Complementary concerns
January 30, 2012
THE Complementary Healthcare
Council of Australia is hitting back
at calls to cut popular courses in
complementary and alternative
medicines at Australian universities.
The calls are coming from a group
made up of 400 top Australian
doctors, scientists and researchers,
(including HVP vaccine creator
Professor Ian Frazer), under the
banner Friends of Science in
Medicine, who have made media
headlines this month by saying that
“pseudoscience degrees” including
courses such as chiropractice and
homeopathy, undermine Australian
universities’ reputation for
scientific excellence.
In a letter written to Australian
university Vice-Chancellors last
week, and circulated to Australian
press, Friends of Medicine Science
said that giving “undeserved
credibility to what in many cases
would be better described as
quackery” and by “failing to
champion evidence-based science
and medicine”, universities were
tarnishing their reputations.
Currently 19 Australian
universities offer alternative
medicine courses, a figure which
group co-founder Emeritus
Professor John Dwyer, of the
University of NSW, told the Sydney
Morning Herald was “deplorable”.
“We’re saying enough is enough.
Taxpayers’ money should not be
wasted on funding [these courses]
… nor should government health
insurance rebates be wasted on
this nonsense,” he said.
The CHC has however hit back at
the calls, saying that there is a clear
demand for education and research
in an area that is growing in
popularity amongst consumers and
the scientific community.
“There is unquestionably a
legitimate place for Complementary
Medicine in Education and Health
Policy, something which is clearly
recognised by both Higher
Education institutes and
Governments across the world,”
said Dr Wendy Morrow, Executive
Director of the CHC.
“Many doctors work within the
realm of both Orthodox and
Complementary Medicine,
recognising and supporting the
consumer driven move towards the
increased use of Complementary
Medicines,” she added, saying that
a 2008 NPS survey found that 90%
of GPs had recommended
CMs to their patients.
“CMs are founded on evidence of
traditional use, often measured and
accumulated over thousands of
years, which is an accepted form of
proof of safety and quality by the
Australian Government when
approving these medicines,” the
CHC said in a statement.
“However, in an increasingly
technological and scientifically
driven environment, the Industry
recognises the need for further
science based evidence and as such
has been vocally supportive of
adding to the existing body of
scientific evidence around CMs;
this area forming one of the key
recommendations of the CHC
Federal Budget Submission for
2012-13, which will be made on
behalf of the entire CM
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