7 Ways Alternative Medicine Tricks You Into Thinking It Works
2. It Uses Conspiracy Theories To Frighten You
Appeals to Nature and cries of "safe and gentle" products paint a nice soothing picture of the alternative medicine industry - full of rainbows and unicorns, unlike the picture the industry paints of science and medicine - scary with big words and harsh sounding chemicals.
When your practice lacks science and you're scrambling to deflect from that; if feel good emotions aren't enough for a doubter to part with their money, a scary conspiracy theory never fails.
The biggest lie ever told by the alternative medicine industry is that "Big Pharma" is only in it for money and profit – ignoring that the homeopathic industry alone is worth 1.05 billion euros in the UK, $5.35 billion is India and approximately $300 million - $20 billion in the US. Unfortunately the flaws in healthcare systems in some countries have paved the way for alternative medicine to act like a knight in shining armor with Big Pharma as the Big Bad Bogeyman that is out to harm everyone.
One of the more dangerous tactics used by alternative medicine practitioners to get consumers through their doors is the idea that pharmaceutical companies are deliberately making everyone sick because people ignoring the fact that many countries have socialised healthcare systems has worked out pretty well so far. Alternative medicine brings in big dollars – just like pharmaceutical companies, however unlike pharmaceutical companies, the alternative medicine industry has exempted itself from the rigor of scientific testing – all while demonising science in the name of profit.
While this serves as a nice way for practitioners to gain more customers, it has also resulted in a lowered herd immunity and an increase in preventable diseases. Believing conspiracy theories over science-based evidence can lead to other devastating consequences such as an increase in people neglecting medication that can help them in favour of mysticism, placebos and pseudoscience. When people neglect their medication, they get sick, end up in hospital needing science to clean up the mess created by the alternative medicine industry – creating even more of an overworked healthcare system, thus perpetuating the cycle.