Political breakthrough of complementary medicine

CAM Conference in the European Parliament: „Politically a breakthrough“

29.11.2012

The European Parliament was the first in October „CAM Conference“ which discussed the importance of complementary medicine in European healthcare. Under the title „Complementary and Alternative Medicine - Innovation and Added Value for European Healthcare“ informed scientists from all over Europe about the benefits and the possibilities of complementary medical treatment. Accordingly, the importance of complementary medicine is growing particularly in the treatment of patients with chronic diseases.

Around 70 percent of health care costs in developed countries are now chronic diseases such as hypertension, heart disease, diabetes mellitus, arthritides, bronchial asthma or depression. Conventional medicine offers chronically ill but few curative therapeutic approaches. Against the background of demographic change and the high burden on health systems caused by the chronically ill, the German Central Association of Homeopathic Doctors (DZVhÄ) welcomes the CAM conference in the European Parliament as a clear signal that the topic has arrived in the consciousness of European health policy. „Alternative and complementary medicine is an important public health issue for Europe, as well as for Germany, and is still underestimated,“ explains Cornelia Bajic, first chair of the DZVhÄ. „Politicians are called upon to create the necessary framework conditions to enable patients to have uncomplicated access to effective CAM procedures, such as homeopathy.“ The conference was attended by three parliamentarians from the European Parliament, funded by the European Commission and the Directorate-General for Health and Consumers.

The economy of CAM procedures
Claudia Witt from the Berlin Charité described in Brussels the results of a systematic review of the costs and cost-effectiveness of complementary medicine. Thus, about one-third of high-quality economic evaluations of non-pharmacological treatments show greater benefit at a lower cost compared to conventional medical treatment. Thus, the often rumored statement is scientifically refuted that CAM therapies only increased costs, without creating added value. However, it is not possible to derive generalized statements on the cost-benefit ratio of complementary medical treatment methods from the review article because only individual therapy procedures were examined and not the complementary medicine as a whole.

„There has never been so much public support in Europe“
The CAM Conference was moderated by Harald Walach, Professor of Research Methods in Complementary Medicine at the European University Viadrina Frankfurt (Oder). „So much obvious support for complementary medicine has never existed in Europe“, explains gelding. He refers to the European project CAMbrella. This three-year project, funded by the EU with 1.5 million euros, is coordinated by the Center for Naturopathic Research at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) and does not conduct its own research. Rather, it is intended to establish a network of European research institutions in the area of ​​complementary medicine and to promote their international cooperation. A special issue of the journal „Research complementary medicine“ summarizes why, how and where complementary medicine is researched in Europe.

According to Walach, CAMbrella is a sign of that, „that politicians have now understood that they are not dealing with a marginal phenomenon.“ His conclusion: „The conference was politically a breakthrough and an important sign, because it documents: Here there is a topic on which the policy has become aware, because it is important for the citizens.“ The conference ended with a 4-page „Call for Action“ to the EU Commission, EU Parliament and EU Member States to promote equal access to CAM therapies in the EU and to standardize information on CAM methods and providers to facilitate the cross-border treatment of EU citizens. The paper can be downloaded from the ECH website: www.homeopathyeurope.org> Media (pm)

Image: Paul-Georg Meister