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People with conditions such as HIV, TB and malaria should not rely on homeopathic treatments, the World Health Organization has warned.
It was responding to calls from young researchers who fear the promotion of homeopathy in the developing world could put people’s lives at risk.
The group Voice of Young Science Network has written to health ministers to set out the WHO view.
WHO TB experts said homeopathy had “no place” in treatment of the disease.
In a letter to the WHO in June, the medics from the UK and Africa said: “We are calling on the WHO to condemn the promotion of homeopathy for treating TB, infant diarrhoea, influenza, malaria and HIV.
“Homeopathy does not protect people from, or treat, these diseases.
“Those of us working with the most rural and impoverished people of the world already struggle to deliver the medical help that is needed.
“When homeopathy stands in place of effective treatment, lives are lost.”
Dr Robert Hagan is a researcher in biomolecular science at the University of St Andrews and a member of Voice of Young Science Network, which is part of the charity Sense About Science campaigning for “evidence-based” care.
He said: “We need governments around the world to recognise the dangers of promoting homeopathy for life-threatening illnesses.
“We hope that by raising awareness of the WHO’s position on homeopathy we will be supporting those people who are taking a stand against these potentially disastrous practices.”
‘No evidence’
Dr Mario Raviglione, director of the Stop TB department at the WHO, said: “Our evidence-based WHO TB treatment/management guidelines, as well as the International Standards of Tuberculosis Care do not recommend use of homeopathy.”
The doctors had also complained that homeopathy was being promoted as a treatment for diarrhoea in children.
But a spokesman for the WHO department of child and adolescent health and development said: “We have found no evidence to date that homeopathy would bring any benefit.
“Homeopathy does not focus on the treatment and prevention of dehydration – in total contradiction with the scientific basis and our recommendations for the management of diarrhoea.”
Dr Nick Beeching, a specialist in infectious diseases at the Royal Liverpool University Hospital, said: “Infections such as malaria, HIV and tuberculosis all have a high mortality rate but can usually be controlled or cured by a variety of proven treatments, for which there is ample experience and scientific trial data.
“There is no objective evidence that homeopathy has any effect on these infections, and I think it is irresponsible for a healthcare worker to promote the use of homeopathy in place of proven treatment for any life-threatening illness.”
Great ,great thinking.
It means now these so called young researchers having fear ! ! !.
Why fear dear ..As Homoeopathy is becoming popular and showing significant results in many dreadfull conditions.We young Homoeopathic Post Graduates and Young researchers are capable of showing these significant result in relation with so called modern medicine ,research methodologies etc .etc.
This is very very funny that young and so called researchers are in fear.Please face the truth and try to understand dear……
Dr.Rajendra Dhamne M.D.(Homoeopathy) (University Of Pune) INDIA
in my modest 14 years of medical practice, increasingly using homeopathy, I agree, from the outside these pills make no apparent sense. BUT I have treated people very successfully from Asthma across the board to difficult condition that allopathic medicine has not treament, like psoriasis.
135 plus quality studies may justify this, but the transformation, NOT placebo, of patients suffering severe life long illnesses and recovering through homeopathy still amazes me. A woman suffering from chronic migraines for twenty years and I treat her for a month, and then she is better? THis is extraordinary.
Broken leg? Go see and ortho. but come to the homeopath for the healing.
When I was first a FNP, fifteen years ago, I easily wrote 20 prescriptions a day, and now I prescribe maybe 10 (ten) a year for uncontrolled HTN, or diabetes.
No wonder the medical community is up in Arms. You can’t make vast fortunes on this. The patient usually gets better and doesn’t return.
Homeopathy does NOT make sense, but when you read and truly understand the Organon by Dr.H, read it maybe at least 15 times S L O W L Y and practice homeopathy for five years…. you will be astonished.
It is a much much harder profession to practice
Homeopathy certainly has its uses but cannot be depended on for a lot of things, including many diseases and critical illnesses. It certainly has had significant results with other health issues.
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Thank you for your comment, Dr Namaya! I had a feeling that WHO is not the organization to be fully and blindly trusted, and you approved my suspicions.
this is not very cool from WHO Homeopathy is a method used since long ago and it definitely has its good use.
as i believe Homeopathy is suitable for everyone, and has found wide support in all walks of life, all around the globe
I don’t listen to WHO. They have lost all their credibility after the last “Mexican Flu outbreak”.
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Hmm.. we still need to have trust in WHO. They are trying their best and putting in efforts and we need to give them our full support.
You have to realize that large portions of the undeveloped world don’t even believe in the link between HIV and AIDS…period.
Yes I trust WHO. Its giving their best.
To organize a global medical assistance to people(HIV)
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They are doing their best on this. It is them who knows a lot of these things so let us just leave it up to them.
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