Honestly, with the amount of 'sickies' in this country, why are we not supporting this lady - if she feels this is keeping her well & active what harm can it do to let ehr ahve the treatment, after all at her age she's contributed a lot in taxes over the years! I hope the people who make these decisions can sleep at night!

No tax payers money should be spent on homeopathy. There have been many studies that have been unable to prove any benefit at all. Its all hocus pocus and about as scientific as sticking pins in dolls.

I doubt that any animal studies prove a benefit. Probably any animals that did appear to benefit were either mis-diagnosed or just recovered by natural means.

Homeopathy is as scientific as standard medicine, sometimes more so. The following link, to a YouTube presentation by a genuine scientific researcher, gives an overview of current Homeopathy research:

http://youtube.com/w
atch?v=wYO6nNQGe1M

A full list of scientific papers supporting the research
can be found at:

http://nationalcente
rforhomeopathy.org/a
rticles/view,173

Materials scientists such as Dr. Rustum Roy and Dr. Louis Rey are actively researching high dilution effects and England's M. Ennis has done experiments in the past, confirmed by European labs, showing biological activity of substances diluted past the Avogadro limit and published in the journal Inflammation Research. Last but not least, there are those who are laughing their socks off at some of the attacks against Homeopathy:

http://laughingmysoc
ksoff.wordpress.com/


Homeopathy does work and is probably the most cost effective therapy, compared to the incredible waste and side effects of modern pharmaceuticals and their focus on suppression of symptoms rather than targeted curative effects typical of Homeopathy.

For goodness sakes the lady is 90yrs old & if she finds this therapy works for her & I personally do believe her what harm is it doing. Like it sais the money spent on her treatment is covered by what she would have in medication. For goodness sake leave her alone at 90 she deserves to be pampered. You say your money paid into NHS sorry but she's paid a lot more than you so let her be. Thankyou

I don't know anything about Homeopathy, but this Dr also deals with Chinese medicine, and i can say that this works!
My daughter (then aged 11) had separation anxiety disorder, 14 "therapy" sessions on the NHS..and nothing but a waste of time and money! 2 sessions of acupressure..and a few horrible drinks from the chinese Dr and it went..just like that!
Acupuncture is great with nerve related stuff..anxiety, pain etc..but i would advise that you go to someone who's been recommended!

A full list of scientific papers...

None of those are scientific papers. They are simply reports from vested parties.

Show me a peer reviewed paper providing independently experimental proof, published in a proper scientific publication. If there were any proof that homeopathic remedies worked then there would be huge numbers of these. But I don't think you will find a single one.

Homeopathy always seems to treat a certain category of disease. Ones that have a high degree of variation in symptoms over time (eg long term chronic conditions) or subjective interpretation. Such as allergies that vary naturally anyway. Or psychological conditions. I bet no homeopathic practitioner would rely solely on homeopathy if diagnosed with a properly nasty infectious disease or malignant tumor.

Where's the harm in it? Well I think there is a lot of harm in having an industry that purports to be able to cure medical conditions when there is no evidence that they can. Its all based on superstition and dogma and no time or money should be wasted on it. Yet we allow this industry to make billions and swan along behind the proper work of the scientific medical community.

As I said in my first post, PokesdownMark, even if this treatment is in the mind, then what harm is it doing, it makes her feel well & active & with so many people in this country being 'sickies' using the NHS system & benefits system, then let her have the treatment - good luck to her!

If a placebo works, it works!
If sticking pins in dolls works, it works!
End of story!

I'm having a heart attack quick someone call me a homeopath I need some nettles and tree bark!

I'm guessing you won't hear that.

My understanding is that this sort of "medicine" has never been proven and my best guess is that any benefits are the placebo effect.

No mention is made to cost but if it's not stupid money then I also agree "where's the harm".

