France: debate over the efficacy of homeopathy

There’s growing debate over the efficacy of homeopathy in France. Homeopathy has for long being used as alternative to orthodox medicine.

Practitioners mainly rely on natural herbs to heal their patients. But its effectiveness is now been challenged.

“That’s all there is to it, so that people want to take it, sincerely me, I have no reason to oppose it. Who am I to say that people do not have the right to take homeopathy? But by advantage, I’m a doctor, I do medicine every day, I do science, I have a science thesis, I did pharmacology and all that says that homeopathy has never proven anything”, said Mathias Wargon, Emergency Physician.

A French company which specializes in homeopathy says the debate over the efficacy of the practise is needless.

“We know that when we cut onion, it irritate our eyes, our noses drip. In homeopathy, we will use Onion in dilution to fight against these symptoms of runny nose and we can say that it is evil. What is important is not just the principle of similarity that I have just explained but also this principle to an extreme small degree,” said Deputy Managing Director of Boiron, Jean-Christophe Bayssat.

The company fears thousands of job losses if authorities ban homeopathy in the country.

“On the medical side, it’s been 220 years since these drugs have been on the market. For 220 years they have responded to public health issues. They respond to medical issues”, said Valérie Poinsot, Executive Director of Boiron.

In the Spring, the High Authority of Health will rule over the continuous use or otherwise of this alternative medical practise.

AFP