To the Editor: I am concerned that the viewpoints by Dwyer1 and Pirotta2 were published without establishing a clear definition of “complementary and alternative medicine” (CAM).
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- 1. Dwyer JM. Is it ethical for medical practitioners to prescribe alternative and complementary treatments that may lack an evidence base? — No. Med J Aust 2011; 195: 79. <MJA full text>
- 2. Pirotta MV. Is it ethical for medical practitioners to prescribe alternative and complementary treatments that may lack an evidence base? — Yes. Med J Aust 2011; 195: 78. <MJA full text>
- 3. Altman DG, Bland JM. Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence. BMJ 1995; 311: 485.
- 4. Consortium of Academic Centers for Integrative Medicine. Definition of integrative medicine (adopted May 2004). http://www.imconsortium.org/about/home.html (accessed Aug 2011).
- 5. Brown J, Morgan T, Adams J, et al. Complementary medicines information use and needs of health professionals: general practitioners and pharmacists. Sydney: National Prescribing Service, 2008. http://www.nps.org.au/__data/assets/pdf_ file/0020/66620/CMs_Report_-_HP_-_Apr_09.pdf (accessed Sep 2011).
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I was the Founder and Founding President of the Australasian Integrative Medicine Association.