Convictions about established medical safety and the danger of alternative remedies and practitioners are discussed in this article.

While most alternative medicines continue to be denounced as unscientific and unsafe, government reviews have concluded that chiropractic and osteopathy and (more recently) acupuncture should be registered occupations and that qualifying courses of tertiary education should be instituted in Australia.

This paradoxical result follows the widespread adoption of acupuncture and spinal manipulation by established practitioners of medicine and physiotherapy.

The practices become intrinsically dangerous as their efficacy is accepted.

Consequently, the argument is that only established practitioners are safe enough to use them.