Quackery Today

Quackery - Quackery today

Considered by many an archaic term, quackery is most often used to denote the peddling of the "cure-alls" described above. To use the term today is to level a serious objection to a medical practice which is not generally accepted by the medical community at large. This can mean that the practice under question is unproven according to scientific principles, though it does not necessarily mean that the technique does not produce the intended effects (see placebo effect for an example of how this might work). Quackery, in this context, is intended to mean a practice which, if studied comprehensively, would prove ultimately groundless. Many object to the application of this label to particular practices, often citing anecdotal evidence, faith-based reasons, or studies that some might call dubious.

Quackery can be found in any culture and in every medical tradition. Advertisements for "miracle cures" and "faith healing", as well as many natural remedies sold in health food stores, or certain diet and fitness regimes, are considered to be quackery by many conventional medical specialists.

A variety of medicines with heavy marketing campaigns may fall under the term "quackery". Full-page ads in magazines are popular places to sell these products or services, as well as web sites with exaggerated medical claims.

Most people with an e-mail account have experienced the marketing tactics of spamming — the current trend for miraculous penis enlargement, weight-loss remedies and unprescribed medicines of dubious quality sold on the Internet are perhaps the most common current form of quackery. Quackery has also become a serious problem in the field of autism, where medical sciences have made limited progress in the face of intractable neurodevelopmental disorders.

In the field of natural medicine, many practitioners prescribe natural remedies which they sell at a profit. This common practice could be viewed as a conflict of interest which is conducive to quackery (though this argument could be leveled at any profitable medical practice).

In the field of alternative medicine, many professions exist outside government regulation. Unregulated areas of medical practice are viewed to lend themselves to quackery, since peer review is an important component of establishing effective techniques.

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