Alternative medicines can't escape the long arm of the law {uk}

[xchrom]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/blog/2012/may/22/alternative-medicine-long-arm-law


Practitioners who offer unscientific treatments are acting unprofessionally, regardless of whether they get patients' informed consent. Photograph: Getty
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.

Most sensationally, perhaps, the world's largest homeopathic manufacturer Boiron recently settled for CAD$12m (£7.4m) after a class action that was brought against it in Canada for selling homeopathic remedies under false pretences.

[2on2u]

1. Unfortunate events to be sure. I rather not focus on the negative but

on the positive instead.

http://nccam.nih.gov/training/centers

[HuckleB]

2. It's about time.

Scams are scams, and it's time stop the scams.

[Silent3]

3. Homeopathic "medicines" need a warning label:

For entertainment purposes only.