Saw an article recently (linked above) that explained in a sarcastic way how Big Alterna is trying to get your money. Actually, its rather ironic because the medical-pharmaceutical industry is far more profitable and owns the "official" medical channels. Those medical channels are dominated by pharmaceutical medicine not alternative medicine. Why do you think theres been a hundred year war against naturopathy, herbalism, acupuncture, chiropractic, and even homeopathy waged by the medical establishment? Even the FDA shows its bias against any non-pharmaceutical therapy as shown by the law against patenting or making claims about a natural nutrient or herb. So tell me again, how can Big Alterna dominate the main medical stream? No, Dr Oz is a TV personality not an alternative practitioner. Naturopathy use to be illegal just a few years ago then the Health Freedom Movement came along advocating that people be allowed to use something besides the doctor-controlled, high-tech based medical system.
There certainly are deceptive practices out there in the alternative health field, which I don't deny. Then again, theres a massive amount of fraud in the pharmaceutical research field. People are brainwashed from early childhood to believe in conventional medicine with all its reliance on high technology. We've come to believe technology is the only solution to our problems whether they be health or otherwise.
Then comes the issue of cost. First, naturopathic doctors should be compensated for their work just like anyone else gets compensation for their work. No, alternative medicine isn't free. Now comes the part where I strongly disagree with the author of the above linked article: in reality alternative med. can be very expensive while due to the dominance of the pharma-industrial, conventional med. is very inexpensive. Its true that you can get cheap generic drugs at major box stores while alternative therapies like chiropractic or some supplements cost a small fortune. Not to mention that health insurance usually only pays for the latter.
But cost should never be the only consideration when making medical decisions. Indeed, there are some alternative doctors making alot of money, however, conventional doctors do the same. Making money is not a sin, its how you make the money. I'm sure all the internet bully pseudo-skeptics would love to use the excuse of "Big Alterna" to further their agenda of destroying it just as the medical establishment has done over the last 100 years.
Big Alterna can have my bucks, too. Its never a perfect world anyways. You can do whatever you want, but don't stop me from doing what I want to do.