DOCSLIB.ORG

Complementary Medicine: Exploring the Issues U3A Short Course (2 of 3 Sessions), Nov 2014

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Complementary Medicine: Exploring the Issues U3A Short Course (2 of 3 Sessions), Nov 2014 Complementary Medicine: Exploring the Issues U3A Short Course (2 of 3 sessions), Nov 2014 Complementary Medicine: Exploring the Issues Dr Ken Harvey MB BS, FRCPA http://www.medreach.com.au Short Course (2 of 3 sessions), Nov 2014, Multicultural Hub Issues that could be explored • What is complementary &/or alternative medicine? • Who uses it, why and what for? • Regulation of products and practitioners; • The current review of the private health insurance rebate for natural therapies; • How do we know if it works: what is evidence? • Evidence for and against specific products &/or therapies for certain conditions; • Sources of good information about complementary medicine, and • Using complementary medicine wisely. 2 Dr Ken Harvey Page 1 Complementary Medicine: Exploring the Issues U3A Short Course (2 of 3 sessions), Nov 2014 But first a new video from the TGA http://www.tga.gov.au/consumers/education-consumers.htm 3 Regulation of practitioners 4 4 Dr Ken Harvey Page 2 Complementary Medicine: Exploring the Issues U3A Short Course (2 of 3 sessions), Nov 2014 Regulation of practitioners Academy of Applied Hypnosis Buteyko Institute of Breathing & Health Alexander Technique Complementary Medicine Association Association of Massage Therapists Ltd Dietitians Association of Australia Association of Remedial Masseurs Endeavour College of Natural Health Australasian Association of Ayurveda Inc Hypnotherapy Council of Australia Australian Acupuncture & Chinese Medicine Association Ltd Institute of Registered Myotherapists Australian Feldenkrais Guild Inc Institute of Registered Myotherapists of Australia Australian Homœopathic Association International Aromatherapy & Aromatic Medicine Association Australian Hypnotherapists Association International Iridology Practitioners Association Australian Kinesiology Association International Yoga Teachers' Association Inc Australian Natural Therapists Association Ltd Massage Association of Australia Australian Naturopathic Practitioners Association Natural Herbalists Association of Australia Australian Register of Homoeopaths Ltd. Pilates Alliance Australasia Australian Society of Teachers of the Alexander Technique Pilates Method Association in Australia Australian Traditional‐Medicine Society Ltd Reflexology Association of Australia Ltd Australian Association of Professional Homeopaths Shiatsu Therapy Association of Australia Bowen Association of Australia Tai Chi for Health Institute and Tai Chi Association of Australia Bowen Therapist Federation of Australia The International Institute of Psychosomatic Medicine Regulation of practitioners • National registration of some health professions (AHPRA) aims to ensure a minimal level of education and training, appropriate standards of professional behaviour and effective and efficient complaint mechanisms. • Naturopaths and many other complementary medicine (CM) practitioners have not achieved national registration, in part because of division in their ranks, but also because of their varied training. • CM practitioners may be members of professional associations but this does not necessarily ensure evidence‐based practice, continuing professional education or good complaint handling processes. • State based health complaints entities and/or the ACCC are available for complaints about unregistered practitioners but have problems. 6 Dr Ken Harvey Page 3 Complementary Medicine: Exploring the Issues U3A Short Course (2 of 3 sessions), Nov 2014 Regulation of practitioners 7 Regulation of practitioners 8 Dr Ken Harvey Page 4 Complementary Medicine: Exploring the Issues U3A Short Course (2 of 3 sessions), Nov 2014 Options for unregistered practitioners, 2011 9 AHMAC Standing Council on Health, August 2013 • Ministers agreed to strengthen state and territory health complaints mechanisms via: – a single national Code of Conduct for unregistered health practitioners to be made by regulation in each state and territory, and statutory powers to enforce the Code by investigating breaches and issuing prohibition orders; – a nationally accessible web based register of prohibition orders; and – mutual recognition of state and territory issued prohibition orders. • AHMAC will undertake a public consultation on the terms of the first national Code of Conduct and proposed policy parameters to underpin nationally consistent implementation of the Code, for consideration by Ministers. 