Comments on: Popular Delusions VI: Homeopathy

By: Jim Baerg

Jim Baerg — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 04:19:32 +0000

The Skepticality podcast has an interview with Dr. Simon Singh who has done some work exposing dangerous homeopathic practices in Britain.
Go to http://www.skepticality.com/index.php
Then click on 'Listen to Past Episodes' & download episode #37

By: lpetrich

lpetrich — Thu, 09 Aug 2007 12:59:23 +0000

Have you ever heard of the homeopath who died of an overdose? They forgot to take their medicine.

I couldn't resist that joke, and it is not original with me.

But more seriously, I've seen the argument that Niklaus Pfirsig mentioned, even though it is specific to the operation of the immune system and even though it is a poor analogy for homeopathic medicines.

In one of the response threads at Richard Dawkins's site, I saw an argument from a defender of homeopathy who claimed that homeopathy treats a patient as an integrated unit rather than as a set of parts that can be treated in isolation from each other. He never explained how that was supposed to work, however.

BTW, Richard Dawkins is preparing a documentary on crackpottery and irrationalism; he might be discussing homeopathy in a bit of it.

By: Polly

Polly — Tue, 31 Jul 2007 18:45:28 +0000

Ja, Vjatcheslav, dat is niet zo hulpvaardig voor ons Amerikanen.

By: Vjatcheslav

Vjatcheslav — Tue, 31 Jul 2007 18:17:52 +0000

Hahneman took some kinine, used to treat malaria, and he had an allergical reaction to it. He got fever, which is typical of malaria, so he thought he had found the reason why kinine worked against malaria, and he developped the similia-principe (like cures like) as formulation.

In his time Hahneman was quite progressive, because he opposed the traditional medicine, consisting of things like laxation, letting the patient bleed so the bad blood would go away,..., and while searching better medicines, he tried kinine, with the known results.

So, homeopathy is based on one observation which was atypical for the general population. A bad form of science, which has now degenerated into a form of superstition.

The source is http://www.skepp.be/artikels/alternatieve-behandelingen/homeopathie-geloof-of-wetenschap, but it is in Dutch, so it could be that it isn't really usefull.

Greetings from Puiveldistan.

By: Niklaus Pfirsig

Niklaus Pfirsig — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 16:09:12 +0000

Perhaps one of the things that convinces the practitioners of homeopathy is a vague association with the accepted medical practices of vaccination and allergic desensitization. The idea of intentionally introducing an allergen or pathogen into the body, on the surface sounds similar, but is quite different. With vaccination, a live but somewhat less virulent pathogen (or in many cases, inactive viral proteins ) is introduced into a healthy person in order to trigger the immune system into producing a pre-emptive immunity to the targeted pathogen. In the case of de-sensitizing against an allergen, components of the allergen are injected in relatively small quantities during times when the allergen is not present. In a small percentage of people, this actually reduces the serverity of reactions to the actual allergen.
Homeopathic remedies are diluted to the point of having no real effect, and administered to the sick.

Naturopathic does have some merit, and to a very large extent, the pharma industry is based on naturopathic remedies. One of the most sucessful medications of all time is aspirin, which is based on an old natural remedy (willow bark tea).

By: Stephen

Stephen — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 15:33:21 +0000

The term homeopathy actually covers three completely different things.
1) Classical homeopaths insist that remedies must be individually tailored to the sufferer (according to principles which never properly get explained).
2) The homeopathic products that one buys over the counter are however one-size-fits-all. Note that these two interpretations of homeopathy are mutually incompatible.
3) Some substances sold as homeopathic are not actually homeopathic at all (relying on neither the similia principle nor high dilutions). They are herbal remedies which are sold as homeopathic because it's easier to get away with quackery under the homeopathic label in some countries. These remedies may have some effect. And in some cases it might even be beneficial.

So if you ever meet someone defending homeopathy, first get them to define which version of homeopathy they are talking about. (Chances are they haven't a clue.)

By: bassmanpete

bassmanpete — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 07:19:31 +0000

Mrnaglfar, I thought the guy was serious at first but the more it went on the more I thought "This is a leg pull!" Then when he said "It's the 21st century" and the text on the screen read "Let's make it feel like the 14th" I just burst out laughing.

By: Mrnaglfar

Mrnaglfar — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 03:24:58 +0000

Adam, I'd thought you'd enjoy this.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=bkhQLt1vbWU

By: James Bradbury

James Bradbury — Sun, 01 Jul 2007 19:23:37 +0000

Perhaps some conservatives might join this new Church under the mistaken assumption that "homeopathic" means "hates the gays." Informational pamphlets should be distributed to clear up this misconception.

LMBO - thank you, you've made my day!

toe jam

I've only heard this expression once before...

"Got to be good-looking cos he's so hard to see!"

By: Erich Vieth

Erich Vieth — Sun, 01 Jul 2007 18:36:16 +0000

OK, Ebonmuse, you've inspired me to found a new church. It will be called the "Church of Homeopathic Christianity" (or maybe "The Church of Christ, The Homeopath"). Whatever. The idea is that everything we eat, drink or breathe once contained at least some tiny bits of Jesus: his body, blood, urine, perspiration, toe jam, whatever. The important part of this church doctrine is that we are thus continuously taking in substances that still have His vibrational pattern (or molecular memory). No need for communion of bread or wine at this new church. We're getting communion every time we breathe (or eat a snow cone or take an aspirin).

Perhaps some conservatives might join this new Church under the mistaken assumption that "homeopathic" means "hates the gays." Informational pamphlets should be distributed to clear up this misconception.

On a more serious note, I know an M.D. who was schooled in Germany but practices at a major hospital here in the U.S. She swears by homeopathic medicine and tells me that many European doctors incorporate homeopathic into their practices.