Quackery and Folk Remedies

In this category are methods with no scientific foundation.  Quackery is practiced by people who dishonestly or ignorantly claim knowledge or skill that they do not have.  Often there is an over-arching belief system behind these methods, and patients will continue to believe in the system regardless of symptoms, outcomes, or lack of data.

We include in this category extreme diets that harm children.

Many folk remedies are harmless.  CHILD does not try to outlaw folk remedies, nutritional supplements or what is often called “alternative medicine.”  We do, however, maintain that the state should require, in addition to whatever harmless remedies a parent chooses, state-licensed, evidence-based health care when a child is at substantial risk of serious harm.

Many of the links below are to the front page of CHILD’s newsletters, but the article you click on may not be on the newsletter’s first page.  In that case, find the article in the Table of Contents on the front and scroll to the appropriate page number.

Canadian mother sentenced to three years in prison for negligence in death of her son 11/17/2017
Former naturopath now calls it quackery, ‘essentially witchcraft’ 10/20/2016
Canada allowed aboriginals to deprive child of lifesaving medical care but not others 4/29/2016
Naturopath lets her kids suffer with whooping cough 11/1/2015
Canadian deaths tied to quackery
Dangers of alt-med; quackery, faith healing and hypocrisy
Fake Indians cause harms
Native Americans protest exploitation
Quackery kills baby in Australia
Yahweh healer given probation in fatal “surgery”
Naturopath advises against spinal tap
Public funding upheld for anti-vaccine philosophy
Chelation therapy kills autistic child
Vegans convicted for starving son
Missionary charged in abuse and neglect death
AIDS quackery in South Africa
African diviners
Medical care ordered for injured teen
Untested alternative remedies used on children
Raw-foods parents acquitted in baby’s death
Raw-foods diet blamed in English girl’s death
Florida vegans charged with manslaughter
Are vegan diets dangerous?

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