NHS funding of homeopathy

Blue Wode said:
More on this topic from Professor Michael Baum in today’s Daily Mail:

‘Homeopathy is worse than witchcraft - and the NHS must stop paying for it’
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/li...ain.html?in_article_id=451908&in_page_id=1774



No comments from enraged Mail readers at the moment, although there’s sure to be a few sitting in the Editor’s in-box.
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Is this right?

Homeopathy is based on three principles: treat the symptoms of a disease rather than the disease itself; cure like with like (an onion makes your eyes stream and so does a cold, so treat a cold with an onion); and the greater the dilution of the 'medicine', the more potent the potion.
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I thought homeopathy was supposed to be all about magically treating the disease, and not the symptoms.

The way it's written here doesn't sell it too well. I wouldn't buy it, at any rate
:rolleyes:
 
Heads up, peeps!

The Kent homeopathic hospital's future may depend upon the outcome of a public consultation exercise. Let's try and ensure that the Woo view is countered by rational thinking.
People in Kent are being consulted over whether or not homoeopathic treatment should be paid for by the NHS.
The result of the study by West Kent Primary Care Trust (PCT) will dictate the future for the Homeopathic Hospital in Tunbridge Wells.
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A public consultation document entitled "Should the NHS pay for homeopathy?", which will be the focus of discussion, is due to be published on Thursday.
The document, which will be available to the public on request, is the culmination of three months of work by a steering group set up by the PCT.
It outlines the arguments for and against providing homeopathy on the NHS and has a feedback form with a freepost address. All the comments from the events and the feedback forms will be collated into a report compiled by an independent author, and presented to the West Kent PCT board on 26 July, when a final decision will be taken.
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Pipirr said:
Is this right?

I thought homeopathy was supposed to be all about magically treating the disease, and not the symptoms.

The way it's written here doesn't sell it too well. I wouldn't buy it, at any rate
:rolleyes:
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In fact you could say that homeopaths don't really believe in disease as such,
Hahnemann believed it is "inherently impossible to know the inner nature of disease processes and it was therefore fruitless to speculate about them or to base treatment on theories"
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from skepdic.com
 
I tried to get some words of sanity into the thread as well...

As well as mentioning Hahnemanns Organon, that book is a bomb under homeopathy, most normal people with common sense reading it will recognize it for the non-sense it is.
 
The letter may be "the full text", but there is something missing, namely
the paper that we have enclosed which, while not a full review of the scientific position, has been used by other trusts to promote evidence based commissioning.
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Enclosed? Where?
And where do I find a copy?
 
I caught the back end of Ray Tallis giving a good bashing of Homeopathy against Dr Peter Fisher of Royal London Homeopathic Hospital on Today, Radio 4 this morning.

He made the point that Peter Fisher's ‘positive trials’ were the poorly designed ones, that homeopathy is magic thinking, that homeopathy’s positive results in combination therapy is the same as when you combine any working drug with one that doesn’t, all delivered in a calm reasoned manner.

listen again 7.45
 
Pipirr said:
You'd think. Seems like water off a duck's back to this guy. He just keeps coming back, optimistic as ever.
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I suspect that he could be feeling quietly desperate. Certainly, he’s been trying to rally the faithful over the last few weeks:

"There is a serious threat to the future of the Royal London Homoeopathic Hospital (RLHH), and we need your help. Please forward this to sympathetic contacts."

http://www.naturalmatters.net/article.asp?article=3032&cat=85
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Hey, this is encouraging progress though, eh? The cynical part of me fears that it's due in large part to the financial squeeze on the NHS trusts, but good work Profs' team!
 
Just waiting on Queenie to come out and say something.

Closing down her very own homeopathic hospital? That just won't do!
 
Pipirr said:
Just waiting on Queenie to come out and say something.

Closing down her very own homeopathic hospital? That just won't do!
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Her Stuffity would never think of making any public statement on public policy, and His Wooness has had a shot across his bows recently so would be well advised to keep his head down.

But seriously, it's been another great week and with the skids under homeopathy in the NHS what shall we turn our attention to?
 
Asolepius said:
Her Stuffity would never think of making any public statement on public policy, and His Wooness has had a shot across his bows recently so would be well advised to keep his head down.

But seriously, it's been another great week and with the skids under homeopathy in the NHS what shall we turn our attention to?
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Les, no, we shouldn't turn our attention to anything else for the moment. We must keep up the momentum else it will fall gradually and fairly silently from the front stage.

This is our moment; let's grab it.
 
Blue Bubble said:
Les, no, we shouldn't turn our attention to anything else for the moment. We must keep up the momentum else it will fall gradually and fairly silently from the front stage.

This is our moment; let's grab it.
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No, there's no suggestion of letting the pressure off homeopathy. But we can keep the effort up on that while we broaden the front.
 
Laughter = best medicine

I was just given an appointment card from my NHS surgery. It has several business-card style advertisements on it: a child-minder; a hair salon/beautician; the local post office(!); a tutoring service; a mobile chiropodist; an optician; and homeopathy offered by someone with "SDSHom" after their name. There is a disclaimer in 6 point type under the copyright warning "The practice would like to thank the various advertisers who have helped to produce this card. However, it must be pointed out that the accuracy of any statements cannot be warranted, nor any products or services be guaranteed or endorsed."

I honestly do not know what to make of this. I don't know why homeopathy is given space. Granted each of the other professions may not be good, or even effective, but their intent is understood and if they can't meet expectations, it's a legal matter - the child minder has to mind your child! The optician has to make glasses, the beauty salon has to cut your hair, the post office has to be a post office and not a magazine kiosk, ad nauseum.

What is the consumer status of someone who comes to your house and gives you vials of water for health problems? If the water doesn't help, or the SDSHom is a jerk, whom can I complain to? I would know exactly what to do if each of those other businesses let me down, but I'm at a complete loss at what to do if the homeopath didn't sort me out.

This is an oblique way of saying that I do not want homeopathy on my appointment card. I only wish I had enough money to buy the very nice NHS surgery a vast load of appointment cards with NO adverts on - and plenty of good general health advice. Or maybe some good jokes and a crossword to do whilst waiting for the appointment.
 
Missis said:
This is an oblique way of saying that I do not want homeopathy on my appointment card. I only wish I had enough money to buy the very nice NHS surgery a vast load of appointment cards with NO adverts on - and plenty of good general health advice. Or maybe some good jokes and a crossword to do whilst waiting for the appointment.
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Well, part of me thinks fair play to the practice, for offsetting their appointment card costs with advertising. But they really should screen their advertisers first. I imagine that for the homeopath, the NHS practice name on the other side of the card imparts some virtue by association. Canny homeopath.

A letter to the practice, reminding them of their obligations to evidence based medicine, may be warranted. Disclaimer or no, such advertising does have the air of being an endorsement of homeopathy.
 
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