World Homeopathy Day: Features, applications and criticism
Kyiv • UNN
April 10 - World Homeopathy Day. The doctor spoke about the features of homeopathy, its popularity, the principle of action and the placebo effect, as well as criticism of this method of treatment.
April 10 is World Homeopathy Day - an alternative direction in medicine that appeared in Europe at the end of the 18th century. Despite the controversy of this phenomenon, homeopathy is a fairly popular method of treatment. Candidate of Medical Sciences Valentyna Kornyeva told a journalist of UNN about the features of homeopathy and whether it can really help a person.
Details
Homeopathy is actively used, in particular, for the treatment of children. It is very popular for the treatment of ARVI, bronchitis, migraine, depression and a number of other diseases
She also explained that the main principle of using homeopathy is the treatment of the disease with extremely small doses of a substance that provokes symptoms identical to the symptoms of the same disease.
"In other words, "like cures like", as they say in the people", - explained Kornyeva.
The doctor noted that homeopathic medicines are made from natural components of plant, animal or mineral origin by their sequential dilution and dynamization.
She also warned that in the case of using homeopathy, the most important thing to remember is that this approach does not give an immediate effect. It can only help with systematic use.
When it comes to treatment with homeopathy, it is worth remembering that there may be a placebo effect, when a person simply believes that the drug they have taken works, although its real effect is rather neutral
Accessibility of homeopathy
One of the reasons for the popularity of homeopathic medicines is their availability, in particular due to less scrupulous state regulation.
"State regulation for homeopathy is not so strict. In addition, you can get the necessary drug very quickly and without a prescription," - explained the doctor.
Kornyeva also mentioned that the spread of homeopathy is influenced by the so-called "Bolar rule", which gives legal opportunity to manufacturers of analogues of original medicines to conduct research on medicinal properties and submit applications for registration of medicines. This principle allowed manufacturers of homeopathic medicines to establish their activities on an industrial scale.
According to Kornyeva, as of today, the spread of homeopathy in Ukraine is influenced by difficulties with the import of traditional medicines into the country. Moreover, these difficulties may become even greater, given the new customs policy pursued by the United States, which also affected the medical field.
"In the next two years, there will be many homeopathic medicines, because the supply of normal medicines will be difficult in the near future," - the doctor summed up.
Criticism of homeopathy
Homeopathy is currently not publicly available in all regions of Great Britain. In 2017, the National Health Service in Great Britain recommended that general practitioners and other doctors stop prescribing and dispensing homeopathic remedies due to the lack of "clear or strong evidence in favor of the use of homeopathy."
Also, the National Council for Health and Medical Research of Australia published a large-scale review in 2015 dedicated to studying the effectiveness of homeopathy. After evaluating more than 1,800 studies on homeopathy, the National Council for Health and Medical Research of Australia was able to find only 225 that met the analysis criteria. The analysis ultimately included 40 systematic reviews and meta-analyses on the use of the homeopathic method in a wide variety of conditions. It is noted that a systematic review of these studies found "no qualitative evidence to support the effectiveness of homeopathy in the treatment of health conditions indicated in the studies."
In addition, the Food and Drug Administration USA warned consumers to be more careful about products labeled as homeopathic. For example, in 2017, a warning was published that some homeopathic teething tablets have an excessive amount of toxic substance. In 2015, a call was also published not to rely on over-the-counter asthma medications that are labeled as homeopathic, as the FDA does not evaluate their safety and effectiveness.
Recommendations
WHO , in turn, recommends that patients before taking any drugs of "unproven" medicine find answers to the following questions:
- Is a certain type of alternative or folk therapy suitable in a particular case (for the treatment of a specific disease)?
- Can this type of therapy alleviate symptoms, improve the condition and / or promote the patient's recovery?
- Are certain medicines provided by a qualified doctor or practitioner with a sufficient level of medical training, skills and knowledge, who is licensed to carry out such activities and is a certified specialist?
- Is the quality and safety of certain herbal medicines or other preparations guaranteed and what are the contraindications to the use of these products?
- Are certain services provided or are certain medicines sold at an affordable price?
Supplement
ATTENTION! This material is for informational purposes only. If you are concerned about health problems, consult your doctor.
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