Resumen

ROJAS OCHOA, Francisco; SILVA AYCAGUER, Luis Carlos; SANSO SOBERATS, Félix José  y  ALONSO GALBAN, Patricia. Debate on the natural and traditional medicine and its implications for the public health. Rev Cubana Salud Pública [online]. 2013, vol.39, n.1, pp. 107-123. ISSN 0864-3466.

The importance of the debate and the rigorous application of the scientific method to strengthen the Natural and Traditional Medicine (NTM) as a public health resource were analyzed. Three concepts were clarified and illustrated: erroneous science, spurious science and pseudoscience, all of them significantly hazardous to the population´s health. While it is noted that legitimate therapeutic resources are located under the umbrella of the natural and traditional medicine, it was also warned against other resources which do not have the endorsement of the scientific method or whose validity has been directly refuted. The crucial importance of taking into account the best available knowledge at every historical period to design appropriate public health actions was highlighted. It was emphasized that only intellectual honesty, constructive debate and experimentation are able to secure this purpose.

Palabras clave : public health; science; pseudoscience; natural medicine; experimentation; scientific method.

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