I am a family physician from a tradition of scientific allopathic medicine and rational skepticism. This is an unpopular position in our era of cultural relativism, and it is not often heard. The popular press, the fashionable elite, and many physicians, have embraced herbel remedies and homeopathic medicines. Nonetheless, I feel a professional and cultural obligation to speak out, even if I run the risk of being unfashionable. First, some background.
Healers range from shamans to transplant surgeons, over hundreds of cultures and thousands of years.
Osler, Flexner, and many others brought science to the practice of medicine. The quality of medical science has also increased dramatically. When herbal medicine authorities likewise pronounce a popular herbal remedy worthless or toxic, then I'll be willing to look at the research they produce. Scientific evidence in medicine is often very difficult to gather. We can't ethically study people the same way we study neutrons or fish.