This is an
explanatory essay about
Wikipedia:Manual of Style (Medicine-related articles). This page provides additional information about concepts in the page(s) it supplements. This page is not one of
Wikipedia's policies or guidelines as it has not been
thoroughly vetted by the community. |
The English Wikipedia has thousands of articles that describe different types and uses of alternative medicine.
Wikipedia editors often focus on efficacy above all else. However, efficacy alone does not determine classification.
Socially accepted | Not accepted | |
---|---|---|
Effective |
Codeine (conventional and evidence-based) Evidence-based medicine |
Honey (alternative but evidence-based) Alternative medicine (or self-care) |
Ineffective |
Dextromethorphan (conventional but proven worthless) Bad medicine |
Homeopathy (alternative and proven worthless) WP:FRINGE treatment |
The fact that "it works" says nothing about the mechanism through which it works. Codeine may "work" by sedating the patient, so that they sleep through the coughing, rather than by stopping it. Similarly, a 10-hour-long upper-body massage might successfully improve a sprained ankle, if only by making the patient stop walking on the injured joint for the length of the massage. A treatment can work indirectly and still be effective.
It's generally best to provide the most specific label for a treatment. For example, treating babies who are at-risk of premature birth with a dose of corticosteroids should be described as a form of evidence-based medicine, rather than using the vaguer term conventional medicine.
Derogatory or disputed labels should normally use WP:INTEXT attribution to identify specific experts or organizations that use that label.
This is an
explanatory essay about
Wikipedia:Manual of Style (Medicine-related articles). This page provides additional information about concepts in the page(s) it supplements. This page is not one of
Wikipedia's policies or guidelines as it has not been
thoroughly vetted by the community. |
The English Wikipedia has thousands of articles that describe different types and uses of alternative medicine.
Wikipedia editors often focus on efficacy above all else. However, efficacy alone does not determine classification.
Socially accepted | Not accepted | |
---|---|---|
Effective |
Codeine (conventional and evidence-based) Evidence-based medicine |
Honey (alternative but evidence-based) Alternative medicine (or self-care) |
Ineffective |
Dextromethorphan (conventional but proven worthless) Bad medicine |
Homeopathy (alternative and proven worthless) WP:FRINGE treatment |
The fact that "it works" says nothing about the mechanism through which it works. Codeine may "work" by sedating the patient, so that they sleep through the coughing, rather than by stopping it. Similarly, a 10-hour-long upper-body massage might successfully improve a sprained ankle, if only by making the patient stop walking on the injured joint for the length of the massage. A treatment can work indirectly and still be effective.
It's generally best to provide the most specific label for a treatment. For example, treating babies who are at-risk of premature birth with a dose of corticosteroids should be described as a form of evidence-based medicine, rather than using the vaguer term conventional medicine.
Derogatory or disputed labels should normally use WP:INTEXT attribution to identify specific experts or organizations that use that label.