A poll of 2,000 adults found Brits spend an average of £1,091.26 each year on gym memberships, vitamins and supplements, prescriptions, exercise classes and healthy foods.

And over the course of a 60.3 year average adult lifespan, that adds up to a staggering £65,802.98

The average Brit spends an average of £113.46 each year on gym memberships, another £123.60   on vitamins and supplements, and an extra £66 on protein powders.

They’ll also spend £28.98 a year on new exercise gear, clothing and equipment to help with their workouts.

And those who use alternative medicines and therapies will spend £31.98 a year on the treatments.

The research was conducted by 4Homeopathy, in support of Homeopathy Awareness Week (10-16th April).

A spokesperson for 4Homeopathy said: “Looking after your health is one of the most important things you can do.

“There are so many ways you can dedicate funds to improve your health and wellbeing, and we are encouraged by the results of the study which indicate many Brits would be open to alternative therapies in the future.

“We know that many people – with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle being the latest high-profile examples - are already enjoying or exploring the positive health benefits of complementary and alternative medicines.”



A third of adults would consider using complementary or homeopathic alternatives for an ailment in the future, and one in six are already using alternative methods to help with their illness.

The survey, conducted by OnePoll.com, also explored attitudes to healthcare and wellness.

Seven in 10 Brits think about the state of their health on a regular basis, with the average adult visiting the doctor three times a year.

Men are more likely to spend money on vitamins, protein powders and exercise supplements to stay healthy, while women prioritise their spend on healthy foods.

And one in 10 have put off visiting their doctor in case it resulted in a costly diagnosis they would struggle to afford.

However, 12 per cent are already currently suffering with a medical condition that causes them significant expense to treat.

But only 14 per cent of adults surveyed in the study currently have a savings account reserved specifically in case of emergency.

Londoners are most likely to fret about the state of their health, while those living in the North West are the most relaxed about their physical wellbeing.

Residents of Oxford are most likely to rate their general health as excellent, while those living in Cambridge are most likely to rate their health poorly.

4Homeopathy’s spokesperson added: “A health issue can feel daunting, putting strain on physical, psychological and financial elements.

“This Homeopathy Awareness Week we would encourage Brits to explore other alternative avenues of healthcare especially if traditional routes are causing anxiety or are proving ineffective”.

To read the full results of this study visit: FindAHomeopath.org

4Homeopathy is an alliance of 11 of the UK’s largest homeopathic organisations working together to promote the benefits of homeopathy.

Find out more and take our special Homeopathy Awareness Week survey at FindAHomeopath.org #TryHomeopathy

VOTE NOW!

We have less than a week left to reach the target and push for a debate in parliament about homeopathy and herbal medicines on the NHS.  The consultation which prompted the petition is being challenged legally and the more signatures the better visibility of the issue by those reviewing the case and MPs.  Importantly this does not just concern current users of NHS facilities, but also everyone who might be in need of these services in the future.

If you believe in free choice in health care and want to see options available for people who can’t be helped by conventional medicine, and could never afford private care,  vote now and please pass the link on as widely as you can.

Petition: Stop NHS England from removing herbal and homeopathic medicines

NB: Your vote will not be counted until you have received an email from the petition organisers and clicked back on their link. It appears that these emails are going in to the junk folders of many people and so the votes are never confirmed. If you do not receive an email within a couple of minutes of voting please check your junk mail.

A trial has started in January 2017 to see if homeopathy can help in the treatment of osteosarcoma in dogs. Osteosarcoma is a very serious disease and the average survival time until euthanasia is about two months, unless amputation and chemotherapy are employed, when it is about eleven months. This trial is open to those who decide, in consultation with their vet, that amputation is not what they want for their dog.

The owners and dog will need to attend the trial centre for at least one consultation which might last up to 90 minutes. The consultations and medicine will be free.

The homeopathic remedies will be chosen specifically for the dog, based on the history and clinical signs. The dog will remain under the care of the primary vet, and if euthanasia is required, as always that decision will be taken by the owners and the primary vet. This is to ensure no additional suffering will be undergone by any dog participating in the trial.

If a dog is to be entered for the trial, the owner and vet need to complete the forms which can be downloaded from the Britsih Association of Homeopathic Veterinary Surgeons' website – bahvs.com.

