Advice invariably found in the literature handed out by purveyors of so-called "alternative" or "complementary" medicine, in which customers intending to buy quackery are advised to check with their GPs first to find what "mainstream medicine" has to say.
The venomous diatribes against
real medicine, and
science and rationality in general, behind the closed doors of the "alternative" movement should tell you all you need to know about the sincerity of the
quack-my-ass clause. On the face of it, it sounds obvious, egalitiarian and big-hearted. However, the
real intention of the advice is to ensure that if anyone dies or is incapacitated by taking the
quack's advice or products (or by swearing off real medicine, which
may not be advised on the packaging but is a stock in trade in the "alternative" industry), if the matter comes to court the
quack's lawyer can claim that the product or the service was misused; obviously, they didn't check with their GP, how unfortunate, it's not our fault.
Besides, the
quack knows perfectly well their client is unlikely to see their GP or specialist about whatever the problem is, or if they do they won't pay much attention to their advice. If they did, they wouldn't be coming to the
quack in the first place.
Ah, here's the booklet; 123 symptoms this product
may be able to cure, 256 further lists of types of
people the product may be able to help, 25 more natural products from the same factory that might be able to balance your energies and so on, and, oh yes, the
quack-my-ass clause.
