Homeopathy is a form of complementary medicine. It aims to strengthen the body holistically so that it can better cope with illness. In homeopathy, small doses of substances are taken that would trigger disease symptoms in healthy people if administered in higher doses. In doing so, homeopathy has perfected the placebo effect, yet it lacks a solid scientific basis.
While healthcare systems worldwide are under financial pressure, health insurance companies pay a lot of money for sugar pills, even though they have no effect at all. For the healthcare system, homeopathy leads to unnecessary expenses. Despite the lack of medical efficacy, homeopathic services are reimbursed or co-financed in many healthcare systems. Funding such treatments ties up resources that could be used much more effectively for evidence-based prevention and care.
Sources
Loudon, Irvine; A Brief History of Homeopathy; in: Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine 99:12 (2006); https://doi.org/10.1177/014107680609901206
Mukerji, N. & Ernst E.; Why homeopathy is pseudoscience; in: Synthese 2000 (2022); https://doi.org/10.1007/s11229-022-03882-w
Helmholz; Alternative medicine: Does homeopathy really work? (https://www.helmholtz.de/newsroom/artikel/wirkt-homoeopathie-wirklich/)
