- Do practicing acupuncturists have a conflict of interest (COI) when editing acupuncture-related articles?
I understand the argument that they do: they stand to benefit from the positive depiction of acupuncture. On Wikipedia, opinion on the matter is divided, with an RfC on the general question of CAM practitioners finding no consensus, leaning toward "no".
In the "real world", there is evidently no precedent for a CAM-specific COI. I'm aware of no journal, editorial board, or academic department with such a policy. The Cochrane Collaboration produces what we consider to be the highest-level MEDRS's, and they consider CAM professionals to be no more (and no less) conflicted than any medical specialist.[1]
That said, of course I understand the concern, and respect WP:ADVOCACY and WP:PAG generally.
- See also: User:Middle 8/Privacy