Homeopathetic medicine catching on...

[MineralMan]

Googling the word "homeopathetic", a coined word used by many to poke fun at homeopathy, shows that "homeopathetic" seems to be catching on amongst practitioners of this arcane pseudo-science and users of this all-but-invisible, thoroughly-debunked line in the spectrum of alternative medicine.

* For example, one MD in Arizona, who runs a site called Natural Body Health, says this in his biographical information: "Dr. Laursen is the first traditionally trained medical doctor in the United States to obtain both Holistic Board and Naturopathic certifications. He is licensed as a Homeopathetic doctor in the state of Arizona. http://www.naturalbodyhealth.com/

* A Global Trading company website even has a category for homeopathetic products in its listings. There's only one product in that category, an "Immortality ring," but the trend is bound to grow. http://www.tradekey.com/ks-homeopathetic-products/

* One vitamin supplement company offers Igniatia Homeopathetic Asthma Spray. http://www.seacoastvitamins.com/topic.php?health=ignatia+homeopathetic

* Apparently, homeopathetic medicine dates back to ancient Greece. In this biography of Hippocrates, we learn that "Hippocrates also developed an early homeopathetic theory." As we learned from My Big Fat Greek Wedding, everything goes back to Greece, so you know it's correct. http://www.greeka.com/greece-famous-people/hippocrates.htm

* On an alternative medicine site, a person asking about possible treatments for Molluscum Contagiosum, was advised thus: "try homeopathetic drugs such as thuja and medhorrinum
but first go to an homeopathetic doctor i got rid of mc in 30 minutes." http://www.dailystrength.org/c/Molluscum_Contagiosum/advice/6625147-help-mc-nothing-working

As you can see, homeopathetic medicine is quickly becoming mainstream. Soon you will be able to purchase homeopathetic remedies everywhere, or obtain them from a homeopathetic doctor. Good news spreads quickly. :bounce:

[Recursion]

1. One second...

:popcorn:

Just needed to get the butter.

[MineralMan]

2. I like garlic salt on mine, but just a little tiny bit...so little

you can't even taste it. :rofl:

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

3. Freudian slip is Freudian.

:rofl:

[Deep13]

4. You can already see flakey homeopathic crap being sold as legitimate remedies...

...in drugstore shelves. Of course, who knows if it is even homeopathic (that is, containing insignificant or no active ingredients.) It may be like the vast majority of untested, unregulated "supplements" out there. The Food and Drug Act was supposed to stop patent quack remedies like this. Instead, snake oil is sold on drug store shelves with many marketed specifically toward children.

[MineralMan]

5. Yah, but soon, you'll be able to get genuine homeopathetic

remedies. They're already available online, and will soon appear at a Walgreens or CVS near you.

[DesertFlower]

7. i have the real ones.

it's called a Homeopathic Medicine Box. contains 50 vials of 30x homeopathic medicines.

[MineralMan]

11. Very expensive little vials of tap water they are, too.

30X, eh? Diluted to the point that there is nothing left in them at all. Not even a single molecule of the supposedly efficacious compound.

I believe you have a Homeopathetic Medicine Box, in truth.

[DesertFlower]

22. again you don't understand homeopathy

or how it works.

[MineralMan]

27. No...I understand homeopathetic medicine very well, indeed.

I know why it doesn't work, too. I also know why you think it works. I know lots of stuff.

[DesertFlower]

30. good for you. i know

lots of stuff too.

[GoneOffShore]

35. To quote Tim Minchin

"If you show me that, say, homeopathy works, then,
I will change my mind, I will spin on a fucking dime.
I’ll be as embarrassed as hell,
But I will run through the streets yelling,
It’s a Miracle!
Take physics and bin it.
Water has memory!
And whilst its memory of a long lost drop of onion juice seems infinite,
It somehow forgets all the poo it’s had in it.
You show me that it works and how it works,
And when I’ve recovered from the shock,
I will take a compass and carve
“Fancy that” on the side of my cock."

Storm - Tim Minchin

[JoeyT]

39. Nevermind.

I'm not going to pile on.

[DesertFlower]

23. it was not expensive.

listen -- you don't believe in it -- then don't use it, but don't put down those who do and have had results.

are you also against acupuncture and herbs?

never mind, i shouldn't have asked and i should have known better than to post on this thread.

edited for spelling.

