Homeopathic remedies are a popular type of alternative treatment based on the concept that a tiny amount of illness-causing substances can be diluted and transformed into natural medicines to cure any number of ailments. 
 
 Homeopathic treatments promise to help conditions ranging from acne to migraines to respiratory illness, and celebrities like Gwyneth Paltrow and Dr. Mehmet Oz have sung their praises. But if you think these "natural" remedies sound too good to be true -- you're probably right, a new study suggests. 
 
 The new report from the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) in Australia reviewed hundreds of published studies testing the effectiveness of homeopathic treatments, and found no reliable evidence that any of them really work. 
 
 In the report, the council finds studies on homeopathic remedies were typically poorly-designed and scientifically flawed, and their findings inconclusive at best. In most cases, the review found homeopathic remedies worked no better than a placebo, or the findings were too flawed to be conclusive. 
 
 "Some studies reported that homeopathy was more effective than placebo, or as effective as another treatment, but those studies were not reliable," the researchers write in their study. They say larger, well-designed studies would be needed to prove whether any of the treatments are actually effective. 
 
 Without such proof, the researchers are concerned many patients are being misled into wasting their money -- and worse, forgoing more effective treatment options. 
 
 "Many health care practices and products are promoted as beneficial to health when there is little or no evidence to support these claims," the researchers write in their study. "In some cases these claims may mislead people to reject practices and treatments that are proven to be effective, in favor of non-evidence-based treatments." 
 
 Homeopathic remedies are widely available at specialty shops including health food stores and from practitioners of complementary medicine. They are made from plant, animal and chemical materials, and may be formed into tablets, liquids, lotions, sprays, or small pellets to place under the tongue. 
 
 A technique for creating the solutions involves diluting the ingredient in water or alcohol and hitting the container against the hand or surface, a process known as "potentiation" or "dynamisation." The compound purportedly retains enough "memory" of the ingredient to spark a physical response in the patient. 
 
 The treatments provided to patients are often individualized based on their diagnosis. Typically, a practitioner provides one -- though sometimes more -- remedies to use on a regular basis in order to address a specific health condition. 
 
 Many homeopathic products also are widely available at pharmacies and supplement shops. New York and other states have recently begun conducting investigations to crack down on bogus claims. 
 
 For their report, the NHMRC reviewed prior studies conducted by independent and government organizations. The NHMRC also examined reports from homeopathy interest groups, as well as clinical practice and government guidelines for homeopaths. The only studies included in this analysis were those that compared people who received the homeopathic treatment versus those who did not. In their analysis, the researchers determined that a large number of the studies were flawed and many had findings that were not reliable. 
 
 "People who choose homeopathy may put their health at risk if they reject or delay treatments for which there is good evidence for safety and effectiveness," the researchers write in their study. 
 
 The studies used in the report evaluated homeopathic treatments for a total of 55 health conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, influenza-like illness, hot flashes, rhinosinusitis, ankle sprain, oral dryness, psychophysiological-onset insomnia, stress, dermatological reactions to radiotherapy, warts, osteoarthritis of the knee, chronic low back pain and upper respiratory tract infection. 
 
 For studies on 13 health conditions, homeopathy was found to be no more effective than a placebo. For 29 health conditions there was just one study comparing homeopathy with placebo and it was determined to be poorly designed. Studies on 14 conditions found some benefit from homeopathy, but the NHMRC review determined that the original studies were so flawed that the findings could not be trusted. 
 
 They suggest that anyone still interested in trying homeopathic remedies consult with a health professional first. "Those who use homeopathy should tell their health practitioner and should keep taking any prescribed treatments," they write. 

 Report by top medical research body says ‘people who choose homeopathy may put their health at risk if they reject or delay treatments’ 
 
 Homeopathy is not effective for treating any health condition, Australia’s top body for medical research has concluded, after undertaking an extensive review of existing studies. 
 
 
 
 Homeopaths believe that illness-causing substances can, in minute doses, treat people who are unwell. 
 
 By diluting these substances in water or alcohol, homeopaths claim the resulting mixture retains a “memory” of the original substance that triggers a healing response in the body. 
 
 These claims have been widely disproven by multiple studies, but the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) has for the first time thoroughly reviewed 225 research papers on homeopathy to come up with its position statement, released on Wednesday. 
 
 “Based on the assessment of the evidence of effectiveness of homeopathy, NHMRC concludes that there are no health conditions for which there is reliable evidence that homeopathy is effective,” the report concluded. 
 
 “People who choose homeopathy may put their health at risk if they reject or delay treatments for which there is good evidence for safety and effectiveness.” 
 
 An independent company also reviewed the studies and appraised the evidence to prevent bias. 
 
 Chair of the NHMRC Homeopathy Working Committee, Professor Paul Glasziou, said he hoped the findings would lead private health insurers to stop offering rebates on homeopathic treatments, and force pharmacists to reconsider stocking them. 
 
