Nexus - 1706 - New Times Magazine-pages

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HOMEOPATHY: EUROPE'S LEADING ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE EUROPE'S HOMEOPATHY: ALTERNATIVE LEADING MEDICINE The use of homeopathy has been on the rise for decades across Europe, which suggests that the modality is increasingly being regarded as an effective alternative health treatment. The Growing Threat to Conventional Medicine umerous surveys over the past 150-plus years have confirmed tha people who seek homeopathic treatment tend to be considerably more educated than those who don't.'! What is not as well known is the fact that homeopathic medicine is the leading "alternative" treatment used by European physicians as well as by growing numbers o the citizenry. And despite homeopathy's impressive popularity in Europe, it is actually even more popular in India where over 100 million people depend solely (! on this form of medical care.’ Further, according to an ACNielsen survey in India, 62% of current homeopathy users have never tried conventiona medicines and 82% of homeopathy users would not switch to conventiona treatments.’ Sceptics of homeopathy, who insist that homeopathic medicines do no’ work, obviously cannot explain how so many people use and rely upon this system of medicine to treat themselves for so many acute and chronic diseases...and why a very large number of these people do not have to use anything else. The fact that these sceptics assert that homeopathic medicines are "placebos" is simply more indicative of their hyper-denialism of reality, and yet these sceptics maintain great arrogance and ignorance about homeopathy. The entire field of "complementary and alternative medicine" (CAM) was so hot in Europe in the 1980s that, according to a respected market survey, it was second only to the computer industry for growth during this decade.‘ This explosion of interest in natural medicine has continued in the 21st century. In 1998, homeopathy (also spelled "homoeopathy") was the most frequently used CAM therapy in five out of 14 surveyed countries in Europe and among the three most frequently used CAM therapies in 11 out of 14 surveyed countries.’ Three out of four Europeans know about homeopathy and, of these people, 29% use it for their own health care. In other words, approximately 100 million Europeans use homeopathic medicines.° The sales of homeopathic and anthroposophical medicines grew by 60% between 1995 and 2005, from 590 euros in 1995 to 775 euros in 2001 and to 930 euros in 2005.’ Because of homeopathy's impressive and growing popularity in Europe, this alternative treatment poses a significant threat to conventional medicine, which may explain why there are ongoing efforts to attack it (and homeopaths) using devious and questionably ethical means. by Dana Ullman, MPH © February-September 2010 Homeopathic Educational Services 2124B Kittredge Street Berkeley, CA 94704, USA Email: mail@homeopathic.com Website: http://www.homeopathic.com by Dana Ullman, MPH © February-September 2010 France Homeopathy is particularly popular in France, where it is the leading alternative therapy. In 1982, 16% of the population used homeopathic medicine, rising to 29% in 1987 and to 36% in 1992.* In 2004, 62% of French Website: http://www.homeopathic.com NEXUS ¢ 23 Email: mail@homeopathic.com OCTOBER - NOVEMBER 2010 www.nexusmagazine.com