By Paul Sayer   13^th February 2011.

The BBC has recently been described as the ‘the only people regulating homoeopathy’. The remark was made by Simon Singh, a popular TV ‘scientist’ and fierce opponent of homoeopathy, in a Newsnight report of January 5^th which investigated a Royal Pharmaceutical Society complaint against a homoeopathic pharmacy which claimed that malaria could be prevented with homoeopathic remedies.[1]

The report began with Mark Wild, a BBC employee, who had used an antimalarial homoeopathic remedy before he went to film a documentary in the Sahara. The particular remedy was never mentioned, nor the potency, nor the method of administration.  Nevertheless the fact that he contracted malaria was set out as proof that homoeopathy does not work.

No mention was made of Cheryl Cole who recently used conventional antimalarial drugs which failed and left her close to death, nor of hundreds of other patients who, like Cheryl, have been left with serious side effects after taking conventional antimalarial drugs.  Mark Wild’s GP, Dr Fred Kavalier, said he thought homoeopathy was a waste of NHS money, despite a minuscule cost of £3 million in a budget of £50 billion and the fact that homoeopathy serves seven million patients.

A Mitchell and Web comedy sketch which ridiculed homoeopathy came next. Exactly how this constituted investigative reporting was not made clear. Though it did set the tone for the report which was more about ridicule than genuine investigation.

After an infantile explanation of how homoeopathy works came in a secret film clip of an unnamed doctor in what appears to be a sleazy backstreet office.  We are not informed of her qualifications.  The ‘doctor’ explains that homoeopathy could be used to protect against malaria.  This is taken as proof positive of the dangerous practices inherent in homoeopathic treatment.

We then have a studio ‘discussion’ between Kirsty Wark, Simon Singh and Zofia Dimitr, chairwoman of the Society of Homoeopaths.  The usual clichés are brought out against homoeopathy: ‘It's only water. There is no scientific proof.’

Simon Singh stated that only evidence-based medicine should be available on the NHS.  By ‘evidence-based medicine’ he presumably means the prescription drugs that kill 100,000 people every year in the United States.[2] Zofia Dimitr, harangued by Wark and Singh, tried to explain the position of homoeopathy but was allowed only three minutes against a total of thirteen minutes of anti-homoeopathy rhetoric.

Even if the BBC are not ‘the only people regulating homoeopathy’, they did in this report, sinking to the lowest level of investigative journalism. The Faculty of Homeopathy stated ‘The biased pre-recorded report failed to discuss the topic in a balanced way…’[3]

Perhaps it would be a good idea for Simon Singh and Dr. Fred Kavalier to look at the cost of prescription drugs which don't work, rather than the cost of homoeopathy which does.