Homeopathy doesn't work! Post Reply

[Balhammom]

Hi All
I do get a little cross when I hear about people who won't vaccinate their kids (but are happy to get a free ride on everyone else's "herd effect") and that has, I will be honest, made me a little grumpy about the whole alternative medicine thing.

Anyway this report about Homeopathy from the Guardian made me smile

http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle ... port-finds

The sooner we could ignore all the claptrap about alternative stuff the better!

[kiwimummy]

This is a personal favourite: Homoeopathic A&E by Mitchell and Webb.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMGIbOGu8q0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMGIbOGu8q0

Not sure how to post links, hopefully that worked.

[darlingmummy]

I am not sure how you made the link between people not vaccinating their kids and homeopathy, and the latter not working.

I am an advocate of homeopathy and natural remedies, my daughter who is 6yrs old has only taken antibiotics once in her life, the first symptom of a cold I give her her remedy and it never develops into a full blown cold, she is back to normal the next day.
same for cold sores etc etc.
obviously if there was a serious illness I would go down the traditional medicine route, but if you are a healthy individual who hasn't been exposed to too much traditional medications and antibiotics, then homeopathy could work for you.
this is why it works better for children, it works for our family

[Mamrie89]

I agree with darlingmummy. There is no link between vaccination and homeopathy. Its all about belief, my family specially my in laws are great believers in homeopathy and it works for them. Its just upto each individual to decide what kind of medical treatment do they need. Its just that antibiotics and every other medicine has so many side effects that people tend to be cautious and will always prefer to take a natural remedy.

[Balhammom]

I may be being a little unfair but I put homeopathy and people refusing vaccines in the same "alternative" basket.

My understanding (and I don't want this to get heated but I am interested) is that these approaches don't "work" in that if I had an infection I'd need antibiotics and not a homeopathic solution and if I want to stop a pandemic of measles I need to vaccinate people.

[darlingmummy]

I may be being a little unfair but I put homeopathy and people refusing vaccines in the same "alternative" basket.

totally different kettle of fish.........
in our family we are all vaccinated but I'd rather take some granules that a dose of paracetamol or Calpol.

as I said if anything serious happened I would go down the traditional route.
but for minor illnesses I try homeopathy or a natural or preventative method and it almost always works.

[Scottov]

Look, of course homeopathy doesn't work. That is not arguable amongst grown ups, it is akin to believing in the tooth fairy

Chemically they ARE sugar pills only.

It's a free country, do what you like because you like.

Although there is a special place in hell, next satan's aga for anti-vaxxers

[Lucullus]

"I wonder if the people who passionately poo-poo homeopathy have actually tried it?"

I think this is about the use of science with medicine - for most people, the two are pretty inseperable. I'm happy to say I've never tried a homeopathic remedy (as far as I know) and neither have my children. This is because I've seen quite enough research to show that homeopathic remedies don't actually work. You think they worked for you, and that's fine, but a sample size of 1 does not a scientific theory make.

And, on a wider note, that's my I, with other posters, tend to like homeopathy and 'anti-vaxxers' (pejorative as the term may be): neither is based on scientific analysis, and both have alternatives which have been proven to be effective and life-saving. That's enough for me.

(Epic trolling by the moderator, btw.)

[Scottov]

I wonder if the people who passionately poo-poo homeopathy have actually tried it?

The zealous hate with which some campaign against homeopathy makes me smile, when I know for a fact that these people haven't even given it a chance.

I have been going to an integrated medicine doctor in Harley St for years (he is a GP and a homepath) and it's been money well spent each and every time.

As a child I suffered from crippling asthma and as a last resort my mother took me to a renowned homepath in Milan - guess what, after 6 months I was virtuallt asthma free, although a terrible rush erupted on my skin - it that cleared too after some time.

To all non believers: please don't knock it if you haven't tried it, it might surprise you.

[Scottov]

I wonder if the people who passionately poo-poo homeopathy have actually tried it?

The zealous hate with which some campaign against homeopathy makes me smile, when I know for a fact that these people haven't even given it a chance.

