Homoeopathy: National Health and Medical Research Council says Australians ‘wasting money’ with the alternative therapy

Australians have been told they are wasting their money on homoeopathy, with the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) reporting there is no reliable evidence homeopathic remedies are effective in treating health conditions.

The finding, which has been documented in a draft information paper, has been welcomed by some in the medical research community, who argue patients should not pay money for unproven folk remedies.

Doctor Nick Zeps, who was part of the working group that developed the paper, says the evidence that was gathered in the review would suggest that there is no reliable evidence in many instances that homoeopathy has an effect that is different from a placebo.

If it’s no better than a placebo, then objectively you could say that they [patients] were wasting their money, he said.

The finding has been supported by Emeritus Professor of medicine at the University of New South Wales, John Dwyer.

I think there’s no question … that people are relatively easily hoodwinked into thinking that these preparations might be effective, he said — via redwolf.newsvine.com