Homeopathy banned in Belgium.

[catsmate]

Well effectively. The regulations governing the practice were published but none of the magic water peddlers homeopaths met them (image, actually requiring medical training ). So no-one can practice.

Unsurprisingly the sugar pill sellers are unhappy.

A good start.

 

[Daylightstar]

Well effectively. The regulations governing the practice were published but none of the magic water peddlers homeopaths met them (image, actually requiring medical training ). So no-one can practice.

Unsurprisingly the sugar pill sellers are unhappy.

A good start.

Very good news, thanks for posting.


From your link:

It is ECCH's view that this unjust execution of the Colla Law must be fought and overturned. To do this we are supporting the call of our Belgian colleagues for financial support to build a legal fighting fund.

Providing evidence for the claimed efficacy of homeopathy would be better, but of course, also impossible.

From your link:

... only prescribe homeopathy for indications for which efficacy is evidence-based. This practically reduces the practice of homeopathy to 'clinical homeopathy' based only on a medical diagnosis, and leaves no room for the holistic and individualised approach of homeopathy that was originally meant to be the ‘added value’ of integrating CAM practices in health care. ...

But they claim:

National authorities argue that the evidence-base for CAM is not sufficient to support its inclusion in healthcare provision. This is not the case

Why would they claim to have evidence base if evidence base would deprive their practice of their beloved so called holistic approach?

Irrational does as irrational is ....

 

[FromBelgiumWithLove]

Well effectively. The regulations governing the practice were published but none of the magic water peddlers homeopaths met them (image, actually requiring medical training ). So no-one can practice.

Unsurprisingly the sugar pill sellers are unhappy.

A good start.

Very good news indeed, as well as highly amusing. Perhaps I can add some background here: what they're so upset about is the publication of what is apparently translated (according to Wikipedia) as a "Royal Order", although personally I would have gone for "Royal Decision". Whatever you call it, the King has nothing to do with it, except for having to put his signature on it. It's basically a circular issued by a federal government minister, in this case the one responsible for public health, with rules on how to apply legislation passed by Parliament in practice. In this case, the legislation dates back to 1999, so they're just updating things a bit. And it's very cleverly done. By requiring that anyone practicing homeopathy in Belgium has to have both a medical degree of some kind, and an additional qualification in homeopathy from a university or college, they've outlawed the practice. Since there are no universities or colleges that offer such qualifications, nor are there ever likely to be any. In 2013, the deans of the medical faculties of all universities in Belgium issued a joint statement stating that homeopathy has no place in medicine, and that they will never allow courses in it. I assume that statement was the basis for the ministry of health to issue this Royal Order.

 

[fuelair]

Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyy!!!

 

[Gord_in_Toronto]

This has certainly made my day!!!

Thank you rational Belgiums.

Here in Ontario recognition of Homeoquackery by the Provincial Government is creaking forward as part of the general recognition of all the SCAM "modalities".

A recent proposal for Naturoquacks be permitted to write prescriptions was derailed at the last minute in the Legislature. I'd like to think someone asked, "Why do Naturopaths want to give people nasty artificial chemicals when they don't believe in them?" but I doubt it.

 

[pakeha]

Well effectively. The regulations governing the practice were published but none of the magic water peddlers homeopaths met them (image, actually requiring medical training ). So no-one can practice.

Unsurprisingly the sugar pill sellers are unhappy.

A good start.

Excellent news; I only wish this could happen here in Spain, where homeopathy is big, big bu$ine$$.

In Spain, homeopathy has gotten so popular that INE, the country's statistic institute, added expenditures on homeopathic medicines to their calculations for monthly inflation rates (41). Sales of homeopathic medicines in Spain are growing at 10-15 percent annually, with approximately 15 percent of the population saying that they have used a homeopathic medicine and 25 percent said that they would be happy to try one (42).

