Michael Pittilo's letter to the Times on herbal regulation

'In June 2006 Jane Kennedy established a steering group convened by myself to prepare the ground for the regulation of those using acupuncture and herbal medicine along with other traditional medicine systems practised in the UK. We reported in May 2008.

 

There was a great deal of criticism of the report and a public consultation by the DH has recently been completed. The report’s recommendations are entirely consistent with health policy over the past decade. A previous consultation on regulating herbal medicine and acupuncture received overwhelming support resulting in a timeframe for regulation being set by the DH that has not been adhered to.

 

Resistance comes mainly from scientists who say that statutory regulation will give credit to disciplines where the evidence base is very thin. The forceful nature of the criticism has resulted in some universities withdrawing programmes, even where there was scientific content that would have helped to inform critical appraisal of evidence. The steering group placed high emphasis on improving the evidence base, even stating that it should be mandatory for NHS funding.

 

This should, however, proceed alongside implementing statutory regulation and not as a prerequisite to it. There is very high public demand for herbal medicine and acupuncture. The public deserve to be protected as much as possible. Statutory regulation will enable this.'