Feature Article Diluted medicine: the tension between biomedicine and homeopathy Aleksandra Trajkovska BMedSci (Hons); BNurs, RN Australian National Universtiy
AM S J
Aleksandra holds a Bachelor of Medical Science, with First Class Honours, degree as well as a Bachelor of Nursing. She is currently studying Doctor of Medicine and Surgery (MChD) at the Australian National University whilst working as a registered nurse and has an interest in emergency medicine. With her nursing and medical science background, she hopes to become a holistic future doctor.
Abstract: With a concerning number of individuals with serious health conditions favouring homeopathic medicines over conventional treatment, Australia’s National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) recently declared that homeopathy was not efficacious for treating any health condition. Given homeopathy has existed and been used since the 18th century as an alternative medical approach to treatment, the declaration naturally sparked tension with leading homeopathic authoritative bodies and practicing homeopaths. To help alleviate this tension, the purpose of this article was to review the laws and regulations underpinning homeopathy and its preparations in Australia, and to critically appraise the opinions of major organisations for and against the use of homeopathic medicines in treating serious health conditions. It also aimed to provide a brief overview of how clinicians can address the issue of using homeopathic remedies as an alternative to mainstream medicine with patients. Despite the defensive position of two leading homeopathic authoritative bodies, the Australian Homeopathy Association and Complementary Medicines Australia, against the NHMRC declaration; there is strong evidence to suggest the need for stricter industry regulations of homeopathic practice and preparations in Australia so as to maximise the health and safety of consumers. There is also strong scientific evidence to suggest that homeopathic remedies are unlikely to have clinical effects beyond placebo. Given this, it is now up to clinicians to educate their patients and provide them with all the relevant information to not only maximise their health outcomes but also facilitate wellinformed decision making when it comes to homeopathy.
Introduction Homeopathy, a branch of complementary and alternative medicine founded in the 18th century, is commonly being used in Australia and worldwide on a regular basis as a form of treatment for a number of health conditions. It is based on two principles: 1) minute doses of substances that mimic illness or symptoms in healthy individuals can be used to treat the same illnesses or symptoms in those who are unwell; and 2) highly diluted preparations retain “memory” of original substances. In March 2015, the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC), Australia’s peak medical research organisation, declared that homeopathy was not efficacious for treating any health condition [1], sparking tension with practicing homeopaths. The investigation was prompted after a concerning number of individuals with serious health conditions put their health at risk or delayed evidence-based treatment by favouring homeopathic medicines [2]. To arrive at this conclusion, the NHMRC undertook a systematic review, overseen by their Homeopathy Working Committee (HWC) in which only controlled studies were considered i.e. those that compared a group of people who received homeopathic treatment with a similar group of people who did not receive homeopathic treatment [2]. Following this major systematic review, the latest NHMRC Strategic Plan 2013-15 has responded by broadening its aim to facilitate informed decisionmaking by Australians regarding their healthcare and the use of nonevidence based treatment [3]. Since the declaration by the NHMRC has sparked tension with leading homeopathic authoritative bodies,
this article aims to review the laws and regulations underpinning homeopathy and its preparations in Australia. It also aims to critically appraise the opinions of major organisations for and against the use of homeopathic medicines for treating serious health conditions through evidence and case studies. Lastly, a brief overview of how clinicians can address the issue of using homeopathic remedies as an alternative to mainstream medicine with patients will be provided.
Basic principles of homeopathy Homeopathy, first articulated by a German physician in the 18th century, Dr Samuel Hahnemann (1755-1843), refers to a unique scientific system of medicine based on the principle of similarity (“like cures like”) [4,5]. Hahnemann describes this principle as a reactive process whereby giving minute doses of a substance thought capable of inducing a series of symptoms in healthy individuals can be used to cure the same symptoms in those suffering (“similia similibus curantur”) [4,5]. Derived from the Greek words hόmoios meaning similar and pathos meaning suffering, disease; the aim of this “simile-based” therapy is to restore health using a “holistic” approach by individually tailoring homeopathic remedies to enhance the individual’s natural healing processes and strengthen their body’s ability to fight against susceptibility of disease [6,7]. The phenomenon underpinning homeopathy as described by Hahnemann was that for homeopathic substances, the higher the dilution, the higher the potency [8]. In Britain, for example, two common preparations are sold over-the-counter: 6C and 30C dilutions. The 30C dilutions are significantly more dilute than the 6C (1 in 10030 vs. 1 in 1006 respectively), with the former considered to be more potent [4]. To explain this phenomenon, Hahnemann described that when the preparation is vigorously shaken between each dilution, the energy or essence of a substance is transferred to a solvent, a process called “potentiation” and “succession”, whereby a “memory” of the initial substance is retained in the solution [2,5]. This process is how the purported therapeutic effect is achieved [8]. The most common dilution factor is 1060, which can vary depending on the constituents and strengths [5]. Homeopathy is thus a form of therapy based on similarity and dilutions that considers the person as a whole so as to enhance the body’s natural healing processes against various health
Australian Medical Student Journal
63