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Queen's doctor warns of homoeopathy crisis
http://news.independent.co.uk/health/article2919644.ece
(URL no longer works - imagine that!) Queen's doctor warns of homoeopathy crisis By Nina Lakhani A leaked memo reveals that there is 'a co-ordinated campaign' to derail alternative therapies on the NHS Published: 02 September 2007 The Queen's personal physician and Britain's leading homoeopath yesterday warned of a "co-ordinated campaign to derail complementary therapies in the NHS". A leaked memo seen by The Independent on Sunday identifies several influential groups working together for the removal of homoeopathy from the NHS. According to Dr Peter Fisher, clinical director of the Royal London Homoeopathic Hospital, there has been a 20 per cent reduction in referrals to the hospital in the past year, as new patients are refused funding by a growing number of primary care trusts. The hospital - an NHS centre of excellence - could be forced drastically to cut services if other PCTs introduce the same system and if funding for patients currently undergoing treatment is withdrawn. Dr Fisher, whose patients include the supermodel Claudia Schiffer, pointed to the fact that some six million people in the UK use complementary therapies each year. Advocates include David Beckham and Catherine Zeta-Jones. Dr Fisher said: "There are some patients with conditions that prescription drugs alone do not help. There is a huge potential to help these patients and those who experience adverse side-effects from conventional medicines with complementary therapies." The four NHS homoeopathic hospitals combine therapies to treat chronic conditions, such as depression, irritable bowel syndrome and osteoarthritis that conventional medicines alone can fail. But this relatively new integrated approach offends the beliefs and aims of certain groups. "The campaign dates back two years starting with several eminent and mostly retired scientists and doctors who have a way of seeing the world and medicine which complementary therapies do not sit within," Dr Fisher said. "The pharmaceutical industry is worried for its future, as public opinion is shifting towards complementary therapies." The memo, sent out by the president of the Association of the Directors of Public Health, Dr Tim Crayford, referred only to homoeopathy, but all complementary therapies are affected. Dr Crayford said: "The email... was certainly not about all complementary therapies. This paper was written to help PCTs focus on the delivery of essential services." Zeus Information Service Alternative Views on Health www.zeusinfoservice.com |
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Queen's doctor warns of homoeopathy crisis
JOHN wrote:
http://news.independent.co.uk/health/article2919644.ece (URL no longer works - imagine that!) Queen's doctor warns of homoeopathy crisis By Nina Lakhani A leaked memo reveals that there is 'a co-ordinated campaign' to derail alternative therapies on the NHS Excellent news. As there should be. A better from alternative therapies is "unproven therapies" or "conjecture-based therapies." If you can prove it works, you should expect the public to pay for it. Published: 02 September 2007 The Queen's personal physician and Britain's leading homoeopath yesterday warned of a "co-ordinated campaign to derail complementary therapies in the NHS". A leaked memo seen by The Independent on Sunday identifies several influential groups working together for the removal of homoeopathy from the NHS. According to Dr Peter Fisher, clinical director of the Royal London Homoeopathic Hospital, there has been a 20 per cent reduction in referrals to the hospital in the past year, as new patients are refused funding by a growing number of primary care trusts. Excellent. Keep up the good work primary care trusts. The hospital - an NHS centre of excellence - could be forced drastically to cut services if other PCTs introduce the same system and if funding for patients currently undergoing treatment is withdrawn. Dr Fisher, whose patients include the supermodel Claudia Schiffer, pointed to the fact that some six million people in the UK use complementary therapies each year. Advocates include David Beckham and Catherine Zeta-Jones. And there evidence that these therapies work is what? Dr Fisher said: "There are some patients with conditions that prescription drugs alone do not help. There is a huge potential to help these patients and those who experience adverse side-effects from conventional medicines with complementary therapies." Evidence of this, please. The four NHS homoeopathic hospitals combine therapies to treat chronic conditions, such as depression, irritable bowel syndrome and osteoarthritis that conventional medicines alone can fail. But this relatively new integrated approach offends the beliefs and aims of certain groups. "The campaign dates back two years starting with several eminent and mostly retired scientists and doctors who have a way of seeing the world and medicine which complementary therapies do not sit within," Dr Fisher said. "The pharmaceutical industry is worried for its future, as public opinion is shifting towards complementary therapies." The memo, sent out by the president of the Association of the Directors of Public Health, Dr Tim Crayford, referred only to homoeopathy, but all complementary therapies are affected. Dr Crayford said: "The email... was certainly not about all complementary therapies. This paper was written to help PCTs focus on the delivery of essential services." Actually, it appears the email is about using only evidence-based therapies. As it should be. Jeff |
