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Surveying the "integrative medicine" landscape (2012 edition)

Posted from MedWorm: Surgeons 98 days ago
Surgeon : Surgeons News

One of the most potent strategies used by promoters of "complementary and alternative medicine" (CAM)--or, as its proponents like to call it these days, "integrative medicine" (IM)--is in essence an argumentum ad populum; i.e., an appeal to popularity. Specifically, they like to use the variant of argumentum ad populum known as the "bandwagon effect," in which they try to persuade patients and physicians that they should get with the IM program because, in essence, everyone else is doing it and it's sweeping the nation. Not coincidentally, this is one type of method of persuasion much favored ... (original story)