If you have any questions or wish to enter your dog for the trial, contact the centre below.

Wiveliscombe Homeopathic Veterinary Surgery

Wiveliscombe

Taunton

Somerset

TA42JY

01984624999 osteosarcomatrial@yahoo.com

Geoff Johnson VetMB MRCVS RSHom VetFFHom PCH



Futher information on Geoff

Geoff Johnson qualified as a veterinary surgeon in 1987, and subsequently qualified in veterinary homeopathy in 1999. He is the principal of a busy homeopathic veterinary surgery in West Somerset. He lectures frequently at home and abroad. He wrote the curriculum and taught the Danish Homeopathic Veterinary Diploma, which has just graduated nine vets. He is one of the few UK vets who treats animals diagnosed with cancer using homeopathy. He lectured conventional vets on this subject at the SW and London Vet Shows in 2014.

In his Somerset practice, Geoff has gained considerable experience of treating dogs presenting with a range of canine cancers using homeopathy. He has observed some dogs entering permanent remission with the disappearance of the tumour and health restored. Some dogs were palliated with improved vigour, lessening of clinical symptoms, and life extended beyond conventional expectations. Some dogs appeared to gain no benefit at all. He has specifically observed improvements in some dogs presenting with osteosarcoma. He has treated five such cases using solely homeopathy. None of these dogs underwent amputation nor received chemotherapy. Two died years later of old age, one was euthanased after 22 months and two were euthanased within three months. Three of the five dogs exceeded the mean survival times of dogs which received amputation and chemotherapy, although the dogs treated received only pain relief for a short period. Two of these three dogs went into complete remission. These anecdotal results suggest treatment from a homeopath might offer an effective adjunct to current conventional treatment.

The Charity Commission (CC) is currently conducting a public consultation on whether organisations promoting the use of complementary and alternative medicines (CAM) should have charitable status. They are seeking your views which you can supply by visiting:

https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/consultation-on-complementary-and-alternative-medicines

Homeopathic and other CAM organisations are making submissions but the more received from the pro-CAM public the better.  Please respond to the consultation and take action now!  If you feel uncomfortable answering all of the questions just answer a few, something submitted is better than nothing!

As you will see, the focus of this  consultation is on the evidence for the effectiveness of CAM therapies.  Your submission should be your own, however here are a few helpful points.

• there are many types of evidence that should be considered when evaluating the effectiveness of a therapy. These include scientific studies, patient feedback and the clinical experience of  doctors  who  have trained in a CAM discipline.  Within Homeopathy there is considerable evidence which can be found (https://www.hri-research.org)


• many conventional therapies and drugs  have inconclusive evidence or prove to be useful in only some cases, for example SSRIs (anti-depressants).  Inconsistent evidence is often the result  of the complexity of both  the medical  condition being treated and the therapy being used. It is not indicative of a therapy that doesn’t work


• removing all therapies or interventions that  have inconsistent or inconclusive evidence would seriously limit the  public and the medical profession’s  ability to help treat and ease patients suffering.


• all over the world there are doctors, nurses, midwives, vets  and other healthcare professional  who integrate  CAM therapies into their daily  practice because they see effectiveness. They would not use these therapies if they  did  not see their patients  benefitting from them.  For example in the UK, within the NHS hospital setting, outcome studies demonstrate effectiveness of homeopathy. (http://www.britishhomeopathic.org/evidence/results-from-the-homeopathic-hospitals/)


• practitioners of many CAM therapies belong to registering bodies which expect their members to comply to the highest professional standards in regards to training and practice


• In the UK the producers and suppliers of  CAM treatments (homeopathy, herbal medicine etc) are strictly regulated


• as well as  providing valuable information to the  growing  number of people seeking to use CAM as part of their healthcare, CAM charities frequently fund treatment for those people, particularly the elderly and those on a low income, whose health has benefitted from these therapies but who cannot  afford them. This meets the charity’s criterion of  providing a public benefit.

You can also find out more of what you do to take action here at the Homeopathy Hub.

