Released on = April 14, 2007, 4:15 am

Press Release Author = Bharat Book Bureau

Industry = Marketing

Press Release Summary = Our 2005 Market Assessment on alternative healthcare, like
previous editions of this report, concentrates on the major therapy segments of
acupuncture, the Alexander Technique, aromatherapy, chiropractic, osteopathy,
physiotherapy and reflexology, and the herbal and homeopathic remedies areas.

Press Release Body =
Alternative Healthcare Market Assessment 2005

Our 2005 Market Assessment on alternative healthcare, like previous editions of this
report, concentrates on the major therapy segments of acupuncture, the Alexander
Technique, aromatherapy, chiropractic, osteopathy, physiotherapy and reflexology,
and the herbal and homeopathic remedies areas. There are a large number of other
alternative medicine segments being promoted, although many are either extensions of
the above, or are related more to exercise, spiritual welfare or personal
fulfilment.

These therapies and remedies have, in many cases, been in existence for centuries,
having been practised by ancient civilisations in China, India, Tibet, Egypt, Iraq,
Persia and Greece. Such early practices formed the basis for modern `conventional\'
medicine, particularly in the case of herbal remedies. Alternative therapies in
general are claimed to be holistic - i.e. treating the whole person - rather than
targeting particular symptoms and their causes, as is the case with much of
conventional medicine.

Specialists, general practitioners (GPs), nurses and other health professionals are
increasingly learning about alternative healthcare therapies and remedies, and are
either offering them direct to patients or referring the patients to other
therapists. Additionally, the NHS is becoming more interested in offering selected
alternative healthcare therapies to patients, provided that these can be shown to
offer definite benefits. The NHS has offered homeopathy and some other therapies for
many years, although nearly all such treatments are, in fact, still carried out
privately.

Because of the growing interest from patients and professionals, there has been
increasing effort since 2000 to achieve either statutory or self-regulation of
therapists involved in the major alternative healthcare segments. Currently, only
chiropractors and osteopaths are statutorily regulated, in that they must be
registered with their relevant association before being allowed to practise.
Self-regulation is due to follow soon in the case of acupuncturists, herbalists and
aromatherapists.

After many years of attempts to regulate the herbal remedies market, a new EU
Directive took effect in 2004. The need for regulation had increased owing to
growing patient interest in remedies perceived as preventive and lacking side
effects; the rising number of products appearing on the market; and the fact that
some had proved unsafe or interacted with conventional medicines or treatments. The
new traditional herbal medicinal products (THMP) or `traditional-use medicines\'
category allows herbal remedies that do not hold a full product licence (believed to
account for approximately 80% of those on the UK market) to continue to be sold in
the EU, provided that they can show proven efficacy over a period of 30 years. They
still have to be evaluated, however, for safety and quality of manufacture. Newer
herbal remedies will either have to obtain full product licences, or be withdrawn,
by 2011

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