Use of traditional medicine in mainstream healthcare needs to be evidence-based | Letter

Dr Radhamanohar Macherla responds to plans by the World Health Organization to harness the potential of complementary medicine

The article (‘A potential treasure trove’: World Health Organization to explore benefits of traditional medicines, 20 December) is of great interest. However, it is regrettable that an organisation such as the World Health Organization appears willing to promote the incorporation of traditional and other medicines into mainstream practice by leaning heavily on emotive language – “heritage”, “tradition”, and the sharing of local resources – rather than on clinical evidence. Then it appears to contradict itself by saying that it doesn’t support it if there isn’t robust and reliable evidence.

The difficulty seems to lie in a misunderstanding of what medicine is. Medicine should be understood as a single enterprise: evidence-based medical practice, with patient safety and effectiveness at its core. It should not be fragmented into categories such as “biologic”, “traditional” or “complementary” medicine.

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