Alternative Medicine

Australia's medicine watchdog has issued another safety alert for contaminated Ayurvedic medicines. So what do consumers need to know about this multi-million-dollar industry?

The Ngangkaṟi in Central Australia use traditional healing techniques to draw out illness with their hands. A new edition of their book aims to share this knowledge Western health workers.

After years of chronic pain and legal uncertainty, a new bill could finally let NSW patients like Benn drive safely with medicinal cannabis.

Experts warn against signing up for autism therapies that are not evidence-based, as diagnoses rise. 

With the Northern Territory prison population sitting at a record high, a new on-country residential rehab program has drawn praise from elders, locals and participants. 

Despite more than 600 reports of "adverse events" for medicinal cannabis in the past three years, the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) is yet to investigate the safety of most medicinal cannabis products. It has now launched a review. 

The Health Complaints Commisioner investigates after reports two women were treated for lung damage after receiving a dry needling procedure at a regional Victorian massage clinic.

Ozone therapy claims to reduce inflammation and even treat cancer, but there is limited clinical evidence that it works. So why are Australians spending thousands to use it?

Mothers who planned freebirths that ended in a hospital transfer say they've been "gaslit" or "abandoned" by birth workers and kicked out of group chats meant to support them. The movement is facing increasing criticism for "groupthink" and "extremism".

SA fashion entrepreneur Carol Foord turned to alternative treatments before her death. A year on her family is still seeking answers about how her final hours played out.

Medicinal cannabis industry at risk from imports, say Australian producers

Tom takes medicinal cannabis for a bowel condition, but now he is weighing up his options because of a fine he copped for driving with THC in his system.

Almost 10 years after being directed to regulate unregistered health practitioners to better protect the public, some parts of Australia still haven't got around to it.

From boosting fertility to managing menopause, women are being targeted with supplements and diets promising to "rebalance" their hormonal health. But what does that mean, and how can you tell if something is really awry?

Vets are urging pet owners to vaccinate their dogs against the deadly parvovirus, as cases in unvaccinated dogs rise in one regional Victorian community.

The ABC speaks to those who took alternative and complementary medicines after a cancer diagnosis and asks how they navigated their beliefs.

Nearly one in two incarcerated children in South Australia have been prescribed a supplement to help them fall asleep, amid concerns about "unusual" night-time behaviours.

A range of supplements from cinnamon to chromium claim to improve metabolism and lower blood sugar levels. What's the evidence for them?

Kratom has been used for centuries as a traditional medicine in South-East Asia, but as its popularity has soared in the United States, so too has the controversy around it. 

They check the baby's position and listen to the heartbeat, but they aren't qualified midwives. Parents say a "dangerous" new breed of birth worker has emerged to fill the gap for women wanting to birth outside hospital.