Cost effectiveness of complementary medicine report
A study into the cost effectiveness of complementary medicine in Australia has found the nation could potentially save millions in healthcare costs without compromising patient outcomes if complementary medicine (CM) is more widely used.
The research conducted by Access Economics for the National Institute of Complementary Medicine (NICM) at the University of Western Sydney examined the cost effectiveness of selected CM treatments for some of Australia’s most common and costly chronic health problems including: low back pain, heart disease, depression and arthritis.
The five CM interventions that were considered for analyses included:
- Acupuncture for chronic non-specific low back pain;
- St John’s wort for mild to moderate depression;
- Omega-3 fish oils for secondary prevention of heart disease;
- Omega-3 fish oils to reduce non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug use in rheumatoid arthritis; and
- A proprietary herbal medicine for pain and inflammation of osteoarthritis.
Four of these interventions proved cost-effective or cost-saving under particular scenarios.
Safety of fish oil and omega-3 fatty acids
The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) has reported that the anticoagulant properties of fish oil products and the consequent risk of bleeding tendency have led to safety concerns, in particular concerning the risk of postoperative bleeding.
Anecdotally, it is understood that some surgeons and anaesthetists may delay procedures if their patients are taking fish oil and, while there is no specific clinical guideline to support this, there is some support in the medical literature.
One scientific study done in 2008 has reported epistaxis and easy bruising with the use of fish oils and suggested that these may potentiate the action of warfarin and present a risk to haemophiliacs.
The TGA report can be found at http://www.tga.gov.au
