Peggy Said:

Are religious people more likely to believe in the efficacy of alternative medicine?

We Answered:

Yes religious people are extremely gullible especially when it comes to blindly trusting their own. In my state of Utah, Mormon con men have made fortunes off their fellow church goers. Ah, the peace and joy that comes from religion . . . the trust . . . the honesty . . . the screw job!!!

Grace Said:

Should professional mainstream practitioners be working with alternative medicine?

We Answered:

Actually, naturopath doctors are trained in the very same way as a medical doctor, only they are also trained in the area of natural therapies (rather than conventional) where medical doctors are not. A medical doctor may not be as knowledgeable about the natural therapies he is recommending, so it may not be wise for him to do so. Natural remedies are however much safer than prescribed drugs and can be just as effective. Maybe ask the doctor where he has learned his expertise on natural alternatives if concern exists.

Willard Said:

Are there practitioners in Canada of the alternative medicine practice of UNANI?

We Answered:

COME HERE IF YOU WANT THE BES TREATMENT
http://www.geocities.com/traditional_doctor/DJOHAN.html

Thomas Said:

Alternative Medicine Practitioner?? I have questions to ask!?

We Answered:

I would like to help you, but how much of my time do you need?
I am willing to give you, one hour of my time.

Would that be a satisfactory offer?

Julie Said:

To all practitioners of alternative medicine: Are any of you against regulation?

We Answered:

Categorically not. Regulations of this kind are only welcomed.

Of course I can speak for myself only, but it will help my practise in giving my patients more trusting and confident approach..
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@
The Skeptic clan must be on verge of madness. lol
They will down me Td's even if I say "the grass is green"!
Good, it shows I do a good job.

Nicholas Said:

Should alternative medicine be brought under mainstream regulation?

We Answered:

Hi Gary.

Yes, absolutely. If the AltMed industry want to continue making health claims then it should be put on the same evidence base as conventional medicine, this will make the practice safer and maybe less people will be scammed. AltMed is a multi billion dollar industry....the vast majority of it unregulated. Now things like homoeopathy, acupuncture and Reiki would fail at the first hurdle because they are completely implausible and this is one of the reasons why the alties claim such activities should not be subject scientific and clinical evidence.

However, where herbals are concerned, there is an absolute need for tighter regulations as they contain active ingredients and have the ability to cause the same side effects as conventional drugs if taken incorrectly. Putting herbals on evidence base may actually be very beneficial for herbalists because it may help to prove efficacy. Right now, herbals are a bit of a minefield. They are essentially unregulated drugs. When buying herbals in a shop there is no way of knowing the exact quantity of the active ingredient in the drug and some have been found to be contaminated with with various other chemicals.

There is no specific standard of efficacy and safety with most herbal remedies. Most haven't been thoroughly tested for efficacy, drug interactions, toxicity and teratogenicity. In the UK, steps are being taken to make this practice a little more safe. Herbal remedies in the UK are probably quite weak, so some may argue that the risk of toxicity is low, but there is no way to measure this.

It must be remembered that not all herbals will be effective, many conventional drugs are put through testing, only a handful make it. And lets not forget, herbals are better, more effective and safer when they are standardised.

@ Lightning: I agree with the "nanny state" comment, but where health care is concerned, regulation is important, as I am sure you can agree.

I'm all for allowing people the freedom to make an informed decision, however if you walk into a shop and pick up a herbal drug, how can you make an informed decision if you don't know whats in it?