R. Barker Bausell says he arrived at the University of Maryland's alternative medicine center with an open mind toward exploring the potential of acupuncture, herbal remedies and other unconventional treatments.
But after five years as research director, he quit the Center for Integrative Medicine in 2004, convinced of one thing: None of the alternative treatments he has seen works any better than a placebo.
"They can go on forever" conducting studies, Bausell said recently in his office at UM's School of Nursing, where he is a professor. "They'll eventually find some positive results by chance alone."
In a book released late last year, Bausell laid out his case against alternative medicine, which even 15 years ago was considered little more than quackery.
But his book is making only a few ripples as it bumps up against the juggernaut that has become alternative medicine, which is backed by a U.S. government agency with an annual budget of more than $121 million, has a foothold in hallowed medical schools such as Harvard and Columbia, and attracts tens of millions of followers nationwide who spend billions on it.
Bausell gets no book tour. He has heard from few colleagues who have read his tome. A favorable review in The New York Times has barely registered.
Complementary and alternative medicine - known as CAM - has gone legit. "It's the hidden mainstream," said Ted Kaptchuk, an associate professor at Harvard Medical School who studies the placebo effect and CAM.
Critics say those who choose unorthodox treatments typically don't rely on the latest research: They often prefer word of mouth and continue their treatments if they feel better, regardless of whether science backs them up.
When patients respond favorably to a treatment with no known medical benefit, researchers call it the placebo effect. The very knowledge that he is getting treatment can be enough to make a patient feel better, at least in the short run. So comparisons with placebos have become an integral part of rigorous clinical trials for both conventional and alternative treatments.
Critics have long said alternative medicine too often capitalizes on the placebo effect and the wishful thinking of patients.
"Snake oil is here to stay," said Dr. John Hickner, a professor at the University of Chicago's medical school who has studied the use of placebos by family doctors. "We're humans, and belief is a powerful thing. Belief can promote a person's health."
