A chemist’s thoughts about alternative medicine

Alternative medicine offers a virtual challenge for classical 21st century evidence based medicine even that the latest is justifi ed by efficacy and survival improvements. The theoretical basis of the alternative medicine is not justified by experimental or clinical evidence. Ethics of the contemporary pharmacologic marketing equally considers the interest of the patient, the doctor and the pharmacological company. Unfortunately, alternative medicine does not consider market ethics and gains unjustified competitive advantage. Beside the statements of the professional organizations, it is necessary continuously inform the patients and the doctors on the lack of real evidence on the efficacies of these ”alternative” medical solutions.