Belief has nothing to do with the fact that they are literally, and chemically sugar pills only.

There is a lot of unknowns about the effects and efficacy of the placebo effect, but your homeopathic pills are just sugar. Nothing else.

"It" doesn't exist

[cynic]

Ooo I love a good nonsensical debate, let me wade in:

1. Huge difference between natural remedies and classical homeopathy. Many drugs are plant-derived...aspirin anyone? For example a good friend defends very positive treatment experience she had from 'homeopathy' where it turns out she was actually given a decent dose of quite a powerful naturally derived drug.

2. Whenever 'scientific study' shows something, why do individual people always come out and say "well it worked for me"?
A good well-run 'scientific study' should be the result of polling all the outcomes of a big group of people who have undergone the intervention and where the study itself has been designed in a way to try and minimise all possible positive and negative biases. Why do you think your own anecdotal evidence is trumps all that effort?
Honestly it's like saying 'well my uncle smoked and lived to 95' as a defence for smoking.

3. People get better quicker if you give them a pill, even if you tell them it's a sugar pill.
People get better quicker if you give them red sugar pills rather than blue sugar pills.
Astonishing but measurably true.

[Scottov]

Hi Scottov

You haven't answered my question...have you tried it?

Perhaps I have not expressed myself clearly enough, as you don't seem to be understanding what I am saying. it is not a matter of trying or not trying.

your homeopathic pills that says "XYZ" on them, do not contain "XYZ".

they are quite literally sugar pills, they do not physically or chemically contain a therapeutic compound. of any kind.

I have not tried them, because trying them does not alter the chemical composition. which is, again, that they are just sugar pills at a high price.

The psychology of placebo is a different subject, where some remarkable results appear to have been achieved. including in some controlled environments.

There have been properly controlled tests whereby people who have been given placebo medication (sugar pills) but have been told that they are being given the new clinical drug and have shown real progress.

therefore the pyschological element is an interesting area that probably could use more research.

however, that this not the same as snake oil salesman selling you sugar, telling you its medicine, and taking your money. which is what homeopathy quite literally is.

homeopathy is not medicine, its sugar. this is not opinion, its chemistry.

[Scottov]

3. People get better quicker if you give them a pill, even if you tell them it's a sugar pill.
People get better quicker if you give them red sugar pills rather than blue sugar pills.
Astonishing but measurably true.

absolutely true.

and that's far more interesting than anything else. well except for how much extra some charlatan wants to charge for red sugar pills

[AbbevilleMummy]

If you haven't seen this, it's hilarious....

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=HhGuXCuDb1U

[cynic]

Ok I HAVE TRIED it
Let's talk about Nelsons teething granules...

I'm going to surprise you all by saying these actually kinda WORKED for our teething baby but WHY did they work?
http://www.nelsonsnaturalworld.com/en-g ... g-granules
"Each 300mg sachet contains the active ingredient of Chamomilla 6c. Also contains Lactose, Xylitol and starch."

Ok so 6c means the Chamomilla has been diluted by a million million times, yes this is 10 to the power 12. The sachet of 300mg is 0.3g so there are 0.0000000000003g of the "active ingredient" chamomilla....mmmm...

More importantly let's looks at the other ingredients, you know those ones present in approximately a million million times more quantity:
- lactose. This is the sugar in milk...Mmm so these granules taste of milk?
- xylitol. This is a sweetener...Mmm so these granules taste of sweet milk?
- starch. Ever added corn flour to stock/gravy? It makes it thicker. So when the granules dissolve in the mouth, this starch makes it thicker ...so it sticks around for longer.
Finally the granules are little cubic pieces of stuff, a bit crunchy even, (like space dust without the popping!) ...so to make them dissolve and release the above flavours (oh and the "active ingredient" of course) it works best if you mash your little gums together...kinda like you might on a teething ring.

I estimate if you drank a cup of chamomile tea and then breastfed your baby, the baby would almost certainly receive a higher dose of chamomile.

But as I said this homeopathic remedy did kinda work