Doctor struck off for using CAM

[David Colquhoun]

News item in tomorrow's British Medical Journal

"“The Amsterdam Medical Disciplinary Tribunal has struck off one doctor and suspended two others for their exclusive use of complementary treatments— including “vegatests,” homoeopathic medicine, and food supplements—to treat Sylvia Millecam, the Dutch actor and comedian who died from breast cancer in 2001 at the age of 45.”

I've posted some extracts, and will be happy to email the whole item to anyone who hasn't got access to the BMJ

Thank heavens some CAM people are getting their comeuppance at last.

 

[Blue Wode]

There was a similar case in the UK in November 2004 when two doctors working in private practice and treating their patients with complementary medicine were found guilty of serious professional misconduct by the General Medical Council – although they weren’t struck off (presumably because the patient survived):

"The two physicians had treated and advised a patient with breast cancer. Instead of recommending conventional surgery, possibly supplemented with chemotherapy, they advocated alternatives including Laetrile, a compound derived from apricot kernels, diet and pancreatic enzymes. These treatments have not been demonstrated to be effective and Laetrile has even been shown to be ineffective. The GMC panel found that the information pack routinely handed out to patients by these doctors was misleading, without peer-reviewed scientific evidence and biased against conventional treatments. Furthermore, the information failed to alert patients to the risks of the recommended alternative cancer cures, which were significant.

Essentially, the judgment suggests that UK doctors must make sure the information they provide to patients is evidence-based and up to date with current scientific knowledge. GMC rules have always stated that "information must be factual and verifiable". But this has rarely been checked and even less frequently enforced."

Bearing in mind that the UK has five homeopathic hospitals and that a worrying number of GPs now recommend/practice homeopathy and other dubious CAM treatments, it would seem that some rules amount to little more than window dressing.

Continues…

http://www.guardian.co.uk/health/story/0,,1352030,00.html

 

[David Colquhoun]

Ah yes I remember that now. Reason does not seem to have much effect on NHS trusts, but perhaps fear of legal actions could be much more effective.

 

[Rolfe]

There was Michelle Langdon as well....

Rolfe.

 

[Mojo]

There was Michelle Langdon as well....

I see she's a member of this:

The British Society of Integrated Medicine (BSIM) was set up by a group of integrated medicine physicians in London during 2001.

Our mission is to form an open-minded forum of integrated medicine doctors, dentists, vets, complementary therapists and also to incorporate a patient 'voice'.

Do you recognise any vets among that lot?

And have you seen the font they use for their newsletter?

 

[brodski]

And have you seen the font they use for their newsletter?

That just looks like the pathetic scrawlings of a 6 year old. I don't like the font either.

 

[Asolepius]

There was Michelle Langdon as well....

Rolfe.

What I find astonishing about the Langdon case is that the GMC did not require any retraining, only a brief suspension. Langdon will of course have gone back to her old ways afterwards, egged on by the notorious Tredinnick. This was a chance for the medical profession to stand up and be counted on homeopathy, and all the other related crap, but as usual it blew it comprehensively. A disgrace to medicine and an affront to the majority of good doctors.