This is a fascinating editorial -- what was the motive for it?
A visit to Susan Davis' website (1) provides some clues.
The Jean Hailes Foundation clearly has a very close liaison with the
corporate world -- both food (2) and medicine (3) including hormone
replacement therapy (4) with with Dr Davis has a personal interest.
Their website defines a drug as, "...anything that is taken to change
the way the body works normally”, all medicines - whether by prescription
or under the umbrella of ‘complementary therapies’, and irrespective of
their origin - must be judged by the same standards.
The website clearly has an anti complementary medicine bias.
When we take water to quench our thirst, this definition makes it a
drug -- it effects the way the body works normally. Should water be judged
by the same standards as the synthetic drugs that even when used properly
kill so many?
For such a prominant editorial to be so lacking in transparency is
unusual for the British Medical journal -- readers expect a higher
standard of professionalism.
Ron Law is a University lecturer in management and executive director
of the New Zealand National Nutritional Foods Association. He was also a
member of the New Zealand Ministry of Health working group advising on the
management of medical error in the New Zealand health system.
Rapid Response:
Please declare competing interests transparently
This is a fascinating editorial -- what was the motive for it?
A visit to Susan Davis' website (1) provides some clues.
The Jean Hailes Foundation clearly has a very close liaison with the
corporate world -- both food (2) and medicine (3) including hormone
replacement therapy (4) with with Dr Davis has a personal interest.
Their website defines a drug as, "...anything that is taken to change
the way the body works normally”, all medicines - whether by prescription
or under the umbrella of ‘complementary therapies’, and irrespective of
their origin - must be judged by the same standards.
The website clearly has an anti complementary medicine bias.
When we take water to quench our thirst, this definition makes it a
drug -- it effects the way the body works normally. Should water be judged
by the same standards as the synthetic drugs that even when used properly
kill so many?
For such a prominant editorial to be so lacking in transparency is
unusual for the British Medical journal -- readers expect a higher
standard of professionalism.
Ron Law is a University lecturer in management and executive director
of the New Zealand National Nutritional Foods Association. He was also a
member of the New Zealand Ministry of Health working group advising on the
management of medical error in the New Zealand health system.
1. http://www.jeanhailes.org.au/newsletter/October2000/features.htm
2.
http://www.jeanhailes.org.au/newsletter/October2000/features.htm#uncle%2...
3. http://www.jeanhailes.org.au/media_release/oct202000.htm
4. http://www.jeanhailes.org.au/media_release/aug242000.htm
Competing interests: No competing interests