The Environmental movement is based as much on feelings, emotions, spirituality as it is on science. This, I would say, can't be denied. The American spiritual connection to wilderness has been as big a factor in the environmental movement as the scientific basis for, say, protecting forests because they consume the CO2 that is emitted by humans. But as positive as this association of moral and philosophical ties is, it can lead to some associations that might be better off left behind.
The Guardian posits that one such association which should be severed is the connection between green issues and alternative medicine. The author argues that we need not be solely motivated by science. The love of nature affects many without any knowledge of science. "My environmentalism arises from both a deep love of the natural world and a strong sense of the injustices done to vulnerable people: it's an emotional impulse, in other words. But we must at all times be informed by [science]. There is no room for wishful thinking...The great majority of alternative medicine, by contrast, relies to some degree on wishful thinking."
Alternative medicine has become tied to environmentalism. It is something I don't entirely understand. The actual protection of the environment is largely a scientific endeavor; alternative medicine isn't.
The commitment many have to alternative medicine could be healthy. I don't know. But it is important to be aware of the science to support one's medicine, isn't it? I take vitamin supplements because I believe they will make me healthier. But I'm fully aware that vitamin supplements are not approved, are not even subject to approval, by the FDA. I take it on faith that they will help me until the science comes out to support it.
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