Jeremy Hunt, new Health Secretary, supports homeopathy

johntheexpat

All you have to do is convince the mind.
Homeopathy.

karkus30

We are going around in circles. It isn't the doctor/therapist that heals someone else's mind. This is one of the reasons I got out of the therapy business. Someone has to want to give up the symptoms and I can tell you from experience that you cannot make adults do that. They have to want to do so and the way to ensure they really want to do is easily done by payment.

There is no real cost in quackery and voodoo. Beyond some time and a few props it isn't 'real' medicine at all. If a GP wants to try quackery then he can do so. Just have lots of jars of coloured liquids, some crystals and fairy lights. Utilise some hypnotic language- a good idea would be to train GPs in trance induction and clean language techniques. There is no need to go buy some expensive quack medicine or utilise quack therapy and bung it on the overloaded tax payer.

johntheexpat

Is homeopathy expensive?  The only time I've seen it for sale in Boots and a couple of pharmacies over here, its a couple of quid for the tube of nothing.  And that is probably less than the cost of equally useless antibiotics for viral infections.

Personally, I think GPs should be allowed to prescribe placebos to patients, but that has been deemed unethical.  Your doctor isn't allowed to lie to you.  But homeopathy fits the gap between dangerously useless therapy and useless therapy.

And it can get round the pressure that many doctors get from patients to prescribe something.

Patients should not be given antibiotics for coughs and colds due to rise in superbugs: experts - Telegraph

Doctors have complained they feel under pressure to prescribe medicines to patients even when in circumstances where the drugs will not work

The patients who don't understand the dangers of over-prescribing antibiotics really aren't going to be persuaded by an educational leaflet telling them they are wrong.  Homeopathy is the perfect response.  The doctor can they say, with his/her hand on their heart that "some studies have shown......"  with the caveat if they want that they "don't believe the studies, but who knows?"

johntheexpat

I think you will find there was a whole section on psycho-active drugs that had no beneficial effect but one of the bad side effects was a noticeably elevated rate of suicide.  And that is a pretty bad side effect.

johntheexpat

from: GlaxoSmithKline - SourceWatch

johntheexpat

GlaxoSmithKline's $3 Billion Hit: Deterrent or Business Expense? - Forbes

paxil is noted for its elevated suicide rates (and its part in the $3Bn dollar fine)

damo_in_sale

4=1   3

Also:

4)=1) 3)  

karkus30

Once you legitimise anything and get the tax payer to fund yes it gets expensive. Easier to let patients discover the therapies for themselves and commit to them by payment.

simonblue

I thought just having a nice cup of tea cured everything

pragmatic

If you want a Homeopathicly effective one, don't leave the bag in for long.