Homeopathy is a type of alternative medicine in which "like is treated by like." In other words, the patient is asked to drink a drug strongly diluted in water, which causes symptoms similar to those of his illness in healthy people. The founder of homeopathy is the German physician Christian Hahnemann, who first published his theory in 1796. Since then, no clinical study has been able to prove the effectiveness of this type of medicine, so in scientific circles it is compared to a placebo. Recently, the most famous scientists of Europe once again tried to convey to people the inconsistency of this dubious science.
On Wednesday, a 12-page document was posted on the official website of the European Academies Scientific Advisory Council (EASAC) raising the question of scientists' attitudes towards homeopathy. EASAC brings together 29 national and international scientific academies across Europe, including the Royal Society of London, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences and other scientific institutions. The authors of the document call on the scientific community and the authorities of European states to "intensify criticism" of homeopathy, since otherwise this alternative medicine can lead to irreparable consequences and endanger the lives of many people.
The document contains a lot of interesting information, from the history of homeopathy to the results of studies conducted by the EASAC academies, which have never revealed any effectiveness of such a method of treatment. The authors of the document emphasize that they do not set themselves the goal of banning homeopathy, since people should still have the freedom to choose the means of treatment. However, they strive to convey to people the essence of this alternative medicine and the absence of any evidence base for its effectiveness. One of the quotes reads: “There cannot be two different medicines in the world: conventional and alternative. There is only medicine, the effectiveness of which has been scientifically proven."
Homeopathy is an extremely profitable business today. In 2015 alone, $ 1 billion worth of homeopathic medicines were sold in Europe. Every year this market is growing by an average of 6-7%. In the United States, the situation is even more impressive. Profits from the sale of homeopathic medicines exceeded $ 3 billion. Out of 110 clinical trials conducted with homeopathic medicines, in 100% of cases, scientists have concluded that any positive effect of such treatment is nothing more than a placebo effect.
In addition, sometimes unscrupulous manufacturers of homeopathic medicines endanger people's lives. In the United States, not so long ago, 10 babies died from a homeopathic dental gel with an excess content of the extract of the poisonous plant belladonna (Atropa belladonna), and in total more than 400 children were affected. Of course, in traditional medicine there are also drugs with unproven efficacy in clinical trials. But in general, orthodox medicine, unlike homeopathy, still seeks to consider the balance of benefits and risks when making recommendations for treatment and uses drugs with proven efficacy.
Sergey Gray