Homeopathy: A Position Statement By
The National Council Against
Health Fraud
Edited by William Jarvis
Introduction
Recommendations
Origin
The Cardinal Principles of Homeopathy
Studies of Homeopathy
Dubious Labeling
Questionable Safety
Suspicious Effectiveness
Census
A Haven for Untrustworthy Practitioners
Quackery
Federal Regulation
State Regulation
Recommendations:
Bibliography
Homeopathy was devised by the German physician Samuel Hahnemann (1755-1843) as a
reaction to practices based upon the ancient humoral theory which he labeled
"allopathy." The term has been misapplied to regular medicine ever since. The
cardinal principles of homeopathy include that (1) most diseases we caused by an
infectious disorder called the psora; (2) life is a spiritual force (vitalism) which
directs the body's healing; (3) remedies can be discerned by noting the symptoms that
substances produce in overdose (proving), and applying them to conditions with similar
symptoms in highly diluted doses (Law of Similia); (4) remedies become more effective with
greater dilution (Law of Infinitesimals), and become more dilute when containers are
tapped on the heel of the hand or a leather pad (potentizing). Homeopathy's principles
have been refuted by the basic sciences of chemistry, physics, pharmacology, and
pathology. Homeopathy meets the dictionary definitions of a Sect and a cult-the
characteristics of which prevent advances that would change Hahnemann's original
principles. Most homeopathic studies are of poor methodological quality, and are subject
to bias. Homeopathic product labels do not provide sufficient information to judge their
dosages. Although homeopathic remedies are generally thought to be nontoxic due to their
high dilutions, some preparations have proved harmful. The ostensible value of homeopathic
products can be more than a placebo effect because some products have contained effective
amounts of standard medications or have been adulterated. Only about half of the 300
homeopaths listed in the Directory of the National Center for Homeopathy are physicians.
Others include naturopaths, chiropractors, acupuncturists, dentists, veterinarians, nurses
or physician assistants. Homeopathy's appeal lies in its personal attention to patients.
Homeopathy is a magnet for untrustworthy practitioners who pose a threat to public safety.
A perverse belief in the "healing crisis" causes practitioners to ignore adverse
reactions, or to value them as "toxins being expelled." The marketing of
homeopathic products and services fits the definition of quackery established by a United
States House of Representatives committee which investigated the problem (i.e., the
promotion of "medical schemes or remedies known to be false, or which are unproven,
for a profit"). The United States Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act lists the Homeopathic
Pharmacopeia of the United States as a recognized compendium, but this status was due to
political influence, not scientific merit. The FDA has not required homeopathic products
to meet the efficacy requirements applied to all other drugs, creating an unacceptable
double standard for drug marketing. The Federal Trade Commission has not taken action
against homeopathic product advertising although it clearly does not meet the standards of
truthful advertising generally applied to drugs. Postal authorities have not prosecuted
mail-order product promoters that make unproven claims for mail fraud. Three states have
established homeopathic licensing boards. Some of these have been administered by medical
mavericks with a history of difficulties with former medical licensing boards.
The NCAHF advises consumers not to buy homeopathic products or to patronize homeopathic
practitioners. Basic scientists are urged to be proactive in opposing the marketing of
homeopathic remedies because of conflicts with known physical laws. Those who study
homeopathic remedies are warned to beware of deceptive practices in addition to applying
sound research methodologies. State and federal regulatory agencies are urged to require
homeopathic products to meet the same standards as regular drugs, and to take strong
enforcement actions against violators, including the discipline of health professionals
who practice homeopathy. States are urged to abolish homeopathic licensing boards.
Homeopathy (derived from the Greek words homoios "similar" and pathos
"suffering") is a sectarian healing system devised by Samuel Hahnemann
(1755-1843), a German physician who rejected the harsh medical practices of his era which
included bleeding, purging, vomiting and the administration of highly toxic drugs.
