No proof homeopathy works better than a placebo: Report

Homeopathy was dealt another blow when Australia’s leading body for medical research came out swinging against the practice.

After reviewing 225 studies, that country’s National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) said in a statement that there is “no good quality evidence to support the claim that homeopathy iseffective in treating health conditions.”

The Merriam-Webster online dictionary defines homeopathy as: “a system of medical practice that treats a disease especially by the administration of minute doses of a remedy that would in larger amounts produce in healthy persons symptoms similar to those of the disease.”

“NHMRC’s review shows that there is no good quality evidence to support the claim that homeopathy works better than a placebo,” said the group’s CEO, Professor Warwick Anderson, in the statement.

He added: “People who choose homeopathy may put their health at risk if they reject or delay treatments for which there is good evidence for safety and effectiveness. People who are considering whether to use homeopathy should first get advice from a registered health practitioner and in the meanwhile keep taking any prescribed treatments.”

The Guardian posted a comprehensive story about NHMRC’s statement and advice on homeopathy, eliciting fast and furious responses online from around the globe.

[tweets to come]

Complementary Medicines Australia responded to the report saying in a statement it was disappointed with the NHMRC’s position on homeopathy. The CEO concluded the statement by saying: “Homeopathy has been around for hundreds of years, and I am sure will be around a lot longer than some of the critics.”

Several homeopathic associations across Canada either declined to comment or did not immediately reply to a request for comment by Yahoo Canada News regarding the NHMRC report. The Canadian College of Homeopathic Medicine (CCHM) did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Here in Canada, though, the CCHM has been under fire after a recent report by The Globe and Mail found it had “promoted unscientific, false claims about the dangers of vaccines, and advocates the use of ineffective alternatives called nosodes.” The outcry over the report led federal government officials to clarify there are no alternatives to vaccines.

In Australia, NHMRC — the country’s top body for medical research — seemingly anticipating a backlash, said it was “aware of strongly held views” on naturopathy, but noted it rigorously examined the evidence, used internationally accepted methods and a consultative process before coming to its conclusions.

Whether here at home, or abroad, it’s clear the pitched battle over homeopathy isn’t going to end anytime soon.