Is homeopathy nonsense?

lazygal

I think it is, but a friend of mine swears by the 'medicine' from her homeopath.

El Weirdo

Yes.

/thread

NIMAN

Nonsense of the highest order.

Nodin

It's a crock of pseudo scientific shite, tbh.

TheChizler

What does she understand to be homeopathy?

Max Power

My homeopath is a pyschopath

Cavehill Red

And people thought that 'Bling' water in the bottle with crystals was expensive. They should try homeopathic 'cures'.

GLaDOS

Yes, yes it is.

tritium

lazygal wrote: »

I think it is, but a friend of mine swears by the 'medicine' from her homeopath.

Yes, it's nonsense! To actually have a chance of working homeopathy would have to rewrite the laws of physics. That's not to say some people don't get great comfort from the placebo effect provides, but as medicine it's up there with rain dances and snakeoil

Fr_Dougal

It's not nonsense, they should be allowed marry whoever they want.

Madam_X

Isn't acupuncture homoepathy? I wouldn't be so dismissive of that.

Jelly 292

Still believe it?

kneemos

I prefer the straight and narrow to the homeopath.

BBDBB

I have healing hands!








the case for the Defence rests

A_Sober_Paddy

Cavehill Red wrote: »

And people thought that 'Bling' water in the bottle with crystals was expensive. They should try homeopathic 'cures'.

I'm very skeptical about it, but I've heard from a number of different people who've used arnica which is homeopathic, and they've found it Very good...

Knasher

Madam_X wrote: »

Isn't acupuncture homoepathy? I wouldn't be so dismissive of that.

Acupuncture isn't homeopathy. Acupuncture is the thing with needles and homeopathy is diluting stuff in massive amounts of water so it becomes unlikely a single molecule of the original substance remains.

Both are nonsense though.

franktheplank

Madam_X wrote: »

Isn't acupuncture homoepathy? I wouldn't be so dismissive of that.

Very different, both would come under the general heading alternative medicine but acupuncture is far more widely accepted and scientifically supported.

Cavehill Red

A_Sober_Paddy wrote: »

I'm very skeptical about it, but I've heard from a number of different people who've used arnica which is homeopathic, and they've found it Very good...

No, they found the placebo effect to be very good, and paid a charlatan for the privilege.

keith16

Thread needs a poll with the following options:

Yep, Nonsense.

Also yes, atari jaguar.

WindSock

No, it once cured me of dehydration. I SWEAR!!!

Madam_X

Knasher wrote: »

Acupuncture isn't homeopathy. Acupuncture is the thing with needles and homeopathy is diluting stuff in massive amounts of water so it becomes unlikely a single molecule of the original substance remains.

Both are nonsense though.

Why do you say acupuncture is nonsense?

TheChizler

A_Sober_Paddy wrote: »

I'm very skeptical about it, but I've heard from a number of different people who've used arnica which is homeopathic, and they've found it Very good...

The sugar pill version is homeopathic but there's a cream version too which is herbal. Pretty sure it's just about as effective though.

A_Sober_Paddy

Cavehill Red wrote: »

No, they found the placebo effect to be very good, and paid a charlatan for the privilege.

But chemists and pharimist stock it, the one I'm referring to is the cream version, to deal with brusies

NegativeCreep

Placebos have their merits. If you believe it's going to work for you then it just might and there's absolutely nothing wrong with that. I don't believe it so I wouldn't get the placebo effect so it's useless to me.

GreeBo

To paraphrase Daire, if homeopathy worked it would be called medicine.

franktheplank

GreeBo wrote: »

To paraphrase Daire, if homeopathy worked it would be called medicine.

I don't disagree with you that homeopathy is nonsense but I think that kind of ideology is nonsense too.

By that logic healthy eating, regular exercise and modern sewage systems would be medicine too?

Ziphius

Cavehill Red wrote: »

No, they found the placebo effect to be very good, and paid a charlatan for the privilege.

To be honest it's probably not even the placebo effect. Merely the body's natural healing process.

Cavehill Red

Ziphius wrote: »

To be honest it's probably not even the placebo effect. Merely the bodies natural healing process.

Research indicates a little from column a, a little from column b, absolutely nothing from the column marked 'genuine healing efficacy'.

Ziphius

franktheplank wrote: »

I don't disagree with you that homeopathy is nonsense but I think that kind of ideology is nonsense too.

By that logic healthy eating, regular exercise and modern sewage systems would be medicine too?

Yeah, why shouldn't they be?

Ugh, I can't believe how close-minded you all are.

amen

Yes it is nonsense.

arnica

Some species of Arnica do contain compounds that may help in bruising although research is till on going.

Cavehill Red

A_Sober_Paddy wrote: »

But chemists and pharimist stock it, the one I'm referring to is the cream version, to deal with brusies

The pharmacy I was in today stocked false eyelashes, lynx deodorant and nail varnish remover, but it doesn't mean any of those have any medical merit. The clue is usually if you require a piece of paper from an actual doctor to get the item. If that's the case, it's real medicine.

dirtyden

It does not work.

Homepaths sell products at pretty extravagant prices with no proven benefit. I am not sure how, with all the evidence out there that they in fact do nothing, that shops still get away with selling it.

Knasher

Madam_X wrote: »

Why do you say acupuncture is nonsense?

Because double blind trials, where the needle is enclosed in a sheath so neither the patient or practitioner knows if they are preforming the "real" acupuncture or just poking but not breaking the skin, have shown the same effect either way. Other studies have shown that it doesn't matter if you hit the so called meridian points or just poke randomly. The only conclusion I can draw from that is that the only effect is the placebo one.

http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/index.php/puncturing-the-acupuncture-myth/ has a pretty nice article on it plus some of the historical background around the practice.

