Big Pharma Censors BBC-Complementary therapies removed from BBC website

Dear Friend/Colleague

You may not be aware that last week the controllers of BBCHealth
(www.bbc.co.uk/health) , the health section on one of the most
accessed websites in the world, decided to remove all coverage of
complementary medicine!

They used to have substantial coverage with over 40 pages on this
subject covering all the major therapies, their pros and cons,
evidence for their effectiveness, how to find a qualified
practitioner, etc.

However the site has in recent months been targeted by the
self-appointed 'Quackbusters', (scientists and medics vehemently
opposed to complementary therapies such as Prof David Colquhon et
al) who sent a deluge of letters and emails claiming that
complementary therapies such as homeopathy and cranial osteopathy
were 'unscientific' and should be removed. As a result large chunks
of this part of the site were simply removed overnight and now,
following recent cutbacks, it was decided that, rather than update
this part of the site, it should simply be removed altogether!

It may seem incredible that a public service site this prominent
can deem complementary medicine so insignificant that it no longer
warrants any coverage other than the odd news story. This is
despite the fact that complementary medicine is used favourably by
a significant proportion of the population (recent surveys have
estimated that around 1 in 5 Britons use it at some point or other)
and that increasing numbers of people are now seeking to train in
these therapies.

However, as the 'quack busters' become more organised and active,
evidence of the backlash against complementary medicine is
appearing all over the place - such as the removal of NHS Trust
funding for homeopathy, the threatened closure of the homeopathic
hospitals, many negative news stories in the press and so
on. Rather than taking a reasoned view and considering the
evidence from good research studies on complementary medicine these
individuals seem simply hell bent on trying to 'stamp out'
complementary medicine in any way possible. The BBCi removal of
complementary medicine coverage (which has been in place for almost
15 years!) is one example.

If you care about complementary medicine and believe information
pages on it should be returned to BBCi, please, please take just a
minute to express your views using their online comment form at:

www.bbc.co.uk...

to make your view known. As a public service company they have to
listen to your views so your email will make a difference.
Apparently for all the many letters and emails that they received
that were against complementary medicine they only received a
handful in support. Therefore if you are in support please let them
know so they may revise their thinking on this subject.

Please act as soon as possible and pass on these details to anyone
else you know who may also be willing to write in support of
complementary medicine.

Thank you!

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