Darlene has severe anxiety and she has been pursuing holistic therapies, organic diets, and herbal supplements from a homeopathic practitioner for months, but she is not feeling any better. When asked why she does not take medications to help alleviate her symptoms, Darlene defends her choice by saying she does not want to put chemicals of any kind in her body. This example relates to what danger of pseudoscience?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The danger of pseudoscience illustrated in this example is the opportunity cost. Darlene's choice to pursue unproven treatments instead of evidence-based medical treatments for her severe anxiety represents the time, effort, and possibly resources wasted on ineffective solutions, which could have been directed towards treatments with a proven track record of efficacy.

Darlene Has Severe Anxiety and She Has Been Pursuing Holistic