Dear Editor, You will find below the press release from Christian Boiron, President of Laboratoires Boiron, regarding a Doxa survey in which it emerged that 1 out of 2 Italians would like their doctor to be able to treat them with homeopathic medicines . We are available for further clarifications and possible interviews. Best regards.
Press office
Laboratoires Boiron
Viviana Vignandel 02.26990.319
Viviana Masperi 02.26990.312
www.boiron.com
1 out of 2 Italians would like their doctor to be able to treat them with homeopathy (1)
In recent days the media have given ample space to the results of surveys that do not translate the reality of homeopathy in a precise way.
For example, according to the Doxa(2) survey, in Italy people who are treated with homeopathy represent 23% of the population, yet according to Istat(3) they represent 7%!
With regard to the evolution of the number of people using homeopathy over five years, there are again diametrically opposed numbers between Doxa(2) (+83%) and Istat(3) (-15%).
For its part, the IMS, another large body that deals with market surveys, reports a growth of the 8% in the first half of 2007 (both in terms of values and in quantity).
Surveys, surveys, numbers, ... the only certain fact is that a large percentage of the population still does not know homeopathy.
By focusing the debate on numbers, we have forgotten the real issue: people's health.
If the public opinion, the authoritative figures of the scientific world… stopped experiencing homeopathy as an antagonist to other therapeutic approaches, we could finally gather around the only cause for which it is truly worth it: the health and safety of the sick .
All patients, all doctors, all pharmacists should know that homeopathy, although not a panacea, is simply a valid therapeutic alternative and that for a certain number of pathologies it should be used as the first choice because it does not develop any toxicity, any collateral.
One of the best proofs of this pragmatic interest of patients in homeopathy is the latest Doxa(1) study that we commissioned. We wanted to know if patients were turning to homeopathy to marginalize themselves in relation to mainstream medicine or to have access to a potential complementary therapy.
The answer is clear: 52% of the population answered that "He would like his doctor to be able to treat him with homeopathic medicines, when necessary".
So more than half of Italians would like their family doctor, pediatrician or specialist to know and practice homeopathy in order to have the possibility of having the most suitable treatment for their case, the most effective and with the least risk.
There is therefore no refusal of medicine with a capital "M", there is only the will that medicine integrates this specific competence with
