But the AMA is only a professional organization, and there is a real role and a real need for these in most professions, including medicine. The thing that makes the AMA such a problem is that it has the power of the law and the police behind it. Without the power of police it could only protest and withhold approval of alternate medical arts. Whoever believed in conventional medicine could patronize only AMA approved medical facilities so no one would actually lose any protection. Everyone else would be free to practice any sort of healing arts they wished.
Same approach applies.
Durk Pearson and Sandy Shaw in their life extension book have a big chapter near the back about the government's role. They want FDA approval to be a matter of labeling. Anybody who wants to be protected from unapproved drugs could just look for the FDA label. Other drugs could sit along side them on the same shelves for people who lack faith in the judgment of the agency. They point out that the FDA policy of requiring extensive safety and effectiveness tests costs a considerable number of lives.