Last weekend I wrote about farmers markets may not be all that organic or any different from your local grocery……this weekend let’s look at Homeopathy.
Some of us feel that the earth will provide all we need as far as our health goes…….ande we believe that we can treat ourselves homeopathic way…………you know with white willow or sassafras or pine needles or ginko……on and on…..
But are we doing our bodies a favor or not?
I read a piece this past week that covers these questions and the practice…….
Homeopathy—the idea that one can heal oneself with illness-inducing substances in tiny quantities—is basically a bunch of quackery practiced by delusional people who take their own lives in their hands and might just as well take a sugar pill instead, according to Australia’s National Health and Medical Research Council. “There are no health conditions for which there is reliable evidence that homeopathy is effective,” declares the fairly blunt report, which also recommends that health insurers stop subsidizing homeopathic remedies and that pharmacies not stock them. “People who choose homeopathy may put their health at risk if they reject or delay treatments for which there is good evidence for safety and effectiveness.” The report reviewed hundreds of studies on homeopathy, notes CBS News, and found no evidence that it’s more effective than a placebo.
“I have no problems with private colleges wanting to run courses on crystal-ball gazing, iridology, and homeopathy, and if people are crazy enough to pay for it, it’s their decision,” one doctor tells the Guardian, but he thinks governments shouldn’t approve them. The Australian Homeopathic Association, not to be deterred, urged the NHMRC to find an approach that “respects and advocates patient choice.” It’s not the only blow to homeopathy of late: A Canadian study on homeopathic treatment for kids with ADHD came under heavy fire earlier this month from the scientific community for, as the Toronto Star puts it, “legitimiz(ing) a pseudoscience.”
Any one care to respond?
I reckon it’s competition for patients’ dollars, one will therefore never get medicos on the same plane as the homeopaths…so the choice of people should be respected, after all, it’s about wanting to get better, to heal an illness etc and yes, choice involves informed (or uninformed) risk so be it 🙂
I believe thaat nature has given us any cures we need…the problem is the need for profit makes it suspect….
”The Australian Homeopathic Association, not to be deterred, urged the NHMRC to find an approach that “respects and advocates patient choice.””
I cringe each time when I see the word “choice” come into play by people who tend not to view things objectively. The climate denier type today is indicative of such people. There perhaps are many “natural” remedies out there that help abate ills and discomforts of some people, but to presume that such remedies affect us all equally is presumptuous at best and naive at worst. Without running random and blind sample experiments to see if “cures” are not the result of mind-over-matter conditions is irresponsible.
Good point Larry…my grandmother use to make tea from young pine needles for a sore throat and it worked….or willow tea for headaches….I believe that there are some ‘cures’ but the profit margin is the thing they search for….not the benefit….
I’m not an expert on homeopathy, but I think doctors should conduct some experiments before declaring it to be junk. Same for Traditional Chinese Medicine, which I believe in.
There should always be tests to see if it is a viable treatment…..profit is the biggest problem…..
Yeah, it’s like how doctors often recommend surgery when it’s not even needed.
Exactly…..all this is a scam…..and the consumer gets ripped….profits.
I prefer snake oil for all my medical needs> But seriously, a healthy lifestyle: exercise, proper diet, peace of mind, is the best remedy for most ills.
Do not forget that apple a day…..