Faculty of Homeopathy

The Faculty of Homeopathy was formed in 1944 from the British Homeopathic Society (founded in 1843). It was incorporated by the Faculty of Homeopathy Act 1950, which confers an educational function on the Faculty.^[1][2] The Faculty promotes the development of homeopathy.^[3]

Homeopathy is a form of alternative medicine in which practitioners treat patients using highly diluted^[4][5] preparations that are claimed to cause healthy people to exhibit symptoms that are similar to those exhibited by the patient. The collective weight of scientific evidence has found homeopathy to be no more effective than a placebo.^{[4][5][6][7][8]}

Membership

The Faculty claims "over 900 members worldwide". Membership is open to statutorily registered healthcare professionals, with student membership available to undergraduates on medical courses.^[9]

Training

Faculty-Accredited courses in homeopathy are taught at four locations in the UK and at four overseas.^[10] After specified training periods, students are eligible to sit the specialist examinations, which lead to the Faculty's qualifications: LFHom, MFHom (for dentists, doctors, nurses, pharmacists and podiatrists), VetMFHom (for veterinary surgeons) and DFHom (for pharmacists and podiatrists). The qualifications do not themselves confer any legal qualification to practise homeopathy.^[11]

Publications

The Faculty publishes Homeopathy (formerly the British Homeopathic Journal -BHJ). This journal was first published in 1844, as the British Journal of Homoeopathy (BJH), which became the BHJ in 1911.

Simile is a regular Newsletter-type publication, for the service of members.

Officers

As of 2016 the Faculty website reported its chief officers as: Helen Beaumont, president; Elizabeth Thompson, vice-president; and Gary Smyth, treasurer.

Notes

1. Roberta Bivins (2008), Alternative Medicine?: A History, Oxford University Press, p. 106, ISBN 0-19-921887-0
2. Faculty of Homeopathy Act 1950 (1950 c. xx), s. 4
3. How the Faculty works, Faculty of Homeopathy, retrieved 4 December 2014
4. Ernst, E. (2002), "A systematic review of systematic reviews of homeopathy", British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology 54 (6): 577–82, doi:10.1046/j.1365-2125.2002.01699.x, PMC 1874503, PMID 12492603
5. Science and Technology Committee, Evidence Check 2: Homeopathy, UK Parliamentary
6. Homeopathy, National Health Service, retrieved 4 December 2014
7. Altunc, U.; Pittler, M. H.; Ernst, E. (2007), "Homeopathy for Childhood and Adolescence Ailments: Systematic Review of Randomized Clinical Trials", Mayo Clinic Proceedings 82 (1): 69–75, doi:10.4065/82.1.69, PMID 17285788, However, homeopathy is not totally devoid of risks… it may delay effective treatment or diagnosis
8. Shang, Aijing; Huwiler-Müntener, Karin; Nartey, Linda; Jüni, Peter; Dörig, Stephan; Sterne, Jonathan AC; Pewsner, Daniel; Egger, Matthias (2005), "Are the clinical effects of homoeopathy placebo effects? Comparative study of placebo-controlled trials of homoeopathy and allopathy", The Lancet 366 (9487): 726–732, doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(05)67177-2, PMID 16125589
9. "Membership". Faculty of Homeopathy. Retrieved 2016-03-03.
10. "Teaching centres -Faculty of Homeopathy". Faculty of Homeopathy. Retrieved 28 July 2015.
11. Faculty of Homeopathy Act 1950 (1950 c. xx), s. 4(d)

External links

• The Faculty of Homeopathy
• The British Homeopathic Association (Advocacy site)
• The British Association of Homeopathic Veterinary Surgeons (Advocacy site)
• The British Homeopathic Dental Association (Advocacy site)