The AMA offers this checklist for "How to Spot a Medical Quack"
He uses a special machine he claims can cure disease.
He guarantees a quick cure.
He advertises or uses case histories and testimonials.
He refuses to accept the proved methods of medical research.
He says medical men are persecuting him or are afraid of his
competition.
He believes that his methods are better than surgery, x-rays, or
drugs.
He uses high sounding titles easily confused with qualified
scientific professionals and organizations.
-- "How to Spot a Medical Quack" by the American Medical Association.
--
Here are other things to consider before spending money
on 'alternative' therapies.
Quacks practice "natural" medicine exclusively. Probably the single
most important thing to remember about natural medicine is this: No
legitimate practitioner will ever deny a client information about
mainstream medical procedures.
Quacks will often claim to be persecuted by the AMA, the FDA and even
their own peers. Quacks will often claim to be the "underdogs" of
medicine to establish a sense of camaraderie with clients who often
feel disenfranchised, themselves. Though the rift between mainstream
and natural medicine is well-known and well-documented, anyone who
claims to be continually and mercilessly persecuted for his beliefs
should immediately make you suspicious.
Quacks use ambiguous jargon. Words like "cleanse" and "detoxify" may
sound impressive but they really don't mean much without further
explanation. What exactly are you cleansing? How exactly are
toxins "pulled" from your body?
Quacks use extreme language. Legitimate practitioners will not make
claims of miraculous healings or amazing "secret" cures of acute
illnesses. And be skeptical of testimonials, too. Dramatic client
testimonials are a way practitioners can make outrageous claims
they'd never be allowed to make otherwise.
Quacks make vague references to "studies". Legitimate natural
practitioners are as dedicated to truth as their mainstream
counterparts and will not use phrases like "studies have shown"
or "it's a known fact". Instead, they'll cite their sources
specifically and clearly.
Quacks almost always have significant commercial interests in the
products they're pushing. Like mainstream physicians who are often
given incentives to prescribe certain medications, natural
practitioners usually make money by selling vitamins, supplements or
herbal products. But if you sense a hard-sell from your practitioner
be extremely suspicious of his motives.
A quack encourages you to think for yourself--as long as you agree
with him. "Think for yourself," the quack will often say but such a
carefully crafted appeal to your intellectual vanity really
means "Turn your back on years of double-blind studies and carefully
compiled research".
Quacks use scare tactics. A legitimate practitioner works to educate
and empower his clients. He wants his clients to think for themselves
and never resorts to fear mongering.
Quacks love to name-drop. Unfortunately, diploma-mill credentials are
all too common among natural health practitioners. If your
practitioner has a wall full of certificates from organizations
you've never heard of ask questions.
Quacks claim to have easy, simple answers to very complex health
problems. No therapy, natural or mainstream, is the answer to
everything. And there's no such thing as a "miracle product", either.
If there was, we'd all be perfectly healthy and live forever.
---
Don't let someone take advantage of your pain.
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StemCells subscribers may also be interested in these sites:
Children's Neurobiological Solutions
http://www.CNSfoundation.org/
Cord Blood Registry
http://www.CordBlood.com/at.cgi?a=150123
The CNS Healing Group
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CNS_Healing
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