欧州における補完代替医療学研究の現状:―12 th Annual Symposium on Complementary Health Care を中心に

サプリメント(健康食品)の先進国ともいえる米国に おいては,医療費の抑制策として FDA(食品医薬品局) の方針転換がうち出された.それは,安全性の高い食品 ならば,臨床試験でその効能を積極的に調べてみようと いうものである.さらに,この国策が近年の補完代替医 療 (CAM) の研究の広まりの大きな原動力になっている ともいわれている.また,新薬開発を行なってきた製薬 企業も,比較的少ない開発費で済む健康食品の生産と販 売に積極的に参入している現状も見逃せない. 一方,欧州においては,イギリスをはじめ,予防医学 に力点を移してきている国々が多く,米国と比較すると 伝統医学やハーブ(生薬)などに対する理解はより深い ものになっている.また,欧州における CAM 研究は, 近年着実に進んでいるようである. さる 2005 年 9 月 19 日~ 21 日に,第 12 回補完的ヘル スケア定例シンポジウム (12 Annual Symposium on Complementary Health Care; 会長はProfessor Edzard Ernst, Director, Complementary Medicine, Peninsula Medical School, Universities of Exeter and Plymouth, UK) が,イギリ スのエクセターで開催され,われわれも参加する機会が あったので概略を述べたい.この一連のシンポジウムで は,以前から鍼治療,漢方療法,ホメオパシー,マニュ アルセラピーなど CAM の臨床研究がテーマとして取り 上げられてきた.今回のシンポジウムでは,プレシンポ ジウムワークショップ 2 題,基調講演 1 題,記念講演 1 題と一般口演とポスター発表を合わせて約 90 題の発表 がみられ,参加者はおよそ 300 名であった. CAM の研究現況とこの定例シンポジウムの理念につ いては以下のように述べられている.「この一連のシン ポジウムの目的は,新しい CAM に関する研究の発表と それに対する批判的議論のための場を提供することに よって,より質の高い研究が促されることである.CAM の研究は,過去数年間の間に,かつてないほど活発になっ てきた.たとえば,われわれが CAM に対する賛否両論 の臨床的エビデンスを概説した“CAM デスクトップガ イド”という著書を改訂する際には,これはかなりの大 作業になるであろうと予想していた.しかし,われわれ は,この初版を出版してからわずか 5 年間の間に出た研 究論文の急激な増加に圧倒されることになった.われわ れは,各領域においてある治療法に対する賛否のエビデ ンスの基盤がよりしっかりしたものになっているかどう かを示す指標として‘重み (weight)’(エビデンスの水準, 会 報

The safety of over-the-counter niacin: a randomised placebo-controlled blinded trial

Saturday poster sessions
These posters will be displayed all day on Saturday. There will be parallel poster sessions in both the morning and the afternoon during which each presenter will give a short oral summary. The purpose of this is to give delegates the opportunity to listen to both sets of presentations.

Venue
The event is being held at the Royal College of Physicians, 11 St Andrew's Place, Regent's Park, London NW1 4LE, UK by kind permission of the treasurer.

CPD/CME accreditation
The symposium has been approved for 10 credits of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) / Continuing Medical Education (CME).

FACT, Focus on Alternative and Complementary Therapies
Abstracts of the 10 th Annual Symposium on Complementary Health Care are published in the December 2003 issue of FACT. Delegates receive a free copy at the symposium and are offered a discounted subscription fee for 2004 (www.exeter.ac.uk/FACT).

Each delegate will receive books and access to internet resources worth in excess of £160.
This database provides evidence-based medical data on natural remedies, including information on interactions, safety ratings, efficacy ratings, uses, scientific names, and other clinical information. Delegates will receive the over 2,000-page book and also receive access to the whole Database via the Internet. The Database is updated daily, so you always get the latest findings. It gives you very practical and reliable data. It is in use by major centres throughout the world. Delegates to the 10 th Annual Symposium should activate their individual subscription at no charge at www.naturaldatabase.com/exeter.
This database provides evidence-based information about complementary and alternative therapies. For each therapy covered by Natural Standard, a research team systematically gathers scientific data and expert opinions. Validated rating scales are used to evaluate the quality of available evidence. Information is incorporated into comprehensive monographs which are designed to facilitate clinical decision making.
Delegates will receive access to the database via the internet (www.naturalstandard.com).

Exhibitions Herbalife International
Herbalife is a leader in science based weight management, nutritional supplement and personal care products designed to support weight control and a healthy lifestyle. The Company's herbal-based products, designed for optimum wellness, are marketed through a network marketing system comprising approximately one million independent distributors who conduct business in a total of 58 countries worldwide. To sample some of our inner nutrition product range, visit our stand in the foyer.

Pharmaceutical Press, London
Pharmaceutical Press is a leading publisher of pharmacy, pharmaceutical science and complementary medicine information. Publications include Martindale, British National Formulary, Clarke's Analysis of Drugs and Poisons, Herbal Medicines and the journal Focus on Alternative and Complementary Therapies (FACT ). Sample copies of FACT as well as a demonstration of the electronic version of Herbal Medicines will be available throughout the meeting. A full range of publications will also be available for purchase at a special conference price.

Thieme Publishers, Stuttgart & New York
Thieme Publishers, Stuttgart & New York, is noted not only for its quality of reproduction and its illustrations but also for the precision of its information and the clear didactic concepts in its books. Up until recently, Thieme English has concentrated on the clinical medicine sector. However, the decision has been made to apply our resources to the area of complementary medicine, and we are now building up a qualitative program in this area, especially in acupuncture and herbal medicine. In this Thieme is exploiting the strengths of the German alternative medicine tradition and is also cooperating with some well-known institutions such as the American Botanical Council and ESCOP.