As a practising complementary health practitioner (reflexology, Indian Head Massage, Spinal Touch and Hopi Ear Candling), I read the article with interest and note that again the honest and competent practitioners will be required to pay a further cost to be registered. I trained for reflexology on an approved course, commencing with an entry level requirement of anatomy & physiology. The AoR course takes a year to complete, and following success compulsory membership of the AoR is required to obtain both public liability and professional indemnity insurance - all requiring payment. The AoR also has a comprehensive Code of Conduct and members can be struck off. If practitioners have followed a recognised course and have insurance surely their Association should be the member of the NHC rather than individual practitioners.

Janice Hugh, M.A.R., I.I.H.H.T,, Llanelli, Carmarthenshire, Wales, UK

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/manchester/6471475.stm
Essential oils 'combat superbug'
Quote -
"There were no MRSA infections in the burns unit while the machine was being used with the recipe of oils.
In the final two months the natural essence blend was removed from the machines and MRSA levels in the air increased - and there was an MRSA outbreak in the ward. "

Stick that in your sceptical pipes.
And dont forget to take these *placebos* with you if you are unfortunate enough to need a hospital stay........

Rose, Manchester, Lancs

I wonder if some of the posters here actually read the article. This strange body is nothing to do with the pharmaceutical industry, it's being set up by Prince Charles via his front organisation the Foundation for Integrated Health - which conned nearly £2 million out of The King's Fund and the Dept of Health to set up statutory regulation. The purpose is transparently obvious - to give credibility to quackery.

Les Rose, Salisbury,

A comment seems appropriate. Cholesterol is claimed to be "a marker" for Coronary Heart Disease". However there is little evidence that it is causal. Try and find an original research report that actually proves it. May be the study where rabbits were force fed bovine fat (their normal natural diet?) and arterial plaques were found would suit.
But any change in the myth would lose Big Pharma $billions in sales which of course is unacceptable to them and their beneficiaries.
Current reseach suggests that their life "saving" benefits are due not to cholesterol lowering but their anti-inlfammatory action. Furthermore, there is growing evidence that raised homocysteine levels are responsible for the inflammatory action in the first place. This idea is not popular as therapy relies on folic acid, B6 and B12 - no money for Big Pharma. The JBS report on CHD totally ignores this molecule despite the fact that it 1st reported in 1969!

M. Cawdery, Portadown, UK

Dear Mr Hawks, You make it sound as if no sollid research is done in this field. For example, I can give you an Abstract from the Division of Pharmacognosy, Center for Bio-Pharmaceutical Sciences, Leiden University, Gorlaeus Laboratories. P.O. Box 9502, 2300 RA Leiden the Netherlands.
Part of it says: "The essential oils as well as solvents extracts of 11 hop cultivars, 1 hop variety and a wild type of hop were screened for their antimicrobial activities using the agar overlay technique. The oils were isolated from the cones of the various hop plants by hydrodistillation, the extracts were obtained by soaking the hop cones in chloroform. The oils and the extracts showed activity against the Gram-positive bacteria (Bacillus subtilis and Staphylococcus aureus) and the fungus (trychophyton mentagrophytes var. interdigitale), but almost no activity against the Gram-negative bacterium Escherichia coli) etc. etc." This is merely 1 of very very many researches done for Aromatherapy.

Inge, Hoofddorp, The Netherlands

I felt I had to post a comment, in response to William of Dublin's stinging 'con artists' label.

As a qualified and experienced complementary therapist, with an additional qualification in remedial massage therapy, my skills were good enough for me to work alongside a chartered phsyio - a recognised allied health professional. I have also worked in palliative care, treating cancer sufferers, survivors and their carers.

Complementary therapies help a lot of people get through daily life, and therapists are not going to go away, whatever the Williams of this world might wish.

It is a pity William ridicules regulation for therapists - and by extension the therapists who would embrace it - because the only other option would be to leave the field open to cowboy therapists, for whom he also clearly has a strong dislike.

Anyway, the debate has now moved on from what we all think of therapists to how we ensure the safety of clients and patients. Surely that shouldn't be ridiculed?

N Walsh, Blackpool, England

So now professional con artists are going to be regulated. What next, the Union of Bank Robbers? The Snake Oil Association?

William, Dublin, Ireland

I think what has not been noticed is that this is not a new law at at all. It is a voluntary body for self regulation. Not a statutory compulsory body like those governing doctors or dieticians.

In fact this will be another government funded useless quango, supported by HRH, and doing nothing to protect the public.

