RIYADH: Alternative medicines that have not been approved by the Saudi Food and Drugs Administration (SFDA) could lead to people losing their lives, said Dr. Abdullah Al-Baddah, executive director of the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine at the Ministry of Health.
Al-Baddah made the comments at a speech he delivered in Riyadh entitled “Wrong Practices in Alternative Medicine.” The executive director pointed out in his speech that several people had died after taking unapproved medicines.
Al-Baddah stressed that all medicines should be approved by the Ministry of Health. He added that people resort to alternative medicine due to price differences and when mainstream medicines fail to cure their illnesses.
“Some people use alternative medicines in a very inappropriate fashion. This includes using them simultaneously with mainstream medications without any consideration for the possibility of drug incompatibility,” said Al-Baddah.
“The other problem with alternative medicines are the unproven claims that certain chronic and incurable diseases could be treated using them,” he added. He further warned against the pursuing of some branches of alternative medicine that are still scientifically controversial, such as water and energy treatments. He also warned people against consulting sorcerers.
“A lack of training in alternative medicine makes their practitioners vulnerable to errors. Some centers that provide alternative medicine are still not licensed, a fact that makes their practices illegal,” he added.
