“If fifty million people say a foolish thing, it is still a foolish thing.” – Anatole France
Until recently, I only knew of homeopathy as a controversial form of naturopathic medicine based on the idea that “like cures like”. I assumed it was related to scientifically proven ideas like Louise Pasture’s discovery that giving someone a tiny dose of an illness could help the body identify and build defenses against it. So, maybe homeopathy was like a vaccine? It’s not.
I’ve been reading up on homeopathy, and so far, I’m not impressed. The idea was concocted by a guy named Dr. Samuel Hahnemann back in 1769, before we knew about bacteria, viruses, and genetics, and doctors thoughts illnesses where caused by sin and miasmas (toxic vapours). Dr. Hahnemann’s understanding of miasmas was that they were unhealthy reactions that children inherited from their parents.
Homeopathic remedies are usually biochemically inert, meaning that they have no effect. They are substances imagined to be related to miasmas which are then diluted, and thought to ‘remember’ the initial substance. In other words homeopathic medicine is water, just plain old water.
Here is the ingredients list for a medicine that was suggested to me:
Source: Traumeel
Sounds impressive, doesn’t it? The problem is that this is the part where they are supposed to list the ingredients, not bamboozle us with impressive words. Nowhere here does it simply say “ingredients: water”.
I can’t help but feel like I’m missing something. So many medical professionals treat homeopathy as a logical, scientific medicine, and they would know better that I would, obviously. And if it really just water, then surely, it would be illegal to sell it as a standard medicine?
What do you think?
1.) Do you believe homeopathic remedies can treat illnesses effectively?
2.) There are many studies that indicate that homeopathy works, but mainstream practitioners say the studies are poorly done. What might a bad study look like?
3.) The homeopathy industry often says that pharmaceutical companies try to discredit them because they don’t want people to have access to alternative healing methods. How valid is this claim?
4.) Sometimes medicines heal due to the placebo effect. By making its remedies sound impressive, homeopathy is actually helping its patients. Do you agree or disagree?
5.) People should have the right to treat their illnesses in whatever way they choose, so homeopathy should be continue to be legal. Do you agree or disagree?
Further Reading
Homeopathy: Pure Water or Pure Nonsense? – Skeptoid
In Germany, Heated Debate over Homeopathy – Undark
The Legal Challenge that Could Stop Homeopathy in its Tracks – The Conversation
Homeopathy – Where is the Science – Pubmed Central
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What’s next?
