Ah, now it makes sense. Thank you.

Four messages already beat me to it. Let me just say to TommyCooper, It’s a good thing that bloke didn’t ask you to call him an ambulance.

COMPLEMENTARY versus COMPLIMENTARY — probably the longest common words frequently interchanged with each other by mistake. ’nuff said.

Especially the ones found near Calcutta.

(ducking…)

Enjoy;)

I’m not saying that makes homeopathy right (far from it; I’m adamantly against it), but the problem here is that this comic cannot be used as a way to persuade a believer to rethink his beliefs in homeopathy––which is, according to the caption, what it’s supposed to help do.

No, the comic isn’t supposed to help persuade believers. It’s a comic. Its sole function is to make people laugh, and that goal appears to have been achieved.

Some have talked about the Mayo Clinic offering CAM. This is something which greatly disappoints me. It is true that proper bedside manner means you need to respect your patient’s beliefs, and not contradict him/her unless it’s a matter critical to their health care. But respecting a patients beliefs is not the same thing as hawking dubious remedies. If a patient has a yoga coach they want to help during labor, fine! Let the yoga coach in, as long as he/she will stay out the way when medical stuff has to happen. The patient wants their pastor to pray over their surgical wound? Staff should not stand in the way of that. But selling their own alt-med takes things to another level. They are not merely allowing the patient to practice their beliefs at that point; they are actively influencing those beliefs, and profiting from it. I realize as noen said that you can get free care at Mayo, but this depends on poverty, and their main business actually comes from wealthy patients. I’ve been there; it’s a fantastic hospital complex, but it’s also strongly targeted to the rich and famous — those with a lot of disposable income.

Actually, this is true. For some their bill is adjusted according to ability to pay. If you are truly indigent and can prove it that can translate into “free” care. You wouldn’t want to be one of those people though. They are truly hardship cases.

@bad albert,

Notice the two bottom lines have check marks, the woo lines do not.

I think the point XKCD is making is that relativity is counter-intuitive, and to the average layperson as mysterious as dowsing and remote viewing. However, the fact that it is successfully used in GPS to make a boat load of money supports the hypothesis that real phenominon will be used to make serious profit.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GPS#Relativity

The Mayo Clinic provides it’s patients with complimentary care if they request it.

You can get free care at the Mayo Clinic by just requesting it? That’s awesome!

No, if you request it, they’ll say nice things to about you to your face while treating you. (“That’s a great shirt! You look like you’ve lost weight!”) This replaces their usual non-complimentary treatment. (“Get over here you fat &*@^ and take off your ugly shirt so I can get this over with quickly. I don’t want to be around your ugly, smelly body any longer than I need to be.”)

True, but most doctors have to get a paycheck from somewhere.

The Mayo Clinic provides it’s patients with complimentary care if they request it.

You can get free care at the Mayo Clinic by just requesting it? That’s awesome!

So I was getting into my car, and this bloke says to me “Can you give me a lift?” I said “Sure, you look great, the world’s your oyster, go for it.”

15. colluvial Says:
October 20th, 2010 at 5:43 pm

“Someone’s illness should certainly not be an opportunity to proselytize about unproven health fads.”

But nor should it be a time for skeptics to jump in and inform people that their beliefs are total BS.

You mean, the one time that is important is when you should not tell them?

Tell me, do you also think you shouldn’t yell “stop!” when you see someone about to step into a chasm (or into heavy traffic, if you prefer)?

There’s a term for alternative medicine that works. We call it medicine.

I hope you’re not being a Dick.
Alt-Med seems no better than liberal Christianity.

How can one not be a be a dick by publicly criticizing the Alt-Med arguments (basically calling them delusional, not based on reality), but then be dick if one criticizes Liberal religion?

Every alt-med practitioner doesn’t claim a cure for cancer; some are more humble.

Every Christian isn’t a biblical literalist; some are more humble.

You see the pattern here?

But nor should it be a time for skeptics to jump in and inform people that their beliefs are total BS.

I’m not having a go at you – just providing the flip-side of your good point. I guess as always it all comes down to degree and circumstance, and a liberal dose of common sense…