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Queen's doctor warns of homoeopathy crisis
On Sep 2, 10:27 am, Jeff wrote:
Actually, it appears the email is about using only evidence-based therapies. As it should be. Jeff- ABSOLUTELY! |
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Queen's doctor warns of homoeopathy crisis
"Jeff" wrote in message news:loCCi.13619$453.4351@trndny02... evidence-based therapies. don't you just love that term you sure have plenty of evidence your therapies kill people, 780,000 a year at the last count and it sure is curious the fact you wont use vitamin C, considering there are 1,200 peer reviewed citations on its effectiveness for infections, poisons and heart disease "Modern Medicine would rather you die using its remedies than live by using what physicians call quackery".--Dr Robert Mendelsohn, M.D. |
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Queen's doctor warns of homoeopathy crisis
My personal belief is that Health Care is a "turf" war, going on
between traditional, conventional, alternative, and homeopathetic fields. Unfortunately, in this country the FDA is failing the American people, by allowing far too much influence from "organized" medicine and pharmaseudical giants. But on the other hand, sadly, the alternative fields, are a riddled mine field of no regulation, little scientific proof of their often outrageous claims. From a health consumer point of view, I would like to see the FDA do the job it was set up to do, which is protect the public. I would like to see the alternative field, come under the same guidelines and regulation that the FDA mandates for most other medicines. And, I'd like to see the alternative folks do more on their own to ferret out the charlatans among them. Unfortunately, they don't seem to demonstrate the fortitude to do that, so they all hang together, and those that would be otherwise credible, become not credible instead. I will be the first to admit, there have been certain alterntive fields, that I believe have significant merit. One of them is chiropractic, which I personally used in my early 20s, with some success. I have not used accupuncture, but have had close friends, and family members, who have, and swear by it. In an idylic medical environment, one would have the knowledge and the information, for making the very wisest choices regarding their health care, available at their disposal. But what we have today, isn't anywhere near that kind of scenario. On Sep 2, 10:05 am, "JOHN" wrote: http://news.independent.co.uk/health/article2919644.ece (URL no longer works - imagine that!) Queen's doctor warns of homoeopathy crisis By Nina Lakhani A leaked memo reveals that there is 'a co-ordinated campaign' to derail alternative therapies on the NHS Published: 02 September 2007 The Queen's personal physician and Britain's leading homoeopath yesterday warned of a "co-ordinated campaign to derail complementary therapies in the NHS". A leaked memo seen by The Independent on Sunday identifies several influential groups working together for the removal of homoeopathy from the NHS. According to Dr Peter Fisher, clinical director of the Royal London Homoeopathic Hospital, there has been a 20 per cent reduction in referrals to the hospital in the past year, as new patients are refused funding by a growing number of primary care trusts. The hospital - an NHS centre of excellence - could be forced drastically to cut services if other PCTs introduce the same system and if funding for patients currently undergoing treatment is withdrawn. Dr Fisher, whose patients include the supermodel Claudia Schiffer, pointed to the fact that some six million people in the UK use complementary therapies each year. Advocates include David Beckham and Catherine Zeta-Jones. Dr Fisher said: "There are some patients with conditions that prescription drugs alone do not help. There is a huge potential to help these patients and those who experience adverse side-effects from conventional medicines with complementary therapies." The four NHS homoeopathic hospitals combine therapies to treat chronic conditions, such as depression, irritable bowel syndrome and osteoarthritis that conventional medicines alone can fail. But this relatively new integrated approach offends the beliefs and aims of