[MineralMan]

32. "are you also against acupuncture and herbs? "

Acupuncture actually has some effects on the body. In fact, just recently, some of those effects were explained. So, I'm not against it at all.

Herbs? Which herbs?

I use lots of herbs in cooking. I use a very few medicinally. They have active ingredients that have real effects on the body. I use valerian as a anxiolytic from time to time. Cheaper than Xanax. I find that ephedra works pretty well on a plugged up nose due to a cold. That's because ephedrine, the active principle in ephedra works just like pseudoephedrine, which is a synthetic version of the same thing. I find that blackberry root is pretty effective for IBS, at least in my case.

None of those medicinal herbs have anything to do with homeopathetic "remedies," which if properly prepared have none of the ingredient named on the bottle. None. Any effect homeopathy has on people is based entirely on the placebo effect. In other words, any effect is purely psychological.

So, you see, I'm not writing about herbal medicines or acupuncture. I'm talking about homeopathy. I can write about any of those things, if you like.

I can also explain why crystals are useless and have no effect on the human body. Now, crystals like diamonds, rubies, and emeralds can have a powerful effect on the human mind, if they're cleverly cut and mounted in precious metals, but that's another issue.

[GoneOffShore]

45. I have gone for acupuncture, use herbal meds daily and have a Rolfer.

Acupuncture has sometimes worked for me with very specific problems.

I take an herbal remedy every morning and evening - derived from the bark of the willow tree. It's called "aspirin". Perhaps you've heard of it.

My Rolfer takes a very dim view of homeopathetic (sic) "medical practices" even though she works in the "alternative" sphere.

Just a question for you - would you be willing to trust your life to a "homeopathetic (sic) physician" if you had cancer? A broken leg? Kidney failure? Measles, mumps, shingles?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cVV3QQ3wjC8

[laconicsax]

15. Now's the time to stock up!

I'm thinking of starting a regimen of thimerosal in 30C sugar pills sucrose base pellets. According to http://www.elixirs.com/products.cfm?productcode=S94V">this seller, it's good for treating mercury exposure from vaccines.

:rofl:

[MineralMan]

16. Well, that's the principal of homeopathetic medicine, isn't it, then?

You'll make a fortune, with all those vaccines being administered. Oh...wait...they don't have thimerosal in them any longer. Never mind. It'll sell like hotcakes anyhow.

You should start a blog, too. Blogs are big in the homeopathetic movement.

[Deep13]

17. I can get them already in the form of bottled water. nt

[DesertFlower]

6. a real homeopathic doctor

spends 3 hours with you on your first visit. many of the questions can be quite personal. they go back to your childhood. i found out some interesting things about myself going through this. BTW. he was supervised by a medical doctor.

i wouldn't buy any of the OTC products. most of them are mixtures of remedies.

flame away. i'm on my way out.

[MineralMan]

8. But, there's a real homeopathetic doctor in Arizona. He doesn't need

to spend three hours with you to figure out that you're susceptible to suggestion.

[DesertFlower]

21. i'm in arizona.

if you understood how homeopathy works you would know why it takes 3 hours. it's not just the illness that's being treated but the emotional.

i've known about homeopathy since the early 80s. in 1989 i was given a remedy by a naturpathic doctor. i became interested in it and have read 5 or 6 books about it.

i know it works because i was given 2 remedies at 2 different times that gave me a negative result.

i also know about suggestion. i'm a certified hypnotherapist.

[laconicsax]

24. I understand how homeopathy works.

There's even an entire website dedicated to explaining how it works: http://www.howdoeshomeopathywork.com/

[MineralMan]

33. An excellent site, with a full explanation of how homeopathy works.

Thank you for that fine link!

[laconicsax]

48. I find the sheer number of studies demonstrating homeopathy's efficacy a useful resource.

That site has all of them, in their entirety, as well as every scientific paper explaining the underlying mechanisms. You'd think it'd take longer to read it all.

[EvolveOrConvolve]

25. Could you explain how homeopathy works?

What are its underlying mechanisms? What methods, specifically, does it employ that cause healing? Which physical aspect of the homeopathic medicine makes it work.

thx

[DesertFlower]

26. i would suggest reading a book about how

it works. a good one is "everybody's guide to homeopathic medicines", but there are quite a few available.

