[Opportunities of conventional evaluation in complementary and alternative medicine]

Patients frequently require and utilise complementary and alternative medicine in spite of the present lack of evidence of effectiveness for many methods. However, convincing research based on conventional study types (cross-sectional studies, observational studies, comparative studies, randomised controlled trials, and meta-analyses) allows a scientifically sound assessment, e.g. for homeopathy, acupuncture, and anthroposophic medicine. The established study methodology is, therefore, applicable to complementary and alternative medicine; the available results should be the basis for recommendation of effective clinical strategies as well as for health policy decisions.