Anyway. A friend of a friend is about to spend money on homeopathy in hoping that homeopaty is gonna cure his (tumpets: Trataaaaaatatataaaaa) Kidney stones.
Fantastic!!!

www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00tvfw1/Magic_or_Medicine_Homeopathy_and_the_NHS/

but it’s certainly worth a look.

So what to do? Do we continue to invest in alternative therapies for those who believe in it, or redirect that cash in to training GPs to become human beings? (I mean “spend longer with patients” of course….) which I suspect might be more costly than keeping the Magic Bean wards open?

Having read the Govt response, it seems they might end up doing the right thing with this, even though they don’t really know why.

Finally, Ben: now you’ve mastered technology, done a podcast and uploaded it sort-of-successfully AND done it without a script, I would like to see another level of complexity introduced – maybe recording while crossing the A4 at Chiswisk (not at the Pelican), or at the same time as using some form of power tool? I don’t want you to get hurt of course; it would just add that extra element of danger I felt the initial offering lacked (unless you see missing your train as “danger” of course….)

This would be inappropriate. Smarties contain several biologically active ingredients, including various Xanthines on top of the sugar. I think it inappropriate to compare Smarties and homeopathic remedies, since Smarties have significant above placebo effects on alertness, and blood lipid levels. However used in moderation Smarties are widely considered safe, although potential exists for psychological dependency.

Smarties are also much cheaper. Perhaps NHS Purchasing should look at sourcing homeopathic “generic equivalents” from Nestle, whilst we can probably source some staff for the NHS homeopathic hospitals from Disney corporation.

The real test will come in 18 months time when PCT’s are no more and all commissioning is done by consortia of GP’s. I can’t see any cash strapped consortia buying expensive sugar pills for their patients. Special commissioning arrangements will be in place for superspecialties, but that is where there will be a real outcry if government top slices money for special cancer drugs and homeopathy. I woulnd’t wish to be working in a homeopathic hospital in 2 years time.

Or just go to Department of Health site and search for Homeopathy.

However I don’t think you really addressed the situation that NHS Homeopathy, like it or not, is a rather good way to harness the placebo effect And it also gives those, who want to take part in magical mystery tours, a safer way of doing that than wandering off to the wilder shores of woo.

There is after all a difference between “not working” and “not working better than placebo” – you’ve told us often enough yourself. Many doctors may dislike the idea of prescribing something they think doesn’t work [btp]; in that case send them to an NHS woo-specialist whose genuine belief in sugar and water should be even more efficacious. Mercifully the obligation to inform the patient doesn’t include making them believe you – who would ever be finished with the first one.

Somehow I doubt the official opinion of the NHS or its bigwigs will influence many patients either way. And the only thing that will stop Boots (or anyone else) selling the stuff is if the customers stop buying. You can’t ban it without making Tate and Lyle the biggest drug dealer in the country and they’ll just change the wording to “traditionally used to treat ..” or some such.

I do worry a bit if the attack on homeopathy is becoming a bit of a distraction. It’s not just the butterflies-on-wheels aspect; dealing with Big Pharma with all its power and slipperiness requires endless energy, patience, courage, research, incredulity etc. For some, exempting your good and tireless self of course, it may be easier just to burn down the ramshackle summerhouse in the grounds, rather than scale the castle walls.

If the NHS states its a waste of time, and the “remedies” are required by law to show on the side that they have no active ingredients and are just a placebo, perhaps their endorsement of it will change

Also, having two people in a blog lets one talk while the other makes a coffee!

The key point, for me, which is right at the end, is the one about selling homeopathy in pharmacies. Regardless of the regulatory regime or lack on one, the status imparted to a product because it’s on the chemist’s shelf seems to me to be a big plus for the WILB makers (water in little bottles).

Just before listening I’d been reading about how the Touch of Kings was a well-established cure for scrofula from the 13th century for about 500 years.

The condition was self-limiting so, of course, people recovered anyway but monarchs touching sufferers turned out to have enormous political benefits for the monarchs in terms of establishing their special nature.

So the ‘remedy’ had no real effect on the patient but was very good for the provider.

We’ve come such a long way since then.

I’m disappointed with the government’s response to the select committee report, which was such a fine day for science based medicine.

I also worry that if the government does give a pass to this flavour of magic beans, then it opens the door for a smorgasbord of other remedies. Its an alarming precedent for healthcare in the UK.

I foresee GPs who stock up on all manner of magic beans, and instead of offering “genuine scienced based medicine or homeopathy” it’ll be “genuine science based medicine, homeopathy, a programme of ritual dancing, crystal therapy or trial by fire”. Once you overwhelm a patient with options, and fail to utterly stress that all but one are different flavours of magic beans, the health of the nation will really suffer.