Sir, For over two decades the Prince of Wales has been actively promoting alternative medicine and his Foundation for Integrated Health continues to encourage the use of treatments such as homoeopathy or reflexology. When writing in The Times in 2000, he wisely identified “rigorous scientific evidence as one of the keys to the medical establishment’s acceptance of non-conventional approaches”. Conversely, if the evidence turned out to be strongly negative, one would obviously expect the Prince to accept this as good reason to reject particular alternative treatments.

There have been well over 4,000 research studies into alternative medicine since 2000, and in our new book, Trick or Treatment? Alternative Medicine on Trial, which is published next week, we have evaluated this evidence rigorously and fairly. A few treatments seem to work. However, the majority of alternative therapies appear to be clinically ineffective, and many are downright dangerous.

In light of this “rigorous scientific evidence”, we strongly advise that the Prince of Wales and the Foundation for Integrated Health withdraw the publications Complementary Health Care: A Guide for Patients and the Smallwood report. They both contain numerous misleading and inaccurate claims concerning the supposed benefits of alternative medicine. The nation cannot be served by promoting ineffective and sometimes dangerous alternative treatments.

Edzard Ernst

Professor of Complementary Medicine

Simon Singh

Science writer

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