Alternative medicine is like a belief system – like a religion. In alternative medicine, everything is blindly accepted on faith as absolute truth without substantial evidence. Anecdotal testimonials, like in some religious groups, are intensely valued and offered as evidence of treatment efficacy. The promoters and purveyors of alt med products and therapies are quite personable and interested in you as a "whole person" (like a priest or pastor) but often paternalistic and invariably have the remarkable gift of influencing people.