BHA

Peter Hain MP interview

The MP for Neath, Peter Hain, is one of the most recognisable and best known figures in the Labour Party. He has held ministerial posts in both Gordon Brown's and Tony Blair's governments including Secretary of State for Wales, Northern Ireland Secretary and Secretary of State for the Department of Work and Pensions. He was also Leader of the House of Commons from June 2003 to May 2005. Mr Hain has represented his Neath constituency for 20 years and is currently the Shadow Secretary of State for Wales.

In this interview Mr Hain talks of how his young son’s illness introduced him to homeopathy and how he now believes homeopathy and other complementary therapies should be more widely available on the NHS.

What were your early views on homeopathy and other forms of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM)?
I didn’t have an opinion as I didn’t know what it was.

How did this change?
In 1976, my son Sam was born and as a baby he suffered with eczema. Initially he was prescribed conventional medicines which he took for a couple of years, but he was getting worse as he also developed asthma at around fouryearsold. It was out of desperation when nothing was working that we turned to homeopathy.

What conventional treatment did your son receive?
We had tried a steroid cream which may have provided shortterm relief for the itchiness, but it didn’t resolve the problem of eczema. We were also worried about sideeffects of using such medicinal drugs, especially steroids, on such a young child. Moreover, the asthma was beginning to become a problem and we were unhappy about using Ventolin on a regular basis: we worried that if he became dependent upon an inhaler spray so young, then what would happen to him as he got older.

Was the homeopath that treated your son also a qualified medical professional?
Yes, we took him to the Royal London Homeopathic Hospital, now the Royal London Hospital for Integrated Medicine.

What was your opinion of the homeopathic consultation?
It was interesting – the questions asked by the practitioner were about family history and lifestyle, quite unlike those doctors who just seemed to reach instantly for the standard prescription.

What homeopathic medicine did the homeopath prescribe for your son?
As I recall it included Pulsatilla, but I remember the colloquial term “milk tablets” being used.

Had your son stopped the conventional treatment before starting the homeopathic treatment?
Yes, we had stopped conventional treatments because they were not delivering results.

How soon did you notice an improvement in Sam’s condition?
He took about three courses that each lasted about three months. And I remem ber the improvement was quite dramatic, occurring during the first course.

Was the improvement sustained?
Yes! It was such a relief because we had been very concerned about his long-term health and severe allergic reactions to dust, pollen and animals which often led to him being sent home from school, sports or camps. A serious change of diet also helped: mainly taking him off wheat and cow milk products.

How long did your son have to take the homeopathic medicine for?
About nine months initially as I recall, then only when needed.

Have you ever used homeopathic medicine in your own health regime?
Yes, Arnica! We have it in the car, at home and on holiday in a first aid box for trauma and bruising, and I personally have experienced quick and smooth recovery compared with the experience of others.

Apart from your son’s treatment and your occasional use of Arnica do you or other members of your family use homeopathy as part of their healthcare regimen?
I have used it when travelling as a government minister to countries with a severe malaria problem in place of vaccinations or prophylaxis, though I am also very careful about putting antimalarial herbal sprays on my skin, and noted that I did not experience any sideeffects, unlike others who took conventional remedies*. I have also used homeopathy after dental care (silica as I recall, for an infection) and for first aid. We once even used it in place of a tetanus jab when my other son was bitten by a dog.

I and other family members have also gone to homeopaths for “wellbeing” appointments when feeling stressed or tired and used the tablets prescribed as a result. We have never had any negative side-effects from homeopathy which is not always the case for people taking conventional medicines.

Do you believe homeopathy should be freely available on the NHS to those who wish to be treated in this way?
Yes, I strongly support this policy and when I was Secretary of State for Northern Ireland introduced a twoyear pilot scheme in 2006-8 for complementary medicines to be prescribed free by GPs, with spectacular results. Rather like conventional medicine, homeopathy may not always work, but it’s completely harmless and remedies are very cheap compared to medicinal drugs. My view is that complementary and conventional medicines should exist side by side under the NHS, to be prescribed free according to need and circumstances. The Northern Ireland pilot demonstrated the potential for huge cost savings as well as health improvements.

Do you believe homeopathy should be statutorily regulated in the UK?
I know that this has been debated for a number of years and there are good arguments for and against, but it probably is best for homeopaths to be regulated.

*At present there is no strong evidence to support the use of homeopathic medicines as an alternative to conventional immunisation against serious infectious diseases.