Practices of the era were based on the ancient Greek humoral theory which attributed
disease to an imbalance of four humors (blood, phlegm, and black and yellow bile) and four
bodily conditions (hot, cold, wet, and dry) that corresponded to four elements (earth,
air, fire, and water). Physicians attempted to balance the humors by treating symptoms
with "opposites." For instance, fever (hot) was believed to be due to excess
blood because patients were flushed; therefore, balance was sought by blood-letting in
order to "cool" the patient. Hahnemann dubbed such practices
"allopathy" (allos "opposite," pathos "suffering"), and
sought to replace it with his "Law of Similia" that treated "like with
like." Although medicine never accepted the label of allopathy, homeopaths continue
to misrepresent physicians as allopaths to make their differences appear based upon
conflicting ideologies rather than scientific pragmatism. Medical writers often refer to
medical doctors as "allopaths" but their use of the term reflects an alternate
definition of allopathy as "a system of medical practice making use of all measures
proved of value (emphasis ours) in treatment of disease" ( Webster's New Collegiate
Dictionary). This definition is inconsistent with its root words "allos" and
"pathos." Its duplicity aids those who wish to misrepresent medicine as
ideologically allopathic (i.e., symptom suppression).
The Cardinal
Principles of Homeopathy
Hahnemann believed that 7/8ths of all diseases are due to an infectious disorder called
the Psora (itch). In the words of Hahnemann's "Organon":
This Psora is the sole true and fundamental cause that produces all the other countless
forms of disease, which, under the names of nervous debility, hysteria,
hypochondriasis,
insanity, melancholy, idiocy, madness, epilepsy, and spasms of all kinds, softening of the
bones, or rickets, scoliosis and chophouses, caries, cancer, fungus haematodes,
gout-asthma and suppuration of the lungs, megrim, deafness, cataract and
amaurosis,
paralysis, toss of sense, pains of every kind, etc., appear in our pathology as so many
peculiar, distinct, and independent diseases (Stalker, 1985).
Hahnemann believed that diseases represent a disturbance in the body's ability to heal
itself and that only a small stimulus is needed to begin the healing process. He owed this
to his faith in vitalism, which holds that life is a spiritual, nonmaterial process and
that the body contains an innate wisdom that is its own healing force. A British homeopath
explained its vitalism (Twentyman, 1982):
Hahnemann...is...a child of the modern age of natural science, an adept in the
chemistry of his day... But he can still hold a conviction that an immaterial vital entity
animates our organism until death when the purely chemical forces prevail and decompose
it....This vital entity which he characterizes as immaterial, spirit-like, and which
maintains in health the harmonious wholeness of the organism, is in fact the wholeness of
it, can be influenced by dynamic causes. How does Hahnemann attempt to clarify the idea!
He draws attention to phenomena like magnetic influences, the moon and the tides,
infective illnesses and perhaps most importantly the influence of emotions and impulses of
will on the organism (pp. 221-225).
Vitalism appeals to so-called "Holistic" or "New Age" medicine
devotees, who prefer a metaphysical view of life processes, and readily accept homeopathy
despite its scientific deficiencies.
-
Provings and the Law of Similia
Hahnemann's invention of homeopathy is reported to have originated with an experience
in which he ingested a substantial dose of cinchona bark (the source of quinine) used to
treat malaria. He noted that the symptoms he experienced were similar to those of malaria.
He reasoned that since the remedy produced symptoms in overdose similar to the condition
it was used to treat, this principle, his Law of Similia, could be used to discern the
value of various medicines. He called this process proving a medicine. Promoters often
misrepresent homeopathy as treating the "causes" rather than merely the
"symptoms" of disease, but its reliance on the "proving" of remedies
shows that homeopathy itself relies solely upon a symptom treatment.
Hahnemann's Law of Similia utilized the primitive view of monism that "nature is a
unitary, organic whole with no independent parts" (Webster's) with inherent
principles that like is like, like makes like, and like cures like. Monism is the basis of
many ancient practices (e.g., eating the heart of a lion for courage), and holds that if
one object resembles another they are alike in essence (like is like); idolatry in which
carving a likeness of a god actually produces the god (like makes like); and folk medicine
practices such as snakeroot being good for snakebite, because of their resemblance (like
cures like). Hahnemann revived Paracelsus' Doctrine of Signatures, which declared that
herbs would cure conditions or anatomical parts they resembled (Garrison, 1929, p. 206).
The homeopathic Law of Similia, however, is unsupported by the basic sciences of
physiology, pharmacology and pathology.
-
Law of Infinitesimal "Potentizing"
Hahnemann's Law of Infinitesimals holds that the smaller the dose of a medication, the
more powerful will be its healing effects. He taught that substances could be potentized
(i.e., their "immaterial and spiritual powers" released to make active
substances more active, and inactive substances active). The process of potentizing
involved the sequential dilution of remedial agents by succussion in which initial
mixtures would be shaken at least 40 times, nine parts dumped, and nine parts of solvent
added and shaken again. This process was repeated as many times as desired. Tapping on a
leather pad or the heel of the hand was alleged to double the dilution-a notion that
contradicts the laws of physics. Remedies are diluted to powers of ten and labeled with
combinations of Arabic and Roman numerals (e.g., 3X= 1/1000, 4X= 1/10,000, 3C or 6X=
1/1,000,000, etc.). The fact that 19th-Century homeopathic remedies were dilute placebos
made them preferable to the harsh concoctions being applied by the humoral practitioners.
According to the laws of chemistry, there is a limit to the dilution that can be made
without losing the original substance altogether. This limit, called Avogadro's number
(6.023 x 10-23) corresponds to homeopathic potencies of 12C or 24X (1 part in 10-24). At
this dilution there is less than a 50% chance that even one molecule of active materia
remains. Hahnemann himself realized that there was virtually no chance that any of the
original substance remained at such high dilution, but explained it away in metaphysical
terms. In addition to being contradicted by common sense, homeopathy's Law of
Infinitesimals is invalidated by pharmaceutical dose-response studies.
Promoters claim that immunization and allergy desensitization verify homeopathy because
they treat like with like, but neither meets the additional requirements of homeopathic
theory and practice. Immunizations do not alleviate symptoms or cure. Neither immunization
nor allergy desensitization grows stronger with dilution, nor can they be
"potentized." Classical homeopaths proclaim that eating for relief of
indigestion proved that like cures like, i.e., the Law of Similia. However, one does not
obtain relief from indigestion by eating "potentized microdilutions'' of the same
food that was originally ingested. Other attempts to validate homeopathy such as the
folksy value of "some of the hair of the dog that bit you" to relieve a hangover
also fail to withstand close scrutiny.
Scientific medicine encompasses a collection of procedures, each of which must stand on
its own as safe and effective for a specific purpose. History recounts examples of ancient
healers doing the right thing for the wrong reason. Some bored holes in skulls (trephining) in order to liberate angry demons thought to be causing head pain, and in the
process relieved intracranial pressure. This, however, does not validate the Demonic
Theory. Also, foul-smelling swamps were drained on the basis of the miasmic theory, which
taught that foul-smelling emanations from the Earth caused "bad air fever"
(mal-air-ia). Further, Asclepian priests scraped spear shavings into the spear-wounds of
warriors believing that the weapon that caused a wound would help in its healing
(like-cures-like). Copper sulfate from the bronze spearheads may have inhibited infection.
Just as doing these right practices for the wrong reasons did not validate the faulty
theories upon which they were based, neither will the success of a "homeopathic"
remedy comprehensively validate homeopathy's theory, pharmacology, and metaphysics.
