The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 269 No 7228 p847
14 December 2002

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Letters to the Editor

Alternative medicine

Good quality information is available

From Dr G. B. Lockwood, MRPharmS

Terry Maguire raises a number of issues in his Broad Spectrum article concerning "Selling nature's remedies — a challenge to professional credibility" (PJ, 30 November, p778). I would like to address one of these, namely the mass of good quality knowledge available to pharmacists on the wide diversity of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM).

A number of academic and freelance pharmacists have written many scientific and educational articles, both in The Pharmaceutical Journal and other peer-reviewed journals, and also published comprehensive texts on CAM. In addition they have been, and are, working with the Centre for Pharmacy Postgraduate Education to improve pharmacists' knowledge in the area, with their involvement in the production of distance learning packages on CAM. In all these works, the main thrust by the authors is to outline the scientifically and medically proven merits of the products warranting serious comment, but at the same time informing readers of cases where there is lack of evidence supporting use, or risk of safety or quality issues.

Royal Pharmaceutical Society guidelines on complementary therapies and medicines are increasingly proactive, and pharmacists now have the opportunity to obtain the specialised knowledge required for sale or supply. In situations where there is not any specialised knowledge available, pharmacists should treat products with extreme caution.

Brian Lockwood
School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences,
University of Manchester

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