10 Dr Ken Harvey Page 5 Complementary Medicine: Exploring the Issues U3A Short Course (2 of 3 sessions), Nov 2014 Code of conduct for unregistered health practitioners (NSW) 3. Health practitioners to provide services in safe and ethical manner (a) A health practitioner must maintain the necessary competence in his or her field of practice, (d) A health practitioner must recognise the limitations of the treatment he or she can provide and refer clients to other competent health practitioners in appropriate circumstances. 11. Health practitioners required to have clinical basis for treatments A health practitioner must not diagnose or treat an illness or condition without an adequate clinical basis. 12. Health practitioners not to misinform their clients (3) A health practitioner must not make claims, either directly or in advertising or promotional material, about the efficacy of treatment or services provided if those claims cannot be substantiated. 11 A National Code of Conduct for health care workers, 2014 • Clause 11 of the NSW Code and Clause 10 of the SA Code states: – ‘A health practitioner must have an adequate clinical basis for treatment’. • This clause has not been included in the draft National Code. • However, clause 9 (c) states: – a health care worker must not make claims either directly to clients or in advertising or promotional materials about the efficacy of treatment or services he or she provides if those claims cannot be substantiated. 12 Dr Ken Harvey Page 6 Complementary Medicine: Exploring the Issues U3A Short Course (2 of 3 sessions), Nov 2014 Issues that could be explored • What is complementary &/or alternative medicine? • Who uses it, why and what for? • Regulation of products and practitioners; • The current review of the private health insurance rebate for natural therapies; • How do we know if it works: what is evidence? • Evidence for and against specific products &/or therapies for certain conditions; • Sources of good information about complementary medicine, and • Using complementary medicine wisely. 13 Natural Therapy Review Advisory Committee • The review’s purpose is to ensure that taxpayer funds that are paid through the private health insurance rebate to subsidise natural therapies are underpinned by a credible evidence base that demonstrates their clinical efficacy, cost effectiveness and safety and quality. • The Natural Therapy Review Advisory Committee (NTRAC) will use the NHMRC review of natural therapies and will make recommendations to as to which therapies are underpinned by a credible evidence base. http://www.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/Content/phi-natural-therapies 14 Dr Ken Harvey Page 7 Complementary Medicine: Exploring the Issues U3A Short Course (2 of 3 sessions), Nov 2014 Private Health Insurance (PHI) • The government (all taxpayers) currently provides a rebate to the cost of PHI to around 50% of the population who choose (or can afford) PHI. 15 Private Health Insurance (PHI) • Many private health insurance (PHI) funds provide ancillary (extras) cover for a range of natural therapies. • The ancillary benefits provided by different funds are currently a commercial decision; they take no account of clinical effectiveness and vary widely with respect to the services covered and the maximum money refunded per service per person per year. 16 Dr Ken Harvey Page 8 Complementary Medicine: Exploring the Issues U3A Short Course (2 of 3 sessions), Nov 2014 Private Health Insurance: Natural therapies covered 17 Natural Therapy Review Advisory Committee • While natural therapies only provide a relatively small proportion (6.5 per cent) of all ancillary benefits paid, they are growing at a much greater rate than other services. • For example, between September 2000 and September 2013, the number of dental services funded doubled whereas natural therapies services increased nine fold. http://phiac.gov.au/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/benefitsAUS.zip 18 Dr Ken Harvey Page 9 Complementary Medicine: Exploring the Issues U3A Short Course (2 of 3 sessions), Nov 2014 NHMRC Natural Therapies Working Committee • The NHMRC are currently reviewing the evidence for the effectiveness of “natural therapies” such as massage, aromatherapy, homeopathy, naturopathy, reflexology, rolfing and western herbalism for NTRAC. • They are undertaking a systematic review of available evidence on their effectiveness in treating a variety of clinical conditions in humans and also assess evidence provided by stakeholders. http://www.nhmrc.gov.au/your-health/complementary-and-alternative- medicines 19 Types of evidence Meta-analysis 20 Dr Ken Harvey Page 10 Complementary Medicine: Exploring the Issues U3A Short Course (2 of 3 sessions), Nov 2014 NHMRC assessment of evidence • Randomised controlled clinical trials – the medicine is compared with a substance that has no effect (placebo) in a group of people with the health condition (placebo‐controlled trial), or the medicine is compared with an effective standard treatment (controlled trial). – each participant is given either the medicine or the placebo/other treatment at random (randomised trial) . – participants
