Media Release
August 29 2003
Ancient health therapies find a home at UniSA
UniSA has just announced the appointment of an Associate Professor in
Complementary and Alternative Therapies.
The appointment heralds the foundation of new courses at UniSA including
conversion course for practitioners with existing qualifications in
naturopathy or in acupuncture due to start in 2004, and short courses in
complementary therapies for health professionals who are working with
patients using these therapies.
Associate Professor Caroline Smith, a specialist in human ecology, a
Masters graduate from the University of London in Medical Demography
with a PhD from Adelaide University and a qualified acupuncturist will
also spearhead a broad research program in complementary and alternative
therapies.
Professor Smith says general interest in natural therapies is
accelerating in the community and health professionals are responding by
seeking to understand and qualify how these therapies may be of benefit.
“If we look at the development of modern western medicine and the
development of natural therapies they have taken quite different paths –
modern medicine has taken huge, technology and research based strides,
attracting the dollars and results to ensure pre-eminence,” she said.
“But as people look for health solutions that are holistic and
complementary to western treatments, the spotlight is turning back to
acupuncture, naturopathy, aromatherapy and other systems of health
treatment to see what they can offer and what evidence we can find for
their effectiveness.
“We know more than 50 per cent of the population use complementary
therapies, a figure that is hard to ignore. We need take serious stock
of these treatments and acknowledge their potential as a part of health
care.”
Prof Smith has undertaken systematic reviews evaluating the
effectiveness of acupuncture as a treatment for depression, period pain,
pain in childbirth and for inducing labour but says while the results
are promising more research needs to be done.
“A lot of the research reviewed was not robust,” she said. There are
many examples of poor research design with small study samples and
problems with adequate blinding for the control group; this makes it
difficult to measure effectiveness. What is exciting about UniSA’s
complementary therapies program development is that there will be a
strong focus on assessing the evidence base for complementary therapies,
this will include not only systematic reviews but also clinical trials
of our own.”
UniSA will offer its one-year conversion Bachelor of Health Sciences
program in 2004 to practitioners who have a diploma from a
government-accredited health education provider, but is also hoping to
develop a full four-year undergraduate program specialising in
naturopathy and acupuncture.
“We are also keen to fill the increasing demand for short professional
courses in alternative therapies, by increasing awareness and the
knowledge base for midwives, nurses and general practitioners,” she
said.
“Increasingly there are examples both in Australia and around the world
where standard medicine and complementary therapies are practiced side
by side in health centres to the great benefit of those seeking care.
“UniSA will be taking the lead in SA to support this constructive
approach to health education, research and health care.”
Media contact
- Michèle Nardelli (08) 83020966 or 0418823673
- More information: Associate Professor Caroline Smith (08) 83022082