What's the "Alternative" for intelligence?

The mainstream media often reports on science without actually understanding the underlying concepts on which they're reporting. Consequently, they publish a lot of stupid nonsense that's incorrect and sometimes dangerous.

Case in point: The Best Alternative Medicine for Children.

Frustrated that Luke was still in pain, his parents, who live in Madison, Wisconsin, were nonetheless reluctant to take their baby to see more doctors. They'd gone that route when their older child, Anna, had stomach problems, and nothing the specialists recommended worked terribly well.

But then a family friend suggested they contact Dr. Adam Rindfleisch, a University of Wisconsin family doctor who specializes in integrating traditional Western medicine with alternative medicine.

Rindfleisch suggested probiotics -- "friendly" bacteria that he says have been shown to help babies and children with diarrhea. While probiotics didn't cure Luke, Kruse-Field said, they seem to have helped.

Now she says she wonders why doctors didn't suggest probiotics for Anna. "We went to multiple specialists, but no one mentioned alternative medicine. I actually asked about probiotics, and they didn't know anything about them," she says. "And when we went to to naturopathathic or homeopathic doctors, they didn't know anything about traditional medicine."

I'm a bit confused here because I think that probiotics actually have proven effects in digestive disorders. They're not "alternative" in that there's actual proof that they work.

It's funny that the last sentence couldn't be more true. Stupid naturopaths and homeopaths don't know anything about "traditional" aka "real" medicine or they wouldn't be doing what they're doing.

The rest of the article just gets really stupid with quotes from "alternative" "doctors" who are peddling their nonsense. They endorse Chamomile tea for colic with this brilliant quote:

In many cultures, from the Middle East to Latin America, parents give chamomile tea to their cranky babies. "What that tells me is that over thousands of years, people have figured out that it works," says Dr. Sandy Newmark, who's on the faculty at the Center for Integrative Medicine at the University of Arizona.

Right. And millions have believed in astrology for thousands of years. That doesn't mean it's not horsecrap.

The article concludes with, "To locate one ["alternative" doctor], visit the American Academy of Pediatrics Web site, put in your location and in the pull-down menu opt for a pediatrician in the Section on Complementary, Holistic & Integrative Medicine. You also can go to the CAHCIM and click on your state. Many centers listed are for adults, but you can call and ask if they know of a pediatrician or family doctor who has an interest in alternative medicine. "

Potentially thousands of people will be harmed by this useless, mindless garbage passing itself off as wisdom. CNN should really be ashamed and embarrassed.