I am not a particular fan of the policies of Health Minister Karl Lauterbach, but he is right with the measure to remove homeopathy from health insurance benefits – even if he is accused of symbolic politics and it is noted that a cancellation has only a small potential for savings.Homeopathy is an alternative medical practice based on an idea of the German doctor Samuel Hahnemann, which he formulated at the end of the 18th century. According to this, “like should be cured by like (Similia similibus curentur)”. For this purpose, substances are extremely diluted (sometimes so strong that even with the most sensitive measuring methods available today, no substance can be detected anymore) and (according to special rules) shaken, which according to the homeopaths should increase the therapeutic effect (this is referred to as “potentiation”).
To put it briefly: Homeopathy is nonsense from a scientific point of view. On the one hand, the basic idea (“like is cured by like”) is wrong and is also based on a false observation by Samuel Hahnemann. On the other hand, the principles of homeopathy, especially the idea of potentiation, contradict the basic laws of physics and chemistry. The idea that higher dilutions lead to stronger therapeutic effects is not compatible with the basic principles of biology. Moreover, numerous scientific studies have failed to demonstrate any effect of homeopathy beyond the placebo effect.
Of course, you will find (poorly made or poorly controlled) studies in the extensive literature that were able to prove an effect. But focusing on such individual studies is cherry-picking and unscientific – the vast majority of studies, analyzed in meta-analysis and systematic reviews, could never prove an effect of homeopathic “medicines”.
What remains is the individual perception: “But it helped me!” – Of course there are these individual experiences, but they are based on the natural healing tendency of diseases and on the placebo effect, which can be very powerful (see DocBlog “Considerations on the placebo effect“).
Of course, there is nothing wrong with exploiting the placebo effect in the treatment of diseases, but it must also be clearly communicated that the effect of homeopathy does not go beyond the placebo effect and that this effect has its limits in serious and chronic diseases. But this is not the case, users are told that it is a specific and scientifically proven method of healing. And this is deception, violating the principle of informed consent and the right of patients to the best available treatment.
But there is another point, perhaps even the most important one today. Homeopathy is a form of science denial: The rejection of scientific findings and evidence-based medicine in favor of alternative approaches that are not supported by scientific evidence. Scientific findings and facts play an important role in stable democracies in political decisions and public discussions. Science denial can endanger this informed basis by promoting false information or unconfirmed claims – and that’s why it’s important and right that the Federal Ministry of Health is making a point here and wants to ban homeopathy from the list of services covered by statutory health insurance.
