В ЯПОНИИ СТРЕМЯТСЯ ЗАПРЕТИТЬ ГОМЕОПАТИЮ

Национальный вице-президент Международной медицинской гомеопатической лиги (LMHI) в Японии, д-р Ронко Итамура, сообщила о гонениях на гомеопатию и гомеопатов в Японии, как со стороны чиновников, так и со стороны объединившихся в "борьбе" против гомеопатии различных медицинских профессиональных ассоциаций.

Это случилось 24 августа 2010 года, а уже 26 августа 2010 года японская газета "Асахи" опубликовала "разгромный" материал против гомеопатии:

Science council chief says homeopathic medicine is a 'hoax'

BY AKIKO OKAZAKI AND TSUYOSHI NAGANO THE ASAHI SHIMBUN

The president of Japan's leading representative body for scientists blasted homeopathic medicine as "a hoax" on Tuesday, saying it had no scientific basis and posed a danger.

Ichiro Kanazawa, president of the Science Council of Japan, said homeopathy's medical pretensions had "clearly been refuted" and that, unless something was done to stem its use in the medical world, "misconceptions that it is a safe and effective therapy that is close to nature will spread, possibly causing serious consequences."

The withering attack from one of the leading figures in the Japanese scientific world comes after a number of deaths and serious cases connected with homeopathic remedies. In May, an infant in Yamaguchi Prefecture died after a midwife allegedly gave a homeopathic remedy instead of Vitamin-K syrup, which is recommended for prevention of subdural bleeding in very young children.

While accepting that the "use of the remedies by individuals, with a full understanding of the facts, is a matter of personal freedom," Kanazawa said homeopathy "is a hoax." He cautioned that homeopathic remedies had "rapidly become widespread among medical practitioners, and vocational schools for administering the therapy have even sprung up."

The Japanese Homeopathic Medical Association hit back, accusing Kanazawa himself of a lack of scientific rigor.

"The healing properties of homeopathy are widely recognized overseas. To attack the treatment as 'a hoax' without proper research is unscientific," the statement said.

Kanazawa's broadside, however, seems to have support not only from his own organization, the country's main representative group for scientists, but from other parts of the medical and scientific establishment.

On Wednesday, the Japan Medical Association and the Japanese Association of Medical Sciences announced they support the council's stance. At least five other organizations including the Japan Dental Association and the Japan Veterinary Medical Association backed the statement and said they would convey it to members.

Hideaki Karaki, vice president of the council, said medical professionals risked losing the trust of patients. "We needed to send out a message that homeopathy does not work," Karaki said.

The international medical journal The Lancet published an analysis of 110 clinical trials of homeopathic treatments in 2005, concluding there was no evidence they worked any better than placebos.

The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare has begun investigating whether groups promoting homeopathy have infringed on the Medical Practitioners Law or Pharmaceutical Affairs Law.

Homeopathy works on the principle of enhancing immunity through the intake of highly diluted toxins from plants, insects and minerals.

Это особенно небезопасно в связи с тем, что гомеопатия в Японии получает развитие в последние два десятилетия, и, в преддверии очередной сентябрьской международной конференции (2010) и очередного Всемирного Конгресса LMHI (2012).

На этот материал и обращение д-ра Ронко Итамуры уже поступили отзывы из многих стран мира, осуждающие такие шаги японских медицинских ассоциаций и властей.