ABSTRACT
The research debate within CAM is probably the most controversial and politically important issue affecting therapists. The shortage of credible scientific evidence to support the use of CAM has been used as a political stick to justify CAM’s continued exclusion from state-funded health systems. There is, however, an increasing amount of evidence to support the use of CAM in a variety of clinical situations. There is also a large body of evidence from non-western countries supporting the use of traditional therapies, but this is largely disregarded by western research communities. The purpose of this book is not to evaluate the quality of the evidence underpinning CAM practice, but to consider the ethical issues raised by CAM research. This necessarily involves discussion of both the political dimensions of CAM research as well as the ethics of conducting effective research.
