It is essential to remain vigilant in the face of the methods of pseudo-therapists who exert a real mental influence on patients, but also those of distributors of complementary health products. The number of dangerous concepts and methods is increasing. Very often they are protected by copyright, trademark rights or intellectual property rights. In addition to their dangerousness, these unconventional and therapeutic care or well-being practices have in common that they allow their designers to obtain very comfortable incomes. They can lead to drifts, either because of their own dangerousness, or because of the lack of regulated and/or validated training of the practitioners who use them.
Unconventional practices
The “health and sectarian aberrations” guide of Miviludes (April 2012) describes more than 400 unconventional practices with a non-therapeutic aim, including:
Biomagnetism, which claims to rid a person of all spent, stagnant energies that disturb their health
Eleutheropaedia, imposing on children a diet composed exclusively of raw products, which can lead to growth retardation
The fasciatherapy, a manual therapy centered on the patient which claims to treat him as a whole and makes him actor of his health. It solicits the forces of somatic and psychic self-regulation
Thegemmotherapy, a treatment method using growing plant embryonic tissue (buds, rootlets). The fig tree would be for example an analgesic and an antidepressant
The Hamer method, advocating that each type of cancer finds its explanation in the psyche. This method also advocates the cessation of all conventional treatment by cancer patients
Kinesiology, based on muscle tests to find the origin of blockages and on exercises allowing the body to heal itself
Energy medicine that balances the energies of the body to achieve optimal health, joy and vitality
Naturopathy, encompassing the study, knowledge, teaching and application of the laws of
life in order to maintain, regain and optimize health through natural means
Psychobiology, which consists in studying the relationship between psyche and biological functions
Reiki, advocating healing by the laying on of hands, the practitioner serving as a channel to pass the energy
The Simonton method, which claims to provide psychological care for cancer patients with the aim of learning to master the psychological and emotional dimension and thus promoting in-depth transformations in the face of difficulties, crisis situations and illnesses.
If in doubt about a practice, do not hesitate to consult the websites: www.sante.gouv.fr, section “Dossier”, and “practices of non-conventional care” at the letter P, or the website www.derives-sectes.gouv.fr