The state should not pay sorcerers. And homeopaths too

The British Parliament opposed homeopathyABC Magazine based on materials Parliament.uk:

MPS urge government to withdraw NHS funding and MHRA licensing of homeopathy
The Committee’s Fourth Report of Session 2009–10, Evidence Check 2: Homeopathy

Homeopathic remedies work no better than placebos, and therefore the British National Health Service should not pay for them, representatives of the British parliament said. The Committee on Science and Technology of the House of Representatives of the UK Parliament in its statement also called on the governments of those countries where this method of treatment is especially popular – in Germany, France and Austria – to join the UK in refusing to finance homeopathy.

The parliamentarians' statement was based on a thorough analysis of numerous scientific reports and studies conducted by both scientists and homeopaths. However, no evidence has been found that the effectiveness of homeopathic drugs significantly differs from the effect of placebo. The Committee has not received an explanation of how drugs can work, the active component of which is in solution in concentrations tending to zero. Such drugs, according to the representatives of the Committee, should be called "sugar pills that do not contain active ingredients." And it is absolutely incomprehensible, the statement notes, how one can apply one's own principle of homeopathy "like is treated like" to drugs obtained from sunlight, parts of the body of an iguana or dragonfly, and even from fragments of the Great Wall of China or Stonehenge.

"We believe that placebos should not be prescribed by the National Health Service (NHS)," the statement said, "informed choice is not compatible with patient deception." This means that homeopathic clinics should not be funded by the NHS, and doctors should not refer patients to homeopaths for an appointment. It should be noted that today 4 homeopathic clinics receive funding from the NHS.

The Committee also criticized the actions of the UK Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), which practices licensing of homeopathic treatments. According to the report, this leaves a false feeling that homeopathic remedies are as effective as conventional medicines. The explanations of the representatives of the MHRA that "homeopathy is a tradition" were rejected by parliament: "Witchcraft is also a tradition, what now – should it also be licensed?" Phil Willis, a member of the Committee, asked.

There are no exact figures for the annual costs of homeopathy in the UK, but, according to NHS estimates, the costs of homeopathic remedies alone amount to about $ 230,000, and according to the Homeopathic Society, this figure reaches $ 6.16 million. And this is without taking into account the costs of maintaining homeopathic clinics and $30.8 million spent on the restoration and modernization of the Royal London Homeopathic Clinic in the period from 2002 to 2005.

It is known that the Prince of Wales is an ardent fan of homeopathy, but, as the well-known critic of homeopathic methods Edzard Ernst stated, "either we obey science and evidence, or Prince Charles." Interestingly, even the Integrated Healthcare Foundation, founded by the Prince of Wales, admits that "from a scientific point of view, homeopathy is implausible," but at the same time supports the use of homeopathic medicines.

Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru25.02.2010