Know-Nothings winning 2:1.

I think some of the backlash against science comes from the fact that it is not democratic, or "fair."

Sorry, but you can't vote on facts.

While I know lots of people swear by it, unfortunately we're heading into a period of cuts to te health budget and I can't see why we continue to pay millions of pounds to a therapy that is unvalidated.
(Having said that there's no evidence base for appendicectomy either, but most surgeons would rater you didn't know that, LOL!

I just registered my vote homeopathically. (I didn't even have to click the link!)

I think some of the backlash against science comes from the fact that it is not democratic, or "fair."

Sorry, but you can't vote on facts.

ThisthisthisthisTHIS.

there's no evidence base for appendicectomy either,

That made me curious. It looks like there actually is; apparently the problem is that it is hard to diagnose so that a relatively high number (10-40%) of appendectomies are unnecessary - but that's not known until after the fact. But because it's so life-threatening if you do have it, I can understand erring on the side of caution.

My wife believes in it and self-prescribes. She and I can't talk about it in any rational way.

I used to be a teacher at a very crunchy progressive school. One morning I ran to catch up with a kid and somehow put an extremely painful muscle tear into my gastroc' tendon. It hurt like a mofo. After I got up from laying on the ground clutching my calf to my chest, and hobbled indoors, I asked for someone to bring a Tylenol...ibuprofen...anything. Wouldn't you know there wasn't an actual medicine in the whole place. Someone offered me some tiny little Arnica capsules.

When I made it to the doctor at midday, she asked if I'd taken anything. I said "someone gave me Arnica," and she said "well...did it help?" The answer was a definite not in the least little bit.

I've been thinking about this a lot lately - I have a cousin who has been diagnosed with a rare and aggressive cancer, and she's not interested in getting medical treatment. She's been pursuing one cockamamie snake-oil product after another, and keeps interpreting some really bad symptoms (I won't gross you out with them) as signs of healing. It's incredibly frustrating.

What I don't get is the odd choice about what to be skeptical about. Some of these homeopathy folks are great at being skeptical. They're incredibly skeptical of the medical establishment, the government, the FDA. Fine. THey're not perfect. But then - why are they not equally skeptical about these quacks and scam artists selling them fake concoctions - people who have no independent evidence to support their claims? I mean, if you want to be skeptical, why are you being so selective about your skepticism?

I think that healing is complicated, and I'm defintiely a fan of complementary medicine being used along with conventional medicine, and I believe in directing your own treatmen and recognizing that other cultural systems have health wisdom and healing strategies that can be effective - Western medical knowledge is not the only kind and doesn't have 100% of the answers. But I'm not a fan of believing whatever anybody says just because I don't perceive them as part of a medical establishment - especially when it sounds like a bunch of hooey. The fact that for the most part, it has to rely on testimonials and faith claims rather than independent study by middle-of-the-road professionals without a business to run or a special axe to grind is cause for wariness.

Your last paragraph is so spot on Miko.

My grandpa is really into complementary medicine (thankfully he is a veteran and also has access to "allopathic" medicine as well) and he always says to me, "Follow the money!" There are actually very good reasons to be distrustful of the current R&D model in the US when it comes to drug development and profiteering, but he can't seem to turn that ethos around and ask, "Who profits from selling a 10 cent bottle of sugar pills for $5?"

Homeopaths serving in the military?! No way.

I don't think he was so paranoid about the government while he was actually serving. He retired... gosh... 30 years ago at this point, and has fallen in with a "rough crowd" of little old lady Wiccans. They really are the most adorable coven I've ever met.