Quote:There are many fallacies that undergird alternative medicine, which evolved into “complementary and alternative medicine” (CAM), and for which the preferred term among its advocates is now “integrative medicine,” meant to imply the “best of both worlds.” If I had to pick one fallacy that rules above all among proponents of CAM/IM, it would have to be either the naturalistic fallacy (i.e., that if it’s natural—whatever that means—it must be better) or the fallacy of antiquity (i.e., that if it’s really old, it must be better). Of course, the two fallacies are not unrelated. In the minds of CAM proponents, old is more likely to have been based on nature, and the naturalistic fallacy often correlates with the fallacy of antiquity. Basically, it’s a rejection of modernity, and from it flow the interest in herbalism, various religious practices rebranded as treatments (thousands of years ago, medicine was religion and religion was medicine—the two were more or less one and physicians were often priests as well), and the all-consuming fear of “toxins,” in which it is thought that the products of modernity are poisoning us.

(March 19, 2013 at 11:36 am)Rhythm Wrote: You know, the first thing that should stand out to paleo types is that humanity didn't exactly flourish in those early years. One would imagine that this would be a huge warning light to people with functioning brains.....I mean, the whole "paleo" portion of our history is probably the most dramatic example of people trying (and often failing) to find ways to subvert and circumvent the narrow little band that nature and circumstance "placed" us in.