Complementary Medicine — Is it Effective and Safe?

Abstract

Complementary/alternative medicine is being tried by 25% (United Kingdom) to 65% (Germany) of the general population of industrialized countries. This degree of popularity clearly begs the question, is complementary/alternative medicine safe and effective? Complementary/alternative medicine is usually believed to be natural, and “natural” tends to be wrongly equated with “safe.” Yet, serious adverse effects of complementary/alternative medicine have been repeatedly documented. Their true incidence is unknown. Most users of complementary/alternative medicine perceive it as helpful. Yet, the perception of effectiveness does not explain whether specific or nonspecific effects led to this impression. With few exceptions, specific effectiveness for complementary/alternative medicine has not been established beyond a reasonable doubt. Therefore, further clinical trials are required to test effectiveness of complementary therapies in defined clinical situations. Where sufficient numbers of good quality trials already exist systematic reviews or meta-analyses are required. Such data need to be put into context with data on safety and costs to determine the usefulness of complementary/alternative medicine in each situation. It is concluded that, in spite of its present popularity, complementary/alternative medicine is underresearched and its evidence base remains incomplete.