On February 22nd the UK government Science and Technology Committee published Evidence Check 2: Homeopathy and concluded that “the NHS should cease funding homeopathy”. Hurrah!
It also noted that ”the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) should not allow homeopathic product labels to make medical claims without evidence of efficacy. As they are not medicines, homeopathic products should no longer be licensed by the MHRA.” Hurrah again.
But this is the really really interesting bit. “In the Committee’s view,
homeopathy is a placebo treatment and the government should have a policy on prescribing placebos.”. They go on to say that placebos involve deception, and are not consistent with informed consent.
To which I say: no, no, you miss the point.
Placebos can be deceptive – but the placebo effect needs not be. We
know that longer consultations, continuity of care, and feeling cared for make people get better faster.
So why don’t we start paying more attention to these kinds of things in the NHS?
And what about simple things. We know that flashily branded medicines have a placebo effect beyond that of plain ones. An NHS generics plant which packages with (cost effective) colour and panache may pay
for itself quite easily.
The placebo effect is not a nuisance. It is our best friend, and it needn’t be deceptive
Margaret McCartney
Clive Cookson
Andrew Jack