COMMENTS
there is nothing new in what is going on with criticism of homeopathy. Throughout the nineteenth century people were writing to newspapers and writing books outlining why homeopathy is nonsense. Homeopaths have failed to respond to this criticm and produce reliable evidence to back those beliefs. What has changed is the Internet. It is no longer for homeopathy to hide in obscurity. The biggest threat to homeopathy is for people to find out that it is based on magical thinking with no science behind it.
I HAVE BEEN USING HOMEOPATHIC PRODUCTS FOR 30 YEARS AND CAN SAY THAT I OWE MY LIFE TO THEM, I HAVE HAD BYPASS SURGERY IN 1980 AND AGAIN IN 1995, I TAKE "NO" MEDICATIONS THAT THE CARDIOLOGIST WANT ME TO, I
DON'T EVEN TAKE AN ASPIRIN, MY SKIN AND LOOKS AT 78 ARE MORE LIKE A 45 YR OLD, AS AN AMERICAN IF THE LATE QUEEN MOTHER TOOK HOMEOPATHIC REMEDIES AND LASTED TO 101 IT'S GOOD ENOUGH FOR ME...
I recently came across your blog and have been reading along. I thought I would leave my first comment. I don't know what to say except that I have enjoyed reading. Nice blog. I will keep visiting this blog very often.
Sarah
http://www.thetreadmillguide.com
Both critics and Supplementary, Complementary and Alternative Medicine practitioners should be worried that the new Complementary and Natural Healthcare Council requires no evidence of efficacy, or even safety, for certification.
Please sign the petition at
http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/CNHCsafety to support safety-before-certification.
Well said, Andy.
Hovie: I'm glad you're well. However, anecdotes (however many) simply are not good enough where people's health is concerned - we must have a
far higher standard than that. What is needed is solid, sound results from proper, unbiased trials. Homeopathy has been subjected to many such trials and has consistently failed to show any effect over placebo. It just
does not work and it is wishful thinking to believe it does.
Already signed the petition, Sean. Well done. :-)
Actually the only medicine that I have seen in homeopathy that has proved successful to large standard unbiased trials is oscillococcinum. The largest trials with oscilloccinum was in the Cochrane database. I believe this is the largest trial done with homeopathy ever. Two other trials with the references below also seem to suggest this remedy works in shortening the flu by about 6 to 7 hours. The remedy does not prevent the flu at all and there are no trials showing that it does prevent the flu.
Ferley JP, Zmirou, D'Adhemar D, Balducci E,
"A Controlled evaluation of a homeopathic preparation
in the treatment of influenza-like syndromes".
British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, 1989, 27; 329-335.
Papp R, Shuback G, Beck E, Burjard G, Bengel J,
Lehri S, Belon P
"Oscillococcinum in patients with influenza like syndromes
: a palcebo controlled double-blind evaluation."
British Homeopathic Journal. April 1998, Vol. 87, pp 69-76
Larger trials in the tens of thousands should be done to evaluate this the effectiveness of this remedy.