Homeopathy is worthless

Edzard Ernst, a professor of complementary medicine at Exeter University, southern England, has accused homeopaths of lying to their patients, it was reported Monday. Homeopathic potions do not work and it is unethical to give them on the state-funded National Health Service (NHS) here, the leading scientist has said in the "Society of Biology's magazine". He also described the logic behind homeopathy as bizarre. The NHS spends around 4 million pounds a year on homeopathy, despite calls from the British Medical Association for the funding to end. The discipline - which has won the backing of Prince Charles, the Heir to the British throne, claims to prevent and treat diseases by using dilute forms of materials that in higher concentrations could produce the symptoms of the condition. Homeopaths also believe that the greater the dilution of the medicine, the more potent the potion, and so ingredients are mixed in tiny amounts with water. The use of non-conventional treatments has been attacked in the past and the leading professor says that homeopaths are 'cherry-picking' results to show the treatments work. Professor Ernst, a former homeopath who now researches complementary medicine at Exeter University, said the treatments could be dangerous if people chose them over conventional medicines with proven benefits.In the past Prince Charles has backed the disciplines of homeopathy.