Complementary medicine furore

Prince Charles has gotten himself into deep water by advocating the use of alternative therapies. Sure, the power of placebo is very strong, and if a medicine works, then by all means use it; but leading world figures should not be providing unqualified opinions about things they do not understand.

Why shouldn't alternative therapies be put under the same stringent regulations that govern the pharmaceutical industry? If patients are taking substances in the hope that they will help to treat a medical illness, don't they have the right to know if that therapy works? No nasty side effects? Perhaps there are no side effects because there are no active ingredients.

There was a classic case earlier this year, in Perth, of a whole family contracting measles because they had had homeopathic 'vaccinations' instead of traditional antigen-based vaccinations. Logically, homeopathic vaccinations do not even make sense. You cannot get immunised against a disease with, what is, effectively, water.

In my opinion, anybody who sells homeopathic/alternative medicine and advocates it over conventional therapies (which have evidence to prove their efficacy) should be liable for any adverse outcomes to the patient.

Tags: Medical