This will be nothing less than 'Ofquack'.

Andy, Oxford, UK

It is untrue to say that the Osteopath who was convicted and sent to gaol for sexual assault would be able to set up in practice again. Under the 1993 Osteopaths Act, only practitioners whose names appear on the GOsC Statutory Register of Osteopaths are permitted to use the title 'osteopath’, so Osteopathy is already statutorily regulated - it is confusing to the general public to therefore use osteopathy in this article as an illustration about the new voluntary body..

P J Reid - Student Osteopath, London,

There is in the UK an organisation regulating the 'complementary' aspects of 'conventional' Western medicine - it's the Health Professions Council that regulates the 13 professions 'Allied to Health' (www.hpc-uk.org). As a Registered Dietitian (RD) I am recognised as competent to practice clinical nutrition. I am deeply concerned that a 'Natural Healthcare Council' will give credibility to the self-styled practitioner who cares to 'practice' a 'nutrition-lite' version of the subject, readily crossing into areas they do not understand and thus risk clients health further. This is not a hypothetical concern- in the last year colleagues and I at a London teaching hospital have dealt with malnourished children, an ICU admission with serotonin syndrome, and halted the toxic 'prescription' of a herb by a 'brain nutritionist' to a chronically ill patient . All readily accepted by the vulnerable willing to pay the £80+ consultation and a few £100 for 'supplements' and 'diagnostic tests'. Sad.

Catherine Collins RD, London,

I response to Andy, aromatherapy and homeopathy suppliers are part of the multi billion dollar industry that you mention, but an unregulated part.

Stuart, Bridgnorth, Shropshire

Whenever the government wants to introduce a law nowadays, my immediate reaction is suspicion about the underlying motives. This article says more and more people are heading towards alternative therapies and quite a lot are having good results (placebo or not, is not my point). Does the multi billion dollar pharmacuetical industry see a threat to business? The absolute extortion that goes on is interestingly overlooked by folks quick to accuse the alternative practioners of it. People dying of certain diseases can't even get the official medicines due to the absurd costs. Another side to this is, I trained in Reiki from a world recognized practioner in India. Certificates given. But if this country doesn't recognize him because he didn't train under "their" official "uk" program, then surely that means I could risk getting into trouble for giving Reiki? I don't even charge for it. Yet, is this article saying that there are legal implications on me in helping people now? Stalinist.

Andy, West, UK

Love the way so many of the comments here are of the "alternative therapies are nonsense, I believe in drugs"...shows what good sales pitches the pharma companies have! Many drugs only relieve symptoms and don't cure anything, often having worse side affects than the condition they are supposedly treating...and yep, often are no better than a placebo.

So all you people who assume greater knowledge - do you actually know better or have you just bought the (more expensive) pharma advertising?

Steve, London, UK

What next? Regulation of spoon-benders, exorcists and horoscopeateers!

Michael Godin, London, London

As a Registered Homeopath I am thrilled this is being set up as it will discount those practitioners with no qualifications and no insurance.

RM NW England

R M, Southport, UK

Am I naive in thinking that the first criterion for entry into this regulated body should be to provide proof, or even credible evidence, that the practitioner's field of treatment actually works?

Steve Murphy, Bolton, UK

Jeremy, the reason people "feel" better after seeing an alternative therapy practitioner is not because of the sugar pills they take, but the time the patient gets to spend with the practitioner (much longer than an NHS GP).

Why not rid the NHS of this quackery and tax the practitioners of alternative medicine. The money saved will pay for more GPs so they can spend longer time with their patents and feel better without having being lied and ripped off for the privilege.

Anyone who believes the advice on AIDS/HIV and Malaria given by some Society of Homeopath members and the like, will know the harm this delusion can really do.

Nick Stephens, Windermere,

For over 30 years I suffered from increasing pain in my lower back, eventually an osteopath stabilised my body and this allowed me to have a normal life for many years 9 with the occasional treatment necessary to get rid of sciatica.
In my early fifties I suffered badly eventually barely able to shuffle, with very limited flexibility.
Was told I had spinal compression and no one could help, confirmed by orthopaedic surgeon, who said I could have pinal sugery and it was the only thing that would work.

The " tried and tested " medication I received ,did nothing for the conditions, failed to diagnose the underlying problem, although many people had the opportunity to do so, over a forty year period. I was even informed, that lower vertebrae were permanently fused.

