Talk:Alternative medicine/FAQ

Below are answers to frequently asked questions about the corresponding page Alternative medicine. They address concerns, questions, and misconceptions which have repeatedly arisen on the talk page. Please update this material when needed.

To view the response to a question, click the [show] link to the right of the question.

Science

Q1: Where does the statement that alternative medicine is not evidence-based or scientific come from?

A1: The source for this statement is a report produced by the National Science Foundation, which—while surveying scientific beliefs among the public—used the term "alternative medicine" to refer to all treatments that had not been proven effective using the scientific method. The report went on to describe the American Medical Association definition as "neither taught widely in U.S. medical schools nor generally available in U.S. hospitals." The source is different than the definitions used by major medical bodies and its use as a primary source is not consistent with Wikipedia's guideline on identifying reliable medical sources, but its inclusion remains important to some and a point of contention to others.

Q2: Why don't I see lots of references in the lead?

A2: To keep the lead from looking like a jungle with all the references which are actually used, they have been hidden from view, but are visible when in the editing mode. If a reader has a serious question about the sourcing for a statement in the lead, they can start a thread on this talk page and request to see the reference(s). Then, an editor will unhide that reference for them.