Regulation Can Ensure That Complementary Medicines Do Their Job
Sydney Morning Herald
Friday June 13, 2008
I applaud the recent interest the Federal Government has shown in stricter regulation of the complementary medicine industry ("Crunch on way for natural therapies", June 10).
Complementary medicine offers many opportunities to health-care delivery in this country; however, until it is adequately regulated and ceases to be held to ransom by the commercial interests of the industry, it will fail to live up to its potential. Support for tougher regulations is by no means a partisan position. A recent study of naturopaths by the University of Queensland found that they almost unanimously support tougher regulations; most professional natural therapist associations support regulation; the Australian Medical Association agrees in its position statement on the issue; and reports from both the Therapeutics Goods Administration and the Victorian Department of Human Services have strongly suggested regulation and declared that not moving to it is actively putting the public at risk. Labor even has regulation of complementary therapists written into its policy platform on health. The parties opposed to tougher regulations are those more interested in the commercial aspects of complementary medicines rather than the health ones. So why are we still talking and not acting on this issue?Complementary medicines, when used incorrectly, do carry the risk of causing great harm - both to people's health and to their wallets. There is a dodgy side to the industry; no one is denying that. Most people are surprised that although it takes four years to train as a "proper" naturopath, anyone still has the right to practise as one. Until this untrained, unregulated element is removed, complementary medicine will always carry an inherent risk. Adequate regulation of products and practitioners will ensure that potential harm can be minimised and potential benefits maximised by ensuring only trustworthy practitioners and products are available. Not regulating this industry is nothing short of irresponsibly gambling on people's health. Jon Wardle The Naturopathy Foundation East Brisbane (Qld)
© 2008 Sydney Morning Herald
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