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NHS money 'wasted' on homeopathy NHS money 'wasted' on homeopathy
(30 minutes later)
The NHS should stop funding homeopathy, MPs say.The NHS should stop funding homeopathy, MPs say.
The House of Commons science and technology committee said using public money on the highly diluted remedies could not be justified.The House of Commons science and technology committee said using public money on the highly diluted remedies could not be justified.
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 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.
Some £4m a year is spent on homeopathy, helping to fund four homeopathic hospitals and numerous prescriptions. But manufacturers and supporters of homeopathy disputed the report, saying the MPs had ignored important evidence.
Homeopathy is a 200-year-old system of treatment that uses highly diluted substances that are given orally. Some £4m a year is spent on homeopathy by the NHS, helping to fund four homeopathic hospitals and numerous prescriptions.
The theory is that the remedies help relieve a range of minor ailments from bruising and swelling to constipation. 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.
Many people - both patients and experts - say it is a valid treatment and does work. HOMEOPATHY Homeopathy involves giving people very dilute amounts of a substance that in larger amounts might produce symptoms similar to the condition being treatedFor example, one remedy which might be used in a person suffering from insomnia is coffea, a remedy made from coffee
The theory is that 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.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.In medicine it is recognised that some people will get better because they believe the treatment they take is going to work.
HOMEOPATHY Homeopathy involves giving people very dilute amounts of a substance that in larger amounts might produce symptoms similar to the condition being treatedFor example, one remedy which might be used in a person suffering from insomnia is coffea, a remedy made from coffee
The MPs said the NHS should not fund treatments on this basis.The MPs 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.They argued the effectiveness was often unpredictable and involved a deception by the medical establishment.
They also warned it could lead to a delay in diagnosis if symptoms were cured but the underlying reason for them was not tackled.They also warned it could lead to a delay in diagnosis if symptoms were cured but the underlying reason for them was not tackled.
The MPs also criticised the drugs regulator, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, for allowing medical claims to be made.The MPs also criticised the drugs regulator, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, for allowing medical claims to be made.
The select committee report said this and the fact they were funded by the NHS lent the remedies "a badge of authority that is unjustified". The committee report said this and the fact they were funded by the NHS lent the remedies "a badge of authority that is unjustified".
'Disappointed'
Robert Wilson, of the British Association of Homeopathic Manufacturers, said he was "disappointed" by the findings.
He said the MPs had ignored evidence that homeopathy was effective.
"There is good evidence that homeopathy works, for example in animals and babies, neither of which experience placebo effects."
And Dr Michael Dixon, medical director for the Prince's Foundation for Integrated Health, set up by Prince Charles to promote complementary medicine, disputed the findings, saying homeopathy still had a role in the NHS.
"We should not abandon patients we cannot help with conventional scientific medicine.
"If homeopathy is getting results for those patients, then of course we should continue to use it."
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