NZ - Alternative medicines come under attack
Posted at 7:38pm on 09 Nov 2007
Doctors are being urged to demand proof when claims are made about alternative medicines.The call was made at a national conference of anaesthetists in Auckland on Friday.Outgoing president of the Society of Anaesthetists Graham Sharpe told specialists that medicine was increasingly required to justify its position, provide evidence and admit mistakes.
He said that was entirely right, but the same standards did not apply to "quacks" and others behind alternative medicines, who got a free ride from the media, politicians and the Health Ministry.Dr Sharpe said he objects to taxes being "wasted" on alternative medicines, and to calls for doctors to work with backers of those remedies.He said it was time for all medical professionals to demand evidence about the benefits of alternative medicine.Dr Sharpe said the alternative medicines industry was large and growing and sometimes attempted to use the law to silence critics.He said alternative medicines were basically harmless - but not in all cases - and campaigns against vaccination and water fluoridation should be opposed by medical professionals.
Doctors are being urged to demand proof when claims are made about alternative medicines.The call was made at a national conference of anaesthetists in Auckland on Friday.Outgoing president of the Society of Anaesthetists Graham Sharpe told specialists that medicine was increasingly required to justify its position, provide evidence and admit mistakes.
He said that was entirely right, but the same standards did not apply to "quacks" and others behind alternative medicines, who got a free ride from the media, politicians and the Health Ministry.Dr Sharpe said he objects to taxes being "wasted" on alternative medicines, and to calls for doctors to work with backers of those remedies.He said it was time for all medical professionals to demand evidence about the benefits of alternative medicine.Dr Sharpe said the alternative medicines industry was large and growing and sometimes attempted to use the law to silence critics.He said alternative medicines were basically harmless - but not in all cases - and campaigns against vaccination and water fluoridation should be opposed by medical professionals.
posted by Bill at
9:56 AM
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