I had the honour of attending the Premier of Just One Drop, directed by Laurel Chiten, who had flown in from America to attend, present and discuss this cutting edge film about homeopathy. Organised by 4H, Mani Norland, Principle of The School of Homeopathy and Cristal Sumner, Chief Executive of the British Homeopathic Association introduced the event and had both worked hard with others to ensure its high quality, on every level.  The ‘VIP’ audience had Royal, political and medical representation, the latter including homeopaths, teachers and medical doctors. The venue was a cinema in Soho, London, which hosts many innovative, pioneering films.

Just One Drop did not disappoint.  It is ground breaking in its content. Several homeopathic success stories are featured, including the poignant tale of a family dealing with a child with autism. Conventional medicine failed them as there was no improvement in his condition. They turned to homeopathy and saw a steady, significant, very moving improvement, which continues. Another case documents the journey of a man with MRSA and his totally inspiring healing journey. It was highlighted that homeopathy is one of the main systems of medicine in India as discussed by Divya Chhabra, one of India’s most influential and reputable doctors; the point being made here, is that it should be recognised as such throughout the world.  The mother of the autistic child beautifully stated that should homeopathy be more accepted and understood ‘it would change the world and medicine as we know it.’

The film goes on to introduce famous homeopaths, including Hahnemann himself and modern day ‘movers and shakers’ and teachers such as Jeremy Sherr, the Queens physician Dr Peter Fisher, Miranda Castro, Dr Massimo Mangliavori, Dr Roger Morrison, Hilery Dorrian and Francis Treuherz. The list here is long; many others were also interviewed and mentioned, all equally eminent! What was apparent amongst this diverse group of highly qualified people, was their total conviction in homeopathy as a valuable system of medicine. This is based on years of experience, and positive results and frankly, in the changing of peoples lives.  It is also worth pointing out that in the few here I have named, over 50 % are also medical doctors with stringent, allopathic training; what is clearly demonstrated, is that they have chosen to recognise and integrate homeopathy into their practice, or in many cases, use it exclusively as their preferred method of treatment. Why would they do this when they are highly qualified in both systems of medicine, should homeopathy not work? Food for thought for those that have difficulty in understanding the complexities involved in homeopathic medicine; but this is possibly all you need to know. The vitriol and the vindictiveness of the sceptics discussed throughout is misplaced, ignorant and without foundation, given the evidence set out so magnificently and clearly in this film.

In keeping with the theme of negative representation and distortion of evidence, Rachel Roberts, CEO of Homeopathy Research Institute, gives an in depth analysis of the Australian report, which stated that no health conditions could be helped by homeopathy.  This was in fact a gross misrepresentation as Rachel explains in the video linked here, the conclusion being that there was misfeasance, and it has been asked that the report to be rescinded.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QvF8KxbCXzA

Lynn McTaggart, editor of ‘What Doctors Don’t Tell You (who I had the pleasure of meeting and talking with) also alludes to the ‘suppressed evidence’ in this report. You can read more of her findings in her article ‘Of Dirty Medicine and Double standards’ accessible at this link: http://lynnemctaggart.com/of-dirty-medicine-and-double-standards/

David Tredinnick MP, stood up and wholeheartedly and unreservedly stated his conviction in homeopathy, asserting that ‘if we can only get a few trials accepted, the dam will burst.’  This together with Dr Peter Fishers erudite insights added gravitas to an already distinguished, historic event.

Homeopathy will always be controversial due to the fact its roots are embedded in a fundamentally different paradigm which is complex, and requires intense study in order understand its philosophy, practice and mechanism of action. Many people will continue to be sceptical in their approach and will go to any lengths (including deceit and fraudulent behaviour) to deny its credibility, as demonstrated in the reports above. The intention of the film is ‘to pave the way for integration between conventional medicine and homeopathy.’  In my opinion, ‘Just One Drop’ should be shown widely in every community, to educate those who are not familiar with the depth of the healing possible. It is positively inspirational and deserves great acclaim and worldwide recognition. And one thing is for sure, millions of people, despite the detractors, continue to use it. My conclusion?  Homeopathy is clearly here to stay and flourish, even more so once the contents of this film have been absorbed and distributed throughout the world. So please share; it is important to inform and educate at the highest level, with the real facts.

Should you wish to see the film and host a screening, please follow the link here : http://www.justonedropfilm.com/host-a-screening/

Gill Graham

www.consultanthomeopath.com