Post – Hegel

English

The latest report of the French Interministerial Mission to Monitor and Combat Sectarian Aberrations (MIVILUDES), published on April 8, 2025, highlights an increase in referrals and reports in the health and well-being sector. It points to unconventional health care practices (UCHPs) as the main cause of health-related sectarian aberrations. The majority of health-sector referrals concern alternative uses of certain UCHPs in oncology, delivered by “therapists” who are not health care professionals. The report also highlights supportive care in oncology, based on arguments that lack scientific rigor and are not backed up by objective data to assess their significance. A critical analysis of the report reveals the persistence of several inaccuracies already identified in previous MIVILUDES reports. The UCHPs are not defined, and no precise figures are published on related referrals or reports. Ambiguity between referrals and reports further contributes to these inaccuracies. Compared with 2021, the increase in the number of health-sector referrals is 1.75 greater than the increase in total referrals, which calls for clarification. This increase cannot be interpreted as reflecting an increase in “sectarian aberrations in health care” without considering other factors, such as the increased media visibility of MIVILUDES since its last report in 2022. The media and political outlets that relayed the report’s conclusions often adopted a sensationalist discourse that lacked critical perspective. The present analysis aims to provide these critical elements.