On this blog and elsewhere, I have repeatedly claimed that as early as 2002 I published data to show that UK homeopaths advise their patients against vaccinations.
So sorry, but this not entirely true!
The truth is that I had forgotten about this article published 1995 in the British Journal of General Practice. As it is quite short and reveals several interesting facts, allow me to provide it here in full:
Homoeopathic remedies are believed by doctors and patients to be almost totally safe. Is homoeopathic advice safe, for example on the subject of immunization? In order to answer this question, a questionnaire survey was undertaken in 1995 of all 45 homoeopaths listed in the Exeter ‘yellow pages’ business directory. A total of 23 replies (51%) were received, 10 from medically qualified and 13 from non-medically qualified homoeopaths.
The homoeopaths were asked to suggest which conditions they perceived as being most responsive to homoeopathy. The three most frequently cited conditions were allergies (suggested by 10 respondents), gynaecological problems (seven) and bowel problems (five). They were then asked to estimate the proportion of patients that were referred to them by orthodox doctors and the proportion that they referred to orthodox doctors. The mean estimated percentages were 1 % and 8%, respectively. The 23 respondents estimated that they spent a mean of 73 minutes on the first consultation.
The homoeopaths were asked whether they used or recommended orthodox immunization for children and whether they only used and recommended homoeopathic immunization. Seven of the 10 homoeopaths who were medically qualified recommended orthodox immunization but none of the 13 non-medically qualified homoeopaths did. One non-medically qualified homoeopath only used and recommended homoeopathic immunization.
Homoeopaths have been reported as being against orthodox immunization and advocating homoeopathic immunization for which no evidence of effectiveness exists. As yet there has been no attempt in the United Kingdom to monitor homoeopaths’ attitudes in this respect. The above findings imply that there may be a problem.
The British homoeopathic doctors’ organization (the Faculty of Homoeopathy) has distanced itself from the polemic of other homoeopaths against orthodox immunization, and editorials in the British Homoeopathic Journal call the abandonment of mass immunization ‘criminally irresponsible’ and ‘most unfortunate, in that it will be seen by most people as irresponsible and poorly based’.’ Homoeopathic remedies may be safe, but do all homoeopaths merit this attribute?
Yes indeed! These findings indicate that there may be a problem with non-medically trained homeopaths in the UK. It is good to see that now (24 years later) the NHS has taken note of it. At the same time, it is not at all good to see that non-medically trained homeopaths and their professional organisations have managed to remain in complete denial of it.
4 Responses to Sorry, I was wrong about homeopathy and vaccination
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Interesting facts, thanks for sharing! This study could benefit from being done today to see how those figures evolved.
It is also good to see that there are medically trained homeopaths, which proves that homeopaths aren’t necessarily drinking cool-aid and that doctors aren’t necessarily convinced that homeopathy is useless.
The reader could ask himself whether the fact that some homeopaths choose not to use vaccination on their children implies that they advise patients against it.
Finally, I heard about homeopathic “detox” remedies for people who were vaccinated, which suggests that you could benefit from vaccination while also preventing or removing the possible unpleasant side-effects.
Does anyone have information to share on this last point?
voila: https://edzardernst.com/2018/10/homotoxicology-the-best-kept-detox-secret-no-its-even-worse-than-homeopathy/
Alexandre,
I know doctors who hold to a number of bizzare beliefs – and even one who invited a priest to exorcise a ‘demon’ from a patient.
For all I know – it worked!
‘Twas ever thus.
It’s called ‘the human condition’.
But your point in respect to medically qualified homeopaths is…?
I’m currently engaged in a project looking at prevalence and severity of anti-vaccination sentiment among UK homeopaths. Early findings can be found here. There is more to come.
As for the last point, yes it is a marketing ploy used by some homeopaths. Thuja is often suggested both before and after vaccination. The “detox” business is something covered in great detail on my blog (shameless boost).