title: The perils of complementary alternative medicine.
abstract: More than 11,000 articles lauding alternative medicine appear in the PubMed database, but there are only a few articles describing the complications of such care. Two patients suffering from complications of alternative medicine were treated in our hospital: one patient developed necrotizing fasciitis after acupuncture, and the second developed an epidural hematoma after chiropractic manipulation. These complications serve as a clarion call to the Israeli Health Ministry, as well as to health ministries around the world, to include complementary medicine under its inspection and legislative authority.
authors.affiliation: Surgery Ward A, Soroka University Medical Center, Beer Sheva, Israel;
authors.forename: Michael J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Bayme
authors.affiliation: Orthopedic Ward, Soroka University Medical Center, Beer Sheva, Israel and.
authors.forename: Alex
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Geftler
authors.affiliation: Surgery Ward A, Soroka University Medical Center, Beer Sheva, Israel;
authors.forename: Uri
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Netz
authors.affiliation: Surgery Ward A, Soroka University Medical Center, Beer Sheva, Israel;
authors.forename: Boris
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Kirshtein
authors.affiliation: Surgery Ward A, Soroka University Medical Center, Beer Sheva, Israel;
authors.forename: Yair
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Glazer
authors.affiliation: Surgery Ward A, Soroka University Medical Center, Beer Sheva, Israel;
authors.forename: Shahar
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Atias
authors.affiliation: Surgery Ward A, Soroka University Medical Center, Beer Sheva, Israel; ; Center for Medical Education, Ben-Gurion University, Beer Sheva, Israel.
authors.forename: Zvi
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Perry
keywords: Complementary alternative medicine; formal legislation; group B streptococcus; spontaneous spinous epidural hematoma