Prince ignores scientists' attack on homoeopathy

[OpenMind]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jh ... w_24052006





Prince ignores scientists' attack on homoeopathy

By Caroline Davies and Celia Hall

(Filed: 24/05/2006)

A defiant Prince of Wales promoted the use of complementary medicine yesterday, as a group of British scientists launched a campaign urging the National Health Service to reject alternative unproven treatments such as homoeopathy in favour of "those based on solid evidence".

In a letter to all NHS trusts the 13 signatories, led by Michael Baum, an emeritus professor of surgery at University College London, describe homoeopathy as "an implausible treatment" and call for the rejection of funding for all "unproven or disproved treatments" with the money going to treatments proven to be effective.

The timing of the letter, made public just as Prince Charles was about to address the annual World Health Assembly in Geneva, suggests there is unease among some senior medical establishment figures over the prince's message.

Other signatories included Sir James Black, the Nobel Prize winner, and Sir Keith Peters, the president of the Academy of Medical Science.

Supporters of complementary therapies called the campaign a "medical apartheid" but the prince made no mention of the controversy as he addressed hundreds of delegates in Geneva.

Instead he urged them to promote an "integrated and holistic" approach to modern medicine, that included factors such as housing, the environment and agriculture.

"I believe that the proper mix of proven complementary, traditional and modern remedies, which emphasise the active participation of the patient, can help create a powerful healing force in our world," he said.

While he praised the "extraordinary success" of modern medicine, orthodox practice could learn from complementary medicine. "The West can learn from the East and new from old traditions", he said.

Of acupuncture, he said, there was "robust evidence" it worked for osteoarthritis of the knee, and alleviated the nausea and vomiting for those taking anti-cancer drugs. St John's wort had been shown in "about 30 clinical trials" to help to treat non-severe depression.

One project supported by his Foundation for Integrated Health, which he founded 11 years ago, had shown in one deprived inner-city area "how an integrated approach, involving acupuncture and other complementary treatments, appears to have been particularly helpful for patients with mental health problems," he said.

Other projects showing success included "the Beacon project" in Falmouth, Cornwall.

Prof Baum told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "I'm all in favour of treatments that make people better but there is the issue of evidence. How do we know that what we are witnessing is a real effect or a placebo? If the placebo is non-toxic and cheap it doesn't matter.

"My concern is the issue of opportunity cost. If the NHS is spending good money on placebos at the cost of not providing effective medicines, then it does matter.

"The UCL Hospital Trust has spent £20 million on refurbishing the Royal Homoeopathic Hospital. If that sum of money was spent on making available Herceptin and aromatase inhibitors, then it could be saving in my own health district 600 lives a year".

However, practitioners of homoeopathy staunchly defended the therapy yesterday. The British Homeopathic Association and Faculty of Homeopathy pointed out that homoeopathy had been part of the NHS since 1948.

"We will fight for patients' right to choice in the NHS. Conventional medicine doesn't have all the answers," said Sally Penrose, the association's chief executive.

She said a study of 6,500 patients treated at Bristol Homeopathic Hospital showed that 70 per cent reported an improvement to their health following treatment.

A range of chronic diseases were treated including eczema, asthma, migraine, irritable bowel syndrome, menopause, arthritis, depression and chronic fatigue syndrome.

© Copyright of Telegraph Group Limited 2006.