There probably isn't a causal link but it must be at least partly true that a high number of quack practitioners in other countries must have some effects here.
The February 21 issue of The Economist had two interesting articles that ran on the same page. One said that India has more fake doctors than real ones. Up to 40,000 in Delhi which has a population of 14 million. The other article explained that most of China's population can't afford health insurance and those who have it are reimbursed at a rate of 30 to 40 percent.
India's Fake Doctors
Health Care in China
Both of these sad situations explain the use of so-called traditional cures in places where people are desperate. But look at what happens here when people distrust medical institutions. This distrust allows quackery to take root and flourish.
One of the things that is important to notice is that in India, quacks are included in public health initiatives. This is important because it points up the political decisions that are made here every day that validate quackery in the minds of citizens. Food supplements, acupuncture, reiki, chiropractic, and of course the overuse of zombies at work.
Addition posted 3-20-2008:
Here is a link to an article about how the abominable conditions in Iraq are being exploited by quack-think.
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