15th March 2012

Homeopathy isn’t unethical, it’s just controversial

The ethics of homeopathy was once again thrust into the spotlight yesterday after a leaked draft of the National Health and Medical Research Council’s statement on homeopathy revealed the agency was considering condemning the practice of this alternative therapy.

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Jon Wardle is a NHMRC Research Scholar, School of Population Health at University of Queensland.

Homeopathy and anthroposophic medicine can make a significant contribution to the different projects launched by the European Union in the field of better health for its citizens.

For many European Union citizens, 2011 was a difficult year, with increasing numbers questioning the way society’s problems are handled. Health issues are high on the agenda at all levels – healthy lifestyle, healthy aging and healthy food, to name but a few. Citizens are increasingly choosing to take greater responsibility for their own health; with this comes the need for greater choice for their healthcare. The outcomes of recent surveys in different EU Member States demonstrate a fast growing demand for complementary medical care.

At the same time, in publications which have never before shown any interest in these approaches, articles have started to appear, demonstrating the high patient satisfaction and the economic advantage of complementary approaches. Is the time now right to make progress towards better integration of complementary medical approaches, in line with the citizens’ expectations of improved availability of and accessibility to these healthcare provisions and related medicinal products everywhere in the EU? Surveys show that a large majority of the EU population would like integration of complementary medicine healthcare provisions into normal healthcare policy of the Member States, not only for their own health benefit but also for the ‘health’ of the Member States’ budget for health services and medicinal products. …

… In 2012, we await, as a matter of urgency, concrete and constructive initiatives from the European decision makers. The patients have expressed their preference for the natural medicinal products used in these European traditional medical approaches; there is every reason to believe that homeopathy and anthroposophic medicine can make a significant contribution to the different projects and programmes launched by the European Union in the field of better health for its citizens.

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The 2006 Swiss Health Technology Assessment (HTA) report on homeopathy was commissioned by the Federal Social Insurance Office (FSIO) within the context of an overall evaluation of Complementary and Alternative Medicines (CAMs). It was written by a team of German speaking academics and edited by G Bornhöft & F Matthiessen of Witten/Herdecke University in Germany.

Read the full article …

The newly published English version Homeopathy in Healthcare: Effectiveness, Appropriateness, Safety, Costs by Bornhöft & Matthiessen (translation by Yves Zimmermann) is available from Amazon.uk

The original Report, published in German Homöopathie in der Krankenversorgung. Wirksamkeit, Nutzen, Sicherheit und Wirtschaftlichkeit by Bornhöft & Matthiessen, is available from Amazon.de

Enid Segall is President of the European Federation of Homeopathic Patients’ Associations and Chairman of the Friends of the Royal London Hospital for Integrated Medicine. Her first contact with homeopathy was almost accidental, when on completing her education she went to work for the leading manufacturer of homeopathic medicines in the UK. Here she talks to Karen Chapman, editor of ECHAMP E-News, about her experience and the progress she has seen for the homeopathic patients’ movement at European level.

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The Parliament’s “Resolution on the Public Health Threat of Antimicrobial Resistance” calls on the European Commission to phase out the prophylactic use of antibiotics in livestock farming, calling instead for preventing disease through good hygiene, housing and animal husbandry, as well as strict bio-security measures. It has recommended the usage of antibiotics as a “last resort” in exceptional, preferably individual, usages.

The news has followed that of a new pilot research project from the Parliament’s Agricultural Committee’s (AGRI) to spend £1.8m (2m Euros) analysing the impact of using homeopathic treatment on farm animals. With antibiotic resistance becoming a growing concern among farmers the research will look at how homeopathy may be able to reduce the use of antibiotics in treating livestock.

Speaking on behalf of the UK’s Faculty of Homeopathy, homeopathic veterinarian Geoff Johnson spoke in favour of using homeopathic treatments on animals:

“Homeopathy is an invaluable tool on the farm, used by many farmers in the UK together with conventional treatment to reduce reliance on antibiotics. I’ve seen first-hand how effective homeopathy has been in treating sick animals.

Although to date there has been relatively little research into veterinary homeopathy, a number of randomised controlled trials in the homeopathic treatment of a range of animal diseases have produced positive results. Clinical outcome studies into the homeopathic treatment of animals have also been positive. These results clearly indicate more research is needed in this area.

Some say homeopathy is just the placebo effect, but if that is the case, why have I seen it work so effectively for cows and other animals?”

Geoff Johnson trained in veterinary medicine at Cambridge University and subsequently operated as a conventional vet for eight years. Following successful homeopathic treatment for his hay fever, he trained in homeopathy and currently runs a homeopathic veterinary surgery in Taunton, Somerset.

The Faculty of Homeopathy was founded in 1844, and Incorporated by Act of Parliament in 1950, the Faculty of Homeopathy provides internationally recognised training pathways in homeopathy for vets, doctors, dentists, podiatrists and other statutorily regulated healthcare professionals. Members state homeopathy has increased their ability to care for their patients and broadened their knowledge of medicine and health. For further information, please visit The Faculty of Homeopathy.

This article was also published in:
Farming Monthly
Farming UK