"Probe Into Courses By Diet Group"
Irish Independent, by William Dillon
A major row on medical ethics erupted last night as doctors announced they are to investigate the qualifications of a Dublin-based group offering diploma courses in nutrition and psychotherapy.
The ethics committee of the Irish Medical Organisation and the council of the Irish College of General Practitioners are to look at the courses advertised by the Irish Association of Holistic Medicine.
The association last night came under strong attack from one of the country's leading nutritionists, who alleged that its activities were "most definitely" a risk to the public.
Mrs. Philomena Flood, chairperson of the Irish Nutrition and Diatetics Association, said they were very worried about people running courses who were unqualified and had no suitable scientific or medical background.
She was joined by IMO vice-president Dr. Tim Collins who warned that there was a danger that patients attending might have a physical ailment which could be missed.
However, Martin Forde, president of the Irish Association of Holistic Medicine last night denied the allegations, saying they were not "pretending to be doctors".
He said holistic medicine was a totally separate field and did not carry the dangers associated with drugs or surgery.
Read more on Martin Forde and his links to EDUCO and it's UK recruiters here.
