The dramatic capture of Radovan Karadzic, the “butcher of Bosnia”, dominated headlines this week. For many, his arrest has stirred up images of horror, but the whole episode also had something of the surreal about it.

Karadzic, a war crimes suspect and former psychiatrist, had reinvented himself as a complementary therapist. I was intrigued by his business card, which was headed: “human quantum energy”. I think you'll find that's Serbian for “bollocks”.

For those offering talking and complementary therapies, the revelation of Karadzic's success as an energy healer was unfortunately timed. It came in the same week that the woman who suffered brain damage while on a “hydration diet” recommended by a nutritionist had been awarded £800,000 and regulation is in the air.

New occupational standards for psychological therapies are being developed, for instance. As Andrew Billen outlined in The Times last week, they haven't gone down well with psychoanalysts, who complain that they reduce their profession to a series of tick-box questions.

There are other moves to protect the public in non-medical fields, with 12 types of complementary practitioners set to be regulated by a Complementary and Natural Healthcare Council. The idea is to provide a one-stop shop for the public to check out, via a website, a practitioner's fitness to practise.

But is there ever going to be a way to regulate the wilder fringes of alternative therapy? Many are based on fashion, not science. In fact, lack of research means that the mechanism of most is hazy. If people feel the benefit, it may be largely through belief in the practitioner. How can that be regulated?

Karadzic reminds me of Anton Mesmer, the inventor of animal magnetism, who gave us the word “mesmerising” for a good reason. He was astonishingly persuasive. By 1780 he had so many patients wanting sessions with him that he had to invent a device whereby he could treat whole groups at once.

Complementary medicine has always attracted showmen; instilling confidence and hope is part of the deal. As a psychiatrist, Karadzic exploited this perfectly. The regulation of complementary therapists who can cause harm is important, and some disciplines, such as osteopathy, are already well controlled. But in areas where good science is in short supply, an element of caveat emptor is inevitable.

There will always be those with more money than sense, and persuasive practitioners peddling the idea that people can be weller than well.

Explore Health

• Expert Advice

• Health Features

• Mental Health

• Alternative Medicine

• Child Health

• Health Club