http://www.informationisbeautiful.net/play/snake-oil-supplements/

a bit of explanation…wasn’t immediately clear to me at first.

each bubble is a substance, and each substance has symptoms or conditions listed inside that each substance is intended to treat. there are multiple listings of substance (kind of confusing at first) but they directed at different symptoms and will be lower or higher on the evidence bar. notice that there are only a half dozen or so with “strong evidence” making the cut and the high density at the bottom where pretty much anything goes.

as a bit of humor…the bubble “antioxidants” contains “don’t work” haha

The bald “doesn’t work” goes well beyond the committee’s view –

“We do not doubt that homeopathy makes some patients feel better. However, patient satisfaction can occur through a placebo effect alone and therefore does not prove the efficacy of homeopathic interventions.”

The committee’s view more accurately reflects present evidence. Yet, despite the softer stance rational responses were found for the questions being examined, such as whether the NHS should fund homeopathy (no) and whether further research was needed (no),

Note that the basis for withdrawing funding from homeopathy was not that it “doesn’t work”, but that the money could be better spent elsewhere in that health care system.

I approve. This is the way not to get bogged down in battles that we think are important and which we enjoy fighting, but which as often have no influence upon outcomes.

However, I seriously doubt that this will have much of an impact within the U.S., at least not for a couple of years. Considering the divisions within Congress and the current debate over the health care bill, any attempt to fix U.S. policy towards homeopathy would probably just be used as ammunition in the health care debate. In all likelihood, the republicans would probably use this report as “proof” that other, more centralized healthcare systems care only about efficiency and cost effectiveness at the expense of the patient, and use this to argue against the health bill instead of evaluating this on its own merits. Of course, I could be wrong, but the whole “death panels” brouhaha has kind of convinced me that the republicans aren’t inclined to take health care related issues very seriously.

The FDA could also advise Congress on the scientific realities of this report, the potential ramifications of its conclusions, and then let Congress think about the political unpleasantness of the British leaping ahead of us in this area.

Yeah, I realize that we need to wait for Congress, rather than FDA, to do something. FDA can only do what it is mandated by law to do, which is to allow homeopathic products to be marketed as long as they “contain” only ingredients listed in the Homeopathic Pharmacopeia of the U.S. and other approved excipients, are labeled as “homeopathic” and contain in their packaging the Quack Miranda warning. They are exempt from purity and potency testing. They do not need to demonstrate stability. No need to demonstrate safety or efficacy before marketing. If memory serves, though, they do need to register their manufacturing facilities with the FDA, not that that means much as far as product quality goes, though.

What tests can I perform to ensure the end product was produced and is as advertised?

Indeed! IMO, an even better question is: what tests do the manufacturers do to make sure the end product has the expected potency? For example, Boiron USA, who claim that all their homeopathic medicines [sic] are manufactured according to Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP). As I’ve said before, I sure would like to see their potency testing SOPs, not to mention their process validation reports.

@Lawrence C. & Todd W.

I’m not sure how much FDA can do about homeopathic products. Like supplements, I suspect FDA is required by law to treat them as legitimate, in which case it’s Congress that would need to read this report and act on it. (Fat chance!)

I second your hopes for the FDA.

As I’ve read about this (here, at Respectful Insolence, Bad Astronomy, etc.), I’ve wondered how much of a role the recent demonstrations by 10:23 played. The videos of their protests were pretty amusing (available at the 10:23 web site).

One of the most pleasant understatements I’ve run across in a decade. This is a triumph for the cooperation of science and government in doing their best to get at the truth of a troublesome matter.

I hope at least some people in our own FDA can still read and will read this report. Soon.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/8524926.stm

If I buy a homeopathic remedy in a 100C concentration, how can I be sure the manufacturer didn’t just put purified tap water in a bottle? What tests can I perform to ensure the end product was produced and is as advertised?

“All those moms swear that Hyland’s works….I have a sneaking suspicion that it does…..Because it is sweet.”

Well, as a mom I can say it’s amazing what a simple glass of water can do when your child has some ailment. (tummy ache, cold, cough, etc). A warm or cool wet cloth is another miraculous cure.

MikeTheInfidel – I figured Zicam has some active ingrediant (non-diluted) since it’s been tied to some people losing their sense of smell – http://www.fda.gov/Drugs/DrugSafety/PostmarketDrugSafetyInformationforPatientsandProviders/ucm166834.htm