Homoeopathy hubbub
Homoeopathy has hit the headlines again. Last week The Lancet published a study indicating that homoeopathic remedies have no significant benefit over placebo (see p274). In a leading article The Lancet also strongly criticised the practice of homoeopathy.
Journalists, like scientists, should have open minds, and The Journal is not yet prepared to take The Lancet’s road. There may be no
convincing proof that homoeopathy works but equally there is no convincing
proof that it does not work. It may be contrary to conventional scientific
wisdom to increase the potency of a solution by diluting it until it
contains not a single molecule of the original ingredient, but many scientific
principles that are now generally accepted were pooh-poohed when they
were first proposed — relativity and plate tectonics are just two
that come to mind.
We should not dismiss homoeopathy out of hand just because science still
cannot explain it after 250 years. After all, it is only in recent years
that we have even begun to understand the pharmacology of the salicylates
even though, in the form of willow bark, they have been used for some
2,500 years for their antipyretic and anti-inflammatory effects.
Even if we believe that homoeopathy is quackery we need to remember that
many people are convinced of its power to heal. That power may derive
from the placebo effect, but what is wrong with that? Physicians have
always prescribed placebos, often with great success. Indeed, another
news item this week reports on the value of a placebo in pain relief
(p274).
Because they are so dilute, homoeopathic remedies cannot directly harm
patients. What may harm them is a failure to turn to more effective conventional
treatments for serious conditions. As this week’s News feature
(p277) illustrates, opponents of homoeopathy can hold strong views. The
real danger for patients who believe in homoeopathy is that such antipathy
may turn them away from conventional medicine when they need it. Conventional
medicine and homoeopathy need to work together, each suspending any negative
attitudes towards the other.
Back to Top |
Census queries
Pharmacists resident in Britain should by now have received a pharmacy
workforce census form from the Royal Pharmaceutical Society. Because
the findings of
the census will be used to help the future development of the profession, the
Society is keen to achieve a high response rate. Pharmacists who for any reason
are hesitant to complete and return the form should turn to p294,
where answers are given to some queries raised about the census and how its
results will
be used.
Back to Top
|
The
Pharmaceutical Journal