The popularity of alternative and complementary medicines is booming in Australia but experts say while some therapies can improve a patient's health, others can be useless or even harmful.
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00:00Carrots, ginger, I actually have a lemon, I'll get a lemon.
00:09In pursuit of health, Eula Brown has avoided all things chemical.
00:13Three years ago, she was diagnosed with breast cancer.
00:18I always thought that chemotherapy wouldn't be an option for me and that I would be looking
00:23to an alternative medicine.
00:26She caved after three doctors and a naturopath advised her to do chemo.
00:32But she also spent $10,000 on supplements, vitamin C infusions and an innovative blood
00:38test.
00:39Eula says it's the side treatments that helped her bounce back.
00:43I didn't tell the oncologist what I was going through, I felt that I would be judged.
00:51The Cancer Council says patients should always consult their doctor about any treatments
00:56they're doing.
00:58Complementary Medicines Australia estimates up to three quarters of households could be
01:03using complementary medicine.
01:06It exists alongside modern medicine, whereas alternative medicine is used instead of it.
01:14Breast cancer surgeon Emilia Daouai believes some complementary therapies have benefits,
01:20but is wary about extravagant claims from the alternative medicine camp.
01:26Where is the evidence or the rigorous research that's done to validate those treatments?
01:32She's seen a growing interest in unconventional therapies in her own patients, even at the
01:37expense of medical intervention.
01:40Sometimes it is too late and we can't cure the patient, we might be able to intervene
01:44and extend some of their life.
01:48Last financial year, the Therapeutic Goods Administration received 807 adverse event
01:54reports linked to complementary medicines.
01:58On social media, wonder cures and unvetted medical advice are rife.
02:02I need help, my cholesterol levels keep rising.
02:06I would do the carnivore diet.
02:08Anyone who reversed serious cavities naturally?
02:11Oregano oil, two drops.
02:13Oh there's a lot of woo, you know like, oh marijuana fixes cancer, yep, well why is Bob
02:20Marley dead?
02:24Sally Casserole was diagnosed with blood cancer in 2013.
02:31Before chemo, she tried curcumin, a compound found in turmeric.
02:35So this is the year that I took the turmeric.
02:37It was touted as a silver bullet on Facebook.
02:41My numbers will show, you can just see that they're gradually increasing.
02:44I tried it for a year and it didn't do a thing.
02:52In the Huon Valley, southern Tasmania, volunteers are making herbal medicine.
02:59To stock free community clinics with teas, tinctures and salves.
03:03A lot of people who come in to see us are in difficult circumstances.
03:06They don't necessarily have the funds to get proper food for themselves or proper medicine.
03:12Tasmania has only three GP clinics that both bill all patients, and Australia's highest
03:18out of pocket costs.
03:20Cobart Herbalists Without Borders want to help bridge that gap.
03:24I'm not against pharmaceuticals or conventional medicine.
03:28I, as a naturopath, love herbal medicine and I've seen it work very well for myself and
03:33for people around me.
03:35But when a mixture of rose petals, water and alcohol seems to work, could it be the placebo
03:41effect?
03:42Any kind of therapy, whether it's herbal, pharmaceutical, lifestyle, people can get
03:49a placebo effect and yeah, I mean, that's fine, if they're getting better, I'm happy.
03:54The Australian Medical Association says people should be cautious when taking herbal medicine,
04:00as it can be hard to know what it contains.