Abstract
Antibiotic resistance is a global public health problem. Once confined primarily to
hospitals it is now increasingly common in primary care. The prevalence of resistant
bacteria is rising, and organisms resistant to almost all antibiotics have been identified.
The main causes are indiscriminate prescribing and the use of antibiotics in animal
feeds and other agricultural applications. Policies to restrict use of antibiotics
have had limited success. Homeopathy may have a role to play in combating the development
of antibiotic resistance. Clinical research suggests that homeopathy is effective
in the treatment of upper respiratory tract infections in children, a frequent cause
of inappropriate antibiotic prescribing. The EU recommends the use of homeopathy in
organic animal husbandry, and it is used by significant numbers of farmers. At present
there is little data on the effectiveness of homeopathy in this setting. Further research
should be done.
Keywords
homeopathy - antibiotics - resistant microorganisms - infectious diseases - recurring
respiratory tract infections