The US government has just ordered that homeopathic treatments must be labelled to say they don’t work.
The country’s Federal Trade Commission is clamping down on the alternative therapy which, despite being dismissed by mainstream science, remains popular.
It is particularly widespread in the US, with Americans spending an estimated £2.4billion a year on the regularly-debunked method of treatment.
It boasts some high-profile fans both here and in the States – including Prince Charles, who even uses homeopathic ‘remedies’ on his cows when they are feeling stressed.
‘Homeopathy, which dates back to the late-eighteenth century, is based on the view that disease symptoms can be treated by minute doses of substances that produce similar symptoms when provided in larger doses to healthy people,’ a notice filed by the FTC said.
‘Many homeopathic products are diluted to such an extent that they no longer contain detectable levels of the initial substance.
‘In general, homeopathic product claims are not based on modern scientific methods and are not accepted by modern medical experts, but homeopathy nevertheless has many adherents.’
What is homeopathy?
Homeopathy was developed in the 1790s by a German doctor called Samuel Hahnemann.
It’s mainly based on the idea that ‘like cures like’ – which means something that causes certain symptoms can also help to remove those symptoms.
A second principle is around a process called succussion, which involves dilution and shaking. Practitioners think that the more a substance is diluted in this way, the greater its power to treat symptoms.
Many ‘remedies’ are made up of substances that have been so heavily diluted in water, that there is none or almost none of the original substance left.
People use homeopathy to try and treat a wide range of conditions, including chronic problems like asthma and depression. There is, however, no respectable evidence that homeopathy is effective for any health condition.
In addition to stating quite clearly that there’s no evidence it works, labels will also have to say that its claims are ‘based only on theories of homeopathy from the 1700s that are not accepted by most modern medical experts’.
Homeopathy is also not recommended by medical experts in the UK, although there are two hospitals that provide it on the NHS.
A 2010 report from the House of Commons Science and Technology Committee concluded that homeopathic treatments were no better than placebos, and that the principles on which the remedies are based are ‘scientifically implausible’.
The country’s Federal Trade Commission is clamping down on the alternative therapy which, despite being dismissed by mainstream science, remains popular.
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| Homeopathy doesn’t work – and now the label will have to tell you tha |
It is particularly widespread in the US, with Americans spending an estimated £2.4billion a year on the regularly-debunked method of treatment.
It boasts some high-profile fans both here and in the States – including Prince Charles, who even uses homeopathic ‘remedies’ on his cows when they are feeling stressed.
‘Homeopathy, which dates back to the late-eighteenth century, is based on the view that disease symptoms can be treated by minute doses of substances that produce similar symptoms when provided in larger doses to healthy people,’ a notice filed by the FTC said.
‘Many homeopathic products are diluted to such an extent that they no longer contain detectable levels of the initial substance.
‘In general, homeopathic product claims are not based on modern scientific methods and are not accepted by modern medical experts, but homeopathy nevertheless has many adherents.’
What is homeopathy?
Homeopathy was developed in the 1790s by a German doctor called Samuel Hahnemann.
It’s mainly based on the idea that ‘like cures like’ – which means something that causes certain symptoms can also help to remove those symptoms.
A second principle is around a process called succussion, which involves dilution and shaking. Practitioners think that the more a substance is diluted in this way, the greater its power to treat symptoms.
Many ‘remedies’ are made up of substances that have been so heavily diluted in water, that there is none or almost none of the original substance left.
People use homeopathy to try and treat a wide range of conditions, including chronic problems like asthma and depression. There is, however, no respectable evidence that homeopathy is effective for any health condition.
In addition to stating quite clearly that there’s no evidence it works, labels will also have to say that its claims are ‘based only on theories of homeopathy from the 1700s that are not accepted by most modern medical experts’.
Homeopathy is also not recommended by medical experts in the UK, although there are two hospitals that provide it on the NHS.
A 2010 report from the House of Commons Science and Technology Committee concluded that homeopathic treatments were no better than placebos, and that the principles on which the remedies are based are ‘scientifically implausible’.
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