Ethics of Homeopathic Medicine
Homeopathic medicine is a subset of complementary and alternative medicine founded by Samuel Hahnemann in the 19th century. It is based on the principle similia similibus curentur or like cures like. The foundation of this type of medicine is that any substance that can produce the symptoms of a disease in a healthy person can cure those symptoms in a sick person (NCCIH 2016). The effectiveness of homeopathic medicine has been extensively argued and physicians widely believe that this form of treatment is not scientifically sound. Despite this, homeopathy is still widely used throughout the western world. There is currently no reliable evidence that demonstrates homeopathic treatment is an effective or ethical …show more content…
The main argument against homeopathy is the statistical unlikelihood that any active ingredient is being ingested. The lack of an active ingredients suggests that there is no effectiveness of either treatments or vaccines, beyond placebo. It is unethical for a health practitioner to recommend the use of these remedies, knowing that there are other effective, evidence-based treatments available. Homeopathy remedies should not be used in place of tradition medicine or vaccines; they should be treated as they are, a placebo. The usage of homeopathic treatments may prove to be more harmful than traditional …show more content…
2016. Homeopathy. https://nccih.nih.gov/health/homeopathy
Shaw, D.M. 2009. Homeopathy is where the harm is: five unethical effects of funding unscientific ‘remedies’. J. Med. Ethics 36:130-131.
Smith, K. 2011. Against homeopathy–A utilitarian perspective. Bioethics 1-12.
Anagnostatos, G.S., Vithoulkas, G., Garzonis, P., and Tavouxoglou, C. 1991. A working hypothesis for homeopathic microdiluted remedies. Homeopathy and Modern Physics 1:141-147.
National Institutes of Health. 2016. The use of complementary and alternative medicine in the United States: Cost data. https://nccih.nih.gov/news/camstats/costs/costdatafs.htm
Falci, L., Shi, Z., and Greenlee, H. 2016. Multiple chronic conditions and use of complementary and alternative medicine among US adults: Results from the 2012 national health interview survey. Prev. Chronic. Dis. 13:150501.
Rieder, M.J. and Robinson, J.L. 2015. ‘Nosodes’ are no substitute for vaccines. Paediatr Child Health
Homeopathic medicine is a subset of complementary and alternative medicine founded by Samuel Hahnemann in the 19th century. It is based on the principle similia similibus curentur or like cures like. The foundation of this type of medicine is that any substance that can produce the symptoms of a disease in a healthy person can cure those symptoms in a sick person (NCCIH 2016). The effectiveness of homeopathic medicine has been extensively argued and physicians widely believe that this form of treatment is not scientifically sound. Despite this, homeopathy is still widely used throughout the western world. There is currently no reliable evidence that demonstrates homeopathic treatment is an effective or ethical …show more content…
The main argument against homeopathy is the statistical unlikelihood that any active ingredient is being ingested. The lack of an active ingredients suggests that there is no effectiveness of either treatments or vaccines, beyond placebo. It is unethical for a health practitioner to recommend the use of these remedies, knowing that there are other effective, evidence-based treatments available. Homeopathy remedies should not be used in place of tradition medicine or vaccines; they should be treated as they are, a placebo. The usage of homeopathic treatments may prove to be more harmful than traditional …show more content…
2016. Homeopathy. https://nccih.nih.gov/health/homeopathy
Shaw, D.M. 2009. Homeopathy is where the harm is: five unethical effects of funding unscientific ‘remedies’. J. Med. Ethics 36:130-131.
Smith, K. 2011. Against homeopathy–A utilitarian perspective. Bioethics 1-12.
Anagnostatos, G.S., Vithoulkas, G., Garzonis, P., and Tavouxoglou, C. 1991. A working hypothesis for homeopathic microdiluted remedies. Homeopathy and Modern Physics 1:141-147.
National Institutes of Health. 2016. The use of complementary and alternative medicine in the United States: Cost data. https://nccih.nih.gov/news/camstats/costs/costdatafs.htm
Falci, L., Shi, Z., and Greenlee, H. 2016. Multiple chronic conditions and use of complementary and alternative medicine among US adults: Results from the 2012 national health interview survey. Prev. Chronic. Dis. 13:150501.
Rieder, M.J. and Robinson, J.L. 2015. ‘Nosodes’ are no substitute for vaccines. Paediatr Child Health