Homeopathic and Anthroposophic Medicinal Products in the EU – Who uses them and why?

"Executive Summary:

Millions of European citizens choose and have confidence in the use of homeopathic medicinal products for their health care.

In countries where homeopathy is well known, its use is widespread – 79% of French, 60% of Germans, 57% of Italians, 47% of Spanish and 42% of Austrians have used homeopathic medicines. Users are attracted to homeopathy by its effectiveness and safe profile and its natural characteristics.

Patients report a high level of satisfaction with homeopathic and anthroposophic medicine treatment and confidence in homeopathy amongst those who use it is high – 96% of homeopathy patients in Bulgaria are satisfied or very satisfied with their treatment, 90% of German users find homeopathic medicines completely or partly effective, 84% of Spanish and 81% of Italian users declare themselves to be satisfied with the treatment, and 74% of French and 72% of Austrian users of homeopathic medicines find them effective.

Users tend to be female with higher levels of education and from higher income brackets.

Word-of-mouth recommendation from friends or family is still the main reason people try homeopathy, although recommendations from doctors and pharmacists are also important. A consistent message from patients around Europe is that they want to be able to turn to their health professionals for information on homeopathy and would like their doctors to prescribe these products more frequently, alongside conventional medicines. A significant proportion of doctors and pharmacists in the countries surveyed recommend these products – however, awareness of homeopathy amongst health professionals is lower than amongst the population at large, and health professionals tend to underestimate the level of use of these treatments by their patients.

The vast majority of Europeans in the countries surveyed believe that conventional and complementary medicine can be used together and the majority are in favour of insurance funds reimbursing the cost of homeopathic medicines.

Health literacy has accelerated greatly since the Covid pandemic and patients are taking an active role in their own care, exploring health in all its forms. Patients want to participate in the decision-making process and make informed decisions. Increased interest in complementary and alternative medicine can be seen, particularly in women and in younger people. The interest in and support for homeopathy in Europe is in line with this trend.

Those who use these medicinal products do so consciously and by choice. They are eager to find partners in their healthcare practitioners to enable them to access the best information and manage their health in a holistic way."

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The entire survey can be downloaded here: https://echamp.eu/echamp-resources/echamp-brochures/2023-hamps-who-uses-and-why-final.pdf