Load more

Recommended publications
  • ANZSOG Case Program Dispensing with Credibility: Regulating Community Pharmacy in Australia 2017-193.1
    ANZSOG Case Program Dispensing with credibility: Regulating community pharmacy in Australia 2017-193.1 To the surprise of almost no one in the scientific community, Australia’s National Health and Medical Research Council1 (NHMRC) 2015 homeopathy review concluded that ‘there are no health conditions for which there is reliable evidence that homeopathy is effective’ and it ‘should not be used to treat health conditions that are chronic, serious, or could become serious.’2 The vast majority of credible studies found that homeopathic treatment performed no better than placebo. Based on widely debunked concepts such as the ‘Law of Similars’ (symptoms can be treated with small amounts of the agents that cause them) and the ‘Law of Infinitesimals’ (highly dilute preparations are more potent), homeopathy asserts that water and other carriers retain a ‘memory’ of the substances mixed with them, even though they typically no longer contain any of the original ingredient. Australians spent an estimated $7.3 million on homeopathic products such as ointments, pills and elixirs in 2009 (the most recent available figure).3 Other research suggested that 6% of people used homeopathic products at some point during the year.4 Many homeopathic items are purchased from pharmacies and often sit next to conventional pharmaceuticals on the shelves. They are also frequently packaged and presented in very similar ways to clinically active medications (Exhibit A). The NHMRC report prompted the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) President Dr Frank R Jones to release a position statement calling upon doctors to refrain from prescribing or recommending homeopathy and for private health insurers to stop offering rebates for homeopathic This case was written by Marinella Padula for Associate Professor Michael Di Francesco, Australia and New Zealand School of Government.
    [Show full text]
  • Chiropractic and Spinal Manipulation Therapy on Twitter: Case Study Examining the Presence of Critiques and Debates
    JMIR PUBLIC HEALTH AND SURVEILLANCE Marcon et al Original Paper Chiropractic and Spinal Manipulation Therapy on Twitter: Case Study Examining the Presence of Critiques and Debates Alessandro R Marcon1, MA (AppLing); Philip Klostermann2; Timothy Caulfield1, LLM 1Health Law Institute, Department of Law, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada 2The School of Computer Science, Carleton University, Ottawa, ON, Canada Corresponding Author: Timothy Caulfield, LLM Health Law Institute Department of Law University of Alberta University Campus, NW Edmonton, AB, T6G 2H5 Canada Phone: 1 780 492 9575 Fax: 1 780 492 9575 Email: [email protected] Abstract Background: Spinal manipulation therapy (SMT) is a popular though controversial practice. The debates surrounding efficacy and risk of SMT are only partially evident in popular discourse. Objective: This study aims to investigate the presence of critiques and debates surrounding efficacy and risk of SMT on the social media platform Twitter. The study examines whether there is presence of debate and whether critical information is being widely disseminated. Methods: An initial corpus of 31,339 tweets was compiled through Twitter's Search Application Programming Interface using the query terms ªchiropractic,º ªchiropractor,º and ªspinal manipulation therapy.º Tweets were collected for the month of December 2015. Post removal of tweets made by bots and spam, the corpus totaled 20,695 tweets, of which a sample (n=1267) was analyzed for skeptical or critical tweets. Additional criteria were also assessed. Results: There were 34 tweets explicitly containing skepticism or critique of SMT, representing 2.68% of the sample (n=1267). As such, there is a presence of 2.68% of tweets in the total corpus, 95% CI 0-6.58% displaying explicitly skeptical or critical perspectives of SMT.
