Abstract
Exploitation can be defined as the use of another person or group for selfish purposes. Exploitative behavior in healthcare can lead to patients and others being harmed which clearly is unethical.
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Notes
- 1.
CAM practitioners offering pro bono services would be an exception. But such altruism is rare.
- 2.
The term ‘chemical’ is frequently used a scare word by CAM proponents. But such usage demonstrates scientifically illiteracy: all matter is composed entirely of chemicals. Aside from forms of energy, everything in our environment—all solids, liquids, and gases—is made of chemicals.
- 3.
These establishments often use the terms ‘integrative medicine’ in their title; integrative being a weasel-word designed to (falsely) deflect suspicion of quackery and send a reassuring message that conventional medicine is also present.
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Ernst, E., Smith, K. (2018). Exploitation. In: More Harm than Good?. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-69941-7_7
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