Growing use of homeopathic and herbal medicine in primary care?in Scotland

Among Scottish general practices, 60% (that’s six oh!!) now prescribe homoeopathic or herbal remedies.

And the practice is increasing.

The trend is most prevalent in the treatment of children under 16 years of age where it has doubled since 2000. The greatest increase has occurred in those less than one year of age.

The use of homeopathic and herbal medicine is not evenly distributed among physicians; 5% of the practices prescribed 50% of the remedies and accounted for 46% of the patients receiving them.

“The research [based on almost 2 million patients in 323 practices]? adds an important dimension to the ongoing debate about homeopathic remedies, as it shows what is actually happening at grass roots in Scottish general practice,” concluded Dr Jeffrey Aronsonm from Oxford University.

Go here to read the abstract of the study and get access to the full report. A summary and discussion are presented at www.badscience.net.

11/30/06 09:29 JR