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Homeopathy Debate Rages in Britain
December 07, 2007 04:11 PM
by
findingDulcinea Staff
Britain’s top health adviser rails against the U.K. health service for providing homeopathic treatments of doubtful effectiveness—many U.S. insurers also support this alternative medicine.
30-Second Summary
Homeopathy is based on the idea that an illness can be treated by giving patients minute quantities of a substance capable of producing the symptoms of that illness.
It is a controversial technique. One particular cause of skepticism is that homeopathic remedies contain such small amounts of their ingredients that they fall outside of FDA regulations. Consequently there are no legal requirements that homeopathic medicines are scientifically tested.
In Britain, the state-run National Health Service provides homeopathic treatments, a fact that has riled critics such as Sir David King, the science adviser to Prime Minister Gordon Brown. According to Britain’s Daily Mail, King recently told parliamentarians, “There is not one jot of evidence supporting the notion that homeopathic medicines are of any assistance whatsoever.”
King sparked a debate in the U.K. media, one which U.S. citizens may want to take note of. A growing number of American insurance companies pay for homeopathic treatments, the cost of which is covered by the members’ health care premiums.
It is a controversial technique. One particular cause of skepticism is that homeopathic remedies contain such small amounts of their ingredients that they fall outside of FDA regulations. Consequently there are no legal requirements that homeopathic medicines are scientifically tested.
In Britain, the state-run National Health Service provides homeopathic treatments, a fact that has riled critics such as Sir David King, the science adviser to Prime Minister Gordon Brown. According to Britain’s Daily Mail, King recently told parliamentarians, “There is not one jot of evidence supporting the notion that homeopathic medicines are of any assistance whatsoever.”
King sparked a debate in the U.K. media, one which U.S. citizens may want to take note of. A growing number of American insurance companies pay for homeopathic treatments, the cost of which is covered by the members’ health care premiums.
Headline Links: Top U.K. scientist criticizes homeopathy
The U.K.’s top scientist, David King, criticized homeopathy, saying, “There is not one jot of evidence supporting the notion that homeopathic medicines are of any assistance whatsoever.” He also lambasted Britain’s Department of Health for supporting the alternative treatment.
Source: The Daily Mail
U.K. medical professionals became concerned about a conference held in December 2007 looking at homeopathic treatments for HIV/AIDS. The organizers, however, said that they weren’t proposing a cure, but wanted only a constructive debate.
Source: The BBC
Opinion & Analysis: A novelist champions homeopathy and a doctor responds
Jeanette Winterson, a successful British novelist, described her experience with homeopathy and defended the practice in a Daily Mail column. In reference to the suggestion that homeopathy be used to treat HIV, she said the practitioners want to use remedies to supplement standard medications and ameliorate the side effects of anti-retroviral drugs.
Source: The Daily Mail
Medical doctor and journalist Ben Goldacre blasts homeopathy and its practitioners in his “Bad Science” column in The Guardian newspaper. This article was written in part as a response to one from Jeanette Winterson (see above).
Source: The Guardian
Reference Material: Advice for those interested in homeopathy
The Encarta Encyclopedia provides a definition of homeopathy, explaining that its practice is founded on three principles: the law of similars; the single medicine; and the law of infinitesimals. These principles are explained in the Encarta entry.
Source: The Encarta Encyclopedia
Read the U.S. National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine’s research report on homeopathy, presented in Q&A form.
Source: The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine
The National Center for Homeopathy site has tips on homeopathy, discussion forums and a search tool to find a local practitioner.
Source: The National Center for Homeopathy
For those people wondering whether their insurers will pay for complementary and alternative medicine, an umbrella term that encompasses homeopathy, Revolution Health Group has written on the subject.
Source: Revolution Health Group
The National Health Service, the U.K.’s state-run healthcare system, has offered homeopathic treatments since it was founded shortly after World War II. The NHS currently has five homeopathic hospitals, according to the British Homeopathic Association.
Source: The British Homeopathic Association
Washington State has required private insurance companies to cover complementary and alternative medical treatments since 1996. The National Institute of Health provides an article examining how people used those treatments and what impact they had on health and health costs.
Source: NIH PubMed Central
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