New Zealand Herald on Homeopathy: A Quackery Not Evidence- or Science-Based

here, I cite from an editorial in the New Zealand Herald regarding homeopathy [see 001., below]:

001. we're told in "Editorial: Doctors Should Shun Quackery" (2011-04-24):

"in the latest issue of the New Zealand Medical Journal [...] five researchers, from New Zealand and the UK, called on doctors to stop prescribing homeopathic remedies or referring their patients to homeopathic practitioners, on the grounds that such behavior is 'not consistent with the ethical or regulatory requirements of practicing medicine' [...] the lead letter-writer, Tauranga-based medical researcher Professor Shaun Holt [...] reckons homeopathy is the 'nuttiest' of therapies in the CAM canon [...] he wants New Zealand doctors to stop using homeopathy or even referring patients to homeopaths because, he says, referral 'confers a credibility on homeopathy that it does not deserve' [...] doctors work within an evidence-based framework and patients expect their pronouncements and prescriptions to be based in science. There is not a single scientifically conducted trial that shows homeopathy to be effective and it should not be given the blessing - implicit or explicit - of medical practitioners."

Note: hear, hear.

Homeopathy Taking a Big Hit in New Zealand! Meanwhile, North American Naturopathy-Homeopathy Witchcraft...

here, I cite from a synopsis of a letter in the New Zealand Medical Journal regarding homeopathy [see 001., below]; and then muse [see 002., below]:

001. Professor Shaun Holt writes in "Un-Doctored: Call For Doctors Not to Practice Homeopathy or Refer" [2011-04-18]:

"in a letter published in the current New Zealand Medical Journal [...] medical researcher Professor Shaun Holt [...] and other senior researchers [in full: Shaun Holt, Andrew Gilbey, David Colquhoun, Michael Baum, Edzard Ernst] from New Zealand and UK state that 'practicing homeopathy or endorsing it by referring patients is not consistent with the ethical or regulatory requirements of practicing medicine' [...] the letter was triggered by the recently released Medical Council of New Zealand Statement on Complementary and Alternative Medicine, which informs doctors of the standards of practice that are expected of them. It says that doctors must inform patients on the nature of alternative treatments they offer, the extent to which they are consistent with conventional theories of medicine, whether they have the support of the majority of doctors, and their likely effectiveness according to peer-reviewed medical publications, notwithstanding individual beliefs [...] 'there is no grey area with respect to homeopathy, a practice which involves diluting substances to such a degree that not a single molecule remains [...] homeopathy is completely inconsistent with our understanding of medicine. The British Medical Association has described it as witchcraft, yet a surprising number of doctors will tell their patients to see a homeopath' [...] said Professor Holt."

Note: hear, hear.  I don't have access to that Journal, and the original is password protected.

002. meanwhile, naturopathy-homeopathy in North America:

absurdly promotes homeopathy "witchcraft" as "clinical science" and has further supposedly gained another licensed state, North Dakota.

therein: licensed falsehood and truly a reversal of all values.