BMJ  2006;333:1129 (25 November), doi:10.1136/bmj.39037.692743.59

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Shark cartilage in the water

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

It is estimated that up to 80% of all patients with cancer take a complementary treatment or follow a dietary programme to help treat their cancer. These treatments may often delay the institution of conventional therapy and may result from pressure from family and friends to try an alternative approach to the conventional.

The NHS Directory of Complementary and Alternative Practitioners lists 29 directories, which include "Flower Therapy" and "Dowsing." Alternative Medicine is big business, with a market value in the UK alone of £250m in the year 2005. The current prediction is that sales will increase by 7% per annum. The rationale for the use of many of these approaches is obtuse—one might even be tempted to write misleading. It is difficult to provide any sort of objective rationale whatsoever for the sales of any of these products. Indeed the claims made by companies to support the sales of . . . [Full text of this article]

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This article has been cited by other articles:

• Shepherd, C. B (2006). Shark cartilage in the water: Effective legislation is already in place but is not being properly used. BMJ 333: 1222-1222 [Full text]  
• Noble, S. I R (2006). Shark cartilage in the water: One size does not fit all. BMJ 333: 1221-1222 [Full text]  
• Richmond, C. (2006). Shark cartilage in the water: Ignorance-based cancer treatment. BMJ 333: 1222-1222 [Full text]  

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Ignorance-based cancer treatment

Caroline Richmond
bmj.com, 24 Nov 2006 [Full text]

Why alternative medicine for cancer therapy?

Bill Sardi
bmj.com, 25 Nov 2006 [Full text]

Just who can a cancer patient trust?

Damien Downing
bmj.com, 25 Nov 2006 [Full text]

One size does not fit all

Simon IR Noble
bmj.com, 25 Nov 2006 [Full text]

Cancer quackery - effective legislation is already in place but is not being properly used

Charles B Shepherd
bmj.com, 25 Nov 2006 [Full text]

Incredible Ideas

Jeremy D Budd
bmj.com, 25 Nov 2006 [Full text]

Shark cartilage in the water: does it do any harm?

Michael Holmes
bmj.com, 26 Nov 2006 [Full text]

cancer research/industry

Marlene A. Thompson
bmj.com, 26 Nov 2006 [Full text]

Is the good professor being as objective as he might think he is?

Robert Verkerk
bmj.com, 27 Nov 2006 [Full text]

Re: Ignorance-based cancer treatment

Jonathan Waxman, et al.
bmj.com, 27 Nov 2006 [Full text]

Re: Why alternative medicine for cancer therapy?

jonathan waxman
bmj.com, 28 Nov 2006 [Full text]

Making Complementary and Alternative Medicine Safe

Robert M Pittilo, et al.
bmj.com, 28 Nov 2006 [Full text]

Re: Just who can a cancer patient trust?

jonathan waxman
bmj.com, 28 Nov 2006 [Full text]

Re: One size does not fit all

jonathan waxman
bmj.com, 28 Nov 2006 [Full text]

Re: Cancer quackery - effective legislation is already in place but is not being properly used

jonathan waxman
bmj.com, 28 Nov 2006 [Full text]

Re: Incredible Ideas

jonathan waxman
bmj.com, 28 Nov 2006 [Full text]

Re: Shark cartilage in the water: does it do any harm?

jonathan waxman
bmj.com, 28 Nov 2006 [Full text]

Re: Re: Shark cartilage in the water: does it do any harm?

jonathan waxman
bmj.com, 28 Nov 2006 [Full text]

Sharks in Alternative Medicine.

Alexander SD Spiers
bmj.com, 28 Nov 2006 [Full text]

Shark cartilage in the water

Croft Woodruff
bmj.com, 28 Nov 2006 [Full text]

Snake oil and evidence based medicine?

Michael Bending
bmj.com, 28 Nov 2006 [Full text]

Re: Is the good professor being as objective as he might think he is?

Jonathan waxman
bmj.com, 28 Nov 2006 [Full text]

Re: Making Complementary and Alternative Medicine Safe

jonathan waxman
bmj.com, 28 Nov 2006 [Full text]

Re: Snake oil and evidence based medicine?

jonathan waxman
bmj.com, 28 Nov 2006 [Full text]

Re: Making Complementary and Alternative Medicine Safe

Leslie B Rose
bmj.com, 28 Nov 2006 [Full text]

There are no magic answers.

Leslie B Rose
bmj.com, 28 Nov 2006 [Full text]

Shark Bait

Kate Nurse
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Confront New Age Snake Oil Peddlers

Alex Avery
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Anecdotal Evidence

Stephen Kane
bmj.com, 30 Nov 2006 [Full text]

Re: Re: Is the good professor as objective as he thinks he is?

Robert Verkerk
bmj.com, 30 Nov 2006 [Full text]

Re: There are no magic answers.

Pat Rattigan
bmj.com, 30 Nov 2006 [Full text]

Throwing the baby out with the bathwater

Krystyna Krzyzak, et al.
bmj.com, 30 Nov 2006 [Full text]

Re: Re: Just who can a cancer patient trust?

Raymond G Holder
bmj.com, 2 Dec 2006 [Full text]

Shark Cartilage in the Water

Gail Easterbrook
bmj.com, 2 Dec 2006 [Full text]

Re: Re: Just who can a cancer patient trust?

Damien Downing
bmj.com, 2 Dec 2006 [Full text]

Priceless Advice?

Michael W Nield
bmj.com, 3 Dec 2006 [Full text]

It’s either a proven therapy or an unproven therapy.

S Sundar
bmj.com, 3 Dec 2006 [Full text]

Re: Re: Shark cartilage in the water: does it do any harm?

Oscar U. Cadogan
bmj.com, 4 Dec 2006 [Full text]

Re: Re: There are no magic answers.

Peter J Flegg
bmj.com, 5 Dec 2006 [Full text]

Re: Re: Re: There are no magic answers.

Stephen Gascoigne
bmj.com, 6 Dec 2006 [Full text]

Methinks the Prof. should take at look at the pharma model he advocates

Alyssa Burns-Hill, MSc, FRSH, MIHPE
bmj.com, 6 Dec 2006 [Full text]

Why is it that science is disregarded?

Steve Hickey
bmj.com, 16 Dec 2006 [Full text]

Re: Re: Re: There are no magic answers.

Pat Rattigan
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Shark cartilage in the water

Pippa. R. Lovell
bmj.com, 11 Dec 2006 [Full text]

Dr Waxman has misunderstood what I wrote

Caroline Richmond
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Re: Re: There are no magic answers.

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bmj.com, 25 Dec 2006 [Full text]