Theres an easy solution to all this.
1. visit local corner shop.
2. buy some 'tic-tacs', Skittles or other little sugar-based sweets
3. call them 'homeopathic remedy for arthritis and take them in accordance with previous 'homeopathic prescription' recommendation.
4. All's well. Theres NO active ingredient in homeopathic medicine (thats why they are 'safe for anyone to take'), so a sweetie will mimic exactly the sugar pill this lady has been taking.

PokesdownMark wrote:
No tax payers money should be spent on homeopathy. There have been many studies that have been unable to prove any benefit at all. Its all hocus pocus and about as scientific as sticking pins in dolls. I doubt that any animal studies prove a benefit. Probably any animals that did appear to benefit were either mis-diagnosed or just recovered by natural means.

If you ask a scientist he will tell you that the whole of scientific study is based on human consciousness. He will also tell you that science cannot prove that human consciousness exists.

For people who are stlll thinking this is harmless.... the comment under this article....

http://www.quackomet
er.net/blog/2008/08/
desperate-remedies.h
tml

.... about NHS homeopathy spending being equivalent to 90 MRI body scanners is worth thinking about.
Someone in my family came VERY close to being inoperable for cancer due to the tumor growing too large. They only survived because a cancellation meant they got scanned several weeks sooner and the required treatment was quickly carried out. More body scanners would save many, many lives. Wheres the harm?? There's the harm!

Luckily homeopathy is being purged from the NHS. The sooner the better.

A few years ago I had a degenerative disc disorder that meant I was on anti-inflammatory drugs and Morphine. I tried a chiropractor, which cost me several hundred pounds and made very little difference then a homeopathic ‘doctor’ who left me barely able to walk when he advised me to take tablets, which he put in a machine to ‘activate’ and to not take any of the prescription drugs or go for further physio or chiropractic treatment. I ended up requiring major spinal surgery and several hundred pounds out of pocket.

Ok, Prince Charles uses homeopathy, but he also thought Camilla was worth dumping Diana for! Not best know for his common sense, so on this basis alone I’d say don’t get taken in by these quacks and certainly don’t see them as harmless!

If the placebo effect works then let GP’s prescribe some dummy pills and call them homeopathic. Perhaps GP’s could save the NHS a fortune by handing out these alleged homeopathic pills as a first resort cure all. Darn site cheaper than all the overprice pharmaceuticals constantly prescribed and not always taken!

PokesdownMark wrote:
No tax payers money should be spent on homeopathy. There have been many studies that have been unable to prove any benefit at all. Its all hocus pocus and about as scientific as sticking pins in dolls. I doubt that any animal studies prove a benefit. Probably any animals that did appear to benefit were either mis-diagnosed or just recovered by natural means.

Ok then in that case I object to MY Tax payers money being spent on helping drug addicts, obese people , smokers, alcoholics need I go on?

Ok then in that case I object to MY Tax payers money being spent on helping drug addicts, obese people , smokers, alcoholics need I go on?

No hoppity, I'm with you on there. Though helping smokers quit is significant long term save. And smokers are quick to point out the tax they pay.

I would urge any supporters of homeopathy to really look into it. It does appear harmless. But when you learn about the (sometimes used sometimes not used) ritualistic behaviour, the banging of the bottles into a leather bibles and similar hocus pocus. Well it all sounds very dubious. Its also interesting that companies like Boots have their own range of homeopathic medicine. Though I guess they are all just sugar pills essentially with a several thousand percent profit margin! There is a lot of very lucrative business interest supporting homeopathy.

So if homeopathy is based on the principle that there is an effect from eg, a pathogen, that can be used to benefit someone and reduce or reverse the symptoms of that pathogen when it is diluted to the point of there being actual molecules of it left in the 'solution', then every drop of water from the sea, from rivers, from rain is part of the whole body of water that we have on the planet, into which every substance has at some time been introduced.
Therefore, any extra treatment of waters by a homeopathist is unnecessary as whatever ails the patient has already been dissolved into any water that comes out of the tap..
The fact is that homeopathy was a medicinal practise invented hundreds of years ago, based upon a thoroughly unsound understanding of chemistry and medicine, and despite all the subsequent advances in epidemiology, histology, and the like, it held it's own in the margins of society due to it's aesthetically attractive holistic principle.

