THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT is looking at whether homeopathy should be put on a blacklist of NHS treatments GPs in England are banned from prescribing to patients.

Minister for Life Sciences George Freeman told the BBC that with rising health demands “we have a duty to make sure we spend NHS funds on the most effective treatments”.

He confirmed the government is considering whether or not these products should be available through NHS prescriptions.

Homeopathy treatments involve diluting a version of a substance that causes an illness. The most common afflictions people seek these treatments for include hay-fever, asthma, stress, depression and skin conditions.

The NHS has said there is “no good quality evidence that homeopathy is an effective treatment for these or any other health conditions”.

Some practitioners also claim that homeopathy can prevent malaria or other diseases. There is no evidence to support this and no scientifically plausible way that homeopathy can prevent diseases.

If the UK government does decide to take these products off the NHS list, it will not prevent people from buying them over the counter or privately.

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