Is it okay to make fun of homeopathy? (1 Viewer)

[mikhail]

Homeopathy is big. In Britain, there are homeopathic hospitals which are funded by the taxpayer.

What is homeopathy? It's a so-called "alternative medicine". Practicioners insist it works, even in the face of multiple high quality medical trials in which it has failed to work better than placebo.

Many people ridicule homeopathy. It's not hard to see why: these medicines are made by diluting various things in water until there is nothing in the bottle but water. A standard dilution, 30C, is diluted enough that if you had a ball of the medicine which stretched from here to the centre of the sun, there'd be one molecule of the original substance in it.

Still, some people swear by it, and are offended by the ridicule of scientists, doctors and science enthusiasts. Should their beliefs be defended from ridicule?

Bear in mind that this does some harm - people have sold homepathic cures for diseases like malaria, where placebo is far from sufficient as a treatment. Protecting these ideas from ridicule leaves ordinary people vulnerable to quacks when they fall ill.

So, do you think users and practitioners of homepathy should be protected from ridicule? And is your answer different from Martin's poll?

 

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[Enron]

Make fun of everyone.

 

[Martin]

Greg's worst nightmare. Another thread starter.

Homeopathy is a fascinating phenomenon. Noone with a high school chemistry education should fall for it, and yet for some inexplicable reason it's a totally "legitimate" thing.

 

[mikhail]

My experience, Martin, is that most people who use it are unaware of how it works. They think it's a bit like herbal remedies, which at least has some grasp on reality. Then you have some people who insist that water has "memory" and that the medical trials are rigged or somehow don't work for homeopathy.

 

[Martin]

My experience, Martin, is that most people who use it are unaware of how it works. They think it's a bit like herbal remedies, which at least has some grasp on reality. Then you have some people who insist that water has "memory" and that the medical trials are rigged or somehow don't work for homeopathy.

I never knew what it was, but I knew I had seen the word somewhere in one those "health food" stores. Then I saw that James Randi talk on youtube and I was dumbfounded.

In some sense I guess you could argue that it's a positive thing, placebo that some people actually believes is helping them but without the side effects of drugs. At the price of bold faced fraud, naturally.

 

[Enron]

The word Homeopathy is pretty misleading as well. It makes you think of homeopathic remedies, which don't really work either.

 

[Raz]

First time i have heard of such thing. Basicly its a placebo just that you know its a placebo, so it makes him just water? Or what is the whole principle behind this?

Water cant hold information? If you can write information/memory into laser/light, why then water cant be coded?

 

[mikhail]

First time i have heard of such thing. Basicly its a placebo just that you know its a placebo, so it makes him just water? Or what is the whole principle behind this?

If that was it, if people acknowledged that it's a placebo, that'd be great. But people insist that it's not, claim it can cure things it can't, which places people at risk and defrauds sick people who believe them.

Water cant hold information? If you can write information/memory into laser/light, why then water cant be coded?

I could imagine storing information as patterns in ice. I could even imagine patterning the ripples on a pool of water. However, there's no mechanism known that does anything like what homeopaths claim. There's no evidence that what they claim actually happens either, so there's no sign that there is such a mechanism that we don't know about.

 

[mikhail]

The word Homeopathy is pretty misleading as well. It makes you think of homeopathic remedies, which don't really work either.

Homeopathy is the use of homepathic remedies. I think you've confused some term here.

 

[Raz]

If that was it, if people acknowledged that it's a placebo, that'd be great. But people insist that it's not, claim it can cure things it can't, which places people at risk and defrauds sick people who believe them.


I could imagine storing information as patterns in ice. I could even imagine patterning the ripples on a pool of water. However, there's no mechanism known that does anything like what homeopaths claim. There's no evidence that what they claim actually happens either, so there's no sign that there is such a mechanism that we don't know about.

But if they think its curing them? doesnt it make it as a placebo? Placebo is some sort of stuff they give you while you think it is the real deal right? So deasnt this make this like placebo too?


I didnt claim that it stores as they say, since this is the first time i even heard about this issue. I was just interested in water and information combination

 

[Seven]

I think homeopathy is dangerous. The LEAST people could do is make fun about it.

 

[Dinsdale]

Let's leave applications of the placebo effect limited to psychologists, and besides that get rid of quackery for good.

 

[Seven]

If that was it, if people acknowledged that it's a placebo, that'd be great. But people insist that it's not, claim it can cure things it can't, which places people at risk and defrauds sick people who believe them.

It depends on how strict your definition is. Sometimes they use stuff that has a proven effect. But even then there's something better on the market.

 

[swag]

Greg's worst nightmare. Another thread starter.

Homeopathy is a fascinating phenomenon. Noone with a high school chemistry education should fall for it, and yet for some inexplicable reason it's a totally "legitimate" thing.

I know some places around here that make what I call "homeopathic coffee". That is not meant as a complement.

 

[Enron]

Homeopathy is the use of homepathic remedies. I think you've confused some term here.

Oh maybe I was thinking of home remedies. Like using a poultice to relive dirty cuts or swelling. Rubbing crap on your chest to clear out congestion, etc.

 

[Seven]

Oh maybe I was thinking of home remedies. Like using a poultice to relive dirty cuts or swelling. Rubbing crap on your chest to clear out congestion, etc.

What?

 

[Dinsdale]

I know some places around here that make what I call homeopathic coffee. That is not meant as a complement.

I don't agree with it, but this is a really awesome metaphore. Kudos.

 

[Enron]

What?

I suggest you google.

Ah screw it. Here you go. Mock away.

http://www.grandmas-wisdom.com/home-remedy.html

 

[Martin]

This is fun:
http://rationalwiki.com/wiki/List_o...ively_Demonstrated_the_Efficacy_of_Homeopathy

 

[swag]

I'm conflicted, Martin. I find homeopathy much easier to make fun of than religion. What should I do?!