Homeopathy: hard to swallow?

Homeopathy: Hard to Swallow?

MPs have argued that spending money on homeopathy is a waste of NHS money and that the money should go to other areas. The House of Commons Science and Technology Committee have said using public money on the highly-diluted remedies could not be justified.

Homeopathy is a 200-year-old system of treatment that uses highly diluted substances - sometimes so none of the original product is left - that are given orally in the belief that it will stimulate the body's self-healing mechanism.

The cross-party group said there was no evidence beyond a placebo effect, when a patient gets better because of their belief that the treatment works.

The homeopathy industry is worth around GBP£40 million in the UK, and around €400million in both France and Germany. While this may seem small compared to the mammoth size of the pharmaceutical industry, real drugs have to be proven to be effective before being licensed in the UK - something the homeopathy industry does not have to prove, and something they would be entirely unable to prove.

Homeopathic pills are being sold at a cost of around GBP£4.95 for less than 20g of sugar pills.

In the UK, the NHS spends around GBP£4 million every year on homeopathy and the British government supports four NHS Homeopathic Hospitals - Bristol, Glasgow, Liverpool and London. While over 400 GPs in the UK regularly refer patients to homeopathic clinics.

Arguments

Supporters believe the remedies help relieve a range of minor ailments from bruising and swelling to constipation and insomnia., but the MPs said homeopathy was basically sugar pills that only worked because of faith.

In medicine it is recognised that some people will get better because they believe the treatment they take is going to work. TheMPs said the NHS should not fund treatments on this basis. They argued the effectiveness was often unpredictable and involved a deception by the medical establishment.

There has been previous warnings from the World Health Organization, who said last year that people with conditions such as HIV, TB and malaria should not rely on homeopathic treatments.

Dr. Nick Beeching, a specialist in infectious diseases at the Royal Liverpool University Hospital, said at the time to the BBC: "Infections such as malaria, HIV and tuberculosis all have a high mortality rate but can usually be controlled or cured by a variety of proven treatments, for which there is ample experience and scientific trial data.

"There is no objective evidence that homeopathy has any effect on these infections, and I think it is irresponsible for a healthcare worker to promote the use of homeopathy in place of proven treatment for any life-threatening illness."

A survey done by Bristol Homeopathic Hospital found that 70 percent of patients said their health improved after treatment. However, while the MPs said that patient satisfaction is important, they concluded that it isn't proof that a treatment works, the British paper The Guardian reports.

Jodie Humphries

Jodie Humphries graduated from Bath Spa University with a BA Hons in Creative Writing in 2008. She has worked for GDS Publishing for the digital group since July 2009. She has previous experience with writing for the web, running her own website since April 2007.

Like this article? Get the RSS feed: