Fix or Fraud: A Debate on Alternative Medicine

For years, the medical profession kept a cool distance from alternative medicine, which most doctors dismissed as the province of hippies and snake oil salesmen. Now that's changing, as David H. Freedman explains in a new Atlantic article. More and more physicians are recommending alternative therapies to their patients and many now say that acupuncture and meditation work better than expensive drugs at treating major chronic diseases.

Is alternative medicine really ready to claim a place in the mainstream? And what does the popularity of alternative treatments tell us about the weaknesses of modern medicine? To answer these questions, we asked seven leaders in the field as well as vocal skeptics to comment on Freedman's essay. We’ll be posting one response each day over the next couple of weeks.

Why Traditional Medicine Matters Ancient health care systems might not be backed by modern research, but that doesn't mean they aren't scientific Vasant Lad, M.A.Sc.

First, Do No Harm A doctor who wants to stay true to the Hippocratic Oath must often turn to alternative medicine, not just convention Mimi Guarneri, M.D.