More here, is the issue of someone who is probably at the end of her life being granted the dignity and respect from everyone else making these decisions, who are all certainly significantly younger than she.
If she believes that this is what is keeping her well, then it is.. Whatever you are doing at 90 years old is right, and whether this is a placebo effect of the treatment, or the kindness and attention that she receives by the practitioners every week, we can all but hope to get to her age and maintain our dignity, and I wish her all the very best.

I see a number of responses from people obviously unaware of the power of Homeopathy even in the midst of the deadliest of Cholera outbreaks. The shocking story of its success, and of the suppression of the statistics regarding that success will be found at THIS link:
http://laughingmysoc
ksoff.wordpress.com/

about half way down where it begins "Sock Horror in Homeopathic Cholera statistics.

Since the epidemic occured in England, the astonshing success of the Homeopathic remedies with "nothing" in them, stands in dramatic consequence to the death rate in the cholera epidemic if one just did nothing, or, worse, subjected onself to the medical treatments of that era.

Think wisely before trying to cancel funding for something which could prove of GREAT value in the future, perhaps even saving YOUR life!!!

Debbie,
A little bit of respect for our future king please!
If Chuck reckons that homeopathy is the way to go then so be it!
On a more serious note.
There have been a lot of good points both pro and con raised on the subject but the original story was about a 90 year old lady who deserves to live out her remaining years as she sees fit!
This beaurocrat wants to send an old lady to a waitng list at a hospital!
At present she just needs to be left alone!

Clearly at the centre of this case are: wellness, personalized care, patient choice and active contribution to society. These are the very aims of all current national and regional health policy. So I do think it is a little sad that this lady's treartment of choice is not to be funded and I hope that the PCT will reconsider. Homeopathy has an absolutely excellent track record in helping especially the chronically sick, with the potential therefore to save the NHS huge amounts of money, as well as ofering greatly improved quality of life for patients.
The literature on homeopathy is vast and a glance will show that it is evidence-based both in principle and practice. RCTs, as currently designed, do not always reflect the success of homeopathy since the medicines are individually selected for each patient. However, there is a wealth of excellent current research available and ongoing.
Moreover, homeopathy services nowadays, especially those working within or alongside the NHS, are rigourously and independently clinically evaluated (eg usng MYMOPS / SF-
36) and impressive results are demonstrated. May I suggest a look at the work of the IMPACT team, a Nottingham-based healthcare initiative in which
homeopathy and other
holistic practices have worked in a deprived community with very chronically sick patients, producing outstanding results. There are many such projects across the country.
Homeopaths are highly trained health professionals who have completed a minimum of 4 years training. To qualify as a registered homeopath, a portfolio of successful casework must be presented. The Society of Homeopaths also sets high standards for continuing professional development, as well as enforcing a strict code of ethics and practice.
Homeopathy has a long and homourable history. According to the World Health Organization, it is the second most commonly used system of medicine worldwide. It is the one 'alernative' medicine which has been available in the NHS since its inception. It is the choice of many, many patients across the UK and therefore should continue to be available to those who depend upon the NHS, not just for those who can afford private treatment. For anyone who may be interested in the aspects of science which are beginning to explain the physics of water structure and micro-doses, Dr Rustum Roy's papers are of great interest. A comment above has dismissed this work and on this point, I have to say, I have never known Dr Roy's credentials ever to be questioned. I believe his reputation is absolutely respected worldwide by scientists of all persuasions, even though his investigations, like homeopathy, present a challenge to modern science. The splitting of the atom, I believe, in its time, produced just as much disbelief!
One thing that we can say for certain about the future is that scientiic discovery will advance way beyond its present limits, just as it has always done. To say we should not use medicines because we have no exact explanation of how they work is not sensible when the results speak so eloquently for themselves.