From Greg Blonder, Boston, Massachusetts, US
I share Clare Wilson’s scepticism of complementary medicine, “superfoods” and magical thinking, but the World ÎçÒ¹¸£Àû1000¼¯ºÏ Organization (WHO) summit on alternative therapies was justified. Two of Western medicine’s most important therapies, and , were first discovered by traditional healers. We shouldn’t pre-emptively reject these treatments, even if most of them lack efficacy (9 September, p 22).
However, in parallel, we must educate the public to be more cautious and to avoid conflating “natural” with safe and effective. The WHO should offer even-handed guidance.