By luck and perseverance, I found someone, who diagnosed the underlying problem ( which I forgot to mention caused me to need a replacement hip ) which was resolved in less than FIVE MINUTES.
That was three years ago

robert meldrum, bridge of weir, scotland

Regulating homeopathy? Utterly amazing. The regulations needed for homeopathy already exist - trading standards law. The practice is - by definition - fraudulent. Sale of homeopathic potions - i.e. water - should result in prosecution of retailers or others involved.

The public is generally ill-informed regarding what homeopathy entails, believing in some vague and fanciful notion of 'balance, gentleness, and holistic practice.' In fact, it entails the prescription of NOTHING. It is - at best - a placebo, and at worst, a distraction from serious care. Its use on children or animals should be prima facie evidence of abuse, and the practitioner prosecuted.

Nick, Rotherham, UK

I live in the USA but must say - lets regulate all of our lives take away individual responsibility and regulate away. How awful - I know that we in the US are heading towards this also - The medical community who drives this should see that they police their own first - how many unethical Doctors we have and I am sure are in the UK as well - they are protectected under the Law that they set up for them selves. Thank God I am at an age where I am not going to have to live another 50 years - godforbid - all individual thinking and rights will have been taken away by then. By the people who think that they have the right to tell others how to live. I often wonder how thumans have made it without - governing bodies for everything until now - . I agree with M.L from London if we start to believe that the the earth is flat and there is threat that we will fall of by venturing out of doors - there will be a governing body who will tell us - when its safe.

Gisela D, Matamoras, Pa,USA

I find it kind of amusing that so many here assume people are so daft that they can't--and shouldn't be allowed to--make their own determination about what is helping them! And do not deserve the right to decide how to care for themselves. What hubris.
Have you looked at the statistics, comparing numbers of people harmed by "complementary" or "altnerative" medicine (close to zero), and those harmed by MDs and prescription drugs? MDs and "drug medicine" lose on that score. And e.g. homeopathy can CURE what they cannot even help much.
How many MDs and hospitals are teaching their patients how to use simple, inexpensive and health-building tools and practices to *keep* themselves well? Not many; and how much can you do in such a quick visit? But most good "alternative" docs do so regularly and extensively.
This isn't supposed to be a competition; let people make the choices they feel happy with, and let's try to respect each others' choices.

Shannon, New Glarus, WI, USA

Rajinder (do not) judge.
i am not, the last time I looked, a lady. I am very happy with various ttreatmetns I have received including osteopathy, cranial ostepopathy, and medical herbalism. The first two elliminated chronic back aches that convetional Physio did not and the latter helped me treat skin conditions that mainstream dermatologist had not with thirty years of trreatment. including powerful steroids.

There was a time when mainstream medicine was seen as Quackery. Even now, very often medicine does not have a "cure" and many it does have come from nature. Why do you think drug companies study forset flora.

Regulatiion may be a good thing providing it is proportionate. We, we can hope.

And has for being needed because of attacks on patients; Harold Shipman was a Doctor!!

David, Sevenoaks, Kent

Oh no! More laws. More beaurocracy. More rules. More regulations. More jobsworths. More costs.

Most of this 'alternative' stuff is twaddle, but it's mostly harmless twaddle. Don't dignify it by passing pointless legislation.

Ray, Dartmouth,

The view that conventional medicine knows best is seriously flawed. Approved drugs are those for which their makers funded research, in the hope of reaping huge sales. Other and more scientifically based cures, such as supplementing known deficiencies, usually require only cheap medications, so get no funding, and the jibe of "alternative medicine" is thrown at any who would dare to challenge the status quo.
For example, statin drugs cause many serious and possibly permanent problems, as I know only too well myself. The reason, destruction of Coenzyme Q10 production, usually responds to supplementation, a fact known to the drug makers back in 1990, but it was not revealed to the authorities, and our research and trial staff declare that side effects are rare, and not worthy of note.. How untrue this is, those who suffer them are just left untreated by our NHS doctors, unrecognised by NICE or MHRA.
No wonder that disgruntled patients, harmed by "evidence based" drugs, look elsewhere.

R Holder, Bournemouth, UK

Sir, If the osteopath mentioned in the article was indeed an osteopath he would already be regulated under law as only registered osteopaths are allowed to practise (and that law has now been in place for 10 years.) So this new law/regulatory body would serve only to duplicate the screening for osteopaths (and chiropractors), but it can't stop these sort of things happening, unfortunately. However I do believe that regulation of complementary therapies is needed.
Secondly research for complementary therapies is much more complicated than discussed above as normally each patient will have individualized treatments, making it hard to assess compared with orthodox medicine, which tends to offer a standard treatment for a standard condition. Research is important and must continue, but following appropriate and suitable methods.

mark, Stafford, England

In response to Viv Taylor's comments, you clearly know little about pharmaceuticals, the industry that produces them and the regulations that this industry has to abide by in order to be able to manufacture and sell their products to the general public.

