In response to the controversies surrounding so-called "alternative" or "integrative" medicine, the government announced on Tuesday the launch of a mission to identify and evaluate the training programs offered in higher education. The Minister for Higher Education and Research, Philippe Baptiste, wants to better regulate these courses, whose scientific rigor is regularly questioned.
The mission was entrusted to the Hcéres, tasked with mapping existing training programs and proposing regulatory approaches. In parallel, an inspection was requested at the Inspé (National Higher Institute for Teaching and Education) in Dijon following concerns raised about certain practices taught in a training program for future life and earth science teachers.
Universities under pressure over unvalidated practices
For several years, healthcare professionals have been denouncing the increasing presence in universities of degrees related to practices such as acupuncture, aromatherapy, and reflexology. According to several studies cited in the public debate, more than 200 university or inter-university degrees now cover practices considered to be scientifically unvalidated.
The Conference of Deans of Medicine had already called for a national audit of the relevant training programs. A recent government report on health misinformation also recommended ending all forms of academic recognition for treatments not based on established scientific evidence.
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