 “There will be a tail of people who won’t respond to this report, and who will say it’s all a conspiracy of the establishment,” Glasziou said. 
 
 “But we hope there will be a lot of reasonable people out there who will reconsider selling, using or subsiding these substances.” 
 
 While some studies reported homeopathy was effective, the quality of those studies was poor and suffered serious flaws in their design, and did not have enough participants to support the idea that homeopathy worked any better than a sugar pill, the report found. 
 
 In making its findings the NHMRC also analysed 57 systematic reviews, a high-quality type of study that assesses all existing, quality research on a particular topic and synthesises it to make a number of strong, overall findings. 
 
 Glasziou said homeopathy use declined in the UK following a House of Commons report released in 2010 which found the treatments were ineffective, and that he hoped the NHMRC report would have a similar effect in Australia. 
 
 
 
 Dr Ken Harvey, a medicinal drug policy expert and health consumer advocate, said private colleges were charging thousands of dollars for courses in homeopathy, and he hoped students would reconsider taking them. 
 
 The government’s Tertiary Education Quality Standards Agency (TEQSA) should stop accrediting homeopathic courses, he said, while the private health insurance rebate should be not be offered on any policies covering homeopathy and other unproven treatments. 
 
 “I have no problems with private colleges wanting to run courses on crystal-ball gazing, iridology and homeopathy, and if people are crazy enough to pay for it, it’s their decision,” Harvey said. 
 
 “But if those courses are approved by a commonwealth body, that’s a different story and a real problem.” 
 
 Approved courses are reviewed by TESQA every seven years, with its own guidelines stating the content of a course should be “drawn from a substantial, coherent and current body of knowledge and scholarship in one or more academic disciplines and includes the study of relevant theoretical frameworks and research findings”. 
 
 A TESQA spokesperson said independent experts were used to assess whether or not a course complied with its standards. He said homeopathy courses already accredited would not be re-evaluated in light of the NHMRC’s findings, and would only be reviewed when their accreditation was next due for renewal. 
 
 In a statement responding to the NHMRC report, the Australian Homeopathic Association (AHA) claimed around a million Australians used homeopathy. 
 
 However, the NHMRC states there are no reliable estimates of Australians’ current use of homeopathic medicines, though a 2009 World Health Organisation review found Australians spent an estimated $9.59m on the industry annually. 
 
 
 
 “The Australian Homeopathic Association recommend to the NHMRC that it take a more comprehensive approach to the analysis of homeopathy’s efficacy, and consider a large-scale economic evaluation of the benefits of a more integrated system and one which respects and advocates patient choice in healthcare provision,” the AHA said. 

 A University of Toronto study on homeopathic treatment for children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is being heavily criticized by scientists who claim it legitimizes a pseudoscience. 
 
 Two Nobel laureates are among 90 scientists from universities around the world who have signed an open letter calling the clinical trial into question. 
 
 “We are curious about why, given the need to investigate natural therapies that may actually have a potential for benefit, and saddled with a scarcity in funding, a Department of Pharmacy is interested in investigating a subject that has been … found wanting both in evidence and plausibility,” reads the letter addressed to Heather Boon, dean of the U of T’s Faculty of Pharmacy, who is leading the study. 
 
 Homeopathy is an alternative health discipline based on the theory that remedies made of extremely diluted material infected with a particular disease can be used as a treatment. Controversy around the practice at the U of T has made headlines recently. 
 
 On Tuesday, the school revealed it was “examining” a health studies course at its Scarborough campus, in response to claims that an instructor there was teaching anti-vaccination theories in her curriculum.
– Homeopathy—the idea that one can heal oneself with illness-inducing substances in tiny quantities—is basically a bunch of quackery practiced by delusional people who take their own lives in their hands and might just as well take a sugar pill instead, according to Australia's National Health and Medical Research Council. "There are no health conditions for which there is reliable evidence that homeopathy is effective," declares the fairly blunt report, which also recommends that health insurers stop subsidizing homeopathic remedies and that pharmacies not stock them. "People who choose homeopathy may put their health at risk if they reject or delay treatments for which there is good evidence for safety and effectiveness." The report reviewed hundreds of studies on homeopathy, notes CBS News, and found no evidence that it's more effective than a placebo. "I have no problems with private colleges wanting to run courses on crystal-ball gazing, iridology, and homeopathy, and if people are crazy enough to pay for it, it’s their decision," one doctor tells the Guardian, but he thinks governments shouldn't approve them. The Australian Homeopathic Association, not to be deterred, urged the NHMRC to find an approach that "respects and advocates patient choice." It's not the only blow to homeopathy of late: A Canadian study on homeopathic treatment for kids with ADHD came under heavy fire earlier this month from the scientific community for, as the Toronto Star puts it, "legitimiz(ing) a pseudoscience." (Critics of the practice have previously staged a "mass overdose.")