Understanding the transition from alternative medicine to mainstream science: the homocysteine theory of heart disease and the crucial role of effective mentoring.
A deficiency of effective 'mentoring' may contribute to the relatively low quality of alternative medicine research and to the medical/scientific community's reluctance to consider even its most promising theories. This hypothesis derives from a case-study of the homocysteine theory of heart disease (HTSD), one of only a few recent theories to have made the transition from 'alternative' to 'mainstream'.
Podell
Richard N
RN
UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Dale Drive Short Hills, New Jersey 07078, USA. podell2@comcast.net
D000818:Animals; D009202:Cardiomyopathies / Q000139:chemically induced*; D000529:Complementary Therapies / Q000193:education*; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine; D006710:Homocysteine / Q000009:adverse effects*; D006801:Humans; D008611:Mentors; D012586:Science / Q000193:education*
D006710:Homocysteine