Naturopaths must be regulated, say experts
AAP
June 12, 2009 10:12am
ONE in six Australians visit a complementary therapist as their primary health carer, but experts fear many do so without being aware of the possible risks.
University of Queensland researcher Jon Wardle is calling for the registration of complementary medicine therapists to make it safer for people to consult a naturopath.
Mr Wardle, a research scholar in the area of complementary therapy and a qualified naturopath with UQ's School of Population Health, says registration is long overdue.
"One in six people use complementary therapists as their primary healthcare practitioner and yet currently anyone can hang up a shingle and begin practising without any qualifications at all,'' Mr Wardle said.
"This is a major public health issue.''
He said a quack in the NSW city of Newcastle offered cures for untreatable cancers with backyard concoctions.
"This particular man shouldn't have been practising in the first place because he had convictions for fraud and armed robbery, on top of falsifying his qualifications,'' Mr Wardle said.
"This is something that any other health profession would have stripped him from practice straight away, but there's no legal restriction on calling yourself a naturopath.''
A naturopathy student can spend four years obtaining a university degree to practise responsibly or a charlatan can start a practice with little more than a glib tongue.
Complementary medicine groups plan to establish a national register of naturopaths and herbalists by 2010.
Registration already exists for Chinese medicine practitioners, chiropractors and osteopaths.
Head of UQ's School of Medicine, Professor David Wilkinson supported the registration plans.
"It is appropriate that there is increased regulation of complementary medicine practice to ensure educational and ethical standards of practice,'' Prof Wilkinson said.
ONE in six Australians visit a complementary therapist as their primary health carer
um what the fuck? one in 6 people are visiting witches as their PRIMARY health carer?
You can study naturopathy at uni?
Why not just ban them outright due to the lack of scientific evidence proving that there is any benefit in naturopathy?
AAP
June 12, 2009 10:12am
ONE in six Australians visit a complementary therapist as their primary health carer, but experts fear many do so without being aware of the possible risks.
University of Queensland researcher Jon Wardle is calling for the registration of complementary medicine therapists to make it safer for people to consult a naturopath.
Mr Wardle, a research scholar in the area of complementary therapy and a qualified naturopath with UQ's School of Population Health, says registration is long overdue.
"One in six people use complementary therapists as their primary healthcare practitioner and yet currently anyone can hang up a shingle and begin practising without any qualifications at all,'' Mr Wardle said.
"This is a major public health issue.''
He said a quack in the NSW city of Newcastle offered cures for untreatable cancers with backyard concoctions.
"This particular man shouldn't have been practising in the first place because he had convictions for fraud and armed robbery, on top of falsifying his qualifications,'' Mr Wardle said.
"This is something that any other health profession would have stripped him from practice straight away, but there's no legal restriction on calling yourself a naturopath.''
A naturopathy student can spend four years obtaining a university degree to practise responsibly or a charlatan can start a practice with little more than a glib tongue.
Complementary medicine groups plan to establish a national register of naturopaths and herbalists by 2010.
Registration already exists for Chinese medicine practitioners, chiropractors and osteopaths.
Head of UQ's School of Medicine, Professor David Wilkinson supported the registration plans.
"It is appropriate that there is increased regulation of complementary medicine practice to ensure educational and ethical standards of practice,'' Prof Wilkinson said.
ONE in six Australians visit a complementary therapist as their primary health carer
um what the fuck? one in 6 people are visiting witches as their PRIMARY health carer?
You can study naturopathy at uni?
Why not just ban them outright due to the lack of scientific evidence proving that there is any benefit in naturopathy?
