Homeopathy

[cultureofdoubt]

I saw this story on, I think, Newsnight last night. The reporter who researched the story was clearly of similar thinking to me, and I think had some editorial control not been put on him he'd have ranted quite nicely on the subject

Comments

[crumplelush]

Homeopathy is quite a wide term applying to many different types of treatment. One of which is acupuncture which was ridiculed as "complete nonsense" when first entered the western mainstream conciousness. It's has since been scientifically proven (using MRI scanners) that acupuncture can dull sensations of pain and even eradicate it completely. There have been case studies of a woman giving birth using acupunture as pain relief and a man had surgery on his leg with it. Both were entirely successful. Just because something hasn't been proven *yet*, it doesn't mean it's not possible.

[cultureofdoubt]

Homeopathy here is talking about the diluting stuff to the point of nonexistence. I've no problem with using any treatment that's been proven to do what it says on the tin.

On the other hand, people have often tried to demonstrate that homeopathy (as in the diluting thing) has some discernable effect and (when the study is properly constructed) fail quite comprehensively. If there was the effect homeopaths claim it would have been seen.

[chrisvenus]

Frankly though, I don't see what the big news is. I mean, if you've got someone publically declaring that they think homeopathy works then what on earth do you expect them to do?

I think the news to me is that these people have moved on from claiming to be able to cure athletes foot and headaches and are now claiming to be able to cure life threatening diseases with a 100% guaranteed rate. If they said they were 75% effective or something then it wouldn't be so bad because the user would know there is still a risk.

It certainly sounds to me like these quacks are moving onto a new level of endangering people's lives. I'm also hoping that the clinic they said they went to was a homeopathy place rather than a proper medical thing. If NHS or similar clinic are employing homeopathy then I will be very upset.

[cultureofdoubt]

Oh no, all sorts of these things used to claim they could cure this sort of thing. Malaria was one of the first ailments that homeopaths claimed to have successfully treated, as I understand from one splutter-inducing comment on Newsnight.

Would you believe that chiropractors originally claimed that all disease could be treated by doing things to the spine? Sure, now they just deal with bad backs....

And yes, these were all clearly marked homeopathy places, so I'm not tremendously worried if people decide to visit these people as long as they know exactly what they're (not) getting.

[chemicalbeats]

I generally place no stock in homeopathy either.

However Nelson's Pollenna does seem to help a lot with my hayfever. Don't know why, but it works so I take it.