According to AP writer Marilynn Marchione, the “alternative medicine scam” (my quotes, not hers–she never used the word scam) is a waste of money. She says that taxpayer money is being spent foolishly to investigate the veracity of many treatments from acupuncture and Reiki to herbal supplements. A quick quote:

Echinacea for colds. Ginkgo biloba for memory. Glucosamine and chondroitin for arthritis. Black cohosh for menopausal hot flashes. Saw palmetto for prostate problems. Shark cartilage for cancer. All proved no better than dummy pills in studies funded by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine. The lone exception: ginger capsules might help chemotherapy nausea.

The article talks about how powerful members of Congress created the center because they were using alternative treatment methods, and  therefore it was necessary to “research unconventional therapies and nostrums that Americans were using to see which ones had merit.”

The only admission that the writer makes was that “acupuncture has been shown to help some conditions, and yoga, massage, meditation and other relaxation methods might relieve symptoms like pain, anxiety, and fatigue.”

So even though those benefits are said to be valid, she lamented the fact that Reiki, distance healing, and other energy work are all without scientific basis.  You can read the article here.

$2.5 billion yields no alternative cures