Complimentary and Alternative
Medicine Costs

Despite warnings that their purported benefits haven’t been put to the test, Australians are spending $2.3 billion a year on alternative and complementary therapies. This figure is 4 times the amount spent on over-the-counter medicines.

These are the findings of major new research conducted by Adelaide University. The research team surveyed more than 3,000 people and found a significant shift away from orthodox drugs and treatment. They found that 60% of women and 40% of men use alternative medicines, and 20% of men and 26% of women go to alternative therapists, such as chiropractors, naturopaths, acupuncturists, homeopaths, iridologists, etc.

The research team attributes the shift away from orthodox medicines to the boom in alternative therapy advertising, much of which, they warn, offers cures which are simply too good to be true. The investigators say that patients have fallen for the unrealistic claims found in many of the advertisements for alternative medicines. Many claim that alternative medicine can alleviate certain conditions but the research is not available to show that they are any better than a placebo. The investigators are also concerned about the lack of any long-term safety trials.

In Australia, pharmaceutical companies are not allowed to advertise prescription medicines, and the researchers say, that in the interests of public health, alternative therapies should be subject to similarly tough regulation.