WHO warns against using homoeopathy to treat serious diseases

doi:10.1136/bmj.b3447

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Oona Mashta

¹London

The World Health Organization has said that homoeopathy should not be used to treat several serious diseases such as HIV, tuberculosis, and malaria, after doctors drew attention to the continuing promotion of such complementary therapies in many developing countries.

WHO also said that it does not recommend homoeopathy for treating diarrhoea in infants or flu.

WHO experts, who have clearly criticised the use of treatments that have not been proved clinically and that are not evidence based, said that homoeopathy had “no place” in treatment of these five dangerous diseases.

The organisation was responding to calls from …