Comments on: Homeopathy Awareness Week

By: Merrick

Merrick — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 14:07:01 +0000

As Ghandi once said ‘ First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they attack you and then you know you have won.’

Let me see, are there perhaps any examples of people who were ignored, laughed at and attacked who didn’t win?

Could anything ever have been ignored because it was stupid until it was noticeable, then deservedly ridiculed until it was actually taken seriously and having harmful effect, then attacked until it was seen off?

Or is everything laughed at and attacked always bound to win? (And by win, do we mean become popular or actually be right?)

Does crystal healing, magic words and creative visualisation also share this unwavering destiny of eventual approval?

I’m just asking.

By: dfsdfg

dfsdfg — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 18:20:07 +0000

The cancer will return

By: Sara

Sara — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 17:10:39 +0000

If homeopathy is bunk, then how did it dissolve a breast tumor I had last year using only homeopathy. The tumor was real as a GYN, biopsy, and mammogram confirmed it. Still after a few weeks of treatment, that same tumor was gone with no traces.

How do you explain a person having surgery which which required a week recovery time be fully back to normal in 2 days after taking a homeopathic preparation. No bleeding, no pain, nada.

If it is bunk then how are vaccines which are based on the same principles effective.

By: Randall

Randall — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 09:16:45 +0000

Zicam, as you noted, contains high levels of zinc. Thus, by definition, it is not a homeopathic remedy. They may have marketed it as such, due to the cachet of homeopathy, but if so they were lying.

By: bj

bj — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 12:35:56 +0000

well done people. you all seemed to manage a discussion about a subject ..’any subject;..and not end up down the socialism and europe are evil ‘crap that you all usually bore me to tears with.

By: gwen

gwen — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 03:08:12 +0000

I should have replaced bogus with ineffective, because the idea that zinc can cure a cold IS still bogus ’science’, however the zinc has the effect of possibly harming your sense of smell–potentially permanently!

By: gwen

gwen — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 03:06:38 +0000

NOT ALL HOMEOPATHY IS BOGUS!!! Zicam has real zinc and has been destroying the sense of smell in their customers for YEARS!! The nasal gel has just been pulled off the market! (and it’s about time) the parent company has said that there is no proven link between their product and loss of smell claims, but that high levels of zinc can cause the loss of smell has been known by science for years! When the lozenges first came out, I warned friends and family members away for just that reason, although they probably had too little zinc to affect smell, who knows when they would change their concentration.

By: Abber

Abber — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 20:48:59 +0000

Steve, thanks for such a comprehensive explanation of homoeopathy and its origins. I shall bookmark the URL for the next time I need to whack someone over the head with the facts about the magic beans they just bought from the homoeopathic drug store.

There is a real need for people to be made aware of what this pseudo-science is all about, so they can educate themselves and seek out the real medicines when they need them. Now if only we had a drug to treat gullibility disorders…

By: Mike

Mike — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 20:32:27 +0000

Dr. Novella said:

Patients are made to feel that they are being given a remedy which is specifically designed for them personally

I know that there are studies comparing placebo effects of large vs small pills, white vs colored pills, etc. Are there any studies comparing placebo effect of “mass market” vs “personalized” treatments?

By: Larry

Larry — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 20:11:16 +0000

Thanks for your answer.
Totally agree with you, very honestly.
But I believe I mentionned that before as well, that my good health could be due to the fact I’m just lucky on that side, but also because I’ve never immediatly cured the most simple cold with antibiotics. Most probably having taken omeopathy hasn’t helped either (from what I can read from the surveys and I was aware of these facts too), and then having taken nothing would have had the same effects, but I’m still glad it worked without swallowing pills. Doing it this way might have made my body stronger against common viruses. Nothing can prove that, nothing can disprove that either, yet. So, I don’t really feel I went from B to A like that, I tried to say that with some precautions, perhaps wrongly interpreted at first sight.
Let’s be totally honest, I’m a very skeptical person and a man of science and would be first to dismiss pseudoscience, but in the benefit of the doubt, I still won’t fight the most common diseases such as colds with classical pills, unless it gets to a point where it feels necessary.
I’d totally lie if I’d say I’ve never had antibiotics, I just try to limit that and take only whenever needed, which is on very rare occasions. And I don’t go to omeopathy doctors either, neither to classical doctors tbh, but it happened I went to classical medecine at times a strong flu was kicking in (who’s never had a flu), because I don’t think I’m nuts to the point of playing the guinea pig with myself and because if you’re sane enough you would do everything to get yourself better.
Just want to insist I’ve never tried to dismiss anything, certainly not, but I believe we need to remain open minded, we just don’t know everything.
cheers.