Dear Chris,
Thank you for your message. I agree that the need for robust evidence on safety and effectiveness applies to all health interventions, whether they originate from traditional, complementary, or conventional medicine. There are many examples across mainstream medicine, as you note, where concerns about inappropriate use, over-prescription, adverse effects, or limited evidence have caused significant harm.
My intention was not to single out traditional medicine for criticism, but rather to highlight what I see as a fundamental principle for any proposal to integrate treatments into health systems: decisions should be guided by the best available evidence on benefits, harms, and cost-effectiveness.
My comment is reflected in WHO policy: 'Integration of TCIM within national health systems must be done appropriately, effectively, and safely, based on the latest scientific evidence. WHO supports countries that want to embrace traditional medicine practices to do so in a science-based manner to avoid patient harm and ensure safe, effective, and quality health care. An evidence-based approach to traditional medicine, establishing efficacy and safety through rigorous scientific validation, is crucial, even if they have been used for a long period. This not only guarantees that treatment is effective and safe, but provides the rigorous evidence needed for the recommendation of traditional medicine in WHO guidelines.' https://www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/traditional-med...
The generation, communication, and use of evidence for traditional medicine would be an excellent and valid topic for a HIFA Spotlight discussion here on HIFA, just as it is for conventional medicine. www.hifa.org/spotlights
HIFA profile: Neil Pakenham-Walsh is coordinator of HIFA (Healthcare Information For All), a global health community that brings all stakeholders together around the shared goal of universal access to reliable healthcare information. HIFA has 20,000 members in 180 countries, interacting in four languages and representing all parts of the global evidence ecosystem. HIFA is administered by Global Healthcare Information Network, a UK-based nonprofit in official relations with the World Health Organization. Email: neil@hifa.org