Fredagskollokvium: Stig S. Frøland: Alternative medicine, - an irrational multibillion business

During the last decades there has been an explosive growth of so called alternative medicine, i.e. treatment forms claimed to be an alternative and supplement to conventional, science-based medicine. The term alternative medicine, which today is a multibillion business, comprises a large number of very heterogeneous therapy forms sharing two characteristics: With very few exceptions they are not based on modern scientific concepts, and they have no documented clinical effect. While alternative medicine by many is regarded as a relatively harmless phenomenon, several potentially serious problems are associated with some forms of alternative treatment.