Dear…….

Re: Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) position statement on complementary and alternative medicines including homeopathy, 03/11/17

I am writing to bring the above Statement to your attention. As a responsible animal owner, I am worried about its implications. First and foremost, the Statement effectively bans the use of homeopathy as a first choice treatment by holistic vets, all of whom are fully qualified members of the RCVS. It was issued without due diligence and consultation with key players such as the British Association of Homeopathic Veterinary Surgeons (BAHVS).

In its Statement, the RCVS incorrectly claims there is no sound scientific basis for homeopathy. There is, in fact, an increasing body of evidence for its efficacy. Significantly, this includes a growing body of farmers with their ‘conventional’ vets successfully using homeopathy in the fight against antibiotic resistance in farm animals. This has huge implications for human as well as animal health. Realising the potential of such treatments, countries like France and Germany ensure that all their vets and doctors have access to training in homeopathy and other complementary and alternative medicines (CAM).

From a personal point of view, I feel that the RCVS Statement questions the integrity of my superb holistic vet and limits the choice I have as a responsible animal owner. I would like your help in getting the RCVS to retract its Statement and instead initiate an open and honest debate about what homeopathy and CAM can offer to animal health and welfare. I would also be grateful if you could raise the issue with relevant Ministers.

I would like to thank you in advance for taking the time to read this letter, and hopefully bringing it to the attention of the appropriate people. More details, along with relevant RCVS contacts, are set out in the Briefing Note below. I look forward to hearing from you.

Yours sincerely,

….…..

Briefing Note on the RCVS Position Statement on complementary and alternative medicines including homeopathy, 03/11/17

As a responsible animal owner, I have several concerns with the RCVS Statement:

  1. I am worried that the RCVS Statement is effectively a ban on vets being able to provide homeopathy as a first choice treatment for my animals. As you will know, all UK vets are RCVS registered. Recognised qualifications in homeopathy and other complementary and alternative medicines (CAM) provide additional tools for conventionally qualified holistic vets to use. This furthers the College’s aim to maximise animal health and welfare in the UK.

2.The RCVS has since claimed that the Statement is not a ban on vets using homeopathy (FAQs appended on 14 November 2017 to RCVS news article: College Publishes Complementary Medicines Statement, 3 November 2017). However, the Statement says that all treatments should have “a recognised body of evidence and / or be based on sound scientific principles”. Since the College regards homeopathy as having neither, it is, in effect, banning this particular avenue of treatment. This also has implications for other complementary medicines and practices. In essence, the RCVS seems to be ignoring the increasing body of evidence for the efficacy of homeopathy and other CAM.This includes randomly controlled, double blind, placebo-controlled trials (based on sound scientific principles) such as Frass et al. (2005) and the Homeopathic Research Institute (2014). I’ve appended more information on these below . Such studies illustrate the positive role homeopathy can play in human and animal treatments, and suggest that their efficacy strike rate may be similar to conventional drugs.

  1. The RCVS appears to ignore the increasing and successful use of modalities such as homeopathy by farmers and their ‘conventional’ vets in the fight against antibiotic resistance in farm animals. This has huge implications for human as well as animal health. The World Health Organisation (WHO) in it’s World Antibiotic Awareness Week 2017 highlighted antibiotic resistance and included the following quote in their Antibiotic Resistance Fact Sheet (updated, November 2017):

“Antibiotic resistance is one of the biggest threats to global health, food security, and development today.”

  1. I am unclear where the RCVS Statement leaves the UK organic farming industry that has to follow a certain protocol in order to gain and maintain organic status.
  1. Looking outside the UK, other countries ensure that their doctors and veterinary surgeons have access to training in CAM, including homeopathy, in order to add to their skill set. The value of this may be illustrated by France. The WHO Health Report 2000 rated France at the top of their health care table. This may be in part due to their more holistic health care training. For example, a large scale study (EP13 study highlighted by David Tredinnick MP, Hansard debate on Homeopathy and the NHS, 29/03/17) comparing conventional and homeopathic GPs in France showed that the latter prescribed far fewer drugs with the same or better clinical results at 20% less cost. Those integrating homeopathy into their treatment used around one third the antibiotics and psychotropic drugs and half the analgesics.
  1. All UK vets are conventionally trained and are bound by the tenet to “do no harm”.I use a holistic vet who works with the utmost integrity in treating my animals. Homeopathy has played a positive role in this. I therefore feel that the RCVS Statement is (a) questioning the integrity of holistic vets and (b) limiting the choice I have as a responsible animal owner.
  1. The RCVS Statement was produced and published without due diligence and discussion with key players such as the British Association of Homeopathic Veterinary Surgeons (BAHVS) all of whom are qualified conventional vets. BAHVS issued a response to the Statement (BAHVS website, 5th November 2017).

Debate and questioning are fundamental to any scientific progress. I am therefore concerned that by adhering to the November 2017 Statement, the RCVS will stifle future innovation, research and evolution of new treatment modalities. This will hold back improvements in animal health and welfare, the protection of which underpinned the RCVS Statement. Consequently, I feel that the RCVS should act with integrity by:

Withdrawing its 3 November 2017 Statement.

Welcoming an honest and open debate and discussion of what homeopathy and CAM have to offer animal treatment. This should involve all key players including the BAHVS all of whom are RCVS members.

I feel that only by doing this can the RCVS remain at the forefront of animal health and welfare in the UK and on the world stage.

As my local MP, I would be grateful if you could raise my concerns about the RCVS Statement and my wish that the College acts accordingly with the following:

The RCVS, relevant contacts are:

Lizzie Lockett (CEO)

Relevant Ministers and civil servants responsible for the Veterinary Surgeons Act and animal health and welfare issues in general.

I would also like to ask you to raise a question in the appropriate question time process.

If it would help, I can provide more information and / or useful contacts.

References

Frass, M., et al. (2005). "Adjunctive homeopathic treatment in patients with severe sepsis: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in an intensive care unit." Homeopathy : the Journal of the Faculty of Homeopathy 94”(2): 75-80.On day 180, survival was statistically significantly higher with homeopathy (75.8% vs 50.0%, P = 0.043). No adverse effects were observed.

In 2014, the Homeopathy Research Institute highlighted 189 randomised controlled trials of homeopathy on 100 different medical conditions that had been published in peer-reviewed journals.Of these, 104 papers were placebo-controlled and were eligible for detailed review. Ananalysis of 1016 systematic reviews of RCTs of conventional medicine hadstrikingly similar findings. There is a clear basis here for more research and discussion about the potential use of homeopathy and CAM in general.