Australian Report Finds Homeopathy Not Effective for Treating any Health Condition

After conducting an extensive review of existing studies, Australia's top Medical Research body has come to the conclusion that homeopathy is not effective towards treating any medical condition.

Homeopathic physicians believe that illness causing substances can be used in small doses to treat people who are sick. These substances are usually diluted in alcohol or water with the belief that the mixture would retain a 'memory' of the original substance thereby kick-starting the healing process in the person's body.

While many medical bodies have regularly disputed these claims, the NHRC (National Health and Medical Research) on Wednesday produced its conclusions after reviewing over 225 papers on homeopathy.

"Based on the assessment of the evidence of effectiveness of homeopathy, NHMRC concludes that there are no health conditions for which there is reliable evidence that homeopathy is effective," the report concluded.

"People who choose homeopathy may put their health at risk if they reject or delay treatments for which there is good evidence for safety and effectiveness."

Professor Paul Glasziou, Chair of NHRC's Homeopathy Working Committee hopes the findings would encourage private health insurers to withdraw rebates on homeopathic products. He also hoped the findings would also make pharmacists from stocking these drugs.

"There will be a tail of people who won't respond to this report, and who will say it's all a conspiracy of the establishment," Glasziou said.

"But we hope there will be a lot of reasonable people out there who will reconsider selling, using or subsiding these substances."

The use of homeopathy in the UK declined after a report was released in 2010 by the House of Commons in which it was ascertained that the treatments were ineffective. Glasziou hopes the same would happen in Australia as well with the release of the NHRC report.