Affiliations: Department of Medicine, Division of Neurology, National Core for Neuroethics, Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
Correspondence:
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Correspondence to: Julie M. Robillard, PhD, Djavad Mowa-faghian Centre for Brain Health, The University of British Columbia, 2215 Wesbrook Mall, Room 3450D, Vancouver, BC V6T 2B5, Canada. Tel.: +1 604 827 0642; E-mail: jrobilla@mail.ubc.ca.
Abstract: Racine et al.’s Ethics Review highlights the challenges associated with the use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) in the context of early diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). As CAM are increasingly promoted and sold on the Internet, the unregulated online environment has the potential to significantly impact the health and well-being of the aging demographic, and in particular of individuals concerned about AD. In this response, the ethical challenges specific to the online environment are discussed and solutions are put forward to empower the aging population to maximize the benefits of the online environment while minimizing the potential harms of misinformation, conflict of interest, and other ethical concerns.
Keywords: Alzheimer’s disease, bioethics, complementary therapies, health policy
