, use concepts that are very different from conventional treatment and are often considered to be implausible. This range of therapies is reflected in the labels that are commonly used, from “integrative” through “complementary” to “alternative” medicine. Complementary therapists often stress their “holistic” attitude, but of course healthcare staff in mainstream medicine are also aware of the importance of the therapeutic relationship and attention to every aspect of a person’s physical and emotional needs, particularly at critical times in life such as after a diagnosis of cancer has been made.
Introduction
Published in Michael Weir, Law and Ethics in Complementary Medicine, 2023
One way to understand how the various modalities of complementary medicine relate to each other is to divide them into four general types:2Complete systems of healing such as acupuncture, traditional Chinese medicine, herbal medicine, osteopathy, chiropractic, homoeopathy and naturopathy. These disciplines seek to provide complete explanations of the cause of disease, though most practitioners do acknowledge the boundaries of the discipline and the role to be played by orthodox medicine. This book will explore in some detail where these boundaries should be drawn for the benefit of clients and practitioners.Diagnostic methods such as iridology, kinesiology and aura analysis. Some practitioners may rely heavily on these methods, while practitioners of complete healing systems will often use them to detect disease, abnormality or imbalance. For example, a chiropractor may use kinesiology to help diagnose a misaligned spine or a naturopath may use iridology to diagnose imbalances in the body or organs.Therapeutic modalities such as musculoskeletal therapy, therapeutic massage and myotherapy, reflexology, aromatherapy, spiritual healing, holistic counselling and shiatsu. These modalities emphasise therapeutic effect rather than diagnosis. For example, a practitioner of therapeutic massage may aim to heighten the recipient's sense of well-being rather than to alleviate any particular diagnosed illness, though that might be the result of the treatment. In some cases, such as in therapeutic massage and musculoskeletal therapy, the focus of the treatment may be on dealing with a specific injury or pain.Self-help measures such as relaxation, yoga, qi dong, tai chi, meditation, guided visualisation or fasting.
There Is No Such Thing as Alternative Medicine
Published in AJOB Neuroscience, 2021
The above definition encompasses a wide variety of treatments and interventions, from Yoga to Herbalism and from Homeopathy to Iridology (Kaptchuk and Eisenberg 2001). Such a definition can be misleading, especially outside the academic arena. Because covering such a wide variety of practices and claims under a single conceptual umbrella, gives undue legitimacy to many baseless and superstitious practices. There are significant differences between remedies and practices provided as parts of CAM but are supported by a body of evidence with the ones that are just baseless and dangerous claims designed to deceive their audiences. It does not help to put all of them under the same semantic umbrella. Instead, a definition needs to distinguish the evidence-based remedies and practices from those that lack any and insist on fictional justifications.