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The Friends of Science In Medicine (FSM) association, founded in 2011 and registered in 2012, is an association to support Evidence Based Medicine and are against the promotion of unsubstantiated therapies that lack a scientifically plausible rationale. A critical review from the University of New England in 2013 was published in the Journal of Creative Approaches to Research concluded that FSM contradicts the literature in their viewpoint of complementary medicine and its use, and manifests ideology and power within their discourse.

Scope and Operations
FSM was formed as a special interest group originating from within biomedicine, consisting of Australian biomedical scientists and clinical academics. On the premise of their mission statement, they advocate the cessation of university complementary medicine education 'not based on scientific principles nor supported by scientific evidence'. By April 2012 they had widened their focus from university education to the clinical practice, use and legitimacy of complementary medicine within Australian society.

Politics
Throughout its history, FSM has been actively involved in a variety of medical policy issues, from evidence based medicine within complementary and alternative medicine, the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency, Medicare (Australia) and Australian tertiary education. Some observes described the FSM depiction of complementary medicine as problematic due to political and ideological overtones and power-based rhetoric.

FSM entered into the Australian media in the first four months of 2012 and promoted their message through the Sydney Morning Herald the ABC, The Conversation, the Medical Journal of Australia, the Australian Doctor magazine and regional radio stations. By May 2012 thirteen separate FSM discursive events created the unified message that all alternative and complementary medicines should be banned unless proven by rigorous scientific inquiry.

In September 2012 FSM was involved in lobbying the Australian Health Minister, Tanya Plibersek, to expand the chief medical officer's study into complimentary medicine to include chiropractic and acupuncture. The group further demanded that all alternative medicines be taken off private health insurance which the Australian Government subsidizes.

Criticisms
Several professional groups including the Australian Medical Association and Australasian Integrative Medicine Association found FSM had exceeded the boundaries of reasoned debate and risked compromising the values that the Friends of Science in Medicine claimed to support. The group underwent further criticism through editorials in the Medical Journal of Australia calling on the association to reverse its tactics.

Dr Kerryn Phelps, president of the Australasian Integrative Medicine Association, said the group had “cast its net too wide” in its condemnations, particularly in attacking courses in chiropractic, traditional Chinese medicine and Western herbalism.

A critical review from the University of New England in 2013 was published in the Journal of Creative Approaches to Research concluded that FSM contradicts the literature in their viewpoint of complementary medicine and its use, and manifests ideology and power within their discourse. They found that their style of language promotes their own beliefs to suppress alternate voices. This leads to FSM having an inaccurate understanding of complementary medicine and patients because they have an interpretive bias originating from and ideological perspective. In conclusion, the author states that 'Their underlying desire to maintain power overrides and potential positive outcomes from within their view of complementary medicine, and contributes to a discourse that presents as diatribe.'