Homeopathic medication was putting peoples’ lives at risk, warned Sir David King, the topmost Government scientist, in a speech to the MPs today. He, in fact, went to the length of saying that the alternative medicine was of little or no medical use.
The Department of Health also came in for criticism from Sir David for supporting the use of this technique. He said,
There is not one jot of evidence supporting the notion that homeopathic medicines are of any assistance whatsoever. Therefore, I would say they are a risk to the population because people may take them expecting they are dealing with a serious problem.
Sir David, who has the backing of Prince Charles and the novelist, Jeanette Winterson, and is the chief scientific adviser to Gordon Brown, also expressed his apprehensions regarding the right of the homeopaths to state labels on the nature of ailments their medicines would treat. Speaking on this issue, Sir David said,
How can you have homeopathic medicines labelled by a department which is driven by science?
Sir David’s comments further questioned the rationale behind the NHS continuing to allow Primary Care Trusts to finance homeopathy. According to Liberal Democrat MP Dr Evan Harris ( member of Innovation, Universities, Skills select committee), homeopathic medication worked only ‘as a placebo at best and when the NHS could not afford effective medicines’, and as such, such treatment could hardly be justified.
Plans to permit manufacturers to make therapeutic claims about their products have also met with opposition from The Royal College of Pathologists, the Medical Research Council and the Royal Society. All funds have also been withdrawn by the Primary Care Trusts in Brent, Kensington, Harrow and Chelsea. Regarding this course of action, a spokeswoman from the Department of Health said,
Each Primary Care Trust prioritizes its own budget, and may in some cases provide funding for homeopathy services for patients in their local area.
The Society of Homeopaths did not have any representative for comment.
Source: dailymail