Scientists urge unis to axe alternative medicine courses (1 Viewer)

[Rafy]

http://www.smh.com.au/national/tert...ernative-medicine-courses-20120125-1qhtm.html

MORE than 400 doctors, medical researchers and scientists have formed a powerful lobby group to pressure universities to close down alternative medicine degrees.

Almost one in three Australian universities now offer courses in some form of alternative therapy or complementary medicine, including traditional Chinese herbal medicine, chiropractics, homeopathy, naturopathy, reflexology and aromatherapy.

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]But the new group, Friends of Science in Medicine, wrote to vice-chancellors this week, warning that by giving "undeserved credibility to what in many cases would be better described as quackery" and by "failing to champion evidence-based science and medicine", the universities are trashing their reputation as bastions of scientific rigour.​

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[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Do these pseudo-scientific courses belong in universities?[/FONT]​

 

[RANK 1]

no they belong in specialised colleges that teach ppl these stuff, its like having a bachelor of martial arts, but then again colleges or masters that teach things like traditional chinese medicine are rare. so maybe they keep the courses just set them in a different category

 

[mirakon]

well if students are willing to pay a crapload to study these courses as i expect they are, i don't see why we should stop them. It is their problem after all, plus it gives homeopaths and whatnot employment when they are unlikely to get much in the first place. But only on the condition they accept what they are doing is not strictly speaking "medicine"

 

[Havox]

http://www.smh.com.au/national/tert...ernative-medicine-courses-20120125-1qhtm.html

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[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Do these pseudo-scientific courses belong in universities?[/FONT][/LEFT]

No, they don't. There's no empirical evidence by any reliable study which shows that any of this stuff actually works, in many cases they actually cause more harm than good.

 

[FTW]

If it's enough to be a placebo through an illness/suspected illness though it can't be that bad right?

 

[Carrotsticks]

TAFE course, sure (if anything at all)

University, no.

 

[Aquawhite]

If students are dumb enough to believe this stuff and take courses in them, so be it. Universities will look trashy by offering them and they shouldn't do so in the first place.

 

[-may-cat-]

I didn't think that chiropractic was considered pseudoscience...? While i never thought of chiropractors as doctors that practice medicine i did think that they provided a proven, helpful service, like physiotherapy.

 

[AsyLum]

I didn't think that chiropractic was considered pseudoscience...? While i never thought of chiropractors as doctors that practice medicine i did think that they provided a proven, helpful service, like physiotherapy.

There's a fair bit of controversy due to the original founding and notion of chiropractic science being founded on fairly 'questionable' science. Having said that, not many people actually ascribe to that old school thinking and it has developed over the years to incorporate more 'solid' techniques, but there's still debate on this thus the alternative pseudoscience

 

[demonduckofdoom]

If UTS are going to keep teaching TCM they need to remove "medicine" in the name and call it traditional chinese therapy/therapies. I never understood why UTS even teaches TCM. I have a huge, personal issue with TCM. Any 'medicine' that says that Tiger Penises will bring me prosperity and make me ferocious like a tiger - are laughable, disturbing and do more harm than good (black market trade/poaching/animal extinctions etc). These are more spiritual than scientific, and should not be considered within the realm of scientific fact, so I agree with them when they mention that these various 'disclipines' show no scientific evidence or research to back up their 'science'.

Homeopaths are garbage, and anybody who believes that water has a memory and that water that has been 'memorised' with lead or something equally poisonous (but apparently at these minute traces are beneficial) to cure you of things..and you want to study this at uni..I just have no words for you.

As for tarnishing the reputation of universities...yeah that is not why they're bringing this up I would guess that recently more people have been turning to alternative therapies ( more people are not able to go see the doctor/ get hospital treatments + huge hospital waiting lists and are becoming desperate) and now they want to reclaim their position in the sun. However, they are right about giving credibility to otherwise nonsense areas.

These all need to go into some sort of specialised college. I've seen plenty of them around, so they can do the same.

 

[Carrotsticks]

I never understood why UTS even teaches TCM.

I have taken the liberty of bolding the reason for you.

 

[demonduckofdoom]

I have taken the liberty of bolding the reason for you.

Point duly noted!