    [Show full text]
  • A Critical Appraisal of Evidence and Arguments Used by Australian Chiropractors to Promote Therapeutic Interventions
    A CRITICAL APPRAISAL OF EVIDENCE AND ARGUMENTS USED BY AUSTRALIAN CHIROPRACTORS TO PROMOTE THERAPEUTIC INTERVENTIONS Ken Harvey1 MB BS, FRCPA 1 Adjunct Associate Professor Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine Monash University The Alfred Centre 99 Commercial Road Melbourne VIC 3004 Appraisal of Evidence Harvey A CRITICAL APPRAISAL OF EVIDENCE AND ARGUMENTS USED BY AUSTRALIAN CHIROPRACTORS TO PROMOTE THERAPEUTIC INTERVENTIONS ABSTRACT The Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency is currently dealing with over 600 complaints about chiropractors. Common allegations in these complaints are that chiropractic adjustments are promoted for pregnant women, infants and children despite the lack of good evidence to justify many of these interventions. The majority of chiropractors complained about appear to be caring practitioners who genuinely believe that the interventions they promote are effective. However, belief based on disproven dogma, the selective use of poor-quality evidence, and personal experience subject to bias is no longer an appropriate basis on which to promote and practice therapeutic interventions. Nor should treatments be justified solely on the basis of possible placebo effect. This paper provides a critical analysis of some of the evidence and arguments used by chiropractors to justify treatments that have been the subject of complaints. This analysis amplifies the recent statement on advertising by the Chiropractic Board of Australia. It should assist practitioners to understand the difference between the high-level evidence required by the Board and the low-level evidence used by some practitioners to justify their promotion and practice. It supports efforts by the Chiropractors' Association of Australia to encourage more research.
    [Show full text]
  • Annual Report 1 July 2019 – 30 June 2020
    Annual Report 1 July 2019 – 30 June 2020 20 Napier Close Deakin ACT Australia 2600 – PO Box 319 Curtin ACT Australia 2605 Page | 1 T (02) 6285 2373 E [email protected] W www.phaa.net.au Contents Introduction ..................................................................................................... 3 The PHAA Board ............................................................................................... 6 PHAA National Office Staff ............................................................................... 7 President’s Report ............................................................................................ 8 Vice-President, Policy Report ......................................................................... 11 Vice-President, Development Report ............................................................. 13 Vice President, Finance Report....................................................................... 15 Vice President, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples Report ............. 17 Early Career Professional Representative Report ........................................... 19 Chief Executive Officer’s Report ..................................................................... 24 Membership ................................................................................................... 27 Policy and Advocacy ....................................................................................... 28 Media and Communications .........................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Ken Harvey AM Rosemary Sinclair AM Adj Prof John Skerritt Allan Asher Michael Marshall
    Skepticon 2020 ‐ Regulatory Panel Background 24/10/2020 Independent Review of the Australian Therapeutic Goods Advertising Framework: Panel Session Dr Ken Harvey AM Rosemary Sinclair AM Adj Prof John Skerritt Allan Asher Michael Marshall 4:30 pm AEST, October 24, 2020 1 Background to the Review Cam camera live video Michael Bollen 2 Dr Ken Harvey 1 Skepticon 2020 ‐ Regulatory Panel Background 24/10/2020 3 Background to the Review Fifteen years later, after yet another review, significant changes were finally Therapeutic made to the regulation of complementary Goods medicines and advertising: Amendment • Bill 2017 The TGA took over the advertising system; the previous Complaint Cam camera Therapeutic Resolution Panel (CRP) was abolished, live Goods • A limited list of permissible indications video (Permissible was introduced, Indications) • A new Aust L(A) listing was created, Determination No.1 of 2018 • The Therapeutic Goods Advertising Code was revised and made legally enforceable, • The TGA received enhanced compliance and enforcement powers.3 4 Dr Ken Harvey 2 Skepticon 2020 ‐ Regulatory Panel Background 24/10/2020 Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt said: • The measures proposed, ‘will enable potential harms from inappropriate advertising to be comprehensively prevented…’ • ‘I can confirm that TGA will be Cam adequately resourced and staffed camera live to manage complaints from 1 July video 2018’. • He also promised an independent review of the effect of the new advertising measures within two years of implementation.4 5 Concerns about the TGA takeover • Because the previous CRP had no power to enforce its determinations it referred many complaints to the TGA. • This was because advertisers failed to comply with the Panel’s determination, Cam or because repeated complaints about camera the same issue required regulatory live action.
