WHAT THEY ARE
Complementary medicines cover anything intended to be taken alongside conventional medicines. They include homeopathy, naturopathy, Chinese medicine, mineral or herbal supplements, and active therapies such as acupuncture.
By definition, complementary medicines have not been through the same randomised trials that conventional medicine must pass before being approved for use and, for many, the evidence of their effectiveness is contested.
In March, an Australian National Health and Medical Research Council review of 1800 studies of homeopathic therapies, sold in many pharmacies here, found there was ‘‘no good quality evidence to support the claim that homeopathy works better than a placebo’’.
Detractors of complementary medicine claim that not only do they not work but they are dangerous. They can interfere with conventional medicines’ effectiveness and, in extreme examples, can be used as an ineffective substitute, leading people to forego potentially life-saving treatment.
Supporters counter that in practise complementary medicine do help individuals’ health, without the side effects associated with invasive conventional treatments, and clinical trials are an inappropriate was to measure their effectiveness.
Even if they don’t work, it has been argued complementary medicines are harmless and their positive ‘‘placebo effect’’ have a legitimate place in the treatment of some patients.