An alternative way of treatment has been criticized by its ex-worshiper, a professor from the University of Exeter, England, a homeopathist Edzard Ernst. The professor says that homeopathic treatment, funded by the NHS, is “biologically implausible” and carries an unnecessary risk to the health of the patient, interfering with the proper treatment.
Ernst also said that homeopathy could even be dangerous, when sometimes used instead of the evidence-based medical procedures, such as immunization.
As it has been estimated by The Daily Telegraph, NHS spends about 4 million pounds on homeopathy every year. The treatment is based on the theory that the patient can be healed by the action of diluted substances that cause symptoms similar to the symptoms of the disease. It is believed that in this way one can trigger the natural mechanisms that help the body to cure itself.
In the article, published in The Biologist journal, Edzard Ernst said that the widely spread belief in homeopathy was “contrary to the laws of physics, chemistry, and pharmacology.” Homeopathy is used as an alternative to more effective measures. For example, today it is a major cause of reduction in the rate of vaccination. The scientist adds that the strategy of using homeopathy as a placebo can work only if the doctors conceal the truth from their patients.
Dr. Mark Downs, an executive director of the Society of Biology, agrees with Ernst. According to him, the UK spends billions of pounds a year to ensure the safety and efficacy of existing drugs. But at the same time, as opposed to homeopathy, they are subject to strict standards. NHS supports this alternative treatment area, which is not regulated. The myth about the exceptional effectiveness of homeopathy can cause miscomprehension among the patients.
