France to stop paying for homeopathy

[dead0man]

(the fact that they were is sad)
link-SCIENCE!

It’s nice to occasionally see elected officials do the right thing, especially when it is against popular opinion. Earlier this year a French independent health scientific advisory group, HAS (Haute Autorite de Sante, or French National Authority for Health) was tasked with evaluating the effectiveness of homeopathy. Health minister Agnes Buzyn agreed at the time to abide by their recommendation.

It’s always easy to predict what such reviews will find, although it can be difficult to predict how they will spin the results. There is now overwhelming scientific evidence, including hundreds of studies, that show that homeopathy does not work for any indication. This is now supported by multiple independent systematic reviews. Even if we put aside the scientific plausibility question (which we shouldn’t) and just look at the clinical evidence – that evidence is overwhelmingly negative.

Of course, if you do look at plausibility this result is no surprise, as homeopathy has a scientific plausibility as close to zero as you can get. When a UK science advisory panel reviewed the evidence, they concluded homeopathy was witchcraft.

France, however, has always been a bastion of support for this particular pseudoscience. The company Boiron, which is the largest manufacturer of this magic water, is located in France, employs about 3,600 people, most in France, and 60% of its sales are in France.

So it reaffirmed my faith in the ability for some people, sometimes, to put good quality science ahead of ideology when the HAS concluded its review and found that homeopathy does not work:

For nine months the HAS watchdog investigated the effects of the alternative medicine on 24 medical conditions, including anxiety, foot warts and acute breathing infections and said it did not find sufficient scientific evidence to justify continued state reimbursement of homeopathic drugs.

[Esteemed Jimmy]

(the fact that they were is sad)

[Progressive Pessimist]

Uh-oh, it looks like they'll be getting a call from President Marianne Williamson too.

[Badger]

(the fact that they were is sad)

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

Perhaps that'll give us the incentive to yank the Samuel Hahnemann Monument out of Washington D.C.

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

Uh-oh, it looks like they'll be getting a call from President Marianne Williamson too.

First call after the Prime Minister of New Zealand.

[brucejoel99]

This is the equivalent of subsidizing flat earth & chemitrail groups with "scientific grants," & it's sad.

[Santander]

I believe in astrology because I'm a millennial.

[🦀🎂🦀🎂]

the good news is that according to my homeopathic theory of money, the less public funds they get the more effective it is.

[brucejoel99]

the good news is that according to my homeopathic theory of money, the less public funds they get the more effective it is.

Underrated comment of the thread.