Canadian alternative medicine clinics: over half make unproven allergy/asthma claims

Canadian alternative medicine clinics: over half make unproven allergy/asthma claims

The majority of Canadian chiropractic, naturopathic, homeopathic and acupuncture clinics claim that they can diagnose or treat allergy/sensitivity and asthma, according to an AllerGen study of nearly 400 clinic websites.

The research, published December 17, 2016, in BMJ Open, analyzed the marketing claims made by complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) providers in the country’s 10 most populous cities.

“We found that alternative medicine practitioners offer a wide-range of tests and treatments for allergy and asthma,” says AllerGen investigator Timothy Caulfield, who led the research.

The study’s results suggest the need for a legal and policy response in order to protect the Canadian public from questionable claims, according to Professor Caulfield. “Several of the proposed treatments are potentially harmful,” he says.

Read “Selling falsehoods? A cross-sectional study of Canadian naturopathy, homeopathy, chiropractic and acupuncture clinic website claims relating to allergy and asthma” in BMJ Open.

Read the press release