Edzard Ernst is the first Professor of Complementary Medicine in the United Kingdom. The term alternative medicine, as used in the modern western world encompasses any healing practice "that does not fall within the realm of conventional Medicine. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located
In 1993, Ernst left his chair in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PMR) at the University of Vienna to set up the department of Complementary Medicine at the University of Exeter. Year 1993 ( MCMXCIII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1993 Gregorian calendar) The University of Vienna (Universität Wien is a Public university located in Vienna, Austria. The University of Exeter (usually abbreviated as Exon for post-nominals) is a University in the South West of He became director of complementary medicine of the Peninsula Medical School (PMS) in 2002. The Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry is a relatively new Medical school run jointly by the University of Exeter and the University of Plymouth See also 2002 (disambiguation Year 2002 ( MMII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. He is the first occupant of the Laing chair in Complementary Medicine. Sir John Maurice Laing ( 1 February 1918 - 22 February 2008) was a senior executive of British construction company John Laing He was born and trained in Germany--Ernst began his medical career at a homeopathic hospital in Munich[1]--and since 1999 has been a British citizen. Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. This article has been the subject of edit wars and has been placed on probation Munich (München; Minga is the capital city of Bavaria, Germany.
Ernst is the editor-in-chief of two medical journals, Perfusion and Focus on Alternative and Complementary Therapies[2]. A medical journal is a Scientific journal devoted to the field of Medicine. Ernst once contributed a regular column to the Guardian newspaper, frequently reviewing news stories about complementary medicine from an evidence-based perspective. The Guardian (until 1959 The Manchester Guardian) is a British Newspaper owned by the Guardian Media Group.
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Work in complementary medicine
The world's first professor of complementary medicine,[3] Ernst researches complementary medicine with an emphasis on efficacy and safety. His research mainly surveys, systematic reviews, and meta-analyses of clinical trials; the institute has not performed a clinical trial for some time due to budget constraints. In Statistics, a meta-analysis combines the results of several studies that address a set of related research hypotheses In health care clinical trials are conducted to allow safety and Efficacy data to be collected for new drugs or devices [3] He has over 700 papers published in scientific journals. [1]
Ernst's department at Exeter defines complementary medicine as "diagnosis, treatment and/or prevention which complements mainstream medicine by contributing to a common whole, by satisfying a demand not met by orthodoxy or by diversifying the conceptual frameworks of medicine. "[4]
Ernst asserts that, in Germany and Austria, complementary techniques are mostly practiced by qualified physicians, whereas in the UK they are mainly practiced by others. Ernst also argues that the term "Complementary and Alternative Medicine" ("CAM") is an almost nonsensical umbrella term, and that distinctions between its modalities must be made. [5]
Since his research began on alternative modalities, Ernst has become "the scourge of alternative medicine" for publishing critical research. [3] In 2008 publication in the British Journal of General Practice, Ernst's listed treatments that "demonstrably generate more good than harm" was limited to St John's wort for depression; hawthorn for congestive heart failure; guar gum for diabetes; acupuncture for nausea and osteoarthritis; aromatherapy as a palliative treatment for cancer; hypnosis for labour pain; and massage, music therapy, and relaxation therapy for anxiety and insomnia. The Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP is one of the Medical Royal Colleges of the United Kingdom and is the professional body for general practitioners St John's wort (pronounced) used alone refers to the species Hypericum perforatum, also known as Tipton's Weed or Klamath weed, but with qualifiers is Major depressive disorder, also known as major depression, unipolar depression, unipolar disorder, clinical depression, or simply depression Crataegus monogyna, known as Common Hawthorn, is a species of hawthorn native to Europe, northwest Africa and western Asia Heart failure is a Cardiac condition that occurs when a problem with the structure or function of the Heart impairs its ability to supply Guar gum, also called guaran, is a Galactomannan. It is primarily the ground Endosperm of Guar beans The guar seeds are dehusked milled Diabetes mellitus (ˌdaɪəˈbiːtiːz or /ˌdaɪəˈbiːtəs/ /məˈlaɪtəs/ or /ˈmɛlətəs/ often referred to simply as diabetes ( Ancient Greek: grc History Antiquity In China, the practice of acupuncture can perhaps be traced as far back as Nausea ( Latin: Nausea, Greek:, " Sea-sickness " also called wamble) is the sensation of unease and discomfort Osteoarthritis ( OA, also known