Homeopathy clearly fits Webster's dictionary definitions of a cult: "A system for
the cure of disease based on dogma set forth by its promulgator," and a sect: "a
group adhering to a distinctive doctrine or a leader." Healing cults or sects cannot
progress and retain their identity. Homeopathy is what Hahnemann said it was. To progress
scientifically homeopathy would have to accept principles of pharmacology and pathology,
which run counter to its "laws" of similia and infinitesimals, its potency
theory, and notions of the psora and vitalism. By doing so, it would no longer be
homeopathy but biomedicine.
Controlled studies involving homeopathic remedies appear to divide along political
lines. While the results of most studies do not support the use of homeopathic remedies,
some ostensibly well-designed trials have yielded positive findings. Some of these,
however, have been done by homeopaths, and their reports contain rhetoric that reflects
bias strong enough to undermine confidence in the researchers' veracity. The best of these
studies should be repeated by objective investigators with independent analyses of the
homeopathic formulations employed to assure that they have not been adulterated with
active medications.
A comprehensive review of experimental research in homeopathy was done by Scofield
(1984). He concluded: "It is obvious from this review that, despite much experimental
and clinical work, there is only little evidence to suggest that homeopathy is effective.
This is because of bad design, execution, reporting, analysis and, particularly, failure
to repeat promising experimental work and not necessarily because of the inefficacy of the
system which has yet to be properly tested on a large enough scale. There is sufficient
evidence to warrant the execution of well-designed, carefully controlled
experiments." Scofield's most encouraging statement for homeopaths was that
"homeopathy has most certainly not been disproved." However, Scofield ignored
the scientific process. It is the absence of proof, not the absence of disproof, that is
important. This is consistent with scientific dicta (based upon the statistical null
hypothesis) that (1) no practice can be deemed safe or effective until proved to be so;
and (2) the burden of proof is upon proponents.
A more recent meta-analysis of 107 controlled homeopathy trials appearing in 96
published reports also found "the evidence of clinical trials is positive but not
sufficient to draw definitive conclusions because most trials are of low methodological
quality and because of the unknown role of publication bias." They also concluded
that there is a legitimate case for further evaluation of homeopathy, "but only by
means of well-performed trials" (Kleijnen, 1991).
In 1988, a French scientist working at that country's prestigious INSERM institute
claimed to have found that high dilutions of sub- stances in water left a
"memory," providing a rationale for homeopathy's Law of Infinitesimals. His
findings were published in a highly regarded science journal, but with the caveat that the
findings were unbelievable, and that the work was financed by a large homeopathic drug
manufacturer Nature, 1988). Subsequent investigations, including those by James
Randi,
disclosed that the research had been inappropriately carried out. The scandal resulted in
the suspension of the scientist. Careful analysis of the study revealed that had the
results been authentic, homeopathy would be more likely to worsen a patient's condition
than to heal, and that it would be impossible to predict the effect of the same dose from
one time to another (Sampson, 1989).
The sectarian nature of homeopathy raises serious questions about the trustworthiness
of homeopathic researchers. Scofield appropriately stated: "It is hardly surprising
in view of the quality of much of the experimental work as well as its philosophical
framework, that this system of medicine is not accepted by the medical and scientific
community at large." Two guiding rules required by skeptics of pseudoscience should
be applied to homeopathic research, to wit: (1) extraordinary claims demand extraordinary
evidence; and (2) it is not necessary to prove fraud, rather, the research must be done in
such a manner that fraud is not possible.
Recent years have seen an explosion of products labeled as "homeopathic."
Among them are raw animal glands, herbal concoctions, and mineral remedies. Although some
are reruns of old-time homeopathic preparations, others appear to be merely pretenders
with high-dilution their only homeopathic feature. For instance. homeopathic raw bovine
testicles may be highly diluted, but in order to be truly homeopathic they should have
been "proved" and potentized. To have been proved, healthy people should have
been fed raw bovine testicles in moderate doses and the side-effects analyzed. Gland
products are not representative of the kinds of therapeutic substances homeopaths have
traditionally attempted to "prove," and it is unlikely that ingesting
significant amounts of raw bovine testicles would produce any side effects. Such products
appear to be intended to ward off regulatory enforcement action by merely labeling them
"homeopathic," but such products do not meet the basic consumer protection
principle of accurate labeling. Standard drug labeling informs consumers about the
quantity of active ingredients per dose; homeopathic labeling only informs consumers about
the number of serial dilutions of the remedy.
