I like the word 'provocation'...
...As used by Zdenko Domancic in the film, 'Think About It'.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-153936213309506589
Or, at Healing Bioenergy .com
It is as though we take an action, or a substance, and then there is a consequence. The practical view...but is it always true?
It seems to me that, in physiology, there could be thousands of mitigating circumstances.
I think that's why scientists prefer to speak in percentages...to study thousands of instances, and declare the likelihood of a result...rather than say, "You WILL drop down dead...or, walk again...or, have to take this, daily, forevermore.
(Do they really think Joe will never forget to take his pills, never experiment on his own, or never switch to another brand?)
Even in alternatives, there are no guarantees...and no promises that you won't change in a year, or two...or, next week.
All we can do is pay our money, and take our chances...as was said many years ago.
We make the best choice we can guess...and hope for the best.
:D