Homeopathy

[BeamStalk]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/8211925.stm

Homeopathy not a cure, says WHO

People with conditions such as HIV, TB and malaria should not rely on homeopathic treatments, the World Health Organization has warned.

It was responding to calls from young researchers who fear the promotion of homeopathy in the developing world could put people's lives at risk.

It is about fucking time!

[Personal Failure]

I'd like to say DUH!

[rhiggs]

I haven't read any of the papers where homeopathy has been tested, but I have heard that a few have given an effect slightly above placebo. I don't believe for a second that it is anything to do with the homeopathic 'remedy', but I wonder is it an artefact of the methodology...?

Does anyone know if they included a control that is actually the same liquid (water, I presume) in which the homeopathic ingredient has been diluted? Homeopathic 'remedies' are just water, so is the placebo control also just water......or is it something like saline??

Also, homeopaths are known to engage with their patients a lot more than regular GPs, probably due to less time contraints. This extra person-to-person care could easily be responsible for any apparent effect above placebo. I wonder if they also control for this?

[BeamStalk]

I haven't read any of the papers where homeopathy has been tested, but I have heard that a few have given an effect slightly above placebo. I don't believe for a second that it is anything to do with the homeopathic 'remedy', but I wonder is it an artefact of the methodology...?

Does anyone know if they included a control that is actually the same liquid (water, I presume) in which the homeopathic ingredient has been diluted? Homeopathic 'remedies' are just water, so is the placebo control also just water......or is it something like saline??

Also, homeopaths are known to engage with their patients a lot more than regular GPs, probably due to less time contraints. This extra person-to-person care could easily be responsible for any apparent effect above placebo. I wonder if they also control for this?

Randi did a full test on Homeopathy. It did no better than placebo.

Here is a short rundown of it. http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/horizon/20 ... athy.shtml

There are some videos on YouTube also but I can't get to them from work.

[StewartP]

I was listening to a talk radio show here in France the other day. The topic was Swine 'flu, or "Grippe A" as it is called here. They had an epidemiologist and another medico on the show. Someone called in to ask if the homeopathy companies were also working on treatments for the 'flu.

Both doctors bottled it and instead of saying "look, it's bollocks" they waffled on about the contribution alternate medicine can make to treating symptoms. They did say that it could have no antiviral effect, but I was disappointed.

Homeopathy is big in France, every pharmacy has a big section. Every time I go into one for something I have to ask if the stuff they are handing over is homeopathic, and if it is I refuse it and ask for something else. Happened not too long ago when I had a sore throat. My wife got conned into paying for sugar pills for our daughter's outbreak of excema. Steroid cream did the job in the end.

[Personal Failure]

I was listening to a talk radio show here in France the other day. The topic was Swine 'flu, or "Grippe A" as it is called here. They had an epidemiologist and another medico on the show. Someone called in to ask if the homeopathy companies were also working on treatments for the 'flu.

Both doctors bottled it and instead of saying "look, it's bollocks" they waffled on about the contribution alternate medicine can make to treating symptoms. They did say that it could have no antiviral effect, but I was disappointed.

Homeopathy is big in France, every pharmacy has a big section. Every time I go into one for something I have to ask if the stuff they are handing over is homeopathic, and if it is I refuse it and ask for something else. Happened not too long ago when I had a sore throat. My wife got conned into paying for sugar pills for our daughter's outbreak of excema. Steroid cream did the job in the end.

I think I'd be hard pressed not to ask them why they are trying to steal from me.

Did they have that Airborne stuff in France? It was a cold remedy and it's big selling point was that it was created by a schoolteacher. A pharmacist suggested it to me and I asked him if he preferred to fly in planes designed by secretaries instead of engineers.

[StewartP]

I was listening to a talk radio show here in France the other day. The topic was Swine 'flu, or "Grippe A" as it is called here. They had an epidemiologist and another medico on the show. Someone called in to ask if the homeopathy companies were also working on treatments for the 'flu.

Both doctors bottled it and instead of saying "look, it's bollocks" they waffled on about the contribution alternate medicine can make to treating symptoms. They did say that it could have no antiviral effect, but I was disappointed.

Homeopathy is big in France, every pharmacy has a big section. Every time I go into one for something I have to ask if the stuff they are handing over is homeopathic, and if it is I refuse it and ask for something else. Happened not too long ago when I had a sore throat. My wife got conned into paying for sugar pills for our daughter's outbreak of excema. Steroid cream did the job in the end.

I think I'd be hard pressed not to ask them why they are trying to steal from me.

Did they have that Airborne stuff in France? It was a cold remedy and it's big selling point was that it was created by a schoolteacher. A pharmacist suggested it to me and I asked him if he preferred to fly in planes designed by secretaries instead of engineers.

I presume Pharmacists have to go thru quite a bit of medical training. How they end up peddling snake oil is beyond me.

[Personal Failure]

I presume Pharmacists have to go thru quite a bit of medical training. How they end up peddling snake oil is beyond me.

Four years in the US.

[Unethical Chum Tin]

I presume Pharmacists have to go thru quite a bit of medical training. How they end up peddling snake oil is beyond me.

Four years in the US.

Well, there you go. French pharmacists shouldn't spend ANY time in the US.

[IntellectualNinja]

Ha! I put this on my blog today. I didn't see it posted here.

The Debunkey Monkey approves.