Homeopathy is no more effective than a placebo, a national medical review has found. The National Health and Medical Research Council recently conducted a study into evidence on the effectiveness of homeopathy for treating health conditions, concluding that this method of therapy is ineffective. It further warned that those who choose homeopathy treatments over others 'may put their health at risk'. Yet the Australian Homeopathic Association has criticised the NHMRC's 'biased' review, saying homeopathy is one of the most used medical systems in the world - among them being about one million Australians. Homeopathy is a type of alternative and natural form of medicine, which is based on the notion that substances that may cause illness in a healthy person can treat those symptoms in a person who is unwell. Consequently about $10 million is spent on homeopathy by Australians, according to the World Health Organisation. Scroll down for video . The National Health and Medical Research Council recently conducted a study into evidence on the effectiveness of homeopathy for treating health conditions, concluding that this method of therapy is ineffective . The study further warned that those who choose homeopathy treatments over others 'may put their health at risk' The NHMRC's conclusion, released on Wednesday, is based on the findings of more than 1800 papers. Although there were some studies which showed that homeopathy was effective, the NHMRC states they were assessed as being 'small or of poor quality'. 'These studies had either too few participants, poor design, poor conduct and or reporting to allow reliable conclusions to be drawn on the effectiveness of homeopathy,' it states. From the research, the NHMRC further warned that homeopathy should not be used as an alternative to treat health conditions that are chronic or serious. 'People who choose homeopathy may put their health at risk if they reject or delay treatments for which there is good evidence for safety and effectiveness,' the study states. 'Those who use homeopathy should tell their health practitioner and should keep taking any prescribed treatments.' About $10 million is spent on homeopathy by Australians, according to the World Health Organisation . NHMRC's CEO Professor Warwick Anderson says all medical treatments should be supported by reliable evidence. 'NHMRC's review shows that there is no good quality evidence to support the claim that homeopathy works better than a placebo,' he said. Homeopathy is a type of complementary and alternative medicine, according to the National Health and Medical Research Council. It is based on two main ideas: . Homeopathic medicines include pellets placed under the tongue, tablets, liquids, ointments, sprays and creams. 'From this review, the main recommendation for Australians is that they should not rely on homeopathy as a substitute for proven, effective treatments.' But in an open letter to Professor Anderson, the Australian Homeopathic Association  accused the authors of the NHMRC review of being biased. 'Homeopathy is one of the most used medical systems in the world, with an estimated one million Australians choosing homeopathy as part of their health care,' the association said in a statement. 'In Europe over 30 million people use homeopathic medicine, in India over 100 million people depend solely on homeopathic medicine.' The association says homeopathy is not ideally suited to systematic reviews such as the NHMRC's as the therapy is 'a holistic system of medicine that focuses on the unique situation of each individual's overall health'.
Medical study found there is 'no good quality evidence' that homeopathy is effective in treating health conditions . The National Health and Medical Research Council states homeopathy should not be used as an alternative method of treatment . It further warned that those who choose homeopathy treatments over others 'may put their health at risk'
Each year Australians spend about AUS $10 million on homeopathic medicines, the World Health Organisation reports . According to the Australian Homeopathic Association, the treatment is used by about one million Australians . The association further states the NHMRC review is biased .