• Homeopaths hit back at claims treatments don’t work
• Follows draft report which said treatment was “unethical”
• Research “showed alternative treatment worked”

AUSTRALIAN homeopaths have rejected claims their treatments are "unethical" and do not work, as stated in a leaked draft report from the nation's peak medical research funding body.

The report from the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) says it is "unethical for health practitioners to treat patients using homeopathy, for the reason that homeopathy (as a medicine or procedure) has been shown not to be efficacious," Fairfax media reported today.but Australian Homeopathic Association (AHA) President Greg Cope said there was wide ranging evidence-based research to support the alternative treatment.mr Cope said the AHA had provided the council with a lengthy submission containing results supporting homeopathy and it was too early to predict what would be in the final report.“Our submission contains information about hundreds of randomly controlled trials which show homeopathy is highly effective in treating a number of different conditions,” he said.

“People get the perception it is quack science… but the point we are trying to make is positive homeopathic research is available but much harder to get published in mainstream journals.”

Homeopathy is based on the principles of “like-cures-like” where substances that produce symptoms or illness in a healthy individual can be used to treat similar symptoms in a sick person.

The practice came under fire last year when a leading professor in complimentary medicine argued homeopathy had killed Apple founder Steve Jobs.

Professor Edzard Ernst said Jobs had delayed conventional treatment for his pancreatic cancer in favour of an "unproven treatment".

To get the other side of the homeopathy story 

The Australian NHMRC report is in response to a review on homeopathy conducted by the Science and Technology committee in the UK House of Commons.“That report was widely criticised for its standard of information and was subsequently rejected by the UK Parliament who continue to support homeopathy as a valued part of their public health care system,” mr Cope said.the NHMRC has since called on homeopaths and the Australian community to provide feedback to “develop health advice for health professionals and the Australian community to assist them in making informed choices about healthcare”.According to the leaked draft, homeopathy uses a variety of animal, plant and mineral products to treat illness and while not harmful it could pose risks if patients chose to delay or not use conventional treatments.mr Cope said a case involving Perth woman Penelope Dingle, who died from bowel cancer in 2005 after spending about $30,000 on unsuccessful homeopathic treatments, highlighted the need for government regulation of the natural medicine industry.he said all homeopaths were required under the AHA code of conduct to refer back to medical practitioners when treating serious illnesses.Homeopaths, like most other alternative therapies, were self-regulated but had lobbied the government extensively for a formal registration scheme, he said.a recent Swiss Government report on homeopathic medicine found the treatments were effective and cost-effective in treating illness, and should be reimbursed by the country’s national health insurance program.the Swiss Health Technology Assessment, considered one of the most comprehensive reports undertaken by a government to date on homeopathy, includes a review of evidence from randomised double-blind and placebo controlled clinical trials.the NHMRC said it was still in the process of reviewing the efficacy of complementary and alternative medicines, including homeopathy, and would release its findings in due course.