Doctor Pierre de Brémond warns of the danger of belief in health as a Support Committee meets Wednesday at the Ministry of Health.
“There is a risk in the unbridled, limitless use of these practices”, alerted Wednesday June 28 on franceinfo doctor Pierre de Brémond, president of the NoFakeMed collective, a collective committed to informing and alerting on “fake medicines”. The rise of non-conventional medicines worries the Ministry of Health. Their supporters prefer the term alternative medicine, alternative medicine, natural medicine or even traditional medicine.
>> Unconventional care: worrying excesses
Wednesday will be the first meeting of the Support Committee for the supervision of these practices at the Ministry of Health with supporters and opponents. Their common objective in the coming months is to give patients the keys to finding their way around and possibly pointing out the dangers and abuses of some of these practices. “The main thing is never to stop a treatment without having medical advice”, explained Pierre de Brémond.
franceinfo: Was it urgent to seriously consider these unconventional medicines?
Pierre de Bremond: When we talk about alternative medicine, we have the impression that it does no harm. However, Miviludes, the Ministry of Health and now the National Council of the Order of Physicians are aware of this. There is a risk in the unbridled, limitless use of these practices. The role of the collective is above all to alert and inform patients so that they can make their decision in all conscience with clear, fair and appropriate information.
The idea is to be able to sort out all these practices?
The idea is not to sort out the practices, but rather to identify in the practices what can work.
“Practices should be seen as tools and not as practices in themselves.”
Doctor Pierre de Brémond, president of the No Fakemed collectiveat franceinfo
Hypnosis, for example, is a means of diverting attention. When we make a vaccine, to make you change your mind, just enough time to take the injection. It is a form of hypnosis. It is a tool used by caregivers. With hypnosis, used as a global concept, and which must lead to better health with a hypnotherapist, we have a problem because you enter into a system of beliefs. You almost only believe in hypnosis, and there are dangers there. We cannot regulate practices which are, by nature, alternative, vague and which mix with each other. But on the other hand, we can alert patients and possibly move towards a better adaptation of our practices, prescribe less, prescribe better, promote physical activity, promote better nutrition, without falling into beliefs and therapeutic excesses, stopping medication, even sectarian aberrations, mental control phenomena which are unfortunately what Miviludes fears.
How do we explain the significant development of these practices?
It has not escaped your notice that the health care system is in a bit of a bad state. Currently, we are not many caregivers. I am a general practitioner, but I am also thinking of physiotherapists, pharmacists, midwives, nurses, dieticians who are not numerous enough to deal with ever more numerous, ever more complex patients. We have less time spent with our patients. Well-being, moreover, is an extremely buoyant market, with significant growth representing several billion euros each year. And suddenly there are people, agencies, companies who embark on quite significant marketing campaigns on social networks or in the press to see all these techniques promoted. It works because you press the levers that work, taking time for yourself, using natural products. We are not saying that we should not think about the planet and take time for ourselves. We may be saying that there are rational ways to do this based on the data of science and without falling into beliefs.
What should we be vigilant about when dealing with these new forms of medicine?
The main thing is never to stop treatment without medical advice. The ideal is your general practitioner, but it can be your oncologist, it can be your pharmacist, your physiotherapist. Maintaining a connection with someone else who, in the field of care, is not in your belief system. It is really extremely important. Then there are some interesting little signals. How much does it cost you per year? Are we talking about several hundred euros? Are we talking about several thousand euros? Remember that this is a market. If it is not reimbursed, it may be that the effectiveness is not proven. Then, what happens in case of failure?
“In a system of beliefs, the guru, who has the truth, tells you that you have not gone far enough in practice and will reinforce it. He will put you in a situation of control which can lead to excesses extremely important.”
Dr Pierre de Bremondat franceinfo
If ever there is a failure in medicine, for example, around smoking cessation, the doctor will take his share of responsibility for this failure and will offer you either a slightly different support, or to go see a specialist. .