Abstract

Scepticism, the questioning of one's assumptions about the world, is an ancient intellectual tradition. In the last few years, people proclaiming themselves as sceptics have questioned the integrity, beliefs and healing practices of many alternative and complementary health practitioners. Based on many years of dealing with members of the sceptical community, the authors reflect on strategies for dealing with sceptics' challenges. Many self-professed sceptics are in reality, more akin to religious zealots, promoting an agenda that has little to do with logic, science or rationality. Alternative and complementary health practitioners who are approached by such members of the sceptic community with offers to assist with research will wisely limit their contact with such people and understand that they are not seekers of truth, justice or spiritual growth. Practitioners can and should comfortably ignore the concerns of ill-informed sceptics while applying their own critical faculties to the production of evidence for their healing practices and efficient ways to transmit knowledge and skill.