Please do read this it has serious implications for us all, whether we’re complimentary therapists or not.
Debra
Debra Brown
Global Hugs Ltd
BBC Health Website Deletes Complementary Medicine
Last week the controllers of BBC Health (www.bbc.co.uk/health) the health section on one of the most accessed websites in the world, decided to remove all coverage of complementary medicine!
They used to have substantial coverage with over 40 pages on this subject
covering all the major therapies, their pros and cons, evidence for their
effectiveness, how to find a qualified practitioner, etc.
However the site has in recent months been sent a deluge of letters and emails
claiming that complementary therapies such as homeopathy and cranial osteopathy
should be removed. As a result large chunks of this part of the site were simply
removed overnight and now, following recent cutbacks, it was decided that,
rather than update this part of the site, it should simply be removed altogether!
It may seem incredible that a public service site this prominent can deem
complementary medicine so insignificant that it no longer warrants any coverage
other than the odd news story. This is despite the fact that complementary
medicine is used favourably by a significant proportion of the population
(recent surveys have estimated that around 1 in 5 Britons use it at some point
or other) and that increasing numbers of people are now seeking to train in these therapies.
However, as the ‘quack busters’ become more organised and active, evidence of
the backlash against complementary medicine is appearing all over the place –
such as the removal of PCT funding for homeopathy, the threatened closure of
the homeopathic hospitals, many negative news stories in the press and so on.
Rather than taking a reasoned view and considering the evidence from good
research studies on complementary medicine some groups seem simply hell bent on
trying to ‘stamp out’ complementary medicine in any way possible. The BBCi
removal of complementary medicine coverage (which has been in place for almost 15 years!) is one example.
If you believe information pages on it should be returned to BBCi, please,
please take just a minute to express your views using their online comment form
at:
http://www.bbc..co.uk/feedback/
to make your view known. As a public service company they have to listen to your
views so your email will make a difference. Apparently for all the many letters
and emails that they received that were against complementary medicine they
only received a handful in support. Therefore if you are in support please let
them know so they may revise their thinking on this subject.
Please act as soon as possible and pass on these details to anyone else you know
who may also be willing to write in support of complementary medicine.
…………………………………………………………………..
…
Mary O’Meara
Complementary & Alternative Medicine Researcher’s Network (CAMRN)
Research Council for Complementary Medicine
The Royal London Homoeopathic Hospital,
UCLH NHS Foundation Trust
60 Great Ormond Street
London
WC1 3HR
Email: camrn@rccm.org.uk Website: www.rccm.org.uk
Developing the evidence base for complementary medicine
The RCCM is a charitable trust dependent entirely upon grants and voluntary
donations
From the Peace and Money to the Climate and other Bombs 
Pingback: Complementary Therapy - current conventional health’s backlash « Crackers Matter
I was diagnosed with liver cancer 3 years ago, given 6 – 12 months to live and turned down for a liver transplant by the NHS. I used complementary medicine at the same time as seeking treatment in France.
Complementary medicine helped me enormously and gave me the impetus and psychological support to continue my search for treatment, when the NHS doctors had given up on me. I would suggest you review your decision. If only one life is helped through the dissemination of information through your website, would you not say it was worth it?
I was given a liver transplant by the French 18 months ago.
What a great ‘story’, Peter, and, above all, what a remarkable life experience!
I guess you’ll promote complementary medicine as much as I do – after doctors told me that
a) my pain is psychological
b) I would not suffer later in life.
Well, I have learned better:
1. doctors don’t have the humility to say “sorry, I don’t know”
2. doctors who are employed by insurance companies will always speak in favour of ‘the money’
3. we have to become our own healer and ‘use’ doctors, therapists and information. Otherwise, they may use us…
Thank You for your comment!
Sabine
It may be important to be aware of the Codex Alimentarius, see Wikipedia here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Codex_Alimentarius
I.e. these institutions claim to protect the health of consumers. But can I not protect myself best from putting the wrong things into my mouth?
Just a question…
Sabine
Thanks, dear ‘laynekerr’,
It’s still a pity, isn’t it?
I’m trying to decipher the ingredients on food packages to make sure the “health” products I’m eating aren’t really crap in disguise. I would like to use a website where I can type in stuff like “high fructose corn syrup” and “glycerin” get the lowdown on them. If you know a site like this, please link it in your answer. Thanks for your help.
As a public service company they have to listen to your views so your email will make a difference. Apparently for all the many letters and emails that they received that were against complementary medicine they only received a handful in support. Therefore if you are in support please let them know so they may revise their thinking on this subject.
Hi! I was surfing and found your blog post… nice! I love your blog. 🙂 Cheers! Sandra. R.