Homeopathy

MODALITY: HOMEOPATHY

Urgent demonstration to defend homeopathy in the UK...

There is an urgent demonstration in Brighton in the morning of 29th June 2010 (this date is subject to change). This is being held outside the Brighton Centre where the BMA conference is being held. It is being organised by the Faculty of Homeopathy. The BMA is being urged to pass resolutions against homeopathy in the UK. Such resolutions will curtail patient choice, are outside the remit of the BMA as a Trade Union, and are being proposed without consultation with homeopathic doctors and patients. Please pass this information on widely. If you are planning to attend, please email Cristal Sumner: csumner@BritishHomeopathic.org

21st June 2010: In the UK, David Tredinnick MP has tabled an Early Day Motion against the above BMA proposals. UK practitioners, patients and supporters are encouraged to write to their local MP to enlist their support for this.

Legislative Risks

Legislation on homeopathic medicines is now harmonised across the EU. Homeopathic remedies are now officially a category of drug, and are controlled by the very same Directive as pharmacological drugs (licensed medicinal products), viz:

Human Medicinal Products Directive
European Commission summary
ANH summary

For homeopaths who are not also licensed doctors, there is a real threat that in time, those practitioners who are not state-registered, will be forced to stop practicing. In countries like France, where homeopathy is very popular, it is primarily practiced by medical doctors. In countries like Germany and the UK, most practising homeopaths are fully trained and qualified—but are not medical doctors.

In the UK, in mid 2009, the Society of Homeopaths announced that it was applying to the Health Professions Council for statutory regulation of homeopaths.

For more information on homeopathy legislation around the world, please click on this link.

Breaking news...

The 'Third EU Homeopathy Day' took place on 23rd March 2010 in the European Parliament, hosted by Marian Harkin MEP. The event closed by calling on politicians and decision makers in Brussels to take action in favour of homeopathy for the benefit of European patients and citizens, as part of a more integrated and holistic approach to health care in Europe.

Scientific Risks

One of the major contributions that the ANH is making to help protect the future of homeopathy is in the area of demonstrating the lack of suitability of the 'gold standard', randomised controlled trial (RCT) approach as used to evaluate pharmacological susbtances i.e. drugs.

One of the most vociferous critics of homeopathy has been Professor Edzard Ernst, Professor of Complementary Medicine, Peninsular Medical School, Exeter University, who has previously claimed that, during his earlier life, he has both been a practitioner of and recipient of homeopathy.

Prof Ernst's attacks on homeopathy have become increasingly vociferous, since he joined a 'doctor's campaign against alternative therapies, led by oncologist Professor Michael Baum. Read open letter in The Times newspaper, 22 May 2006.

Prof Ernst continues his tirade against homeopathy in his 2008 book, Trick or Treatment: Alternative Medicine on Trial, co-authored with Simon Singh (2008, Random House/Norton, 352 pp). The book was reviewed by the prestigious Nature journal in June 2008, not altogether favourably.

To find out why Prof Ernst is unfounded in his opinions on the subject, read the ANH exposé.

Read article by Louise Mclean LCCH MHMA, Editor, Zeus Information Service, "The Truth About Homeopathy—Dispelling the MYTHS that Surround it!" issued 26th May, 2008.

Download Alex Tournier's powerpoint presentation from the Research in Homeopathy conference on 18 June 2008. This talk includes presentation of results collated by Dr Peter Fisher, Royal London Homoeopathic Hospital, London, also homeopath to the Queen, presented at the 63rd Liga Medicorum Homoeopathica Internationalis (LMHI) Congress organised in Belgium.

Peter Fisher provided the following summary of human trials on homeopathy:

134 Randomised Controlled Trials (RCTs) have been published, with the following outcomes:

59 (44%) positive
67 (50%) neutral (small effect)
8 (6%) negative

23 systematic reviews have been published, with the following outcomes:

10 positive
8 non-conclusive
5 little or no evidence

Download Lionel R. Milgrom's article entitled ''Homeopathy and the New Fundamentalism: A Critique of the Critics'', published in The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, Vol 14, Number 5, 2008, pp 589-594.

Homeopathy attacks continue: Hoc Science and Technology Sub-Committee's so-called "Evidence Check: Homeopathy" sessions

In the public videos, you'll notice a remarkable demonstration of premeditated, skeptical views, a fear of understanding things about which a mechanism has not yet been elucidated, and a bald denial of existing, published evidence on efficacy. The irony is that this amounts to 'bad science'.

Watch Wednesday 25th November 2009 session.

Watch Monday 30th November 2009 session

See written submissions

Breaking news...

21st June 2010: In the UK, David Tredinnick MP has tabled three Early Day Motions in support of homeopathy research. UK practitioners, patients and supporters are encouraged to write to their local MP to enlist their support for these.

The CMA 'Scientific Research in Homeopathy 2010' conference took place on 27th March, and was a huge success!

Recently published online: an exciting piece of research detailing successful homeopathic treatment of E Coli in piglets. This was a double blind RCT study.

'Biological activity' of homeopathy demonstrated in new cancer study (published inInternational Journal of Oncology, February 2010).

Media Risks

Homeopathy has been the subject of some very unbalanced press recently, but no where more so than in the UK and Europe. Moves seem to be afoot to mimic the marginalisation of homeopathy, as both a viable and reliable therapeutic modality, as has already been seen in some countries—the USA for instance.

Update 27/01/10: A 'mock overdose' publicity stunt to protest against homeopathy, and an attempt to challenge its effectiveness has been arranged in several UK cities for 30/01/10. Please click here for details

Below is a short but painful reminder of some earlier media blows:

UK anti-comp med campaign given another stab by Prof Ernst

A Kind of Magic?

NHS homoeopathy in sharp decline

'Homeopathy putting lives at risk with claims'

The Ernst & Singh £10,000 Homeopathic Challenge (click this title to see the offer)

The challenge is as follows, in Ernst's and Singh's own words:

"We challenge homeopaths to demonstrate that homeopathy is effective by showing that the Cochrane Collaboration has published a review that is strongly and conclusively positive about high dilution homeopathic remedies for any human condition.

Or, we challenge homeopaths to have such a review published within 12 months of the first publication of extracts from Trick or Treatment? (8 April, 2009)."

This is a cynical stunt! Firstly there is no Cochrane Review that is positive—nor is there ever likely to be given the hatred that most Cochrane-valued scientists and doctors have of homeopathy. The second option for the challenge is nigh on impossible to achieve as it would take longer than 12 months to successfully get a Cochrane Review, together with the necessary supporting randomised controlled trials, through approved and published!

So—Mssrs Ernst and Singh will not have to part with their cash—and they know this!

See news item for information on the Scientific Research in Homeopathy conference, University of Westminster, London, 18 June 2008.