Script addicts loath to admit natural medicine is effective

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Script addicts loath to admit natural

medicine is effective

 

 

 

Script addicts loath to admit natural medicine is effective

 

 

May 2 2003

 

It is the medical experts decrying alternative therapies who are ill

informed, not the public, writes Ian Brighthope.

 

The recent medicine recall has flushed out the detractors of natural

medicine who have hijacked the situation to criticise the efficacy of

complementary medicine.

 

Reading some of the reports from ill-informed professors of medicine

who are suddenly instant experts in complementary medicine, it would

be easy to believe the Australian public is stupid.

 

Foolish, misguided and dim, millions of people are being misled,

taking natural health products because they are " longing for a little

bit of mysticism " and quite content to waste " millions of consumer

dollars " .

 

There is a wealth of scientific evidence to support the use of natural

health products, including:

 

The mineral selenium: a randomised, controlled trial of this

supplement had to be stopped because of " the apparent reductions in

total cancer mortality and total cancer incidence " in the experimental

group. The researchers could no longer ethically justify not giving

this substance to the placebo group (Journal of the American Medical

Association, 1996).

 

Lactobacillus bacteria: if pregnant women take Lactobacillus bacteria

every day, the risk of their newborn babies having atopic eczema, a

horrible, distressing and painful condition, halves (The Lancet, 2001).

 

The vitamins folic acid and B12: if everyone diagnosed with heart

disease took these vitamins, we would save 310,000 lives over five

years in the US alone (Journal of the American Medical Association, 2001).

 

St John's wort: this herb is commonly used for mild and moderate

depression; a meta-analysis of trials in 1996, published in the

British Medical Journal, showed that it was as effective as standard

antidepressants, but with fewer side effects.

 

I could also quote research about vitamin C, zinc, the herb saw

palmetto and dozens of other substances.

 

But it's not just about studies and research, although there are many

of these to support the use of natural health products. As a

practising GP, I don't think the Australian public is stupid. I have

been a nutritional doctor for 25 years, and I have treated thousands

of patients, frequently very sick people, with all manner of illnesses

including cancers and psychiatric diseases. I rarely prescribe drugs -

I write, on average, only four scripts a year. Consumers take natural

health products for one simple reason: because they work. People feel

better, and they get better.

 

The Pan recall is a terrible event, terrible for consumers who no

longer have access to products they use and trust. It is also terrible

for small businesses - the Complementary Healthcare Council of

Australia estimates 500 small businesses will be forced to close, and

5000 Australians will be out of work.

 

The recall was caused by quality defects highlighted in the case of

badly manufactured Travacalm. This involved serious side effects for

the people affected, but this is not a natural health product.

Travacalm is a drug - an over-the-counter pharmacy-only medicine that

was poorly manufactured and quite rightly recalled.

 

Despite the attacks from those pushing their own agendas, the natural

product industry will survive this, and be strengthened by it. The

overriding message is that the system works.

 

The natural products industry continues to liaise closely with the

Therapeutic Goods Administration to identify ways we can move forward

and limit the potential damage for our industry, at the same time

ensuring that the highest levels of safety for Australians are maintained.

 

Dr Ian Brighthope is president of the Complementary Healthcare Council

of Australia.