NRL on use of homeopathy by doctors

The Presidium of the Supreme Medical Council upholds the opinions expressed in:

• Position of the Supreme Medical Council No. 24-02-IV of November 8, 2002, - Position of the Supreme Medical Council No. 7/08/V of April 4, 2008,
• position of the Supreme Medical Council No. 2/09/V of February 13, 2009, - appeal of the Supreme Medical Council No. 2/11/VI of April 1, 2011,
• Appeal of the Supreme Medical Council No. 1/14/P-VII dated April 11, 2014,
• The position of the expert panel of the Supreme Medical Council on the use and promotion of homeopathic methods.

Confirmation of the opinion of the medical self-government can also be found in the judgment of the Court of Appeals in Warsaw, dated April 1, 2016, case number VI ACa 397/15, in which the Court dismissed the appeal of the President of the Office of Competition and Consumer Protection against the judgment of the District Court in Warsaw on the position of the Supreme Medical Council regarding homeopathy. The legal dispute over the position that the Medical Council took on homeopathy in 2008 was, therefore, legally ended. Thus, it was confirmed that the position of the Supreme Medical Council is substantively sound and in accordance with the applicable law, and that the medical self-government has defended its right to speak on matters relating to the practice of the profession by its members.

In view of the continuing lack of scientific evidence confirming the effectiveness of treatment with homeopathic remedies, the Presidium of the Supreme Medical Council has appealed, and continues to appeal to Fellow Physicians and Dentists to refrain from using these methods of treatment. Treatment with homeopathic products does not meet the requirements for methods used in modern medicine, and the principles of this method of treatment do not comply with current medical knowledge. These methods are based on the use of worthless preparations with scientifically unproven effects, and there are no disease entities in which the use of homeopathy would have research-confirmed therapeutic efficacy.

Existing regulations may lead patients to mistakenly believe that homeopathic products are medicinal products marketed and used in the same way as all other medicinal products. Indeed, the name homeopathic medicinal product indicates its medicinal nature. Since the manufacturer, importer or seller of this medicine does not have to demonstrate any medicinal effect of this product according to the Pharmaceutical Law, the name medicinal product is undoubtedly misleading to the patient. If homeopathic products are medicinal in nature, they should go through a procedure like other such products. If such a procedure is not reasonable or not possible, a homeopathic medicinal product should not be covered by the provisions of the Pharmaceutical Law. It is therefore inappropriate to refer to homeopathic preparations as "medicines," since they have no proven efficacy and do not meet the requirements for registration of medicinal products.

It is the duty of doctors to reliably inform patients who demand the use of homeopathic products about their lack of therapeutic efficacy. It is the responsibility of doctors and dentists, who practice a profession of public trust, to use correct methods of treatment, confirmed by scientific research and in accordance with current medical knowledge. Therefore, the Presidium of the NRL, bearing in mind the principle expressed in Article 57 of the Code of Medical Ethics, which states that: , "A physician may not use methods considered by science to be harmful, worthless or scientifically unverified. Neither may he interact with those engaged in treatment and not authorized to do so .'' calls for refraining from using treatment with homeopathic products .

Source: https://nil.org.pl/aktualnosci/8010-apel-i-stanowiska-podjete-przez-pnrl-w-dniu-30-marca-2023-r