Ground rules for /r/AltHealth (and why we need them)

A brief background

As an area defined by opposition to an establishment, the topic of alternative medicine tends to attract a very wide range of views, as well as quite a bit of controversy. Additionally, there is a history of spam and scams.

Recent events in /r/AlternativeHealth have resulted to that subreddit being killed for all intents and purposes. While I am not privy to the details, I am led to understand that it was due to dogmatism and spamming. Today an apparent replacement was created, /r/altmed, but the moderator has stated that there will be no moderation, which I feel is a doomed strategy.

In light of these events, I created this subreddit. In a bid to prevent total ruin, I'm going to set some ground rules. These will be enforced more strictly at the beginning in order to set a proper tone, and relaxed as we explore the space a bit as a community.

If you are ever unsure about a link, please feel free to message us mods to ask whether it is appropriate.

The rules

The bottom line is: This subreddit is about the theory and practice of alternative medicine, not about the evils of mainstream medicine.

For instance, these are great topics to post about:

• New herbal discoveries
• Legislation on insurance coverage for alt med
• How to prepare or acquire plants
• Questions about safety and efficacy of a treatment
• Acupuncture, homeopathy, energy work, etc.

These will most likely be removed:

• Science-bashing
• AIDS denialism
• Tired old rants about how Western medicine is eeeevvvviillll and why vaccines are going to cause WWIII
• Spam, as defined here

No one is getting banned for supporting viewpoints I disagree with. However, posts that are vastly and utterly disconnected from reality may be removed.

Until we know everything there is to know about how the human body works, we need to use every tool at our disposal to keep in good health. This includes scientific approaches to medicine (double-blind controlled studies with peer-reviewed publication), folk and traditional medicine (local and cultural practices), and medicine grounded in models of the body and mind that are entirely separate from mainstream science (e.g. homeopathy, energy work, acupuncture.)

Western medicine is well-covered in r/Health2, r/Science2, and other subreddits. This subreddit will be a place for the rest.

Personal notes

Disclaimer: I do not personally believe that some schools of medicine (e.g. homeopathy) are at all effective, and I consider some to be outright dangerous (e.g. colloidal silver treatment.) However, I pledge to leave these views out of my activities as moderator, and will expect future moderators to do likewise.

Final thoughts

I welcome your thoughts, suggestions, constructive criticism, and honest feedback on the moderation of this space.

Will you join me in creating a new community for discussion of alternative medicine?