Touch therapists on the medical staff? Probably not ...

Demand for alternative therapies is on the rise, and while some practitioners remain skeptical, many physicians have embraced the need for more research. Not so fast, says Brian Goldman, MD, in his White Coat, Black Art blog. Goldman cited a Trends in Molecular Medicine article published last week by David Gorski, MD, a cancer surgeon at Wayne State University School of Medicine; and Steven Novella, MD, a neurologist at Yale University. Gorski and Novella called for an end to all clinical trials on some forms of alternative medicine—including homeopathy, reiki, therapeutic touch, reflexology, and craniosacral therapy. The thrust of their argument is that during the past 20 years, alternative medicine proponents have called for more research into these therapies to settle once and for all whether they work or not, and studies have shown that these alternatives have no proven benefit.

Source: CBC