Pharmacy Practice Faculty Publications

The Appeal of Medical Quackery: A Rhetorical Analysis

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

3-1-2015

Journal Title

Research in Social and Administrative Pharmacy

ISSN

1934-8150

Volume

11

Issue

2

First Page

288

Last Page

296

DOI

doi:10.1016/j.sapharm.2014.08.001

PubMed ID

25194893

Abstract

Medical quackery has been a pressing issue nearly from the start of the medical profession - whether the nostrums and patent medications of old or the super-foods and miracle supplements of today. Throughout history and into the modern day, the medical establishment has tried to counteract the claims of charlatans in order to protect patients from potentially harmful treatments. Countering today's pseudo-medicine begins with an examination of what makes patients susceptible to the claims of quack medicine. Understanding why patients are susceptible to dubious health claims begins with an examination of the rhetoric used to persuade a demographic toward alternative therapies. This knowledge can then be used to educate patients, and to better demonstrate the benefits of evidence-based medicine while improving patient interactions.

Keywords

Quackery, alternative medicine, marketing, alternative therapies, complementary therapies

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