The recommendation by an inquest jury in Co Mayo this week that persons considering alternative medication should only do so in consultation with their doctors is appropriate.
The reverse is also important. Patients should inform alternative therapists of the conventional treatment they are undergoing so potential interactions can be considered. No patient should allow a homeopath or other alternative practitioner to interfere with medication prescribed by a registered medical practitioner.
Modern medicines are powerful drugs. In the case of steroids, which the deceased woman was prescribed, they must never be stopped abruptly, especially if taken in tablet form. Steroids are among the most powerful anti-inflammatory drugs known to man and are used in the emergency treatment of a wide range of conditions. They are also used, in inhaler form, in the routine treatment of asthma. Patients will know them as "preventer inhalers", designed to dampen down the asthmatic tendency before an acute attack occurs. Ventolin and similar medication known as "relievers" are designed to open up the airways during an acute attack.
Asthma is the result of a narrowing of the medium-sized airways. The cells in the lungs are especially susceptible to inflammation and a build-up of mucus which effectively blocks the airways. Wheeze, chest pain and shortness of breath result.
People with asthma are labelled as mild, moderate or severe. This determines both the range and strength of medication used to treat them. Apart from those with the mildest form of the disease, all patients should be taking regular "preventer" medication.
Asthma can be life threatening and death rates from the condition have not fallen despite advances in drug therapy.
The prevalence of asthma is also on the increase, probably reflecting environmental and occupational factors. Some studies have suggested a prevalence of 15 - 20 per cent, making it one of the commonest illnesses in the Western World.
Conventional doctors are regulated by the Medical Council which has a role in ensuring that a doctor's competence is maintained. There is no such statutory body overseeing the professional activities of homeopaths or other alternative practitioners in the State.