European Coalition on
Homeopathic & Anthroposophic
Medicinal Products
World Health Organisation - new report on traditional and complementary medicine
The use of traditional and complementary medicine has grown around the world over the past twenty years and 88% of all World Health Organisation Member States acknowledge its use. Homeopathy is now used in 100 countries worldwide.
A new report from World Health Organisation, the ‘Global Report on Traditional and Complementary Medicine 2019’, charts the growth of traditional and complementary medicine (T&CM) over the past twenty years, with an up-to-date and comprehensive review of policy, regulation, products, practices and practitioners of traditional and complementary medicine (T&CM) across six WHO regions and 179 Member States.
88% of all WHO Member States acknowledge the use of T&CM and the number officially engaging with this type of medicine is increasing, as they look to harness its potential contribution to health and well-being. 50% of countries have a national policy on T&CM, up from only 13% in 1999, with 55% of all Member States having a national office for T&CM and nearly 40% a national research institute. Notably, the European region lags behind other continents with only 11 countries having developed a national policy for T&CM.
Homeopathy is used in 100 countries around the world, making it the third most popular specific complementary medicine after acupuncture and herbal medicine.
In his foreword to the report, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the WHO, argues that T&CM is an often underestimated health resource with many applications, especially in the prevention and management of lifestyle-related chronic diseases, and in meeting the health needs of ageing populations at a time when consumer expectations for care are rising, costs are soaring, and most budgets are either stagnant or being reduced. He concludes that countries aiming to integrate the best of T&CM and conventional medicine would do well to look not only at the many differences between the two systems, but also at areas where both converge to help tackle the unique health challenges of the 21st century. The report recommends that traditional medicine become an option offered by a well-functioning, people-centred health system that balances curative services with preventive care.