Rambam Maimonides Med Jv.5(3); 2014 JulPMC4128590
The Perils of Complementary Alternative Medicine
Michael J. Bayme, M.D., F.A.C.S.
Abstract
More than 11,000 articles lauding alternative medicine appear in the PubMed database, but there are only a few articles describing the complications of such care. Two patients suffering from complications of alternative medicine were treated in our hospital: one patient developed necrotizing fasciitis after acupuncture, and the second developed an epidural hematoma after chiropractic manipulation. These complications serve as a clarion call to the Israeli Health Ministry, as well as to health ministries around the world, to include complementary medicine under its inspection and legislative authority.