Although homeopathic remedies are generally thought to be nontoxic due to their high
dilutions, some preparations have proved to be harmful. Perverse belief in the
"healing crisis" can cause pseudomedical practitioners to misjudge adverse
reactions as beneficial. Healing crisis is the theory that the body innately knows what is
best for it. There is a corollary belief that adverse reactions to "natural
remedies" are due to "toxins" being expelled, and that the worse these are,
the worse would have been future diseases if not detoxified. Thus, believers are not
alarmed by adverse reactions, and are encouraged to continue treating. At the same time,
"allopathic" medicine is denigrated as the "suppressing of symptoms that
represent the body's natural healing processes." Kerr and Yarborough (1986) reported
a case of pancreatitis that developed in a patient ingesting a homeopathic remedy
prescribed by a chiropractor. According to the authors, the manufacturer stated that
40-45% of persons taking the remedy experienced a healing crisis that included abdominal
pain. Although classical homeopathy employed numerous extremely toxic substances in
infinitesimal amounts, Kerr found that two of six homeopathic remedies ordered by mail
contained "notable quantities" of arsenic. NCAHF doubts that homeopathic
devotees would systematically report adverse effects.
Much has been made of the fact that a 24X dilution would no longer contain a single
molecule of the original substance, and reported benefits are generally attributed to the
placebo effect. However, many homeopathic dosages, although dilute, may contain enough of
a substance to be effective. Homeopathic products also may work because of adulteration.
Morice (1986, pp. 862-863) reported that a homeopathic remedy called "Dumcap"
appeared to be effective in treating asthma. Although labeled as containing "nux
vomica" (strychnine), arsenic album (arsenic trioxide), Blatta onentalis (cockroach
extract), and stramoni folic (stramonium), analysis revealed that the product was
adulterated with therapeutic levels of the antiasthma, steroidal drugs prednisolone and
betamethasone. Studies of homeopathic deemed unacceptable unless they have been monitored
to assure that they were prepared according to homeopathic principles, their contents
verified and dosage quantified, and secured to prevent tampering. As was stated above,
simply labeling a product "homeopathic" does not guarantee that it does not
contain a pharmacologically active dosage of an active substance (not all dilutions exceed
Avogadro's number). To validate a specific homeopathic remedy, replication by others who
have no vested interest in the results is required. To validate homeopathic theory, higher
dilutions would also have to be shown to work better than higher concentrations. Thomas
Paine, a signer of the United States' Declaration of Independence, is credited with
establishing a principle for judging supernatural phenomena. He asked, "Is it easier
to believe that nature has gone out of her course or that a man would tell a lie!"
The 1993 directory of the National Center for Homeopathy (Alexandria, VA) lists about
300 licensed practitioners. About half of these are physicians. The rest are mostly
naturopaths, chiropractors, acupuncturists, veterinarians, dentists, nurses, or
physician's assistants. A homeopathic marketing firm spokesperson believes that several
hundred more consider themselves to be homeopaths, and that many conventional physicians
utilize one or more homeopathic remedies (National Board of Chiropractic Examiners, 1993).
However, no data have been published supporting these estimates. In 1991-2, 36.9o/6 of
chiropractors reported using homeopathic remedies in their practices.
A Haven for Untrustworthy
Practitioners
Part of homeopathy's appeal is the personal attention paid to patients (Avina and
Schneiderman, 1978). In practice, classical homeopaths emphasize taking 30 to 45 minutes
with each patient, paying careful attention to the emotional state and administering only
one remedy at a time. Classical homeopathy's close personal attention to patients, benign
remedies, and special appeal to a select clientele make it seem innocuous if practitioners
have the competence and good sense to recognize serious disorders and readily refer to
other physicians. This, however, is not always the case.
