CAM should be held to the same standards as conventional medicine

In January 2005 the US Institute of Medicine produced a report entitled Complementary and Alternative Medicine in the United States at the request of the NIH so that it could prioritise and develop research methods for evaluating CAM. The main points of the report are summarised below.

• CAM and conventional medicine should be held to the same standards for demonstrating clinical effectiveness.
• The RCT is the gold standard for providing evidence of efficacy although other study designs can be used.
• Congress should revise supplement regulation to ensure quality control and improve consumer protection.
• The report outlines criteria for determining which CAM modalities to prioritise for future study.
• It assesses Americans’ use of CAM and determines that because it is so widespread doctors, nurses and healthcare providers should receive education about CAM.

http://www.iom.edu/report, accessed 17 February 2005