[Thor]

There is a lot to the 'ritual' part, its an added powerful affect that people have when visiting naturopaths and other alternative practitioners. The example is often given of a doctor's visit, they are so busy and their time so precious that you get in and out quickly with your doctor and have to endure long waits to see them.

Now take a visit to a naturpath who will talk with you for 30 mins, an hour. Discuss a whole range of issues bothering you, give you suggestions for improving your health, some of them probably good ones.

Its not strange at all why people so often choose big placebo, and why its such a massive industry world wide.

I think the only thing skeptics would say on this is ask yourself before you try something alternative, what is the evidence backing up these claims, what are the risks, and ultimately can I afford this?

My biggest problem with the whole of alternative medicine is there is so much crap mixed in with actually useful and good therapies/alt-medicines that lose credibility by being seen at the same conference with magnetic stone therapy, crystal therapy, aura photography, etc..

People so often mistrust and hate big pharma, because they make money and are evil. Its odd to me why alt medicine isn't treated with disdain, the amount of money quackery makes is outlandish, yet so few blink an eye because they feel good about words like natural, herbal, traditional, etc..