Evidence Check 2: Homeopathy - Homeowatch

Evidence Check 2: Homeopathy 52 NHS funding and provisionWhat is homeopathy?9. Homeopathy is a 200-year old system of medicine that seeks to treat patients with highlydiluted substances that are administered orally. Homeopathy is based on two principles:“like-cures-like” whereby a substance that causes a symptom is used in diluted form totreat the same symptom in illness 6 and “ultra-dilution” whereby the more dilute asubstance the more potent it is (this is aided by a specific method of shaking the solutions,termed “succussion”). 7 It is claimed that homeopathy works by stimulating the body’s selfhealingmechanisms. 810. Homeopathic products should not be confused with herbal remedies. Somehomeopathic products are derived from herbal active ingredients, but the importantdistinction is that homeopathic products are extremely diluted and administered accordingto specific principles.The policy11. The Department of Health (DH) told us that it “does not maintain a position” on anycomplementary or alternative treatment, including homeopathy. 9 Decisions on the use ofhomeopathy are left to the National Health Service (NHS). 10 Primary Care Trusts (PCTs)are responsible for commissioning care services 11 and are thus currently free to fundhomeopathy.12. Homeopathy was introduced into Britain in the 1830s and has been funded andprovided on the NHS since its inception in 1948. 12 There are four homeopathic hospitals inthe UK, located in London, Bristol, Liverpool and Glasgow. These hospitals fall under thejurisdiction of their respective PCTs. A homeopathic hospital in Tunbridge Wells wasclosed in 2009 following a drop in referrals to the hospital and a review by the West KentPCT on the commissioning of homeopathy. 1313. The Government was unable to tell us how much money the NHS spends onhomeopathy as “data on spending in the area of homeopathy on the National HealthService has never been routinely collected”. 14 When he gave oral evidence Mike O’Brien,Minister for Health Services at the DH, was, however, able to say that:6 We examine the issue of “like-cures-like” in more detail at paragraph 50 and following.7 “How does homeopathy work?”, British Homeopathic Association, www.britishhomeopathic.org8 “What is homeopathy?”, The Society of Homeopaths, www.homeopathy-soh.org9 Ev 61, para 710 As above11 Ev 61, para 1112 Ev 174, para 2.113 Ev 61, para 9; see also paragraph 83 and following.14 Ev 62, para 18