Should complementary and alternative medicine charities lose their charitable status? | Michael Marshall

Reliable evidence matters - and the Charity Commission ’s consultation is a chance to make that clear to complementary and alternative therapy charitiesRight now, the Charity Commission is in the middle of a public consultation, asking whether or not organisations that offer complementary and alternative therapies should continue to have charitable status. This review presents an unprecedented opportunity for the public to turn the tide, and to make it clear to the Charity Commission that it is not enough to make a medical claim, but that such claims have to be backed up by reliable evidence.There are currentlymore than 167,000 charitiesregistered with the Charity Commission, each of which must meet one of13 pre-defined charitable purposes, as well as operating for the public benefit. One such purpose is “the advancement of health or the saving of lives”. It is this purpose that most complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) charities currently registered with the Charity Commission claim to have as an objective, arguing that the promotion of CAM treatments is a benefit to the public.Continue reading...
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - Category: Science Authors: Tags: Alternative medicine Charities Science Science and scepticism Health & wellbeing Society Source Type: news