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Alternative medicine describes practices used in place of conventional medical treatments. Complementary medicine describes alternative medicine used in conjunction with conventional medicine. The term complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is an umbrella term for both branches. Alternative medicine includes practices that incorporate spiritual, metaphysical, or religious underpinnings; non-European medical traditions or newly developed approaches to healing.
The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine defines complementary and alternative medicine as "a group of diverse medical and health care systems, practices, and products that are not presently considered to be part of conventional medicine". It also defines integrative medicine as "
Proponents of evidence-based medicine regard the distinction between conventional and alternative medicines as false, preferring "good medicine" with provable efficacy and "bad medicine" without. "Bad medicine" is any treatment where the efficacy and safety of which has not been verified through peer-reviewed, double blind placebo controlled studies, regarded as the "gold standard" for determining the efficacy of a compound. It is thus possible for a method to change categories in either direction, based on increased knowledge of its effectiveness or lack thereof. Richard Dawkins, Professor of the Public Understanding of Science at Oxford, argues that alternative medicine should be defined as that set of practices that cannot be tested, refuse to be tested or consistently fail tests. He also states that "There is no alternative medicine. There is only medicine that works and medicine that doesn't work."
More on [ Alternative medicine ]
North Korea missile tests defy UN
Sat, 04 Jul 2009 08:08:06 -0000
North Korea test-fires six missiles in an apparent act of defiance on 4 July, American Independence Day.
Burma junta leader snubs UN chief
Sat, 04 Jul 2009 04:28:02 -0000
Burma's military ruler refuses to let visiting UN chief Ban Ki-moon meet jailed opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
Japan rethinks silent hybrid cars
Fri, 03 Jul 2009 11:01:56 -0000
Japan considers adding noise-making devices to quiet hybrid cars to improve safety for blind pedestrians.
Fans and foes pray for ill Aquino
Fri, 03 Jul 2009 04:56:33 -0000
Former Philippine President Cory Aquino has stopped treatment for cancer, prompting prayer vigils by fans and foes.
New dinosaurs found in Australia
Fri, 03 Jul 2009 04:48:58 -0000
Three new dinosaur species are found in Queensland, Australia, and named after the Outback song Waltzing Matilda.
Deadly bus fire 'set by arsonist'
Fri, 03 Jul 2009 08:37:00 -0000
A fire on a bus in China that killed 27 people in June may have been caused by a suicidal arsonist, police say.
NYT > Asia Pacific
In Villages, Marines Work to Win Over Afghans
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Sat, 04 Jul 2009 06:09:14 -0000
A new military strategy seeks not just to oust the Taliban, but also to implant a government presence.
Myanmar Denies U.N. Chief a Meeting
By NEIL MacFARQUHAR Sat, 04 Jul 2009 05:55:20 -0000
Ban Ki-moon, the United Nations secretary general, said his request to see the democracy leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi had been rejected by Myanmar’s ruling generals.
Pakistan Army Helicopter Crash Kills 26
By PIR ZUBAIR SHAH and ISMAIL KHAN Sat, 04 Jul 2009 05:50:52 -0000
A Pakistani Army helicopter crashed in a northwestern tribal area that is a Taliban stronghold, killing at least 26 Pakistani soldiers and paramilitary fighters.
L.A. Times - Asia
U.N. secretary-general defends his approach to the job
Sat, 04 Jul 2009 00:00:00 -0700
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon rejects the notions that the world body has been shunted aside on security matters and that his moral voice has been lacking. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon knew he was taking a risk by traveling to Myanmar this week to plead with the country's ruling generals for a meeting with imprisoned opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi. Several Western diplomats warned Ban the generals would use his presence to claim legitimacy for their autocratic rule, even as they proceed with what many regard as a show trial of Suu Kyi for allegedly violating terms of her house arrest.
Carbon tariffs proposal is causing unease in the global community
Sat, 04 Jul 2009 00:00:00 -0700
China and India lash out at a U.S. bill aimed at imports from countries that pollute, saying that it would 'hurt the interests of developing countries' and 'disrupt the order of international trade.' China and India on Friday lashed out at the possibility of the United States slapping so-called carbon tariffs on goods imported from countries that pollute, even though analysts said proposed U.S. measures were years away and would be hard to implement.
U.S. drone attacks said to kill 17 at Taliban outposts in Pakistan
Sat, 04 Jul 2009 00:00:00 -0700
The missiles target the network of Pakistani Taliban leader Baitullah Mahsud, who escaped a similar attack a week earlier. Missile attacks believed to be carried out by U.S. drone aircraft Friday targeted a training center and a communications base run by one of Pakistan's most wanted militant leaders, killing 17 people and injuring 27.
UN News Centre - Asia Pacific
UN helping Timorese uprooted families return home peacefully
Fri, 03 Jul 2009 00:00:00 -0500
The United Nations is assisting families displaced by violence which shook Timor-Leste in 2006 return to their homes and preventing potential conflicts in their communities.
Japanese official chosen to head UN atomic watchdog
Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:00:00 -0500
A Japanese diplomat with a lengthy record of working on disarmament and non-proliferation issues will be the next chief of the United Nations nuclear watchdog after winning a secret ballot today against two other candidates.
UNAIDS hails Indian court decision decriminalizing homosexuality
Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:00:00 -0500
The United Nations Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) has hailed today's decision by an Indian court to overturn a 150-year-old law and decriminalize homosexuality, voicing hope that more countries that ban same-sex activity will follow suit.
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