A FEDERAL government-backed review into naturopathy which not only led to the removal of private health rebates for naturopathy patients but left a cloud over the practice was flawed, according to a Toowoomba naturopath.
Private health funding for naturopathy ceased on April 1 following the review and it has impacted heavily on the practice.
Toowoomba naturopath David Howell said he had experienced a rapid decline in patient numbers due to the withdrawal of the rebate.
“I’ve had a drop of about 40% in patients,” he said.
“Patients only got back about 20% of the consultation cost anyway but the trouble is this review is saying naturopathy is not scientifically valid.
“However, the study set up was fatally flawed by using an incorrect methodology.”
Mr Howell said a number of naturopathy practices had been excluded in the review which only looked into certain areas of treatment.
“The exclusion deliberately removes scientific reviews that prove the scientific validity of individual herbal agents and natural products used within naturopathy,” he said.
“If such studies had been included rather than esclused, then the scientific validity of naturopahty using such products would have been well proven.*
Mr Howell has a mainstream medical background having been a qualified nurse and ambulance officer and believes naturopathy complements mainstream medicine in treating patients and he works with GPs.
“My own qualifications include a university four-year science degree in naturopathy and my entire practice is based ons tandard medical pathology testing, relevant to achieve a high level of success in treating and co-treating client health,” he said.
“All my treatments are qualified not only by clinical outcomes but by ongoing monitoring using the same tests as ordered by GPs.”
Mr Howell deals with a wide range of medical ailments through naturopathy but in particular he has had success with “end of liners”, people who have come to him for help to have children having been through the IVF and other practices which had failed (see adjoining story).
He is proud of a photo wall in his office which has the photographs of babies delivered as a result of naturopathy treatment received by patients who had tried a range of mainstream procedures which had failed.
Since receiving a petition about the issue, the government has ordered a review of the review but Mr Howell said that would take 12 months at a cost of $2 million and by then the damage may have been done.
“How many naturopaths will go to the wall in the meantime?” he asked.
“They (the government) need to repeal this immediately.”