Medical diagnosis : opting for expertise

At regular intervals, concerns crop up in public and political life about certain kinds of alternative medical treatments and those offering such treatments and in whom people place their trust, often blindly.This raises the question whether individuals are sufficiently protected. Should the government do more perhaps? And if so, what? A common denominator among recent incidents in alternative health care that caused considerable alarm would seem to be the key part played by the medical diagnosis. The diagnosis made is either called into question or repudiated, even though it is the diagnosis that usually determines what treatment options are available.