Pseudosciences such as homeopathy, even if relatively benign, are magnets for cranks
and charlatans. This poses a serious problem because untrustworthy or incompetent
practitioners should not be granted the privilege of administering health care. True
believing cranks may pose a more serious threat than con men because of their devotion to
homeopathy's ideology. Their sincerity may make them mote socially tolerable, but it can
add to their potential danger. Irrational health care is never harmless, and it is
irresponsible to create patient confidence in pseudomedicine. Although homeopathy may not
pose a significant risk for a basically healthy patient, at some future time that same
patient could face a situation where a life-or-death decision may swing on just such
unwarranted confidence.
Some practitioners do not practice in homeopathy's classical manner, but use its
"benign" reputation as a cover. A well-documented example occurred in Nevada.
According to an expose by the Las Vegas Review-Journal, several maverick MDs who had been
in serious legal difficulty in other states descended on Nevada and managed to get the
State Legislature to set up a homeopathic licensing board with themselves in charge.
However, none was actually practicing homeopathy. Rather, using an unapproved electronic
device they practiced "energy medicine." When faced with the fact that they had
deceived the State Legislature, proponents stated that they had used the more familiar
term "homeopathy" because they feared that the legislators would not be able to
grasp the new concept of "bioenergetics." The Nevada legislature rewrote the
homeopathic practice act in 1987, specifically stating that Nevada homeopaths were limited
to using substances prepared according to "the methods of Hahnemannian dilution and
succussion, magnetically energized geometric pattern as defined in the official
homeopathic pharmacopeia of the United States" (Hayslett, 1987).
It is difficult to believe that a physician could simultaneously sustain confidence in
both homeopathy and scientific health care. It is common for homeopaths to misrepresent
regular medicine as misguided to justify their unusual practices. Of special concern to
NCAHF is the substitution of homeopathic preparations for standard immunizations. In 1989,
an Idaho naturopath was prosecuted for selling homeopathic "immunization kits,"
which contained alcohol-and-water solutions and sugar pills. Defenders claimed that the
homeopathic immunization products would "stimulate the immune system" and that
the FDA laboratory could not detect the active ingredients because they were so highly
diluted with sugar.
NCAHF is primarily concerned with homeopathy in the marketplace. It believes that
marketing unproven homeopathic products and services precisely fits the definition of
quackery: "A quack is anyone who promotes medical schemes or remedies known to be
false, or which are unproven, for a profit" (Quackery, 1984). Dr. Kenneth
Milstead,
then Deputy Director of the FDA Bureau of Enforcement, stated (Young, 1968):
It matters not whether the article is harmless or whether it gives some psychosomatic
relief; whether it is cheap or whether it has value for other purposes; whether it is
produced by an obscure firm or whether it is produced by a "reputable" firm -
the promotion of it is still quackery.
For many years homeopathic product marketing was quiescent, but with the health fad
boom of the 1970's and 1980's, promoters began touting homeopathic remedies. In 1985 the
FDA estimated that between 50 and 60 companies were marketing such products in the United
States (FDA, 1985). The 1938 Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act contains a section that
recognizes as "drugs" items listed in the Homeopathic Pharmacopeia of the United
States. This was mainly due to the efforts of New York Senator Royal Copeland who was the
foremost homeopathic physician of his day. In 1938, safety was the main issue, and the
highly diluted homeopathic products seemed to pose no inherent danger. However, in 1962,
the Kefauver-Harris Amendment was passed requiring that drugs be proved effective before
distribution. A legal fight loomed as to whether or not homeopathic drugs were
grandfathered by the law, but FDA did not press the issue. Instead, it permitted products
aimed at common ailments to be marketed over-the-counter (OTC), and restricted those aimed
at serious ailments to prescription only. This "passed the buck" to the states
that regulate the practitioners who write the prescriptions, putting consumers at the
mercy of maverick homeopathic physicians. It also sent a signal to marketers that it was
open season on consumers with regard to OTC homeopathic products. The resulting
marketplace growth increased the ability of trade groups to gain political support and
made future regulatory action more difficult. Homeopathic claims of efficacy are
unsubstantiated and violate the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) advertising standards, but
the FTC has not acted against homeopathic advertising claims. Homeopathic remedies sold or
transported by mail are subject to action by the U.S. Postal Inspectors, but few such
actions have been taken.
