The Faculty's perspective on alternative medicine

Introduction

The medicine taught at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine is based on two foundations: the modern natural sciences and the principles of evidence-based medicine. The natural sciences include physics, chemistry and biology, as well as their mathematical foundations. The latter implies the acceptance of proof of effectiveness based on a hierarchical ranking of methods for scientific research.

Evidence based (veterinary) medicine

Diagnostic tests and treatments are constantly being evaluated – and when necessary improved – based on the results of new research on large groups of patients. The manner in which this research is conducted is crucial for the validity of the conclusions drawn from the research. The effectiveness of new medicines and procedures can only be proven by means of rigidly protocolled research methods known as randomized controlled trials or ‘RCTs’. Statistical methods are an essential element of this approach and are the decisive factor in the acceptance of ‘proof’. In the field of veterinary medicine, the number of medicines and diagnostic procedures that have been subjected to RCT’s is much smaller than in human medicine. Much of veterinary medicine currently rests on the opinions of experts based on their clinical experience or logically deduced from their knowledge of the biological processes that cause diseases. Both the knowledge of these processes as well as the effectiveness of the methods for studying and treating diseases in animals are the subject of scientific research, with the result that modern veterinary medicine is steadily becoming a more evidence based science.

Perspective

Alternative treatment methods, such as acupuncture and homeopathy, are based on assumptions that are either inconsistent with those of modern natural science or are even contrary to modern scientific principles. Several large-scale scientific studies have been conducted into the effectiveness of alternative treatment methods, but they have not produced any convincing proof of the effectiveness of these methods. The position that these treatments occupy in the medical spectrum are therefore primarily based on the belief in their efficacy. Many clients are not aware of this distinction and rely on their doctor’s- or veterinarian’s opinion. This trust is based on the scientific foundations of the practitioner’s education and training. Veterinarians who offer alternative treatments in addition to modern scientific methods are combining two incompatible paradigms, and in doing so they associate these alternative treatments with the authority of science and raise improper expectations in their clients. The Faculty considers such behaviour to be unprofessional and is of the opinion that scientifically trained veterinarians should not resort to applying alternative treatments, leaving it instead to non-academically trained alternative practitioners. The Faculty also expresses this view in the education of new veterinarians. For a more detailed explanation of this issue, please refer to the lecture on ‘Why we do not teach alternative treatment methods’.