To quote a comedian and physicist:

“Oh, herbal medicine’s been around for thousands of years!” Indeed it has, and then we tested it all, and the stuff that worked became ‘medicine’. And the rest of it is just a nice bowl of soup and some potpourri, so knock yourselves out.

I disagree on the dissidents point though. The example of GDR has taught us how easily capitalists can sway people if they feel their life is getting austere. Such people can be convinced by a number that looks and feels large but won’t make a dent to bourgeois coffers, to abandon their home or even to betray it actively. As such I don’t see a point in criticism unless we see evidence they’re making a mistake.