Rome, April 9 (beraking latest news Salute) – More and more Italians, in the Covid-19 pandemic, have chosen to strengthen their ‘defenses’ by opting for ‘gentle medicine’, in particular by purchasing homeopathic medicines to stimulate the immune system. In fact, for this category of products, 2020 recorded a double-digit increase in sales, especially in the most critical months of the epidemic, with some companies reporting sales of + 58% and + 64% for these products. compared to the previous year. A balance is drawn up by Omeoimprese, an association that represents the homeopathic pharmaceutical sector in Italy, on the eve of World Homeopathy Day, which is celebrated on 10 April.
“Many homeopathic pharmaceutical companies have run out of stocks of some immunostimulating products in their warehouses. They were mostly drugs used to support the immune system”, reports to beraking latest news Salute the president of Omeoimprese, Giovanni Gorga. “In absence. of specific “preventive or anti-Covid” drugs, many patients have relied on complementary medicine, orienting their choice towards certain categories such as immunostimulants “.
Overall, the sector saw stable turnover in 2020, but this generally represents a positive result if we consider the economic crisis that generated the pandemic, which led citizens to spend less, but also to go to pharmacies less, since specialist doctor or homeopath, therefore to a lower number of prescriptions.
“If we look at the market as a whole – adds Gorga – the sector has experienced ups and downs in 2020, since turnover pays for the general economic situation. On the other hand, if we analyze the relationship between Italians and homeopathic medicine, loyalty is evident and trust. Surveys say it, but above all thousands of doctors and pharmacists who recommend gentle medicine confirm it, even during the serious health crisis that the world is going through ”, he stresses.
According to Omeoimprese data, almost a fifth of Italians use homeopathy. A figure even up compared to March 2016, the date from which the last official survey on the sector dates back. According to an EMG-Acqua per Omeoimprese survey, almost 9 million people in our country resort to homeopathy at least once a year. The identikit mainly speaks of women (63%) aged between 35 and 54 years (55% of the total sample) with good employment and a good level of education, who reside in the North (58%).
80% of Italians are familiar with homeopathy and those who use it primarily appreciate the absence of side effects (14%), the non-toxicity (12%) and the degree of effectiveness (9%). With homeopathy, Italians mainly treat colds and flu (59%), joint or muscle diseases (26%), gastro-intestinal problems (25%), allergies and respiratory system disorders (21%), digestion (19%) , insomnia (15%).
And among those who have taken drugs in the last 10 months, 58% have used one or more homeopaths. 60% of Italians, not necessarily regular users, argue that homeopathic and allopathic remedies must be used together. And again: 55% of users of these drugs do so on the doctor’s recommendation, 39% let themselves be guided by their trusted pharmacy, 26% were referred to homeopathy by public health facilities, 17% by the pathology specialist . 26% go to the homeopath.