Anyone Tried Homeopathy?

[1.618034]

It's all about positive thinking...

Negative thinking certainly makes you ill.

 

[Blue Tooth]

Only when double-blind tests have been passed through a series of independently corroborated scientific bodies can it then begin to be wheeled out by doctors (and very slowly).

I could print a very long list of 'withdrawn' drugs that all passed double-blind tests.Prescribed Drugs are big business. Doesn't mean Homeopathy works mind but let's not pretend that the scientifically validated stuff always does too.

I never said that medically validated stuff always works. Everything is open to corruption which is why it's important we continue to test things, those medications were withdrawn as a result of the regulations and stringency that are in place. No doubt there are more out there that we haven't found which have little to no effect.

My point wasn't that this system makes medicines infallible, a good scientist knows that nothing is infallible. My point was that it provides us with a minimum standard of evidence that a treatment works. A standard which homeopathy and other alternative medicine hasn't (yet) reached. Tomorrow it might do, and when it does fair enough, that's the nature of science.

Fair enough. I just wanted to make the point that the double-blind tests are by no means infallible and that no drug should make it to the market without it being 100% safe. Many have eg:( See Thalidomide)

 

[nobody can eat fifty eggs]

I've noticed recently acupuncture is an effective treatment for stress and anxiety.

 

[Stuuuuuu]

He said it worked on him and others have said the same, like I said it may be a Placebo effect, but that in it's self is a mystery to medical science

I've had a terrible cold this past week. I decided that wearing spotty underpants might cure it, and guess what - it did! Now I appreciate that there is no scientific evidence that wearing spotty underpants cures the common cold, but it worked for me.

 

[Phil Meup]

Bit of a strange thread this one, guy posts he has tried it and it worked for him, then loads of people post it does not work because they have read an article or seen a Youtube clip, but have never tried it?

Perhaps people should try it themselves with an open mind and record the results? That is good science rather than spouting off what someone else has said
)

That's because people are terrified of what they don't understand.
'Open mind'? On BM? I wouldn't trust some of the reactionaries on here to open a bottle of milk!

 

[Ducado]

He said it worked on him and others have said the same, like I said it may be a Placebo effect, but that in it's self is a mystery to medical science

I've had a terrible cold this past week. I decided that wearing spotty underpants might cure it, and guess what - it did! Now I appreciate that there is no scientific evidence that wearing spotty underpants cures the common cold, but it worked for me.

Well we have reached a level in the debate haven't we!

All I was pointing out, is that the OP said it worked for him, I don't think he has told us what his particular ailment was, or gone into the medical treatment he has had in the past, it could be the placebo effect, but to repeat that is a mystery its self.

Sometimes I think it pays to be open minded in life, and look at things differently or even concede that there might just be a little more to things than meets the eye, far to many people rely on what they are told rather than actually finding out for themselves, in my experience true learning begins when you hve direct experience

 

[Phil Meup]

Bit of a strange thread this one, guy posts he has tried it and it worked for him, then loads of people post it does not work because they have read an article or seen a Youtube clip, but have never tried it?

Perhaps people should try it themselves with an open mind and record the results? That is good science rather than spouting off what someone else has said

I don't really know anything about Homoeopathy I have read conflicting reports, and some people are convinced it works, some people scoff at this and say it's a placebo effect, which is an even bigger mystery because the placebo effect is a well documented effect but how it works remains a complete mystery, in fact you could say if they could find out how and what makes it work you would have the golden bullet a drug free cure all for mankind (similar effects have been recorded in hypnosis)

I appreciate that you're trying to remain neutral on the issue, but that is not good science, no. That again is anecdotal evidence and this I feel is the problem. People don't actually know how medical science procedure works and they think their anecdotal evidence is enough. It isn't for a vast array of reasons. If it was then shamanism would be accepted by medical science.

The people saying it doesn't work aren't saying it because they 'watched a youtube' clip. They're saying it because it has never been proven to work before. It's as simple as that.

Modern medicine has to be confirmed through double blind tests, it's the only way to get reliable results due to the intrinsic bias that humans will always have. That is a test where the person who is being experimented on doesn't know whether they are being given a placebo or the medication, and the person administering the experiment doesn't know either. If a medication passes this extremely stringent test, others will attempt to corroborate by repeating the experiment. Only when double-blind tests have been passed through a series of independently corroborated scientific bodies can it then begin to be wheeled out by doctors (and very slowly).

Have they tried this with homoeopathic remedies? Yes. Has any of it ever met the criteria? No. Never. In the history of medical science.

This process isn't in place to ruin people's day or make them look like whack jobs, it is in place to ensure that doctors and GPs are only recommending treatments that actually work.