Ihatecuddles-old

Teething beads for babies...they have to be nonsense surely??
I went to a Homeopath before, talk about daylight robbery. I was over 200e down after the 3rd visit, for more diluted water.

What the hell was I thinking??

dirtyden

amen wrote: »

Yes it is nonsense.


Some species of Arnica do contain compounds that may help in bruising although research is till on going.

Arnica has anti inflammatory properties.

Homeopathic preparations based on Arnica are usesless.

It depends what the pharmacist is selling, actual Arnica has benefits.

GreeBo

franktheplank wrote: »

I don't disagree with you that homeopathy is nonsense but I think that kind of ideology is nonsense too.

By that logic healthy eating, regular exercise and modern sewage systems would be medicine too?

Sorry?
Im not following your logic at all.
Why would what I said imply that sewage systems were a branch of medicine?

Ziphius

dirtyden wrote: »

Arnica has anti inflammatory properties.

Homeopathic preparations based on Arnica are usesless.

It depends what the pharmacist is selling, actual Arnica has benefits.

You'd better inform the homeopaths. :pac:

Homeopathy works on the principle that whatever causes the an illness also, when diluted sufficiently, cures it.

So to cure insomnia you give... caffeine.

Canis Lupus

They found in homeopathy that the medicine is not important (ie you don't even have to give anything) but rather a nice chat with a caring, attentive and sympathetic 'doctor' is what generates the strong placebo affect.

Acupuncture, the kind where you get needles in your ear to help pain in your foot is bull. Dry needling on the other hand appears to be gaining support for genuine muscle pain relief.

SmilingLurker

Deleted User wrote: »

Ugh, I can't believe how close-minded you all are.

Or people requiring evidence and proof.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bgxzSUxxRzE - a funny look at Homeopathy

wandatowell

I went to see a homeopath about a year ago.

Was having issue with a rather lazy thyroid gland. I went with an open mind and was there for 2hrs and cost me 50 quid.

What a waste of time and money. Whatever he gave me might as well have been dinglebeeries for all they were worth.
A bunch of quacks out to make a quick buck

franktheplank

Ziphius wrote: »

Yeah, why shouldn't they be?

I think you'll find they're not?

There's a school of thought which argues that while modern medicine can be wonderful for certain things, it's still to some degree a double edged sword.

Medicine can be dangerous because of the 'errors', whether genuine or due to a desire for greater profits, the medical industry makes.

Also a blind faith in medical knowledge can lead people to ignore the more important factors in ensuring good health. Eg medical charities spend billions vaccinating people for particular diseases but because the people are starving they just die of some other disease.

Anyone interested in the dangers of modern medicine should check out 'Medical Nemesis' by Ivan Illich. He's a bit nuts in some ways but it's still a very interesting and intelligent, skeptical view of medicine.

NIMAN

That link near the start of this thread mentioned the NHS in the UK spending £12m on this type of 'medicine'.

Anyone know if the HSE spends wastes money on it here?

franktheplank

GreeBo wrote: »

Sorry?
Im not following your logic at all.
Why would what I said imply that sewage systems were a branch of medicine?

Sorry I've just replied to another poster on you're original comment.

The reason why healthy eating, exercise, sewage systems would be considered medicine within you're logic, is that you've implied any treatment or action which is beneficial to a person's health would be defined a medicine.

Gee_G

I really don't See why this is sUch an ongoing thing on boards. Or why people get so worked up about it. Homeopathy, cures, bloody fortune tellers.....if you don't believe in it, don't use/buy it! But if people do, fair play. Its nice for some people To believe that these things work and they are doing nobody any harm

Miss Lockhart

Cavehill Red wrote: »

The pharmacy I was in today stocked false eyelashes, lynx deodorant and nail varnish remover, but it doesn't mean any of those have any medical merit. The clue is usually if you require a piece of paper from an actual doctor to get the item. If that's the case, it's real medicine.

Whilst I think that homeopathy is complete hokum outside of a possible placebo effect, there's plenty of medicines that are not prescription only. There's no point answering one load of nonsense with more nonsense.

I see from that BBC article:

The Society of Homeopaths said it did not expect the protesters to suffer any adverse reactions from taking large quantities of the remedies.

Is that because there's nothing in them?

Ziphius

franktheplank wrote: »

I think you'll find they're not?

Will I?

I am using a definition which sees medicine as the application of science to promote human health.

And therefore things like sanitation, hand washing, diet, and exercise can all be considered medicine. Just as much as vaccination, antibiotics, or statins.

AnonoBoy

Madam_X wrote: »

Its nice for some people To believe that these things work and they are doing nobody any harm

Except when people replace actual medical care with these crackpot remedies. Then they are doing very very serious harm.

This sort of ****e: http://whatstheharm.net/homeopathy.html

Ziphius

Gee_G wrote: »

I really don't See why this is sUch an ongoing thing on boards. Or why people get so worked up about it. Homeopathy, cures, bloody fortune tellers.....if you don't believe in it, don't use/buy it! But if people do, fair play. Its nice for some people To believe that these things work and they are doing nobody any harm

Well if tax payers money is being spent on this I think it is doing harm.

franktheplank

Canis Lupus wrote: »

Acupuncture, the kind where you get needles in your ear to help pain in your foot is bull. Dry needling on the other hand appears to be gaining support for genuine muscle pain relief.

Well that's a pretty simplistic view of acupuncture but to my knowledge there has been research supporting it. Of course there has been research against it also but it's not unknown for vested interests influence research either.

I've found it very good for certain things, I'm sure it's not a cure for everything but what is?

I tried it initially because a friend of mine, a professor of medicine with a few books and hundred's of paper's to their name recommended it.