Homeopathy's rise in popularity is prompting the FDA to examine how the products are evaluated and the Federal Trade Commission to investigate manufacturers' marketing claims. Instead, it requires that homeopathic drugs contain ingredients listed in the Homeopathic Pharmacopoeia of the United States, a database that's managed by the nongovernmental Homeopathic Pharmacopoeia Convention of the United States.īut that could change. And the agency doesn't routinely evaluate them. Those that are said to treat a serious illness, such as cancer, must be sold by prescription.īut unlike prescription drugs and the active ingredients in OTC products, which are reviewed for safety and effectiveness before they're made available to the public, the FDA doesn't require makers of homeopathics to submit evidence that their products work or are safe to use. As with other drugs, manufacturers must include a list of ingredients, instructions for use, and at least one medical condition that their product is supposed to treat. The FDA classifies homeopathics as drugs. But after evaluating many reliable studies, including comprehensive, independent reviews of the research, Consumer Reports' medical experts conclude that homeopathic preparations are no more effective than a placebo. In an email to Consumer Reports, Alissa Gould, a spokesperson for the American Association of Homeopathic Pharmacists cites a "significant body of evidence that supports the effectiveness of homeopathy," including a large 2011 report by German researchers. But she says more recent and scientifically rigorous studies don't support homeopathy. Why, then, are they so popular? "Some trials done 20 years ago seemed promising," says Adriane Fugh-Berman, M.D., an expert in botanical medicine and an associate professor of pharmacology at the Georgetown University Medical Center in Washington, D.C. Yet this year, after reviewing 176 studies, the National Health and Medical Research Council in Australia found that homeopathics worked no better than placebos, concluding that "there are no health conditions for which there is reliable evidence that homeopathy is effective." Proponents say that homeopathy can treat many conditions, including asthma and heart disease. consumers spent about $1.2 billion on homeopathic drugs in 2014, according to the Nutrition Business Journal-up 33 percent since 2000. "The concepts behind homeopathy defy our understanding of the laws of nature," he says. Lipman, M.D., Consumer Reports' chief medical adviser, these tenets don't make much sense. In fact, by definition homeopathic remedies may be so diluted that the helpful ingredient is no longer even detectable.Īccording to Marvin M. Homeopathy, a centuries-old form of medicine, is based on the theory that "like cures like." So an allergy remedy might contain Allium cepa (red onion), which proponents claim has a beneficial effect because onions cause irritated eyes and a runny nose, symptoms similar to allergic ones.Īnother tenet: The more diluted the "active" ingredient, the greater its benefit. Homeopathic meds are sold without those reviews. OTC drugs contain active ingredients that the Food and Drug Administration has reviewed for safety and effectiveness. But there are important differences between the two. You will heal in a way that works for you.Head to the drugstore to pick up a medication for allergies, insomnia, or migraines, and you might see homeopathic remedies sitting right next to the conventional over-the-counter drugs. But healing does not look the same for everyone. Your inherent healing wisdom is set into motion. This remedy empowers you to access your inner strength. I assess according to homeopathic principles. I listen and gather the totality of all of you ( symptoms on the physical, mental and emotional level) and am guided to your personal, unique remedy that is best for you. Symptoms are the expression by the body as the result of the disturbance. It supports your body to do what it innately knows. It helps shift all of you to become aligned. It ignites and creates the momentum your body needs. It unlocks and ignites your healing process. Homeopathic medicine supports this awareness. I empower you to feel and connect to the powerful force that flows through you. You will become self-aware that you are not your body and symptoms. I see you as more than your physical body.
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