as degenerative Arthritis, degenerative joint disease) is a clinical syndrome in which low-grade inflammation Aromatherapy is a form of Alternative medicine that uses volatile liquid plant materials known as Essential oils (EOs and other aromatic compounds from plants for Cancer (medical term Malignant Neoplasm) is a class of Diseases in which a group of cells display uncontrolled Hypnosis is often thought to be a wakeful state of focused attention and heightened suggestibility with diminished peripheral awareness Music therapy is an interpersonal process in which the therapist uses music and all of its facets&mdashphysical emotional mental social aesthetic and spiritual&mdashto help clients to improve Anxiety is a physiological and psychological state characterized by Cognitive, Somatic, Emotional and Behavioral components Insomnia is a symptom of a sleeping disorder characterized by persistent difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep despite the opportunity [3]
in 2008, Ernst and Simon Singh published Trick or Treatment? Alternative Medicine on Trial. Simon Lehna Singh, MBE (born 1964) is an Indian-British Author of Punjabi background who has specialised in writing about mathematical The authors challenged the Charles, Prince of Wales, and the Foundation for Integrated Health on alleged misrepresentation of "scientific evidence about therapies such as homoeopathy, acupuncture and reflexology". [6] Singh and Ernst assert that Britain spends £500 million each year on unproven or disproven alternative therapies. [7]
In a May 1995 Annals of Internal Medicine publication, Ernst detailed the Nazi "cleansing" of the University of Vienna medical faculty that allowed the "medical atrocities" of Nazi human experimentation. Annals of Internal Medicine ( Ann Intern Med) is an academic medical journal published by the American College of Physicians (ACP Nazism, which was a short name for National Socialism (Nationalsozialismus refers primarily to the Ideology and practices of the National Socialist German Nazi human experimentation was a series of controversial medical experiments on large numbers of prisoners by the German Nazi regime in its Concentration [8]
Other significant posts
Ernst is a member of the 'Medicines Commission' of the British Medicines Control Agency (MCA) which determines which substances may be introduced and promoted as medicine. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA is the UK government agency which is responsible for ensuring that Medicines and Medical devices He also sits on the 'Scientific Committee on Herbal Medicinal Products' of the 'Irish Medicines Board'. He is an external examiner for several university medical schools in several countries.
Books
- Trick or Treatment? Alternative Medicine on Trial. Transworld Publisher 2008. ISBN 978-0-59-30612-99
- The Oxford Handbook of Complementary Medicine. Oxford University Press 2008. ISBN 978-0-19-920677-3
- Complementary Therapies for Pain Management. An Evidence-Based Approach. Elsevier Science 2007. ISBN 978-0-7234-3400-9
- The Desktop Guide to Complementary and Alternative Medicine. An evidence based approach. Elsevier Science 2006
- Homoeopathy: A Critical Appraisal. 1998. ISBN 0-7506-3564-9 "Professional reference text on homoeopathy is a critical evaluation of the discipline, reviewing the known facts and defining the knowledge gaps. It offers a reliable analysis of the uses of traditional homoeopathic remedies. Illustrated. For medical and professional homoeopaths, students, general practitioners, and health care professionals. " Amazon.
References
- ^ a b Interview: Edzard Ernst.
- ^ http://www.medicinescomplete.com/journals/fact/current/
- ^ a b c d Complementary therapies: The big con? - The Independent.
- ^ Ernst et al British General Practitioner 1995; 45:506
- ^ http://www.harcourt-international.com/ernst/interview.cfm Interview: Harcourt International
- ^ Prince of Wales's guide to alternative medicine ‘inaccurate’ - Times Online.
- ^ The last rites for alternative medicine? - Telegraph.
- ^ Ernst E (May 1995). "A leading medical school seriously damaged: Vienna 1938". Ann. Intern. Med. 122 (10): 789–92. PMID 7717602.
- House of Lords: Select Committee on Science and Technology Sixth Report The committee visited the Department at Exeter in 2000.
- student BMJ interview
- Biographical note on the authors of The Desktop Guide to Complementary and Alternative Medicine. An evidence based approach. Elsevier Science 2006
External links
- PMS staff page
- Official FACT website at University of Exeter
- Summary of the department's most important findings eg Homeopathy doesn't work, St John's Wort does.
- Publication lists for the department
- Google scholar: List of publications
- House of Lords Science and Technology - Sixth Report on Complementary and Alternative Medicine. Ernst testified and his department was visited.
- Q&A with Ernst in The International Review of Patient Care
- "Interview with Professor Edzard Ernst, Department of Complementary Medicine, Peninsula Medical School, University of Exeter" (January 2004). Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies 8 (1): 32-34. doi:. A digital object identifier ( DOI) is a permanent identifier given to an Electronic document.
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