Opposing Views on Alternative Medicine

The Association to Protect the Sick of Pseudoscientific Therapies (APETP in Spanish) was formed by victims of those therapies along with scientists, doctors, nurses, physiotherapists, computer scientists, lawyers, and many other credentialed health professionals to fight against the rise of unproven alternative medical practices in Europe. They recently published a manifesto to “raise awareness in the media about the problem of pseudo-therapies and the position of the scientific community against them.”

They feel strongly about the dangers and deception of these practices. “More than 150 pseudo-therapies have been identified as being in use throughout Europe. Thousands of citizens’ lives depend on this being prevented. In fact, according to a recent research, 25.9 % of Europeans have used pseudo-therapies last year. In other words, 192 million patients have been deceived.”

They do not list all 150 in the manifesto, but summarize a few. “Homeopathy is the best known pseudo-therapy, but it is not the only one nor the most dangerous one. Others, such as acupuncture, reiki, German New Medicine, iridology, biomagnetism, orthomolecular therapy and many more are gaining ground.” They claim that these are not only unproven, but they distract patients from seeking professional help when desperately needed. They are calling for legislation in countries around the world to combat their spread. 

In the US, practitioners of these therapies are not allowed to advertise or otherwise imply that their products can “diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease or any other medical condition,” but the government has not considered consumer protection legislation. In fact, the FDA and other agencies are easier on these products and practices than they are on prescription medicine in terms of testing requirements for safety and efficacy.

Meanwhile, from halfway around the world comes another example of what that group is fighting against. 

In response to the Coronavirus outbreak and WHO’s warnings, a branch of the Indian government, the Ministry of AYUSH, issued an advisory based on traditional medicine.

The first part of the release gives the typical good advice on how to behave in this environment: maintain personal hygiene; wash hands frequently; drink enough water; avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth; avoid close contact with sick people; stay home when sick; cover your face if you cough or sneeze; and use a mask in public places.

But next they recommend “ways and means of prevention of Coronavirus infection through Homoeopathy” and use of a variety of Unani medicines for “symptomatic management of Coronavirus infection.” (This would be illegal in the US but it is government-sponsored in India.)

Unani medicine, not common in the West, is “a form of alternative medicine, which is based on the belief that the human body contains four humors, and that imbalance of these four humors is the cause of disease,…created by the ancient Greek physician Hippocrates, which later spread to the Islamic empires...during the Middle Ages. While this belief has no scientific basis, contemporary adherents still try to propagate these beliefs as science.” [Source: Wikipedia]

 An editorial in the Times of India decried the government advisory: “When all the authorities including World Health Organization claim there is neither any vaccine nor any treatment for coronavirus, the government is promoting unproven therapies to lull people into a false sense of security that they can be safe if they consume such concoctions.” Dr. Misba Hul Bashier added on Twitter that “loads of patients developed acute liver and kidney failure due to alternative medicines.”

Of course, recommendation of useless or even dangerous steps driven by fear of the virus is not limited to the Indian government. A Canadian news story cites “quack remedies and vaccine conspiracies – a global deluge of misinformation” including a recommendation on Facebook to drink a household disinfectant and another source claiming that a saline solution, salty water, can cure it.

What can we do when misinformation abounds – petition the government for new regulations like the Europeans? Critical thinking would be a lot easier and less intrusive by trusting real evidence rather than endorsements and recommendations.