The mortality and morbidity of non-medical (alternative) treatment for minors

The treatment of minors by medically unqualified people (healers) using unevaluated and implausible methods (complementary and alternative medicine) can lead to damage and death. This phenomenon falls outside the scope of the ancient and multi-traditional profession of medicine, and should be called non-medicine rather than alternative or complimentary medicine. Seven severe cases of minors collected over a 2-year period in Israel are presented. The unregulated practice of non-medicine has become a highly popular, lucrative and ruthless commercial industry; its legitimisation by the medical establishment is undermining the scientific basis of evidence-based medicine and poses a severe threat to public health. The dangers to minors and possible solutions are discussed.