    [Show full text]
  • Exploring the Issues U3A City Short Course, June‐July, 2014
    Complementary Medicine: Exploring the Issues U3A City Short Course, June‐July, 2014 Complementary Medicine: Exploring the Issues Dr Ken Harvey MB BS, FRCPA http://www.medreach.com.au Short Course (Session 3), July 1, 2014, National Seniors Centre Issues that could be explored • What is complementary &/or alternative medicine? • Who uses it, why and what for? • Regulation of products and practitioners; • The current review of the private health insurance rebate for natural therapies; • How do we know if it works: what is evidence? • Evidence for and against specific products &/ or therapies for certain conditions; • Sources of good information about complementary medicine, and • Using complementary medicine wisely. 2 Dr Ken Harvey Page 1 Complementary Medicine: Exploring the Issues U3A City Short Course, June‐July, 2014 But first a new video from the TGA http://www.tga.gov.au/consumers/education-consumers.htm 3 Specific products &/or therapies: Evidence? 4 Dr Ken Harvey Page 2 Complementary Medicine: Exploring the Issues U3A City Short Course, June‐July, 2014 You wanted to know about: Product / therapy Condition Saw Palmetto Benign prostatic hypertrophy Omega‐3 fatty acids (fish oil) Preventing cardiovascular disease Rheumatoid arthritis Calcium & Vitamin DOsteoporosis Cranberry juice Recurrent urinary tract infections Acupuncture Back pain Bilberry and grape seed extract Help with eyesight 5 Sources of good information about CM • Summarised evidence: – National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine • http://nccam.nih.gov/health/decisions
    [Show full text]
  • Working Group on Promotion of Therapeutic Products Report To
    Working Group on Promotion of Therapeutic Products Report to Parliamentary Secretary Catherine King 18 March 2011 Working Group on Promotion of Therapeutic Products 2 Report to Parliamentary Secretary Catherine King Contents Glossary of acronyms .......................................................................................................4 1. Executive summary...............................................................................................5 2. Position Paper on Promotion of Therapeutic Goods .............................................9 3. Therapeutic industries and codes of practice......................................................10 4. Submissions and consultations on Position Paper..............................................12 5. Alignment and consistency of industry codes .....................................................13 6. Application of industry codes to non-members of industry associations .............19 7. Alignment with healthcare professional guidelines..............................................21 8. Communication of working group outcomes .......................................................24 9. Evaluation............................................................................................................25 10. Further areas for government consideration .......................................................27 Appendix A Members of working group ...................................................................28 Appendix B High level statement of principles and code coverage
    [Show full text]
  • Submission to the Complementary Health Care Taskforce
    Submission to the Complementary Health Care Taskforce By Assoc Prof Ken Harvey MB BS, FRCPA, AM On behalf of Choice (Australian Consumers’ Association) Public Health Association Australia (PHAA) Health Action International Asia Pacific (HAIAP) Friends of Science in Medicine (FSM) Submission to Complementary Health Care Taskforce Background The Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) defines ‘complementary medicines’ (known as supplements in other countries) as vitamins and minerals, fish oil, Western herbal medicine, Chinese traditional medicines, Ayurveda (Indian) medicines, indigenous medicines, homeopathic medicines, probiotics and aromatherapy products. A recent Federal court case1 ruled that encapsulation in Australia of imported fish oil (from Chile) and Vitamin D (from China) did not qualify for the ‘Made in Australia’ logo as mere encapsulation did not represent ‘substantial transformation’ of a product as required under Australian Competition and Consumer (ACCC) Guidelines.2 Complementary Medicines Australia (CMA) argued that this decision will have significant detrimental impacts on the industry’s $1.2 billion export market and threaten a work force supporting a 4.9- billion-dollar industry. They noted that many consumers, especially those in the Asia-Pacific region, look for the ‘Made in Australia’ logo as proof of high quality, trusted, products synonymous with Australian complementary medicines. CMA argued that the ACCC criteria for ‘substantial transformation’ should be watered-down such that all finished medicinal products manufactured in Australia under GMP meet the definition.3 Four perspectives 1. Consumers Choice Set up by consumers for consumers, Choice provides Australians with information and advice, free from commercial bias.4 Choice fights to hold industry and government accountable and achieve real change on the issues that matter most.
