[Legal implications of complementary and alternative therapies]

Complementary therapies require a differentiated treatment by all the legal fields involved. First, this refers to medical malpractice law dealing with the question of medical indication, its interaction with "classical" medicine and the need for extensive patient information on the potential ineffectiveness of the--partly very expensive--complementary therapies. Second, it also refers to the legal specifications of the medical profession as well as health insurance law. The question is whether the expenses of an alternative therapy are borne by the statutory or private health insurance and whether it is justified to try a complementary therapy when faced with an incurable disease. In the following the range of legal aspects shall be illuminated on the basis of the relevant jurisdiction.