Gps' Alternative Trend
Illawarra Mercury
Monday February 7, 2000
Alternative therapies appear to be moving into the mainstream in Australia, with a new study showing more than 80 per cent of general practitioners in Victoria have referred their patients for acupuncture, meditation or hypnosis.
According to the survey, about a quarter of GPs have referred patients to lesser-known disciplines including Reiki spiritual healing, herbal medicine, osteopathy and naturopathy.
And while acupuncture is the only alternative therapy available under Medicare, at least one out of every two GPs believes hypnosis and meditation also should attract taxpayer-funded subsidies.
Researchers at the University of Melbourne and Monash University found 93 per cent of GPs had referred patients to alternative therapies at least once and 83 per cent referred them several times a year.
The researchers said the survey of 488 Victorian GPs, published in the latest edition of the Medical Journal of Australia, demonstrated an urgent need for proper trials to assess the effectiveness of alternative therapies.
© 2000 Illawarra Mercury