The purpose of this paper is to explore the strengths and weaknesses …

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Biology Articles » Medicine » Alternative Medicine » Researching complementary and alternative treatments – the gatekeepers are not at home » Summary

Summary

- Researching complementary and alternative treatments – the gatekeepers are not at home

CAM is not simply a new array of therapeutic tools that need to be evaluated; it presents other ways to think about disease and therapeutics, and consequently new ideas about how research should be strategically developed. In this article we have suggested two ways of taking this forward. First, the absence of statutory and financial gatekeepers for CAM presents several issues that need to be considered closely. Secondly, the structure of CAM research should be different, in subtle but important ways. We have provided some suggestions as to how this alternative research strategy could be structured keeping in mind that the ultimate goal for all approaches to treatment is to provide effective medical interventions at reasonable cost and without harm.