Alternative Medicine in a Scientific World

1997 AAAS Annual Meeting and Science Innovation Exhibition (AMSIE'97)
13-18 February 1997
Seattle, Washington
Washington State Convention and Trade Center
Sheraton Seattle Hotel and Towers
Friday, February 14, 2:30pm-5:30pm, Sheraton, Rm TBA

Organized by Ursula W. Goodenough, Washington University; Robert L. Park, University of Maryland and American Physical Society Evaluate the extent to which the claims of alternative health-related therapies are consistent with the laws of physics, the nature of the evidence cited to support them, religious dimensions of such therapies, the role of anti-science in their advocacy, and the relationship between alternative practices and cultural relativism.

SPEAKERS

Ursula W. Goodenough, Washington University
Contemporary Ayurvedic Medicine: Biology in the Service of Belief
Saul Green, ZOL Consultants, Inc.
Evaluating "Alternative" Medical Claims Based on the Science Cited
Barry L. Beyerstein, Simon Fraser University, Canada
Judgmental Biases in Healthcare: Why Bogus Therapies Seem to Work
Wallace Sampson, Stanford University and Santa Clara Valley Medical Center
Errors in "Alternative" Medicine Literature
Paul R. Gross, University of Virginia High Theory and Low Practice: "Alternative Healing"
Robert L. Park, University of Maryland and American Physical Society
Alternative Medicine and the Laws of Physics
Alternative Medicine in a Scientific World
Friday, February 14, 2:30pm-5:30pm, Sheraton, Rm TBA
Organized by Ursula W. Goodenough, Washington University; Robert L. Park, University of Maryland and American Physical Society

SYNOPSIS

Americans are reportedly spending about $14 billion per year on health-related therapies that have not been scientifically validated and are collectively referred to as "alternative" or "complementary." These range from psychic healing and intercessory prayer to aromatherapy, homeopathy, and acupuncture. Although many of these therapies are said to be effective because they have been used since ancient times, attempts have been made to rationalize them using modern scientific language. A panel of scientists and researchers will evaluate and discuss the extent to which the claims of alternative therapies are consistent with the laws of physics, the nature of the evidence cited to support the efficacy of alternative treatment, the religious dimensions of alternative medicine, the role of anti-science in the advocacy of alternative therapies, and the relationship between alternative practices and cultural relativism.

Sources