Posted 19 December 2024
Dr. Edzard Ernst, an emeritus professor at the University of Exeter, has described several categories of harm caused by so-called alternative medicine (SCAM).
Reference: Ernst E. The harm of so-called alternative medicine. Skeptical Inquirer, 48(6):56-57
They include:
- direct harm by SCAM therapies such as chiropractic spinal manipulation, acupuncture, and herbal medicine
- harm such as missing a serious diagnosis or giving false positive diagnoses caused by SCAM diagnostic techniques that haven’t been validated
- harm caused by SCAM practitioners recommending subpar treatments, offering poor advice, diagnosing conditions that don’t exist, or exaggerating the importance of everyday health impairments
- harm caused by the industry by leading consumers to misspend their money and by endangering species through the exploitation of natural resources
- harm caused by unreliable research that undermines trust in science
- harm caused by fallacious notions, such as “nature knows best,” that undermine rational thought
Ernst concluded:
As the benefits of SCAM are often only marginal or entirely absent, even relatively minor risks count heavily. It follows that the risk-benefit balance of much of SCAM fails to be positive. In turn, this means that consumers should think twice before they use or recommend SCAM.
Epidemiologist and healthcare informaticist Katie Suleta, DHSc, concluded in her review of Ernst’s latest book. Bizarre Medical Ideas…and the Strange Men Who Invented Them:
Ernst’s book demonstrates what can happen—and why it’s dangerous—when anyone, but especially physicians, become so enamored with their own cunning, intelligence, and ideas that they forget to ask the question “Is it even feasible?”
Suleta K. Inventor tales in alternative medicine. Skeptical Inquirer, 48(6):60-61
Source: Consumer Health Digest #24 44, November 3, 2024
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