You would do well to take a dose of your own advice (in relation to alternative medicine) and try learning more about the subject of conventional medicine before making inflammatory statements about people getting poisoned or even hooked on conventional drugs.

Just because you believe something 'works' does not mean it actually does in reality. Try looking up the meaning of placebo, efficacy and clinical trials for starters.

Melanie, London,

Sure, I see regulation could be a good thing. I note the system would be financed by registration fees from practitioners. This would inevitably push up fees to patients who often have no option but to pay for private treatment anyway.

Many people still choose the orthodox route because they this as the financially cheaper option, despite the risk of side-effects from drugs etc.

Brian Lamb, Folkestone, UK

Miss Taylor, your earlier comment about medicine poisoning people and getting them hooked shows a great lack of knowledge about pharmacuetical products in general. For the most part they do not have adictive qualities, and those that do are controlled (see misuse of drugs regulations 2001). Substances that are addictive or can be used as precursors to illegal narcotics are only prescribed and dispensed under the strictest condititions. I should know I've recently had to learn the law concerning them as part of my pharmacy degree.

Most alternative therapies have little or no basis for working, chinese accupuncture was shown in a scientific study to be pure placebo effect. They had a trained practioner giving accupuncture and someone who was only given an explanation on how to stick the needles in and make it appear they were doing it properly. Both had the same results, indicative of placebo. The dilution theory is laughable, they use something along the lines of 0.1 ml in a bathtub.

Tim, Chatham,

Does this mean alternative therapies can be taxed I wonder?

Swedish Rich, Gothenburg,

Never mind being shocked that 2/3rds of people believe in alternative medicine.

Our recent ex-prime minister believes in the power of prayer, miracles, a God that knows our thoughts, a virgin birth, and other such rubbish based on zero evidence!

When our political leaders believe in such ridiculous superstitions, one can hardly blame the population for believing in alternative therapies.

Blair and Brown do a lot more harm at a lot more cost than a reiki practitioner or a homeopathist.

And if "scientific" medicine is so good, how come my Mother-in-law was told (pre-Christmas) by 2 GP's to go home and take painkillers, then a week later an x-ray revealed a broken hip! She is now in hospital hoping to avoid MRSA and D&V being passed on by lazy, incompetent nurses who left her naked and forgotten in a cold bathroom for over an hour. Is it any wonder people look for an "alternative"!?

Giordano Bennetti, Swindon,

Dear Sir,

I wonder at the strong reactions of people over this issue. I have no problem with there needing to sensible control over medical practitioners of any kind in the UK, however. It strikes me that we have so much red tape from regulatory bureacracy that we don't need lots more.

Allternative medicines have been around a lot longer than the NHS and many modern drugs still have roots in the old herbal and Apothicary remedies of earlier times.

Regulators and the medical establishment should only worry that people turn to alternatives if the current system is failing them. Then one can legitimately question whether regulation does its job.

Methinks government talk with forked tongue - look at the cutbacks in NHS standards of service, basic hygiene practices and rise in MRSA and the like.

Now these are things to undermine confidence of the populace not only in the NHS and the Department of Health's competency but also the validity of regulation!

Peter Roberts, Haywards Heath, UK

Hooray to Mr Barclay of London, the Pharmaceutical companies must be part of this ploy of regulation, after all it is quite OK for them to keep POISONING the general public by making them HOOKED on their drugs, but the rest of the population are not permitted to have treatments of their choice. If normal medicine were so cureall, then why would 2/3 of the general public believe Homeopathy and other such alternatives were worhty of even investigation and parting with hard earned cash for? It is quite clear that most of you know little about the subject, please enquire further before showing your ignorance about it, most of it works when properly delivered! Perhaps regulation would be better. So please ensure that the ADJUDICATORS understand the subject before passing judgement, afterall we go to great lengths to ensure that our law courts are supposedly well represented by highly qualified judges. Or is it the GP's who are worried that the Homeopaths may steal their now huge budgets?

Viv Taylor, Burgundy , France

Medicine is Medicine is Medicine!!

Everything else is quackery and snake oil. If these so called therapists believe they have anything to offer beyond the placebo effect then they should submit their remedies to medical trials. If they work they cease to be alternative - simple.

