Re: [DIYbio] Political work: DIYbio vs. "alternative 'medicine'"

My attitude and my way of talking about this is simple: There is no such
thing as "Alternative Medicine". There is "Medicine", and there is "Not
Medicine".

Many herbal remedies, for example, are Medicine. Many are Not Medicine.
Some are Medicine but are misprescribed; for example, Echinacea is an
effective cannibinoid-based pain-killer. It is not a flu/cold cure, it
simply helps control symptoms. But, it is a "Medicine" when used
correctly. We know this because of research into Echinacea based on
traditional use.

Many herbs probably work but have not yet been researched; this makes
them Not Medicine until there is credible evidence to support their use.
You'd be surprised, though, how many herbs have actually been studied
fairly well; look them up on Pubmed. I was charmed to learn how much
research has gone into hawthorn as a treatment for heart ailments, for
example; I had never even heard of its medical use until discovering it
on pubmed.

Some types of "Alternative Medicine" are basically *always* "Not
Medicine", and are at best a placebo, at worst a replacement for
"Medicine". For example, sugar-and-water therapies like homeopathy are
Not Medicine, and are never Medicine.

Really, it's as simple as that; if there is no evidence of efficacy, it
is Not Medicine.

On Thu, 2016-02-11 at 05:39 -0800, Open BioLab Graz wrote:
>
>
> I guess most of us are aware, that "alternative medicine" aka esoteric
> bullshit is a plague that influences many peoples lifes in a negative
> way and spreads a false view of chemistry, medicine, molecular biology
> - mostly in the name of making cash.
>
> So how do you react when you're confronted with esoteric stuff,
> especially when it sells itself under the pretext of science? Is it
> our mission as a movement to fight against such lies actively?
> Or do you think that biohackers should be passive and just focus on
> their stuff?
>
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