International perspectives on controversial practices in allergic diseases: the South American experience.

A number of unconventional approaches, some of them autochthonous and some imported from other regions of the world, have been used for many years by practitioners and folk healers in Latin America. Most of these methods remain unproven and cannot be recommended for routine use today. However, it must be said that some of them look interesting and need further investigation, since they might provide additional information about the pathogenesis and new ways for the control of allergic diseases and asthma.