RE: WHO

[Guest guest]

FYI, a release received from the American Herbal Products Association:

 

 

The World Health Organization (WHO) last week published a global strategy to

advance traditional medicine , including complementary and alternative

medicine (CAM). The agency’s plan could be viewed as a dramatic commitment

to herbal and other forms of traditional medicine and may also deserve close

monitoring by the U.S. herbal industry.

 

WHO laid out its plan in a document published last week, WHO Traditional

Medicine Strategy 2002-2005. The basic intention of the WHO plan is to

promote the inclusion of traditional and complementary medicine into

mainstream health care, when such alternatives are proven safe and

effective. WHO defines TM/CAM to include everything from herbs to

acupuncture to chiropractic to yoga.

 

“Traditional or complementary medicine is victim of both uncritical

enthusiasts and uninformed skeptics,” explains Dr. Yahuriro Suzuki, WHO

Executive Director for Health Technology and Pharmaceuticals. “This strategy

is intended to tap into its real potential for people’s health and well

being, while minimizing the risks of unproven or misused remedies.”

 

The WHO Strategy places a strong emphasis on the need for more research and

notes that evidence from randomized clinical trials is strong for only some

herbal medicines...

 

The Strategy can be read in full on the WHO website:

http://www.who.int/medicines/library/trm/trm_strat_eng.pdf (Adobe Acrobat

required)

 

 

Stephen Morrissey

 

 

 

Chinese Herbal Medicine, a voluntary organization of licensed healthcare

practitioners, matriculated students and postgraduate academics specializing

in Chinese Herbal Medicine, provides a variety of professional services,

including board approved online continuing education.