Creating Public Policy in a Climate of Clinical Indeterminancy

Snake oil, ethics, and the first amendment: What's a profession to do?

“…The differences between UTs and mainstream medicine are characterized by the former's broad claims of efficacy for unorthodox approaches that have not been, or cannot be, empirically demonstrated. In making this distinction, we recognize the difficulties of "creating public policy in a climate of clinical indeterminacy" (Feinberg & Beyer, 1998) and have no wish to suggest action to suppress interest in treatments that are problematic to study but that may have genuine value for some patients. Any action taken, whether legal or educational, should be reserved for therapies with significant harm potential.…”