I don't know how, but homeopathy really
does work
More
of a mystery is why scientists continue to debunk it despite mounting evidence
that homeopathy is effective
I was
a dedicated scientist about to begin a PhD in neuroscience when, out of the
blue, homeopathy bit me on the proverbial bottom.
Science
had been my passion since I began studying biology with Mr Hopkinson at the age
of 11, and by the age of 21, when I attended the dinner party that altered the
course of my life, I had still barely heard of it. The idea that I would one
day become a homeopath would have seemed ludicrous.
That
turning point is etched in my mind. A woman I'd known my entire life told me
that a homeopath had successfully treated her when many months of conventional
treatment had failed. As a sceptic, I scoffed, but was nonetheless a little
intrigued.
She
confessed that despite thinking homeopathy was a load of rubbish, she'd finally
agreed to an appointment, to stop her daughter nagging. But she was genuinely
shocked to find that, after one little pill, within days she felt significantly
better. A second tablet, she said, "saw it off completely".
I
admit I ruined that dinner party. I interrogated her about every detail of her
diagnosis, previous treatment, time scales, the lot. I thought it through
logically – she was intelligent, she wasn't lying, she had no previous
inclination towards alternative medicine, and her reluctance would have
diminished any placebo effect.
Scientists
are supposed to make unprejudiced observations, then draw conclusions. As I
thought about this, I was left with the highly uncomfortable conclusion that
homeopathy appeared to have worked. I had to find out more.
So, I
started reading about homeopathy, and what I discovered shifted my world for
ever. I became convinced enough to hand my coveted PhD studentship over to my
best friend and sign on for a three-year, full-time homeopathy training course.
Now,
as an experienced homeopath, it is "science" that is biting me on the
bottom. I know homeopathy works, not only because I've seen it with my own eyes
countless times, but because scientific research confirms it. And yet I keep
reading reports in the media saying that homeopathy doesn't work and that this
scientific evidence doesn't exist.
The
facts, it seems, are being ignored. By the end of 2009, 142randomised control
trials (the gold standard in medical research) comparing homeopathy with
placebo or conventional treatment had been published in peer-reviewed journals
– 74 were able to draw firm conclusions: 63 were positive for homeopathy and 11
were negative. Five major systematic reviews have also been carried out to
analyse the balance of evidence from RCTs of homeopathy – four were positive
(Kleijnen, J, et al; Linde, K, et al; Linde, K, et al; Cucherat, M, et al) and
one was negative (Shang, A et al). It's usual to get mixed results when you
look at a wide range of research results on one subject, and if these results
were from trials measuring the efficacy of "normal" conventional
drugs, ratios of 63:11 and 4:1 in favour of a treatment working would be
considered pretty persuasive.
Of
course, the question of how homeopathy works is another matter. And that is
where homeopathy courts controversy. It is indeed puzzling that ultra-high
dilutions of substances, with few or no measurable molecules of the original
substance left in them, should exert biological effects, but exert biological
effects they do.
There
are experiments showing that homeopathic thyroxine can alter the rate of
metamorphosis of tadpoles into frogs, that homeopathic histamine can alter the
activity of white blood cells, and that under the right conditions, homeopathic
sodium chloride can be made to release light in the same way as normal sodium
chloride. The idea that such highly-diluted preparations are not only still
active, but retain characteristics of the original substances, may seem
impossible, but these kinds of results show it's a demonstrable fact.
Surely
science should come into its own here – solving the riddles of the world around
us, pushing the frontiers of knowledge. At least, that is the science I fell in
love with. More of a puzzle to me now is the blinkered approach of those who
continue, despite increasing evidence, to deny what is in front of them.
In
the last few years, there has been much propaganda and misinformation
circulated, much of it heralding the death of homeopathy, yet the evidence
shows that interest in complementary and alternative medicine is growing.
In
February, the "sceptics" campaign had a breakthrough – a report from
the House of Commons Science and Technology Committeerecommended no further NHS
funding for homeopathy, despite a deeply flawed hearing.
The
Society of Homeopaths – the largest body representing professional homeopaths –
was refused permission to give oral evidence. Also notable by their absence
from the panel were primary care trusts who currently commission homeopathy and
representatives of patients who use homeopathy. Yet oral evidence was heard
from a journalist previously investigated by the Press Complaints Commission
for unsubstantiated criticism of homeopaths, and a spokesperson for a charity
that has long publicly opposed homeopathy. It is significant that one of the
four MPs asked to vote on the report abstained due to concerns about the lack
of balance in the evidence heard.
Homeopathy
is well-established in the UK, having been available through the NHS since its
inception in 1948. More than 400 GPs use homeopathy in their everyday practice
and the Society of Homeopaths has 1,500 registered members, from a variety of
previous professions including pharmacists, journalists, solicitors and nurses.
And
yet the portrayal of homeopathy as charlatanism and witchcraft continues. There
is growing evidence that homeopathy works, that it is cost-effective and that
patients want it. As drugs bills spiral, and evidence emerges that certain
drugs routinely prescribed on the NHS areno better than placebos, maybe it's
time for "sceptics" to stop the witch hunt and look at putting their
own house in order.
It's
all a far cry from the schoolgirl biologist who envisioned spending her life in
a laboratory playing with bacteria.
Thanks to http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/jul/15/homeopathy-works-scientific-evidence
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