09.01.04
On June 23rd, the World Health Organization (WHO), Geneva, Switzerland, released a set of guidelines for national health authorities to develop context specific and reliable information for consumers’ use of alternative medicines. This is a timely release of information considering the heightened awareness surrounding adverse event reporting (AER) and dietary supplements in the U.S. According to the WHO, up to 80% of developing country populations rely on traditional medicine for their primary healthcare, due to cultural tradition or lack of alternatives. In wealthy countries, however, many people seek out various types of natural remedies based on the assumption that natural means safe. Whatever the reason for use, the WHO believes that with an increasing amount of people around the world using these remedies and medicines, that they must have demonstrated benefits and minimal risks. As such, it believes that all governments should have the tools to ensure all stakeholders have the best information about their benefits and their risks. WHO’s guidelines provide simple, easy to follow tips on issues to look out for and a brief checklist of basic questions, which may be used to help facilitate proper use of traditional and alternative medicine. For more information visit www.who.org.
