Alternative Medicine

I read the letter to the editor of The Scientist about alternative medicine by Saul Green ( Feb. 19, 1996, page 11). I was surprised to see the comment, "When rigorous scientific trials on laetrile, vitamin C, hydrazine sulfate, chelation therapy, chiropractic, and homeopathy proved them worthless . . ." While I recognize that some of the trials to which he refers fail to demonstrate significant scientific evidence to support the use of a particular approach, that cannot be stated about the app

Written byJames Winterstein

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I read the letter to the editor of The Scientist about alternative medicine by Saul Green ( Feb. 19, 1996, page 11). I was surprised to see the comment, "When rigorous scientific trials on laetrile, vitamin C, hydrazine sulfate, chelation therapy, chiropractic, and homeopathy proved them worthless . . ." While I recognize that some of the trials to which he refers fail to demonstrate significant scientific evidence to support the use of a particular approach, that cannot be stated about the application of chiropractic procedures if we are to believe the results of the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research.

This governmental committee, in 1994, issued a bulletin on low back pain and recommended the use of spinal manipulation "as done by chiropractors and others" as a first defense against low back pain. The basis for the decision to recommend spinal manipulation for low back pain was the ...

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