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dana-ullman/homeopathic-medicine-euro_b_402490.html

 

[Dubious Dick]

And it is said that nothing interesting ever came out of Belgium. How wrong they are. Well done Belgium! Take note Jeremy Hunt and Prince Charles.

 

[Alice Shortcake]

Three cheers for Belgium! If only the same thing could happen in Britain.

 

[TheGoldcountry]

I really like the way they did it.

"You would like to practice homeopathy? Great! Just get the proper training first, and earn a degree!"

"But, but they don't offer degr..."

"Exactly."

 

[Damien Evans]

And it is said that nothing interesting ever came out of Belgium. How wrong they are. Well done Belgium! Take note Jeremy Hunt and Prince Charles.

Audrey Hepburn was from Brussels, Eddy Merckx is from Meensel-Kiezegem, I'd say they both count as interesting.

 

[Ethan Thane Athen]

Very good news indeed, as well as highly amusing. Perhaps I can add some background here: what they're so upset about is the publication of what is apparently translated (according to Wikipedia) as a "Royal Order", although personally I would have gone for "Royal Decision". Whatever you call it, the King has nothing to do with it, except for having to put his signature on it. It's basically a circular issued by a federal government minister, in this case the one responsible for public health, with rules on how to apply legislation passed by Parliament in practice. In this case, the legislation dates back to 1999, so they're just updating things a bit. And it's very cleverly done. By requiring that anyone practicing homeopathy in Belgium has to have both a medical degree of some kind, and an additional qualification in homeopathy from a university or college, they've outlawed the practice. Since there are no universities or colleges that offer such qualifications, nor are there ever likely to be any. In 2013, the deans of the medical faculties of all universities in Belgium issued a joint statement stating that homeopathy has no place in medicine, and that they will never allow courses in it. I assume that statement was the basis for the ministry of health to issue this Royal Order.

Bolding mine...

Not quite what you've got there (and indeed, not in Belgium but the UK) but a GP (properly qualified one) at my local clinic is also a 'trained homeopath' and will give you homeopathic remedies if that is your preference.

It's a shame I never have occasion to go to a GP else it would be fascinating to ask how she reconciles the two.

 

[Dubious Dick]

Audrey Hepburn was from Brussels, Eddy Merckx is from Meensel-Kiezegem, I'd say they both count as interesting.

Was just kidding!

 

[FromBelgiumWithLove]

Not quite what you've got there (and indeed, not in Belgium but the UK) but a GP (properly qualified one) at my local clinic is also a 'trained homeopath' and will give you homeopathic remedies if that is your preference.

It's a shame I never have occasion to go to a GP else it would be fascinating to ask how she reconciles the two.

For years, whenever I went to my grandparents' home, just a few blocks away, I had to walk past what was apparently a genuine GP's office, whose shingle proudly and openly proclaimed that he did homeopathy. It irritated me every time, and I always wondered how one could possibly have gone through the lengthy process of qualifying as a doctor, yet end up believing in homeopathy. I haven't been there since my grandparents died, so I have no idea if the shingle is still up. The man is probably either retired or dead by now. I've also, much more recently, seen pharmacies advertising homeopathic medicines in their shop windows. I have no idea how these new regulations will affect any of that in practice.

But then, outlawing homeopathy is very difficult. After all, all supermarkets in Belgium sell homeopathic medicine in both liquid and solid form. Even if you don't trust the stuff out of the tap (even though it must be highly potent homeopathically), you can buy distilled water for use in ironing. And the sugar pills can be found on the cake decoration shelf. (That is not actually much of a joke. The BBC once did a TV documentary on the power of the placebo effect. And the quite genuine medical doctor who did the research used silver-colored sugar pellets straight from a supermarket cake decoration shelf as the placebo 'medicine', as a supposed experimental drug for insomnia. It worked very well.)

 

[Mojo]

From your link:

... only prescribe homeopathy for indications for which efficacy is evidence-based. This practically reduces the practice of homeopathy to 'clinical homeopathy' based only on a medical diagnosis, and leaves no room for the holistic and individualised approach of homeopathy that was originally meant to be the ‘added value’ of integrating CAM practices in health care. ...