certain groups. "The campaign dates back two years starting with several eminent and mostly retired scientists and doctors who have a way of seeing the world and medicine which complementary therapies do not sit within," Dr Fisher said. "The pharmaceutical industry is worried for its future, as public opinion is shifting towards complementary therapies." The memo, sent out by the president of the Association of the Directors of Public Health, Dr Tim Crayford, referred only to homoeopathy, but all complementary therapies are affected. Dr Crayford said: "The email... was certainly not about all complementary therapies. This paper was written to help PCTs focus on the delivery of essential services." Zeus Information Service Alternative Views on Healthwww.zeusinfoservice.com |
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Queen's doctor warns of homoeopathy crisis
On Sep 2, 1:27 pm, Myrl wrote:
My personal belief is that Health Care is a "turf" war, going on between traditional, conventional, alternative, and homeopathetic fields. Unfortunately, in this country the FDA is failing the American people, by allowing far too much influence from "organized" medicine and pharmaseudical giants. But on the other hand, sadly, the alternative fields, are a riddled mine field of no regulation, little scientific proof of their often outrageous claims. From a health consumer point of view, I would like to see the FDA do the job it was set up to do, which is protect the public. Notice how Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine are thriving in the USA & UK. The cream rises to the top! |
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Queen's doctor warns of homoeopathy crisis
On Sep 2, 12:02 pm, The One True Zhen Jue
wrote: Notice how Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine are thriving in the USA & UK. The cream rises to the top! That's an excellent analogy. Many health insurers, at least in the US, do provide for acupuncture, and chiropractic in their coverage. |
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Queen's doctor warns of homoeopathy crisis
On Sun, 2 Sep 2007 18:05:21 +0100, "JOHN" wrote:
http://news.independent.co.uk/health/article2919644.ece (URL no longer works - imagine that!) Works perfectly, there goes another conspiracy theory. According to Dr Peter Fisher, clinical director of the Royal London Homoeopathic Hospital, there has been a 20 per cent reduction in referrals to the hospital in the past year, as new patients are refused funding by a growing number of primary care trusts. That's because homeopathy is ineffective. Dr Fisher, whose patients include the supermodel Claudia Schiffer, pointed to the fact that some six million people in the UK use complementary therapies each year. Advocates include David Beckham and Catherine Zeta-Jones. Three advocates with the brain of an Avocado between them? Is that the best you can come up with? How about some objective proof rather than brainless "celebs"? Dr Fisher said: "There are some patients with conditions that prescription drugs alone do not help. Indeed, and Homeopathy is a moderately useful form of psychotherapy, but it doesn't cure any physical illness. Dr Fisher said. "The pharmaceutical industry is worried for its future, as public opinion is shifting towards complementary therapies." Wouldn't this be more correctly expressed as "The homeopathy industry is worried for its future as more and more evidence shows it is ineffective and based upon a fallacy" -- Peter Parry. http://www.wpp.ltd.uk/ |
#9
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Queen's doctor warns of homoeopathy crisis
On Sep 2, 10:40 am, Peter Parry wrote:
Wouldn't this be more correctly expressed as "The homeopathy industry is worried for its future as more and more evidence shows it is ineffective and based upon a fallacy" -- Peter Parry. To a degree I can agree with that, Peter. My thinking is however, that "evidence" emanating from universities, and colleges, which are also in the business of creating the conventional medicine practioners have a conflict of interest. They are also snagging significant amounts of money for studies, to foist the drug agendas of pharmaseudical companies. Therefore it's possibly unlikely, these institutions will come up with reliable findings and evidence. Who will be funding the studies, that will provide any evidence of validity for the alternative fields? And WHO will provide us with unbiased evidence??? My bet is, you would need to find a reliable scientific realm, outside the United States, to come anywhere near that outcome. Perhaps, the Netherlands, possibly India, maybe China. Conventional medicine has a stranglehold on the scientific process in the US. And the quacks among the alternative field are having a field day, by simply throwing up "conspiracy" theories, rather than self- police, or clean up their act. It's all quite a nightmare for the health consummer. I am very interested in knowing what alternative remedies