    [Show full text]
  • INDEPENDENT THERAPEUTIC ADVICE How Achievable Is It?
    2013 Volume 36 Supplement 2 www.australianprescriber.com AN INDEPENDENT REVIEW INDEPENDENT THERAPEUTIC ADVICE How achievable is it? Independence Forum VOLUME 36 : SUPPLEMENT 2: 2013 This supplement summarises the proceedings of the Independence Forum hosted by Therapeutic Guidelines Limited in Melbourne on 29 October 2012 The supplement was prepared by: Dr Sue Phillips, Chief Executive Officer Therapeutic Guidelines Limited Professor Paul Komesaroff, Director Monash Centre for the Study of Ethics in Medicine and Society Associate Professor Ian Kerridge, Director Centre for Values, Ethics and the Law in Medicine, University of Sydney Ms Mary Hemming, Consultant Therapeutic Guidelines Limited This supplement is published by Australian Prescriber and is available online in HTML and PDF at www.australianprescriber.com/supplement/36/2/1/48 Printed copies are available from Therapeutic Guidelines Limited, Ground Floor, 473 Victoria Street, West Melbourne, Victoria, 3003. Photos courtesy of Therapeutic Guidelines Limited Citation: Phillips S, Komesaroff P, Kerridge I, Hemming M. Independent therapeutic advice: how achievable is it? Aust Prescr 2013;36 Suppl 2:S1-48. Visit the Therapeutic Guidelines website www.tg.org.au for the full content of the Independence Forum: • Podcasts of presentations • PowerPoint slides • Image gallery 2 www.australianprescriber.com VOLUME 36 : SUPPLEMENT 2: 2013 TABLE OF CONTENTSARTICLE Contents Acknowledgements 4 Introduction 5 Program 8 Rationale for the Forum 9 Therapeutic independence: A global problem 12 Evidence-based
    [Show full text]
  • Full Text with Search Facility Online at Editorial
    VOLUME 34 NUMBER 1 AN INDEPENDENT REVIEW FEBRUARY 2011 CONTENTS 2 Setting a standard for electronic prescribing systems (editorial) J Reeve & M Sweidan 4 Letters 6 Non-surgical treatments for skin cancer SP Shumack 8 Analgesics and pain relief in pregnancy and breastfeeding D Kennedy 10 Dental notes Analgesics and pain relief in pregnancy and breastfeeding 11 Book reviews Pregnancy and breastfeeding: medicines guide Therapeutic Guidelines: Palliative care 12 Abnormal laboratory results: Thyroid function tests RH Mortimer 16 Managing delirium in older patients G Caplan 19 Caution with complementaries for cognitive impairment K Harvey & C Stough 21 Valediction: John Tiller 22 Medicines Safety Update No. 1; 2011 26 New drugs: T-score for transparency 28 Your questions to the PBAC Enoxaparin 29 New drugs corifollitropin alfa, meningococcal vaccine Full text with search facility online at www.australianprescriber.com Editorial Setting a standard for electronic prescribing systems James Reeve, Program manager, and Michelle Sweidan, Deputy program manager, Pharmaceutical Decision Support, National Prescribing Service, Melbourne Key words: general practice. complete and legible prescription orders, improving the (Aust Prescr 2011;34:2–4) detection of drug allergies and by reducing medication errors and adverse reactions.2–5 However, these systems can also have In Australia, electronic prescribing (e-prescribing) systems in general practice were first developed in the early 1990s by a few unfavourable effects on workflow and communications, and can innovative general practitioners who wrote software for their have unintended effects on prescribing. For example, they may 6–8 own use. The uptake of e-prescribing systems was accelerated introduce new types of errors and high levels of unhelpful 9 in 1999 because of Commonwealth government incentive alerts, and impact on repeat prescribing.
