There's been quite a lot of media coverage this last few weeks around homeopathy. Homeopathy is an alternative treatment based on the assumption that the less there is of something, the more powerful it is.
Let me explain.
Let's say you have a problem with sneezing. You sneeze and sneeze, and you just can't shift it.
So the homeopathic treatment would go along the lines of saying, "well, what causes sneezing? pepper!"
You they's take a teaspoon of pepper and add it to a litre of water.
They'd then shake the bottle, and take a teaspoon of the mixture. This teaspoon would be added to another litre of water. This would also be mixed up, and a teaspoon taken. This process would be repeated. The homeopath would claim that each dilution makes the potion stronger! The final potion (mostly water with a little sugar or flavour to make it taste "mediciny") in then prescribed to the patient.
Yes really. Some treatments go though dozens of such dilutions where the chances of there even being a single molecule of the original substance is practically zero. Equivalent to a gram of salt in the atlantic ocean.
Homeopaths will generally accept this and say that some new form of physics is at play using water molecule memory or something quantum. The point is though that if there was an effect that had to be explained, then these kinds of explanations might be required. However in double blind tests, homeopathy has never been shown to work better than placebo. EVER.
So several sceptic organisations here, in the UK and probably elsewhere have decided to hold a public Homeopathy Overdose. They publicly gathered in a public location and took what would amount to a dangerous amount of medicine if it was anything other than a homeopathic one.
Well, surprise surprise, nothing happened. Here in NZ, the homeopathic association where quoted as saying
Why take it then?
I think perhaps it's time to tell pharmacies to dump this stuff. It's never be proven to work, it's been proven NOT to work and by selling it, these organisations are essentially saying that profit is much more important than actually giving their customers good advice and providing them with useful medical treatments. I'm not the only one who thinks this.
Again, I suggest you read the skepdic and wikipedia articles.
Let me explain.
Let's say you have a problem with sneezing. You sneeze and sneeze, and you just can't shift it.
So the homeopathic treatment would go along the lines of saying, "well, what causes sneezing? pepper!"
You they's take a teaspoon of pepper and add it to a litre of water.
They'd then shake the bottle, and take a teaspoon of the mixture. This teaspoon would be added to another litre of water. This would also be mixed up, and a teaspoon taken. This process would be repeated. The homeopath would claim that each dilution makes the potion stronger! The final potion (mostly water with a little sugar or flavour to make it taste "mediciny") in then prescribed to the patient.
Yes really. Some treatments go though dozens of such dilutions where the chances of there even being a single molecule of the original substance is practically zero. Equivalent to a gram of salt in the atlantic ocean.
Homeopaths will generally accept this and say that some new form of physics is at play using water molecule memory or something quantum. The point is though that if there was an effect that had to be explained, then these kinds of explanations might be required. However in double blind tests, homeopathy has never been shown to work better than placebo. EVER.
So several sceptic organisations here, in the UK and probably elsewhere have decided to hold a public Homeopathy Overdose. They publicly gathered in a public location and took what would amount to a dangerous amount of medicine if it was anything other than a homeopathic one.
Well, surprise surprise, nothing happened. Here in NZ, the homeopathic association where quoted as saying
"there´s not one molecule of the original substance remaining"
Why take it then?
I think perhaps it's time to tell pharmacies to dump this stuff. It's never be proven to work, it's been proven NOT to work and by selling it, these organisations are essentially saying that profit is much more important than actually giving their customers good advice and providing them with useful medical treatments. I'm not the only one who thinks this.
Again, I suggest you read the skepdic and wikipedia articles.
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