GMAT Verbal Reasoning Practice Test 1

In North America, therapies that are alternative to mainstream – modern, evidence-based – medicine, such as homeopathy and acupuncture, are gaining clout in medical clinics and increasingly receiving governmental funding. Yet many
doctors strenuously oppose these therapies, believing them to be fraudulent. Not only are there no scientifically plausible explanations of how most alternative therapies could work, but controlled studies often reveal that the therapies are no
more effective than placebo treatments that patients cannot distinguish from the therapies themselves.
But defenders of alternative therapies point out that many popular drugs and surgeries endorsed by mainstream medicine have been proven to be more effective than placebos either. One recent study concludes that 85 percent of new
prescription drugs on the market provide little or no benefit to patients. And research has revealed that some faked surgeries relieve arthritis and osteoporosis symptoms as effectively as real surgeries do – at far lower risk.
The most effective way to reduce the toll of most common chronic diseases is through lifestyle changes such as exercising more, improving diet, reducing stress, and quitting smoking. Studies have shown that patients are more likely to make
such changes when doctors encourage them to do so. This type of intervention works best when doctors spend considerable time counseling patients sympathetically, listening to their concerns and easing their anxieties. Unfortunately,
physicians usually lack the time and training to provide these services effectively. Most doctors see patients only briefly, interrupt them frequently, and discuss technical issues rather than patient feelings. When patients describe vague,
undiagnosable complaints, doctors often state flatly that they cannot treat the problems.
Practitioners of alternative therapies, though often lacking medical credentials, usually spend for more time counseling patients and forging emotional connections. This often enables them persuade patients to make desirable lifestyle
changes. And even if they are only effective as placebos, some alternative therapies have been shown to produce larger placebo effects than placebos do in mainstream medicine, perhaps because extended, comforting rituals make patients
feel better cared for. Furthermore, alternative practitioners more often offer hope and sympathy to patients with vague symptoms. For all these reasons, governmental spending on alternative therapies may sometimes yield better health outcomes, overall, than comparable spending on mainstream medicine.