Paul King wrote:

Date sent: Fri, 19 Dec 2003 22:40:29 -0500 From: James Knott <james.knott-bJEeYj9oJeDQT0dZR+AlfA at public.gmane.org> To: tlug-lxSQFCZeNF4 at public.gmane.org Subject: Re: [TLUG]: Waaaay offtopic Send reply to: tlug-lxSQFCZeNF4 at public.gmane.org

...

Bottom line, is much of that so called "medicine" cannot show any benefit in comparitive tests.

I am not sure what side you are taking, but first, I would like you to give me a "for instance" here.

If an "alternative" medicine which people "say" works (anecdotal evidence, which isn't worth much, but may provide basis for study), is proven to be of benefit then it is no longer "alternative". To prove that something is of benefit, you need placebo trials. I would imagine (without really providing proof) that there are likely many medicines that have crossed this line.

I'm on the same side as you. If you claim something has benefit, do the studies that show said benefit and don't forget to mention any risks that turn up. There are many standard medications, that came from natural remedies. The most obvious is Aspirin. -- The Toronto Linux Users Group. Meetings: http://tlug.ss.org TLUG requests: Linux topics, No HTML, wrap text below 80 columns How to UNSUBSCRIBE: http://tlug.ss.org/subscribe.shtml