Phil has said quite plainly he thinks shamanism is bullshit. Well how does he know? He hasn't tried it I'll bet? How is that different to homoeopathy? What test does homoeopathy pass which shamanism doesn't? I'm genuinely interested to know because as far as I can see they're in exactly the same bracket.

You really are getting into a froth over such a simple disagreement. I'm telling you it works and you don't want to beleive it. Fine. Not everything can be explained as easily as you would like.
The NHS bankroles a massive drug industry that makes millions of pounds of profit for some people. Lots of people have a vested interest in this being maintained and this is another reason why anything outside the mainstream is ridiculed.<br /><br />-- Sun Dec 08, 2013 9:46 pm --<br /><br />

I've noticed recently acupuncture is an effective treatment for stress and anxiety.

Glad it worked for you mate.
We could continue this debate but I don't think BM's ready for it!

 

[Didsbury Dave]

Bit of a strange thread this one, guy posts he has tried it and it worked for him, then loads of people post it does not work because they have read an article or seen a Youtube clip, but have never tried it?

Perhaps people should try it themselves with an open mind and record the results? That is good science rather than spouting off what someone else has said
)

That's because people are terrified of what they don't understand.
'Open mind'? On BM? I wouldn't trust some of the reactionaries on here to open a bottle of milk!

Just looked back in. I'm loving the way that you are presenting yourself as the cutting edge scientist and everyone with a sensible opinion as the Luddite.

You realise that if homeopathy was proved to work, it would overturn and nullify most of chemistry, a significant part of physics and the whole of pharmacology?

No you don't realise. You can't comprehend the enormity of that statement. Have a read of the recent writings of physicist Edzard Ernst, a guy whose early life involved full study and practice of homeopathy and acupuncture. After a 20 year scientific study of the practice he realised a few years ago that the whole thing was more than just hocus pocus, it was dangerous. And now he writes passionately and publicly about the con he is ashamed to have been part of.

 

[Stuuuuuu]

He said it worked on him and others have said the same, like I said it may be a Placebo effect, but that in it's self is a mystery to medical science

I've had a terrible cold this past week. I decided that wearing spotty underpants might cure it, and guess what - it did! Now I appreciate that there is no scientific evidence that wearing spotty underpants cures the common cold, but it worked for me.

Well we have reached a level in the debate haven't we!

All I was pointing out, is that the OP said it worked for him, I don't think he has told us what his particular ailment was, or gone into the medical treatment he has had in the past, it could be the placebo effect, but to repeat that is a mystery its self.

Sometimes I think it pays to be open minded in life, and look at things differently or even concede that there might just be a little more to things than meets the eye, far to many people rely on what they are told rather than actually finding out for themselves, in my experience true learning begins when you hve direct experience

The point I was making, is that homeopathy did not work for him. He may well be convinced that it did, but it's more likely to be another factor (or factors) that made the difference. How can he know it was the homepathy that made the difference, rather than (for example) his diet or exercise routine?

If I say that wearing spotty underpants cured my cold, it doesn't make it true (no matter how much I convince myself). Again, it's more likely that my diet / immunity / mindset etc etc etc was the deciding factor.

Homeopathy involves using water (or water pills etc) to cure all manner of conditions. Science has demonstrated that this does not work. If it did, we would have a simple cure for cancer, HIV etc etc.

 

[Ducado]

I've had a terrible cold this past week. I decided that wearing spotty underpants might cure it, and guess what - it did! Now I appreciate that there is no scientific evidence that wearing spotty underpants cures the common cold, but it worked for me.

Well we have reached a level in the debate haven't we!

All I was pointing out, is that the OP said it worked for him, I don't think he has told us what his particular ailment was, or gone into the medical treatment he has had in the past, it could be the placebo effect, but to repeat that is a mystery its self.

Sometimes I think it pays to be open minded in life, and look at things differently or even concede that there might just be a little more to things than meets the eye, far to many people rely on what they are told rather than actually finding out for themselves, in my experience true learning begins when you hve direct experience

The point I was making, is that homeopathy did not work for him. He may well be convinced that it did, but it's more likely to be another factor (or factors) that made the difference. How can he know it was the homepathy that made the difference, rather than (for example) his diet or exercise routine?

If I say that wearing spotty underpants cured my cold, it doesn't make it true (no matter how much I convince myself). Again, it's more likely that my diet / immunity / mindset etc etc etc was the deciding factor.

Homeopathy involves using water (or water pills etc) to cure all manner of conditions. Science has demonstrated that this does not work. If it did, we would have a simple cure for cancer, HIV etc etc.

It may well be, and I am open minded about it however I have read enough reports from people who claim it did work for me to beleive that there is something in it, if it triggers a placebo effect then you would think that science would go all out to discover how is this triggered because it would be the holy grail of medicine, the ability to cure ourselves of any number of maladies