Following the debate: homeopathy and anthroposophic medicine in the news

This is the second in our regular round-ups of recent news items on homeopathy and anthroposophic medicine. We provide links and background to some of the recent news stories of relevance to the public debate about our sector.

• A special issue of Bioethics magazine, ‘Complementary and Alternative Medicine: Ethical and Policy Issues,’ was published in February, edited by Kevin Smith, David Colquhoun, Edzard Ernst and Wallace Sampson. Two articles in particular relate to our sector, ‘Alternative Medicine and the Ethics of Commerce’ and ‘Moral Legitimacy: The Struggle of Homeopathy in the NHS.’ These set the debate in a different academic field, with articles by authors with a business or management rather than a health background.
• In February, Paul Glasziou, chair of the working party for Australia’s National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) report on homeopathy, wrote a blog in the British Medical Journal, ‘Still no evidence for homeopathy’; it referred to the findings of the report, which was published in 2015, but newspapers in a number of countries reported on the story as though about a new study; Homeopathy Research Institute (HRI) assesses the Australian review, explaining how NHMRC’s methodological approach distorted the findings of its study.
• In March, the University of Barcelona’s decision to cancel its Masters course on homeopathic medicine was widely reported in the Spanish national media, in the newspapers, on TV and on radio (selected examples only); the Homeopathic Medical Academy of Barcelona is challenging this decision; this course provides training in homeopathy for medical doctors and veterinarians and is accredited by European Committee of Homeopathy; it has run successfully for 21 years.
•  ‘The Hippocratic Post,’ a medical blogging website, posted an article in March by Dr Helen Beaumont, President of the UK’s Faculty of Homeopathy. In her article, ‘Don’t hate the homeopaths,’ she argued that, ‘Homeopathy is good for patients and good for the NHS. To deny patients this treatment option makes no clinical or economic sense.’
• An article in the March issue of ‘Homoeopathic Links,’ ‘Medicine, Monopoly, and Moral Panic: 21st Century Attacks on Homeopathy and Counterstrategy’ tracks some of the recent attacks on homeopathy, calling on homeopaths to continue to offer high-quality homeopathy and on the homeopathic community to act globally and locally to counter anti-homeopathic attacks.

• A number of articles in the media in March reported on the Swiss government’s plans to ensure that

  treatment costs for homeopathy and anthroposophic medicine will continue to be reimbursed

  by compulsory health insurance on a par with other medical disciplines.

• A coalition agreement between the Christian Democrats and the Greens (see p88) in May in Baden-Württemberg, one of the ‘motors of Europe,’ makes a commitment to support research into complementary medicine with the aim of ensuring its long-term integration into healthcare; it also commits to setting up a university chair on complementary medicine in the region.
• In May, newspapers reported that HRH Prince Charles spoke at a global summit on antimicrobial resistance, mentioning that he uses homeopathy on the animals at his organic farm.
• An Italian news item in May reported on a 15% growth in the last year of  internet searches for complementary medicine including homeopathy.
• In May, the Italian media reported on new survey data from Omeoimprese which shows that 80% of Italians know of homeopathy and 20% use it at least once a year.