Health Experts Suggest FDA Scrutiny To Assure Safety of Homeopathy Medicines

About one third of Americans use some form of alternative medicine, including homeopathic remedies because they find Western medicine inadequate. Homeopathy is a medical philosophy that includes a plant or a mineral in a tiny amount and essentially believes your body is the best weapon to fight disease. Homeopathic medicine is based on the idea that if something causes a symptom in your body and if you take a diluted form, it will boost your body’s ability to fight it.

Products such as the homeopathic cold remedies Coldese and Zicam, do not go through the same level of scrutiny as over-the-counter and prescription drugs. Experts raised concerns, as there is a misconception that all homeopathic products are natural and therefore safe. Unfortunately, FDA has become aware of significant safety issues associated with homeopathic products in recent years.

Dr. Adriane Fugh-Berman said that most people don’t entirely know what homeopathy is and may assume that the products are dietary supplements or conventional drugs since they are often sold on the same shelves as traditional drugs.

Janine Jagger, Familial Mediterranean Fever Foundation, said that there should be stricter label standards with descriptions about the ingredients in the homeopathic product. She believed there was a "deceptive illusion of treatment" when people chose these homeopathic options over pharmaceuticals that have been proven to work.

Source-Medindia