Homeopathy Most Popular Alternative Therapy in Italy, New Study Shows

“Results from a healthcare study involving 60,000 families in Italy, found that homeopathy is the most popular alternative therapy in the country, with around 7% of Italians having been treated homeopathically. Women are more likely to have tried alternative therapy, with 15.8% of women having tried at least one form of alternative medicine, compared to 11.2% of men. The second most popular alternative therapy is osteopathy and chiropractic treatments with 6.4%, followed by phytotherapy at 3.7% and acupuncture with 1.8%.
Significance: Apart from showing a growing tendency towards alternative therapies, the study results showed a correlation with the level of education. High-school graduates are almost twice as likely to use alternative therapies as people with elementary-school qualifications. The same distinction applies in results for members of the professional class and manual workers. With almost 1.5 billion Euro at manufacturer prices, worldwide sales of homeopathic drugs account for 0.3% of the world drug market. The growth potential for homeopathic treatments is therefore considerable. Almost 70% of all homeopathic drugs are sold in Western Europe.”