RMIT University (which stands for Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology University) has taken a stand on its choice to teach alternative and complementary medicine as scientific fact.

To many people, alternative medicine is something grandmothers invented to pacify ailing children or grandchildren, when in reality, many forms of alternative medicine have an astounding track record and have been used successfully for thousands of years.

Some have argued that alternative medicines modalities such as tactile healing, applied kinesiology, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease33, acupuncture, and homeopathy have not been proven through sufficient testing and therefore should not be taught as scientific fact in any university. It is also argued that alternative medicine relies on testimonials and tradition instead of evidence from research studies.

Dr. Ray Myers, a proponent of the teaching of CAM (or complementary and alternative medicines), has defended the Australian school’s choices by saying that the school is teaching evidence-based scientific fact. Evidence-based medicine is usually the result of research that has been randomly controlled and single or double blinded, and in cases where the results have been published in a peer-reviewed journal.

Such peer-reviewed evidence has been put to the test at hospitals in Melbourne. At one hospital, the Chinese herb ginseng was used as a treatment for some patients with lung disease. Ginseng has been used for centuries in Asia for a variety of health problems. With funding from the NHMRC, (or the National Health and Medical Research Council,) RMIT University and these hospitals have come together to test the use of ginseng on people who have COPD, (or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.)

Another study funded by the NHMRC is allowing RMIT University to study the effects of acupuncture on people with acute pain. This study will follow more than 1,000 patients and track their progress. With more research, RMIT University hopes to widen its base of evidence to support CAM’s and the teaching of such science.

A letter of disapproval was sent to RMIT University from some of Australia’s leading scientists, stating that the use of CAM’s delayed necessary treatment from people with serious illnesses. They went on to say that teaching such “pseudoscience” would turn a respectable institute into a mockery of higher education.

But the Network of Researchers in Public Health and Complementary and alternative medicine, or NORPHCAM, rebuked these accusations, saying that there is bountiful evidence of the safety and efficacy of CAM’s. NORPHCAM also wagged a finger at the local scientists for being dogmatic and refusing to be open-minded to all medicine practices.

NORPHCAM points to St. John’s wort, another herbal substance, as an example of well-studied and documented alternative medicine used to battle chronic obstructive pulmonary disease57. Studies that have been ongoing for more than 10 years indicate that St. John’s wort is as effective as a mild, pharmaceutical anti-depressant. Scientists who decry the use of alternative medicine never mention these well-tested herbal remedies, perhaps because belief in CAM carries a non-scientific “stigma.”

Many complementary and alternative medicine practices will continue to challenge the belief system of modern scientists and doctors. However, science is ever-changing—for many years, humans believed that the earth was flat. CAM and traditional Western medicine are starting to join forces, and the combination of those disciplines may improve medical practice for everyone. 

Source: The Transforming the Nation’s Healthcare Newsletter of Griffith University (Bondi Junction, Australia)