Our 2005 Market Assessment on alternative healthcare, like previous editions of this report, concentrates on the major therapy segments of acupuncture, the Alexander Technique, aromatherapy, chiropractic, osteopathy, physiotherapy and reflexology, and the herbal and homeopathic remedies areas. There are a large number of other alternative medicine segments being promoted, although many are either extensions of the above, or are related more to exercise, spiritual welfare or personal fulfilment.
These therapies and remedies have, in many cases, been in existence for centuries, having been practised by ancient civilisations in China, India, Tibet, Egypt, Iraq, Persia and Greece. Such early practices formed the basis for modern `conventional' medicine, particularly in the case of herbal remedies. Alternative therapies in general are claimed to be holistic — i.e. treating the whole person — rather than targeting particular symptoms and their causes, as is the case with much of conventional medicine.
Specialists, general practitioners (GPs), nurses and other health professionals are increasingly learning about alternative healthcare therapies and remedies, and are either offering them direct to patients or referring the patients to other therapists. Additionally, the NHS is becoming more interested in offering selected alternative healthcare therapies to patients, provided that these can be shown to offer definite benefits. The NHS has offered homeopathy and some other therapies for many years, although nearly all such treatments are, in fact, still carried out privately.
Because of the growing interest from patients and professionals, there has been increasing effort since 2000 to achieve either statutory or self-regulation of therapists involved in the major alternative healthcare segments. Currently, only chiropractors and osteopaths are statutorily regulated, in that they must be registered with their relevant association before being allowed to practise. Self-regulation is due to follow soon in the case of acupuncturists, herbalists and aromatherapists.
After many years of attempts to regulate the herbal remedies market, a new EU Directive took effect in 2004. The need for regulation had increased owing to growing patient interest in remedies perceived as preventive and lacking side effects; the rising number of products appearing on the market; and the fact that some had proved unsafe or interacted with conventional medicines or treatments. The new traditional herbal medicinal products (THMP) or `traditional-
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