Echinacea. Chiropractic. Gingko Biloba. Acupuncture. What do all these have in common? They are all part of what is known collectively as ¡¥alternative medicine¡¦. Readers may not be surprised to find disciplines such as ¡§Therapeutic Touch¡¨ and acupuncture grouped under this label, but may be shocked to find that some seemingly well-established remedies such as chiropractic and vitamin supplements possess little or no scientific evidence for their claims. Partially for this reason, it is hard …showed first 75 words of 1217 total…

…showed last 75 words of 1217 total…be poisonous, and Socrates should have rejoiced in drinking the hemlock. There is no good reason not to regulate alternative medicine, and every reason to do so. By submitting it to the same standards as other medicine, loss of money and health can be greatly reduced. It is important that legislation be put through to ensure this, and thus ensure the public¡¦s safety from health fraud. Until then, caveat emptor: let the buyer beware.