Skeptics Stack Exchange
Skeptics Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [alternative-medicine]

Use this tag for claims regarding cures and health practices which fall outside the boundaries of scientifically validated medicine.

Any healing practice, method, compound or procedure which falls outside the bounds of scientifically validated medicine either because it has not demonstrated significant, safe, repeatable results consistently under proper observing conditions, or has not yet had the opportunity to undergo such testing. Can also relate to the study, evaluation, and interpretation of data collected on such processes. Related term: Complementary Medicine.

192 questions
122
votes
4 answers

Can drinking "harmonized" water prevent sunburn

Osmosis Skin Care offers what they call "Harmonized H2O" This product is a UV Neutralizer-Tan Enhancing[sic]: Boost your body’s defenses with this innovative new technology utilizing frequencies that work against the damaging effects of the…
Adam
  • 1,089
  • 2
  • 7
  • 14
65
votes
3 answers

Is acupuncture an effective treatment?

What evidence is there for or against acupuncture being an effective treatment?
Casebash
  • 10,199
  • 5
  • 55
  • 84
49
votes
2 answers

Is Reiki scientifically valid/proven?

Reiki is a form of alternative medicine which has its origins in Japan. Palm healing and auras are central aspects of Reiki. The practice of Reiki is getting more common, however, I was not able to find credible sources confirming or disputing the…
Lars Ebert
  • 591
  • 1
  • 5
  • 9
42
votes
2 answers

Does prayer help to heal?

It's not hard to find claims like these in the media or on the web from time to time. Is there any scientifically verifiable evidence that prayer (in addition to appropriate medical/surgical treatment) has a benefit for a patient? Please keep…
Monkey Tuesday
  • 24,456
  • 19
  • 109
  • 136
33
votes
3 answers

Are "pox parties" safer than vaccines for children?

So-called pox parties have been around in various forms in varying degrees of popularity since the 1980's, and are described on Wikipedia as: A pox party, or flu party or flu fling, is a social activity where children are deliberately exposed to a…
Brian M. Hunt
  • 17,999
  • 13
  • 99
  • 176
30
votes
4 answers

Do magnets have verifiable effects on humans?

Do magnets have statistically significant effects on humans? Some example claims are in the Wikipedia article on Magnet therapy. Which says: Practitioners claim that subjecting certain parts of the body to magnetostatic fields produced by…
blueberryfields
  • 2,481
  • 21
  • 30
29
votes
1 answer

Did Otto Warburg make this claim about diseases in an alkaline environment?

I came across the following quote, alledgedly by the biochemist Otto Warburg: No disease, including cancer, can exist in an alkaline environment or its German counterpart: Keine Krankheit kann in einem basischen Milieu existieren – nicht einmal…
akraf
  • 1,471
  • 2
  • 12
  • 15
29
votes
2 answers

Does chamomile help you to relax?

What is the best evidence available relative to chamomile having relaxing effects? Some examples claims include: It is known for its relaxing and soothing properties It is a mild relaxant and, as such, is often used as an herbal solution to help…
Stefano Borini
  • 1,836
  • 2
  • 18
  • 22
29
votes
3 answers

Has yoga been shown to have a healing effect?

In a comment to one of the answers of Is there any scientific evidence that prayer can help to heal? Konerak wrote: That's for intercessory prayer. Praying for yourself has been correlated to increased healing, but no more than meditation or…
Kit Sunde
  • 18,636
  • 12
  • 93
  • 127
28
votes
1 answer

Is the skeptical movement an offshoot of the Communist Party?

Found on EXTRAORDINARY MEDICINE The truth about homeopathy is the following claim: Media Skeptics: A Popcorn Gallery The skeptical movement is an offshoot of the Communist Party. (Really: see the top two links below.) Its top organizers were…
LangLаngС
  • 44,005
  • 14
  • 173
  • 172
27
votes
1 answer

Do ion bracelets work?

I recently came across a new kind of sports enhancement bracelet. Apparently it emits positive ions that are good for you. The bracelet is also a watch. There are credible scientific studies on positive ion therapy and apparently positive ions are…
Tjaart
  • 1,388
  • 1
  • 13
  • 23
26
votes
1 answer

Is wearing socks all the time bad for your feet?

My (Asian) parents keep on telling me to take my socks off whenever it's summer because they think that the feet need "fresh air" and that they need to breathe and that keeping them in socks all the time prevents them from breathing. They also think…
InquilineKea
  • 1,069
  • 2
  • 10
  • 15
25
votes
3 answers

Does Burzynski have a miracle cancer cure being suppressed by the FDA?

I received this Mercola announcement for the movie, Burzynski about Stanislaw Burzynski's (allegedly) amazing cure for cancer, which uses antineoplastons. The Mercola article claims some fairly hefty things, such as: Burzynski, the Movie is the…
Hendy
  • 21,665
  • 17
  • 116
  • 179
25
votes
2 answers

Does regular self-induced vomiting provide any health benefit?

Yoga International provided an acquittance with a cleansing technique dubbed upper wash where the healthy subject is to voluntarily vomit in order to clean their body from toxins:…
ChrisR
  • 1,393
  • 2
  • 13
  • 28
24
votes
3 answers

Are the claims of chiropractors independently verifiable?

I've had problems with back-pain in the past, and as a result, I reluctantly went to a chiropractor. It's hard to tell if going to the chiropractor helped my problem, or if they went away on their own. There is a lot of information there talking…
Ustice
  • 2,379
  • 22
  • 21
1
2 3
…
12 13