Why Bogus Therapies Often Seem to Work
Taken from Quackwatch.org
There are at least seven reasons why people may erroneously conclude that an ineffective therapy works:
1. The disease may have run its natural course. Many diseases are self-limiting and may have improved on their own.
2. Many diseases are cyclical. Such conditions as arthritis, multiple sclerosis, allergies, and gastrointestinal problems normally have “ups and downs.” Naturally, sufferers tend to seek therapy during the downturn of any given cycle. In this way, a bogus treatment will have repeated opportunities to coincide with upturns that would have happened anyway.
3. The placebo effect may be responsible.
4. People who hedge their bets credit the wrong thing. If improvement occurs after someone has had both “alternative” and science-based treatment, the fringe practice often gets a disproportionate share of the credit.
5. The original diagnosis or prognosis may have been incorrect. Scientifically trained physicians are not infallible. A mistaken diagnosis, followed by a trip to a shrine or an “alternative” healer, can lead to a glowing testimonial for curing a condition that would have resolved by itself.
6. Temporary mood improvement can be confused with cure. Alternative healers often have forceful, charismatic personalities. To the extent that patients are swept up by the messianic aspects of “alternative medicine,” psychological uplift may ensue.
7. Psychological needs can distort what people perceive and do. Even when no objective improvement occurs, people with a strong psychological investment in “alternative medicine” can convince themselves they have been helped.
Links to related topics:
1. Spontaneous Remission and the Placebo Effect
2. Common Questions about Science and “Alternative” Health Methods
3. Why Extraordinary Claims Demand Extraordinary Proof
4. How Quackery Sells
5. Response to an Alt-Muddled Friend
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