Why do alternative practitioners always smile? | Edzard Ernst

Have you noticed?

Homeopaths, acupuncturists, herbalists, reflexologists, aroma therapists, colonic irrigationists, naturopaths, TCM-practitioners, etc. – they always smile!

But why?

I think I might know the answer. Here is my theory:

Alternative practitioners have in common with conventional clinicians that they treat patients - lots of patients, day in day out. This wears them down, of course. And sometimes, conventional clinicians find it hard to smile. Come to think of it, alternative practitioners seem to have it much better. Let me explain.

Whenever a practitioner (of any type) treats a patient, one of three outcomes is bound to happen:

1. the patient gets better,
2. the patients roughly remains how she was and experiences no improvement,
3. the patient gets worse.

In scenario one, everybody is happy. Both alternative and conventional practitioners will claim with a big smile that their treatment was the cause of the improvement. There is a difference though...

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