Homeopathy

I could cite a number of double-blind, placebo controlled clinical trials that show the effectiveness of homeopathy (The prestigious medical journal “The LANCET”, 9/20/97, cites 89 of them). I could also list studies showing efficacy on infants, and on animals, for which the placebo effect could not be a factor. But scientific studies are usually very difficult to understand and are, therefore, not very convincing to most people. Instead I will present evidence that the majority of people find to be much more convincing and easier to understand.

Homeopathy is mainstream medicine in many countries that have done very extensive studies on its effectiveness, found it to be both effective and cost effective, and then assimilated it into their health care systems. And most of these countries have more effective health care systems than the US. That is, their citizens are living longer, healthier lives than citizens of the USA. These countries include Switzerland, France, Germany, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and Italy¹. All of these countries have a significantly higher Healthy Life Expectancy than the USA¹. Collectively, their average citizen takes roughly 1/10th of the prescription drugs that the average US citizen takes², and their national healthcare systems rely heavily on many alternative health treatments that the US medical establishment views as ineffective. If another country’s health care system is less expensive and simultaneously producing better results, it seems surprising to me that we don’t attempt to emulate it, rather than label it as ineffective and inferior. Here are some specifics about the use and effectiveness of Homeopathy in these countries.
In 2016 Switzerland ranked #2 in the world in Life Expectancy (the USA is 43rd and dropping)^{26, 27}, and 4th in the world in Healthy Life Expectancy (the USA is 36th)¹. So when the Swiss Government sponsors or contributes to scientific research on health care, we should pay attention. In 2005 the Swiss government commissioned what became the most comprehensive evaluation of Homeopathic medicine every performed. Their conclusion was that homeopathy is both effective and cost-effective and that homeopathic health care should be reimbursed by Switzerland’s national health insurance program^{3, 4}. Today, homeopathy is integrated into the national health care of Switzerland.
France is ranked 8th in the world in Healthy Life Expectancy¹. A large study used the French national health insurance databases (SNIIRAM) to analyze prescriptions of reimbursed homeopathic drugs or preparations in the overall French population, during the period July 2011-June 2012⁵. The study’s conclusion stated “A total of 120,110 healthcare professionals (HCPs) prescribed at least one homeopathic drug or preparation. They represented 43.5% of the overall population of HCPs, nearly 95% of general practitioners, dermatologists and pediatricians, and 75% of midwives.” Twenty-one of France’s twenty-four schools of pharmacy teach courses in homeopathy⁶.

Italy ranks 5th in the world in Healthy Life Expectancy¹. A 2005 survey of Italian cancer patients reported that 73% had used Alternative Medicine, with homeopathy and herbal medicine being the most common⁷. A survey of Italian children with cancer found that 83% of parents of children who used alternative care reported benefits from that care. Homeopathy was the most prevalent form of alternative care listed.

Lest you think homeopathy is only for the poor and ignorant, multiple large studies have shown that users of Alternative Medicine tend to be more educated than those who do not^{8, 9, 10, 11}.

Another study interviewed 3,126 adult patients. 1,702 of these received homeopathic treatment, and 1,363 received conventional treatment. 53% of the patients who received homeopathic treatment were “completely satisfied” with their treatment, but only 43% of the patients who received conventional treatment were “completely satisfied” with their treatment. The homeopathic patients also reported fewer side effects (7.3%) than the conventional patients (16.1%). It is important to note that in this study, the homeopathic patients had more serious illnesses on average than the conventional patients¹².

Thirty-eight percent of the medical doctors in Germany prescribed homeopathic remedies to their patients¹³. Seventy-Five percent of German citizens have used alternative medicine¹⁴. Another finding of this same survey, which was conducted by the German Government, was that people who used alternative medicine, especially homeopathy, had a 33% reduction in sick days over those who did not use alternative therapies.

The prestigious medical journal, The Lancet, reported in 2007 that over 100 million people in India use homeopathy exclusively, as their only form of health care, prompting Mohatma Gandi to say “it [homeopathy] cures a greater number of people than any other method of treatment”.
In the Netherlands (ranked 11th in the world in Healthy Life Expectancy) 45% of physicians view homeopathic medicines as effective treatments¹⁵.

Over 100 million Europeans use homeopathic remedies¹⁶.

A study that compared results of conventional medicine for cancer patients vs. conventional medicine plus homeopathy stated “Results suggest that the global health status and subjective wellbeing of cancer patients improves significantly when adjunct classical homeopathic treatment is administered in addition to conventional therapy¹⁷.

Now on to the second common complaint about homeopathy.
“Homeopathic remedies are diluted to the point where they are just pure water and that makes it physically impossible for them to have any effect whatsoever!”

It’s true that remedies are so highly diluted that it’s probable that no original molecules even exist in the final tincture. Ten years ago homeopaths could not defend against this attack. They just had to say “I don’t know how it works, but it works”. Today solid scientific research is there to back this statement up. Scientists can dilute a liquid to the point where not a single molecule is left in that liquid, yet they can still detect properties of the original liquid. In an interview for Science magazine, virologist and Nobel Prize winner Luc Montagnier was asked if he thinks there’s something to homeopathy. His response was “I can’t say that homeopathy is right in everything. What I can say now is that the high dilutions are right. High dilutions of something are not nothing. They are water structures which mimic the original molecules.” He goes on to explain that in his DNA testing, he can dilute to the point where there is not a single molecule of DNA left, yet they can still detect the signal¹⁸. We don’t really understand it yet, but somehow water is able to store information about substances that it had contact with, and pass that information on to other water molecules^{19, 20, 21}.