That alternative medicine has been on the rise "in countries where Western science and scientific method generally are accepted as the major foundations for healthcare, and 'evidence-based' practice is the dominant paradigm" was described as an "enigma" in the Medical Journal of Australia.
At den alternative medicin har været i fremgang "i lande hvor vestlig videnskab og den videnskabelige metode generelt er accepteret som den vigtigste grundpille for sundhedssystemet, og evidensbaseret behandling er det dominerende paradigme" blev i 2004 beskrevet som et mysterium i Medical Journal of Australia.