Homeopathy is one of the 'Friends of Science in Medicine''s targets. Photo: John McNamara

A ROW has erupted within the Australian medical community over ways to handle the growth in alternative and complementary medicine, with claims that some doctors are exploiting their power and trying to censor others.

A group of high-profile scientists, dubbed ''Friends of Science in Medicine'', has been calling for universities to dump courses on ''pseudo sciences'' that they say are not supported by valid scientific research.

The targets include homeopathy, naturopathy, iridology and chiropractic and osteopathy courses, although they acknowledge the last two have evidence for musculo-skeletal treatments.

Led by John Dwyer, emeritus professor of medicine at the University of New South Wales, the group has also been campaigning for the federal government and health insurance providers to stop funding complementary and alternative medicine unless evidence is found to back them.

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But the group - backed by renowned biologist Sir Gustav Nossal and cervical cancer vaccine creator Ian Frazer - faced criticism this week from a handful of doctors who say they are exploiting their positions in the community and engaging in censorship.

In an article published in the Medical Journal of Australia, professor of medicine at Monash University Paul Komesaroff and bone marrow transplant physician Ian Kerridge accused the group of exceeding ''the boundaries of reasoned debate'' and risked ''compromising the values (they) claim to support''.

Together with Amber Moore, a Chinese medicine practitioner, they argued that the group was trying to suppress all approaches to healthcare that they do not understand, rather than contributing to fair and open debate in line with core values and practices of science and medicine. They also said there was extensive evidence for some complementary therapies including herbal products, nutritional supplements and meditation.

''It is important that those who seek to be friends of science do not inadvertently become its enemies. We call on the members of FSM to revise their tactics and instead support open, respectful dialogue'', they wrote.

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Push to rid universities of alternative medicine