Only Arizona, Connecticut, and Nevada have separate homeopathic licensing boards. At
least two of these have included in prominent roles maverick medical doctors who have been
in legal difficulties as regular physicians. Some state licensing boards permit licensed
medical doctors to practice almost any kind of medicine they wish. Others, rightly in
NCAHF's opinion, require that health care be held to rational and responsible standards.
To its credit, the North Carolina Board of Medical Examiners revoked the license of the
state's only practicing homeopath, concluding that he was "failing to conform to the
standards of acceptable and prevailing medical practice." This resulted in a
prolonged legal battle over the ability of a licensing board to impose standards of
practice on its constituency. The state legislature eventually passed a law that limited
the board's disciplinary power undermining the consumer protection aspects of responsible
medicine.
Adopted February, 1994 by the National Council Against Health Fraud. All Rights
Reserved, 1994
Be aware that homeopathic products and services are marketed in a "buyer
beware" situation at present. Homeopathic products are not required to meet the
standards of effectiveness of drugs. Homeopathic services are poorly regulated. Physicians
who practice homeopathy operate below the standards of responsible medicine. Some have
backgrounds that raise serious questions about their honesty. Be aware that in some states
that have homeopathic licensing boards the "foxes are guarding the chicken
coops." Consumers should not entrust their health to physicians or nonphysicians who
practice homeopathy.
Homeopathy conflicts more with basic laws of physics, chemistry and pharmacology than
with clinical medicine. Pharmacologists should be more proactive in opposing the marketing
of homeopathic; remedies. Because homeopathic theories contradict known physical laws,
tests of homeopathic remedies require controls beyond those normally required of
double-blind clinical trials including additional measures to show that fraud was not
possible.
- To the U.S. Food & Drug Administration
- Require that labels of homeopathic products indicate the precise amounts of ingredients
in milligrams, micrograms, etc.
- Require homeopathic products to meet the efficacy standards of all other drugs.
- To the U.S. Federal Trade Commission
- Review advertising of homeopathic products in publications aimed at the public for false
and misleading claims.
- Monitor and take action against advertisements in trade publications used to
indoctrinate salespeople, who will in turn deceive consumers about the value of
homeopathic products.
- To U.S. Postal Inspectors
Prosecute distributors of homeopathic mail-order products that make unproven medical
claims for mail fraud.
Because homeopathy is scientifically indefensible:
- Enact laws requiring that medical products sold within your state meet the standards of
accurate labeling, truthful advertising, and premarketing proof of safety and
effectiveness.
- Abolish state licensing boards for homeopathy.
- Do not allow homeopathy in the scope of practice of any health care provider.
- To State Food & Drug Regulators
Take prompt regulatory action against manufacturers, wholesalers, and retailers of
homeopathic products who violate the law.
- To Medical Licensing Boards
- Discipline homeopathic practitioners for unprofessional conduct.
- Prosecute nonphysicians engaging in homeopathy for practicing medicine without a license.
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Hayslett. 1987. Las Vegas Review Journal. July 5.
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Kerr, J. 1986. Taxicol Clin Toxicol, 24: 451-459.
Kleijnen, Knipschild. 1991. Brit Med J. 302: 316-23.
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National Board of Chiropractic Examiners. 1993. Job Analysis of Chiropractic.
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Session, Comm. Publ. #98-435, May 31.
Sampson. r989. Skeptical Inquirer, Fall.
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