Originally published March 16 2012
Homeopaths under assault in Australia after NHMRC threatens to declare their work unethical
by Ethan A. Huff, staff writer
(NaturalNews) A draft document not intended for public release has revealed that the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) in Australia is planning to nix homeopathy from its list of covered medical treatments. The Age reports that the draft paper, which was recently leaked to reporters, dubs homeopathy an "unethical" form of medical treatment, and alleges that patients who choose homeopathy over conventional medicine could be putting themselves at risk.
Though it has been used safely and effectively for hundreds of years by millions of people around the world, homeopathy is increasingly finding itself in the crosshairs of government-run healthcare programs like NHMRC that are heavily influenced by pharmaceutical interests determined to destroy access to natural forms of treatment. And unless the natural health community fights back, the practice of homeopathy "down under" could soon be a thing of the past.
Contrary to conventional belief, homeopathy is not merely a placebo. Numerous peer-reviewed scientific studies conducted over the years have shown that homeopathy can help treat respiratory ailments and allergies, influenza, fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, childhood diarrhea, post-surgical abdominal surgery recovery, and attention deficit disorder (ADD), as well as many other conditions (http://www.naturalnews.com/031210_Luc_Montagnier_Homeopathy.html).
Because of its proven track record of success, homeopathy continues to be widely used throughout Europe, including in Great Britain, as well as in the United States and Canada, because it is effective and does not produce negative side effects. And because of its relatively low cost compared to conventional "Western" drug treatments, homeopathy is a practical, cost-effective form of medicine that can also help reign in the costs of out-of-control healthcare spending.
Rather than allow Australians to make their own healthcare choices, in other words, NHMRC wants to follow the lead of the British House of Commons in declaring homeopathy to be no more efficacious than a placebo in order to defund it from the public health service. So Australian citizens who choose to use homeopathy will now have to pay for it out of their own pockets.
Greg Cope, President of the Australian Homeopathic Association, has reportedly been in the process of submitting new clinical trials to NHMRC that demonstrate the effectiveness of homeopathy in a bid to keep it funded. But it remains to be seen whether or not the medical body will pay attention to it to preserve freedom of health choice in this matter.
Sources for this article include:
http://www.theage.com.au
http://www.news.com.au
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