But they claim:

National authorities argue that the evidence-base for CAM is not sufficient to support its inclusion in healthcare provision. This is not the case

I'd only read the current bit - I hadn't spotted that they are claiming that they have an evidence base on the same page as complaining that it's unfair to only allow homoeopathy to be used where it has an evidence base.

 

[Wolrab]

Holy crap! Imagine how powerful homeopathetic solutions are where they can't even exist. Sort of makes a 100C solution into an Infinite C solution. All hail the end of every malady that ever plagued mankind...and his pets.

 

[Daylightstar]

I'd only read the current bit - I hadn't spotted that they are claiming that they have an evidence base on the same page as complaining that it's unfair to only allow homoeopathy to be used where it has an evidence base.

Don't forget the evidence tab on that page's left hand side.

 

[catsmate]

Very good news indeed, as well as highly amusing. Perhaps I can add some background here: what they're so upset about is the publication of what is apparently translated (according to Wikipedia) as a "Royal Order", although personally I would have gone for "Royal Decision". Whatever you call it, the King has nothing to do with it, except for having to put his signature on it. It's basically a circular issued by a federal government minister, in this case the one responsible for public health, with rules on how to apply legislation passed by Parliament in practice. In this case, the legislation dates back to 1999, so they're just updating things a bit.

What we'd call a Statutory Instrument.

And it's very cleverly done.

Oh yes, I liked that bit.

By requiring that anyone practicing homeopathy in Belgium has to have both a medical degree of some kind, and an additional qualification in homeopathy from a university or college, they've outlawed the practice. Since there are no universities or colleges that offer such qualifications, nor are there ever likely to be any. In 2013, the deans of the medical faculties of all universities in Belgium issued a joint statement stating that homeopathy has no place in medicine, and that they will never allow courses in it. I assume that statement was the basis for the ministry of health to issue this Royal Order.

For years, whenever I went to my grandparents' home, just a few blocks away, I had to walk past what was apparently a genuine GP's office, whose shingle proudly and openly proclaimed that he did homeopathy. It irritated me every time, and I always wondered how one could possibly have gone through the lengthy process of qualifying as a doctor, yet end up believing in homeopathy. I haven't been there since my grandparents died, so I have no idea if the shingle is still up. The man is probably either retired or dead by now. I've also, much more recently, seen pharmacies advertising homeopathic medicines in their shop windows. I have no idea how these new regulations will affect any of that in practice.

But then, outlawing homeopathy is very difficult. After all, all supermarkets in Belgium sell homeopathic medicine in both liquid and solid form. Even if you don't trust the stuff out of the tap (even though it must be highly potent homeopathically), you can buy distilled water for use in ironing.

Nitpick, using distilled or deionised water (if that's all it is) for ironing isn't a bad idea as it prevents the annoying deposition of salts from hard water.
How making it into magic potions that's a different matter...

And the sugar pills can be found on the cake decoration shelf. (That is not actually much of a joke. The BBC once did a TV documentary on the power of the placebo effect. And the quite genuine medical doctor who did the research used silver-colored sugar pellets straight from a supermarket cake decoration shelf as the placebo 'medicine', as a supposed experimental drug for insomnia. It worked very well.)

That stirs a buried memory, I think I saw that programme, or something like it.

 

[Mojo]

What we'd call a Statutory Instrument.

Or an Order in Council.

 

[Mojo]

The BBC once did a TV documentary on the power of the placebo effect. And the quite genuine medical doctor who did the research used silver-colored sugar pellets straight from a supermarket cake decoration shelf as the placebo 'medicine', as a supposed experimental drug for insomnia. It worked very well.)

Professor Regan's Medicine Cabinet.

 

[wardenclyffe]

Similar tactics, although not identical, are being used by states in the USA to ban abortion.

Ward