Medicines watchdog urges caution over use of herbal treatments

ABC NEWS (Australia)

The popularity of alternative and complementary medicines is booming in Australia but experts say while some therapies can improve a patient's health, others can be useless or even harmful.

Transcript

00:00Carrots, ginger, I actually have a lemon, I'll get a lemon.

00:09In pursuit of health, Eula Brown has avoided all things chemical.

00:13Three years ago, she was diagnosed with breast cancer.

00:18I always thought that chemotherapy wouldn't be an option for me and that I would be looking

00:23to an alternative medicine.

00:26She caved after three doctors and a naturopath advised her to do chemo.

00:32But she also spent $10,000 on supplements, vitamin C infusions and an innovative blood

00:38test.

00:39Eula says it's the side treatments that helped her bounce back.

00:43I didn't tell the oncologist what I was going through, I felt that I would be judged.

00:51The Cancer Council says patients should always consult their doctor about any treatments

00:56they're doing.

00:58Complementary Medicines Australia estimates up to three quarters of households could be

01:03using complementary medicine.

01:06It exists alongside modern medicine, whereas alternative medicine is used instead of it.

01:14Breast cancer surgeon Emilia Daouai believes some complementary therapies have benefits,

01:20but is wary about extravagant claims from the alternative medicine camp.

01:26Where is the evidence or the rigorous research that's done to validate those treatments?

01:32She's seen a growing interest in unconventional therapies in her own patients, even at the

01:37expense of medical intervention.

01:40Sometimes it is too late and we can't cure the patient, we might be able to intervene

01:44and extend some of their life.

01:48Last financial year, the Therapeutic Goods Administration received 807 adverse event

01:54reports linked to complementary medicines.

01:58On social media, wonder cures and unvetted medical advice are rife.

02:02I need help, my cholesterol levels keep rising.

02:06I would do the carnivore diet.

02:08Anyone who reversed serious cavities naturally?

02:11Oregano oil, two drops.

02:13Oh there's a lot of woo, you know like, oh marijuana fixes cancer, yep, well why is Bob

02:20Marley dead?

02:24Sally Casserole was diagnosed with blood cancer in 2013.

02:31Before chemo, she tried curcumin, a compound found in turmeric.

02:35So this is the year that I took the turmeric.

02:37It was touted as a silver bullet on Facebook.

02:41My numbers will show, you can just see that they're gradually increasing.

02:44I tried it for a year and it didn't do a thing.

02:52In the Huon Valley, southern Tasmania, volunteers are making herbal medicine.

02:59To stock free community clinics with teas, tinctures and salves.

03:03A lot of people who come in to see us are in difficult circumstances.

03:06They don't necessarily have the funds to get proper food for themselves or proper medicine.

03:12Tasmania has only three GP clinics that both bill all patients, and Australia's highest

03:18out of pocket costs.

03:20Cobart Herbalists Without Borders want to help bridge that gap.

03:24I'm not against pharmaceuticals or conventional medicine.

03:28I, as a naturopath, love herbal medicine and I've seen it work very well for myself and

03:33for people around me.

03:35But when a mixture of rose petals, water and alcohol seems to work, could it be the placebo

03:41effect?

03:42Any kind of therapy, whether it's herbal, pharmaceutical, lifestyle, people can get

03:49a placebo effect and yeah, I mean, that's fine, if they're getting better, I'm happy.

03:54The Australian Medical Association says people should be cautious when taking herbal medicine,

04:00as it can be hard to know what it contains.

Category

Transcript

Recommended