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Randi Backs Out Of Homeopathy Challenge

Posted by Sanjib Sarkar on Mon, Feb 23, 2009 @ 01:46 PM

  I came across a pretty interesting article on Natural Helath News.  I will summarize the article below.  The article pretty much states that an agreed protocol for the homeopathy experiment was going to be used for the 1,000,000 dollar challenge.  However, James Randi conviently backed out of the trial.

  Homeopath George Vithoulkas, a renowned homeopath, began the application process in 2003 for James Randi challenge to prove anything that is paranormal.  Homeopathy falls into this category since some of the medicines use extremely dilute substances well beyond that of avogardos number.  Randi has a strict process that one has to follow to be eligible for the one million dollar prize.

  Randi's team of skeptics and George Vithoulkas team of homeopaths started a trial.  In 2006,  George and his team begin prescribing individualized homeopathic remedies in a double blind fashion to potential patients.  James Randi and his team of skepics were satisfied with the experiment and waived the preliminary application process.  However, Mr. Randi had gotten mysterious ill.  The homeopaths asked to have them send a replacement for him.  Randi refused to do so.  Randi claimed to be ill for 6 months.  Within that 6 month time period, Athens had a new scientific committe chairman and a new hospital adminstrator where the homeopathic experiment was to take place.  

  After 2 years of negotiating with the new authorities, George Vithoulkas was ready to begin the new experiment.  However, Randi sent a letter saying the homeopaths have to start the process from the beginning with an application process.  Randi also stated on his website that the homeopaths had backed out of this experiment.  

  The team of homeopaths were furious.  This proces has taken 5 years to do but Randi was getting cold feet.  The experiment will still continue.  A team of skeptics will observe this experiment and the results will be posted.  The 1,000,000 dollars is lost but the results of homeopathy may not be.  

   If Randi is so confident that homeopathy does not work, why is he trying to back out?    


Tags: skeptics of homeopathy, Homeopathy Challenge

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