Alternative Medicine
News, commentary, criticism, analysis, and research from complementary and alternative medicine.
Could ASMR be a possible explanation for some new age and spiritual experiences?
Reports of autonomous sensory meridian response, or ASMR, bear a striking resemblance to the way some people describe their experience of reiki... and of religion
Dragons’ Den has a quackery problem that goes far beyond ear seeds
While recent attention has understandably been on Dragons' Den's promotion of ME/cfs quackery, the BBC show's flirtation with pseudoscience runs much deeper
Dragons’ Den’s uncritical promotion of ear seeds is an insult to ME/cfs patients like me
The Dragons' Den Acu Seeds debacle shows how understandably desperate ME/cfs are - and how vulnerable to misinformation from authoritative sources
Walking the alt-med tightrope when a loved one has a terminal diagnosis
It's no surprise when people given a terminal diagnosis turn to alternative medicine - the best we can do is to care for them, and steer them away from the worst
The pseudoscientific treatments turning athletes and sports stars into influencers for woo
Whether it's magical tape, blood flow restriction, cryotherapy, acupuncture or nasal strips, professional sport remains a magnet for unproven and disproven therapies
Auriculotherapy: why poking needles into your earlobe is, essentially, pointless
Auriculotherapy - ear acupuncture - is a popular alternative therapy, even though proponents can't even agree which part of the ear does what
Ear candling: why putting burning sticks into your ear is actually quite a bad idea
The idea that ear candling can remove built-up wax from the ear remains popular, even though it's clear ear candles are ineffective, and can be highly dangerous
What, if anything, can cannabis treat, and what does the latest research say?
While Cannabis is claimed to treat all manner of conditions, research has been hindered by political barriers - though that might be starting to change