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David Tredinnick, a staunch supporter of alternative medicine in Parliament, is well known among observers of the respected House of Commons health select committee.
Whatever the topic of discussion, he was adept at inserting a reference to homeopathy or herbal remedies, and the role they could play in alleviating the current problems plaguing the NHS.
Now the Conservative MP for Bosworth, who also said he sees astrology as a “useful diagnostic tool”, wants to chair the committee.
He secured the required 15 nominations from members of his own party (with Labour, Plaid Cymru and the DUP) and will face Dr Sarah Wollaston, a former GP, in an MP ballot next week. who is seeking re-election to the presidency.
Given his support for homeopathy – a medical practice dating back to the 1790s, recently dismissed by the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) as “unnecessary” – it is no surprise that his candidacy has raised eyebrows in the medical community.
However, he said The independent he believed that resistance to homeopathy was the result of “special interests protecting their interests” and said the NHS should be willing to consider “a wider range of options”.
“Many clinics in the United States use an integrated health care model, combining Western treatments, lifestyle changes, meditation, herbal remedies and homeopathy,” he said. “The way forward is a mixed bag and the medical profession is incredibly defensive on this. »
He added that while his priorities, if elected chair, would be to listen to other committee members and look for ways to change lifestyles to reduce obesity and diabetes, he would continue to personally support homeopathy, which he said could be part of the global agenda. strategy to combat the threat of antibiotic resistance.
“The CMO said that in the next generation, people will die for lack of antibiotics…we need to be more open-minded,” he said. “If you look at the Indian healthcare system, they use a mixture of western medicine, traditional medicine, herbal medicine and homeopathy.
“I do not accept that the case against homeopathy is a medical matter. I think there’s good evidence that it works, particularly where other treatments have failed, and I think it’s vested interests trying to protect their own turf.
However, he said astrology would not be subject to discussion in a health committee under his chairmanship.
“I took a look at (astrology) and I agree it works. It is a science based on observation, dating back thousands of years. There are thousands of books on the subject. If you look through them, they’ll say basically the same thing.
“But I never said it should be available in health services.”
Bottles containing pills for homeopathic remedies (Getty)
(Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images)
Homeopathy is based on the idea that a substance that causes an illness can, when diluted, cure it. It is not recommended for use by the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE) under any conditions, but its practitioners use it for a range of conditions, including asthma, arthritis, high blood pressure and even mental health problems.
Many homeopathic products have been diluted multiple times, leading some critics to claim that they are actually little more than water. In some parts of the country the NHS refers to homeopathic practitioners, but there have been calls for all public spending on the practice to stop.
A 2010 House of Commons Science and Technology Committee report on homeopathy said the treatments were no more effective than placebos and that the principles behind them were “scientifically implausible”.
However, it still has many supporters and is more widely used outside the UK. Perhaps its most prominent advocate is Prince Charles, who raised the issue in a “black spider memo” to then-Health Secretary Alan Johnson in 2007. Mr Tredinnick said that he had “stumbled upon” the prince at times, but had never worked with him. On the question.
The current Health Secretary, Jeremy Hunt, was also a supporter of homeopathy, but has remained silent on the issue since taking office, saying he would “follow scientific advice”.
Among the MPs who nominated Mr Tredinnick are conservative right-winger Peter Bone and former health minister and hospital doctor Dan Poulter.
Another supporter, James Gray, MP for North Wiltshire, said nominating someone did not mean supporting everything they believed in.
“It would be wrong if I pretended that I knew or supported his views on any number of health issues,” he said. “I personally support homeopathy, but that’s neither here nor there.”
Professor Edzard Ernst, Emeritus Professor at the University of Exeter and a leading researcher in the field of alternative medicine, said: “There is now a very broad consensus among scientists that homeopathic remedies are not effective; any benefits perceived by patients are due to placebo and other nonspecific effects.
On the prospect of Mr Tredinnick chairing the health committee, he added: “This appointment would surpass anything we have had in the UK recently, including Blair as peace envoy… it would shatter certainly my irony.”
Strange science: homeopathy and astrology
Homeopathy, strongly supported by David Tredinnick, is not recommended by the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE) for use in any condition. But its practitioners use it for a range of illnesses, including asthma, arthritis, high blood pressure and even mental health problems.
Many homeopathic products have been diluted multiple times, leading some critics to claim that they are actually little more than water. In some parts of the country the NHS refers to homeopathic practitioners, but there have been calls for all public spending on the practice to stop.
A 2010 House of Commons Science and Technology Committee report on homeopathy said the treatments were no more effective than placebos and that the principles behind them were “scientifically implausible”.
In addition to supporting homeopathy, Mr. Tredinnick raised eyebrows earlier this year when he told the “Astrological Journal” that astrology could be a “useful diagnostic tool allowing us to see strengths and weaknesses via the birth chart “.
“I foresee that one day astrology will have a role to play in health care,” he added.
He also told the magazine that opposition to astrology was based on “superstition, ignorance and prejudice.”
Last year he told MPs in the House of Commons that “those who look at the birth chart and receive professional advice will learn a lot about themselves and it will make their lives easier.”
Mr Tredinnick, MP for Bosworth since 1987, is a Capricorn.
