Quacks and Flacks.

Chris Mooney ("Quacks and Flacks," June) captures very well some missteps in alternative medicine, some practitioners of which have done a disservice to their profession in not adhering to rigorous scientific standards.

What got left out of "Quacks and Flacks" are the reasons many people have turned to alternative medicine in the first place. Mooney would have us believe only "quacks" and dupes need apply, but many people turned to alternative medicine only after traditional remedies failed them. And many have found relief or cures thanks to those treatments.

I turned to alternative medicine after many unsuccessful attempts to cure my eczema with traditional treatments. At best I found temporary relief. At worst, the use of cortisone damaged my skin nearly beyond repair. It was only after exploring numerous alternative therapies that I was able to find a treatment that brought the condition mostly under control.

Mooney also suggests thousands of people are taking risks when they turn to alternative medicine. What, you mean, traditional medicine has found a cure for cancer? Or AIDS? People aren't as stupid as he thinks. They are seeking out other remedies because they are more aware of the chances of surviving such conditions under traditional treatments than he is.

Of course, like other professions, alternative medicine suffers from malpractice. The woods are full of charlatans and cranks, so it's necessary to be careful and discriminating when choosing treatments and doctors. More scientific rigor in the field should help that selection process. But let's not throw the baby out with the bathwater, as Mooney would have us do. That would give little relief to those whom traditional treatments have failed.

Mark Hershey

Taipei, Taiwan