Why don't they do this? Because they know themselves its all a load of Hogwash and are quite happy to go on ripping off the gullible for as long as they can get away with it.

I ask you, 2/3 of the population - beggars belief, it really does.

Neil W, Redruth, Cornwall, UK

It is my belief that all aspects of human behaviour should be regulated. I think it is important that human beings are not allowed to have any beliefs or desires that do not conform to the state accepted norm. Similarly, grown-ups must not be allowed to undertake any form of non-harmful activity if it involves contact with another human unless the practice is governed by guidelines, a code of conduct and labyrinthine administrative formalities.

What next? Perhaps regulatory bodies for sales assistants, hairdressers? If complementary therapies do no harm and make the recipient feel good, what is the problem? For goodness sake, let people use human contact with a 'healer' without intereference. It has been an integral part of civilisation for thousands of years. Complementary therapies may not have evidence-based therapeutic benefits, but many people's quality of life is improved. This is in itself a worthwhile goal, is it not? The difference is between treating and caring.

Jeremy Smyth, St-Martin-en-Bresse, France

Natural Healthcare Council?

How about a Mountebank Standards Council?

This governing body would regulate its members by declaring anyone who cares to apply "qualified" after they have paid their dues. It would not bother vetting applicants, since this would be in conflict with its policy of not bothering to obtain scientific evidence for the efficacy of its members' products.

Stewart Ware, London, UK

What utter useless nonsense. What use is having a regulatory body whose membership is voluntary and one which cannot enforce standards of good practice onto or discipline its members?

Maria Oluwatobi, London,

How depressing to learn that 2/3 of the population believe in 'magic'. At the same time that conventional medicine is busting a gut only to use evidence-based treatments we are rushing headlong towards unproven and often unprovable remedies.

Surely another example of the loss of decent scientific education in our schools.

Andrew McIrvine, London,

When it comes to alternative therapies for medical problems the Romans said it best. Caveat Emptor!!!

Bruce L. Northwood, Silver Spring, USA

How will they manage the vastly different belief systems of alternative medicine? If someone complains that a homeopath tried to offer malaria prevention services with sugar pills, by what standards would they be judged? The rational scientific approach would be that this is incredibly dangerous. But homeopaths would (naturally) disagree.

What if a child was recommended to not get immunised and then suffered a nasty infection? Alternative medicine advocates think immunisation is nasty. Does Prince Charles think so?

And if in the unlikely event that someone was 'struck off' what is to stop them carrying on practicing under the 'regulation' of one of the many quack bodies out there that claim to protect the public?

A nonsense.

Andy, Oxford, UK

about time , but not far enough. Truth is, these asocalled "alternative practioners£, have been able to manipulate their clients based on their own persona and no medical fact. They need to be regulated because patients healh an lives are at risk. Let's get rid of the cowboys, which form about 80 percent of all listed so called "alternative docs" What a waste of space. Let them cater to the rich affluent neurotics, trhey deserve each other. Ladies, wake up, you can help yourself in easier and more effective ways, please wake up!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

rajinder judge, london, london

More Big Brother trying to control the minutiae of people's lives.
All these smaller therapies pose no threat at all, and if they harm you, or take liberties, you can sue anyway. This will just boost the role of state interference, increase layers of pointless bureaucracy, and drive up the price of alternative therapies. Which is exactly what the pharmaceutical companies want, because natural healing methods threaten their monopoly.

Gordon Barclay, London,

Better it's controlled and regulated than anyone setting up and using methods that are harmful to the patient.

Tim, Chatham,

As a complementary health practitioner i am extremely pleased that a new regulatory body is to be put in place it has been long needed. I myself have already put in place a directory of over 1000+ therapists that meet the standards, code of practice and we ensure that all the therapists and practitioners on our directory are fully insured. The directory is web-based and available for anybody to use. We sell complementary health treatments across the uk via webshops,a scheme started originally to introduce the general public to complementary / intergrated therapies, through the medium of highly qualified and insured practitioners, to ensure that they recieved the best possible treatments alongside their ongoing traditional medical treatements.It is imperative that all practitioners sign up to this regulatory body thus ensuring that only individuals that are appropriately qualified are able to practice.
Gifted holistic health

Tina finley, Hereford, UK

How ridiculous is that? If one day 68% of Britions and one prince start to believe that the Earth is flat (possible given "no-effort" education system) should we expect to have the Earth Shape Council?

Michal, London,