As an example, minocycline is one of the hot medicines being looked at in many neurological diagnoses, but recently in a trial of minocycline in ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease) actually made the patients do worse, not better and it is no longer being receommended in ALS. Important safety information like this is only discovered through rigorous scientific clinical trials.
Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) can be thought of as: (a) medications used in an attempt to cause disease modification; (b) medications used for symptomatic management; or (c) non-medication alternative therapy.
(a) CAM has never been proven to modify the course of MS, unlike the injectable and infusion medicines (and we are working on oral medicines in trials now). In the history of MS there have been different theories on where MS comes from. For a long time viruses were looked at as a possible cause of MS, and some researchers are still looking for a viral cause of MS. Most people are talking about an autoimmune cause of MS, but there is growing interest in the non-inflammatory aspects of MS, sometimes called neuro-degeneration. The great think about the scientific method is that our theories change as we learn more from laboratories and trials.
(b) As CAM is tested in various MS symptoms and either proven or disproven, they enter into the realm of Allopathic (conventional) medicine. This is why we are trying to do trials of various herbal medications to see if they are safe and effective. We expect this standard of our "Western" medicines, and we should expect the same from CAM.
(c) Many non medicinal CAM have entered into Western MS treatments already -- such as acupuncture, Tai Chi and Yoga.
Complementary and alternative medicines are great when they are proven to be safe and effective, but when they are unproven, and unsubstantiated claims are made they can be costly, ineffective, and potentially unsafe.
