Should NICE evaluate complementary and alternative medicine?

doi:10.1136/bmj.39122.512211.BE

BMJ 2007;334:506 (10 March), doi:10.1136/bmj.39122.512211.BE

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Head to head

Should NICE evaluate complementary and alternative medicine?

Linda Franck, professor¹, Cyril Chantler, chair², Michael Dixon, chair³

¹ University College London Institute of Child Health, London WC1N 1EH, ² King's Fund, London W1G 0AN, ³ NHS Alliance, Retford, Nottingham DN22 6JD

Correspondence to: L Franck l.franck@ich.ucl.ac.uk

Demand for complementary and alternative medicine is high despitelimited evidence. Linda Franck and colleagues believe that athorough review by NICE would benefit the NHS and patients,but David Colquhoun argues that it cannot afford to re-examineevidence that has shown little benefit

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

The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE)guidance is built on the rigorous appraisal of scientific evidenceand the evaluation of the cost effectiveness of diagnosticsand treatments.¹² The Secretary of State for Health refers topicsfor development of guidance based on national priorities.³ NICEhas received international recognition for its topic selectionand appraisal processes and "commitment to using the best availableevidence for decision making."⁴

Complementary and alternative medicine covers a heterogeneousgroup of therapies that share a focus on, or integration of,treatment of mind and spirit as well as body.⁵ The main goalsof these treatments are often framed in terms of feeling better(that is, relief of symptoms) or prevention (promotion of generalhealth and wellbeing) rather than cure.⁶⁷ They may thereforebe particularly relevant for patients with long term disease,who account for 80% of general practice consultations and who,by definition, . . . [Full text of this article]

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