will work, and to toss out the probably 80% or so, which are worthless. So how do we set up a process for that. I know for certain, if I broke a bone, I would not go to an altie practitioner to fix that. . .I'm going to run to the conventional doc instead. However, I am one of those women, who periodically has symptoms of Restless Leg Syndrome. Do I really want to pop a pill, which provides disclosure for such side effects as obsessions of gambling and sexual activity? At my age - not necessarily;-) But, one thing I found out, is with a little yoga exercise, or simply laying on my back in the middle of the floor, drawing my knees up to my chest with my arms, and rolling from side to side, and back and forth, I can immediately relieve most tension in the small of my back, and have the RLS symptoms all but disappear. Granted, it's very fast, it's free, and it's without side- effects. . .I can understand why ALL practioners, wouldn't want me to do that! And most certainly, they wouldn't want me to tell anybody! Myrl http://www.webstarmagic.com/wisletter.htm |
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Queen's doctor warns of homoeopathy crisis
On Sun, 02 Sep 2007 18:51:11 -0000, Myrl
wrote: On Sep 2, 10:40 am, Peter Parry wrote: To a degree I can agree with that, Peter. My thinking is however, that "evidence" emanating from universities, and colleges, which are also in the business of creating the conventional medicine practioners have a conflict of interest. The University of Exeter has a Department of Complementary Medicine, and a Centre for Complementary Health Studies. It is headed by Professor Edzard Ernst the holder of the only UK Chair in Complementary Medicine. Professor Ernst qualified as a physician in Germany in 1978 where he also completed his MD and PhD theses. He has received training in acupuncture, autogenic training, herbalism, homoeopathy, massage therapy and spinal manipulation. He was Professor in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PMR) at Hannover Medical School and Head of the PMR Department at the University of Vienna. They are also snagging significant amounts of money for studies, to foist the drug agendas of pharmaseudical companies. Therefore it's possibly unlikely, these institutions will come up with reliable findings and evidence. The Exeter Department was initially funded by the Maurice Laing Foundation a private grant-making trust one of the aims of which is "the scientific research into efficacy of complementary health treatments and their integration into general medicine". It continues to be funded by the Rufford Maurice Laing Foundation which shares the same aims. To date it has not received funds, directly or indirectly, from drug companies. The establishment of the Department to scientifically study Complimentary Medicine was vigorously opposed not by pharmaceutical companies but by the proponents of homeopathy and similar "alternative" treatments who were, quite rightly, terrified of being exposed as charlatans. At the core of Ernsts approach is rigorous science. It was this objective rigour which caused dismay to many "practitioners". As he said:- "It sounded to me so inoffensive that it was a huge surprise that people were up in arms. Some claimed that their individualised and holistic methods defy testing by randomised clinical trial. When I'm being polite I say this is based on a misunderstanding of what science is about. When I'm being less polite I say these people are mad." "Virtually from the word go I've had problems with the complementary camp. Sometimes it subsides. But then as soon as we publish a negative result it flares up. We are champions so long as we produce positive results, but enemies when we produce negative ones." Most of the departments studies, specifically those for Homeopathy, have produced negative results. What they have shown is that therapies with the most promising evidence for efficacy are those with a psychological component. http://www.pms.ac.uk/compmed/ They publish the "The Desktop Guide to Complementary and Alternative Medicine: an Evidence-based Approach" ISBN 0-7234-3207-4 Some of it is available at http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=K_KEguo5BL4C&dq=&pg=PP1&ots=2RjrgKMYpJ&si g=iCaKAa012kXKQJK3Luu2Nty6bPQ&prev=http://www.google.co.uk/search%3Fq%3DDesktop%2BGuide%2BTo%2BComplementary% 2BAnd%2BAlternative%2BMedicine%253A%2BAn%2BEvidenc e%2BBased%2BApproach%2B%26sourceid%3Dnavclient-ff%26ie%3DUTF-8%26rlz%3D1B3GGGL_enGB177GB215&sa=X&oi=print&ct=ti tle#PPA75,M1 They are also involved with the Focus on Alternative and Complimentary Therapies http://www.medicinescomplete.com/journals/fact/current/ Time and time again homeopathy has proven to be ineffective, if people are daft enough to pay for it that is their choice. What they can't expect is for the state to pander to their irrationality by funding useless treatments. -- Peter Parry. http://www.wpp.ltd.uk/ |
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