    [Show full text]
  • Complementary Medicine: Exploring the Issues U3A Short Course (3 of 3 Sessions), Nov 2014
    Complementary Medicine: Exploring the Issues U3A Short Course (3 of 3 sessions), Nov 2014 Complementary Medicine: Exploring the Issues Dr Ken Harvey and Grace Jackel and Aaron Kovacs (SPH&PM Summer Research Program students) Short Course (3 of 3 sessions), Nov 2014, Multicultural Hub Issues that could be explored • What is complementary &/or alternative medicine? • Who uses it, why and what for? • Regulation of products and practitioners; • The current review of the private health insurance rebate for natural therapies; • How do we know if it works: what is evidence? • Evidence for and against specific products &/ or therapies for certain conditions; • Sources of good information about complementary medicine, and • Using complementary medicine wisely. 2 Dr Ken Harvey Page 1 Complementary Medicine: Exploring the Issues U3A Short Course (3 of 3 sessions), Nov 2014 Recap: TGA list of evaluated registered CMs • Of the 25 products on the list most are unremarkable: Iron, Calcium, Vitamin D, Psyllium fibre and Ispaghula husk for constipation, Clove oil for toothache. • More innovative products are: – IBEROGAST (Flordis). A specific nine herb mixture, “for the treatment of functional dyspepsia and irritable bowel syndrome”. – KALOBA (Schwabe) containing a specific extract of Pelargonium sidoides (EPs 7630) for “for the treatment of acute bronchitis and sinusitis” (an alternative to prescribing an antibiotic). – FLEXAGIL (Blackmores). A specific extract of Symphytum officinale (Comfrey) for topical application for the “relief of lower back pain,
    [Show full text]
  • We Refer to the Paper by Harvey (1) and Offer the Following Critique of the ‘Critique’
    Letter to the Editor Letter to the Editor To the Editor: We refer to the paper by Harvey (1) and offer the following critique of the ‘critique’. First, we commend the journal for displaying the maturity and courage to publish a paper openly critical of the chiropractic profession and the CAA. This is a refreshing stance on the part of the journal given the peer-review process of other chiropractic publications where the peer-review process sometimes appears more akin to censorship than real scientific review. Despite, this, we worry that this has allowed author Harvey to present what appears to be essentially cut and paste from his own voluminous complaint activities to the Chiropractic Board of Australia (CBA) rather than add to the scientific debate in this space(2). The author and his fringe medical advocacy organisation Friends of Science in Medicine (FSM)(3) neatly demonstrate characteristic self-citation and aggrandizement (4) vis; lodge multiple complaints, complain that the complaints are not acted on, call for the CBA to be sacked while knowing that the CBA was not even the body responsible for dealing with those complaints and then cite the number of complaints as evidence the chiropractic profession is a risk to public health. The paper itself however cannot go without critique as, apart from presenting no strong evidence to support his argument, the author engages in an exercise in cherry picking to support his own well-publicised views. He also displays an overt Anglo- centric bias toward evidence. For example; Harvey was selective in his PubMed search on Gutmann (a German medical practitioner).
    [Show full text]