[EvolveOrConvolve]

29. Actually, I was hoping that you could explain it to me

I've read lots of books on the subject (probably not the kind you're thinking of), but I want to get your analysis of the exact mechanisms involved.

thx

[DesertFlower]

31. sorry, you'll have to find another source.

i've said all i'm going to say on this thread.

[EvolveOrConvolve]

34. I seriously want to get your insight into how you think homeopathy works

You've obviously caught on that I'm one of them evil skeptics, but I'm serious when I ask about how you think homeopathy works. Is it a "faith" thing, or something more complicated?

[MineralMan]

28. Ah, a hypnotherapist. OK.

Well, then. I started reading about homeopathy and other alternative medical theories in the 1960s. In fact, I have a very large collection of books on all of the alternative therapies. Such things, along with many others, have been among my interests for 50 years.

I also learned hypnosis, but don't use those skills except for parlor games. I can do a damn good Tarot reading, too, and know how Tarot readers amaze people. You know nothing about me.

[Deep13]

18. It shouldn't take three hours to figure out if I have a sinus infection. nt

[laconicsax]

47. It does if you're seeing a fraud. n/t

[Kali]

9. I've seen homeopathic stuff in Safeway - big mainstream grocery here

[RelativelyJones]

10. My Mommy used to put stardust on my boo-boo. Can I purchase that too?

[MineralMan]

12. No. Stardust must be made by Mommies. It loses its strength

too quickly to last long enough to get on store shelves. Mommy's stardust is one of the most potent remedies for boo-boos known to science. Very efficacious, indeed!

[JoeyT]

40. Hmm. I wonder if we could convert Startdust into a

hydrochloride salt to stabilize it. It could be the next big thing.

[Peregrine Took]

13. Homeopathic remedy Cantharsis helps with burning when I have a UTI.

And that's a fact.

[MineralMan]

14. And is that the only thing you do for your UTI?

[Deep13]

19. There is no way to know if the treatment is the cause of your relief...

...based on the perception of one user. A real test is to compare the results on a large number of patients compared to a large number who received only a placebo (which in the case of homeopathy is nearly the same thing.)

[MineralMan]

20. I'd be willing to bet that isn't the only thing being done, either.

I had a person who was taking antibiotics for a UTI tell me that it was the homeopathetic remedy that was the cure. "I took those antibiotics for a week, and the burning didn't stop until I started taking the cantharis 30X." When I suggested that...just perhaps...it was a coincidence and that the antibiotics don't work over night, I was branded as stupid.

Even the hardened homeopathetic folks drink their cranberry juice, too, when they have a UTI. The acidification of the urine seems to provide relief, too.

[Odin2005]

36. Sold by quacks who should be in jail for fraud.

[Crunchy Frog]

37. I think for some people it's a very effective way of harnessing the placebo effect.

:shrug:

[GoneOffShore]

38. And expensive

[Crunchy Frog]

42. I can get them super cheap at any health food store.

I don't get them because I don't believe in them, and therefore I don't expect I would get a placebo effect from them, but if I wanted them I could get them quite cheaply. Certainly more cheaply than many other medical treatments that may not be any more effective than a placebo and come with side effects.

[HuckleB]

43. You might want to check those prices again.

It's quite expensive, especially when you consider the lack of content.

I have a bottle of magic air. Only $2.00. It cures everything! Would you like one, or how about a dozen?

[HuckleB]

44. Placebo Effects Revisited

http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/?p=4304

"It turns out there is a literature on the placebo effect itself, and the evidence suggests that placebos generally do not work."

[GoneOffShore]

53. Do I detect ...... crickets?

[xchrom]

41. i only go to doctors who practice Homo-pathic medicine.

i get my prescription for Prada there.

[GoneOffShore]

46. Please send new laptop - now!

:rofl:

[HuckleB]

49. Homeoapparitionetic advances!

http://www.parascience.org.uk/articles/musings.htm

http://www.merseysideskeptics.org.uk/2010/06/skeptics-with-a-k-episode-023/

[GoneOffShore]

50. Absolutely Brilliant!

The Mersey Skeptics link is so funny.

So many good lines and wonderful takedowns of homeopathetic (sic) "medicine".

And the whole "stone tape" and "water memory".

"It's all built on bullshit."

[laconicsax]

51. I can't believe I forgot to post this!

Homeopathic A&E

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMGIbOGu8q0

[GoneOffShore]

52. One of my favorites!

And never addressed by the wooers.

[laconicsax]

54. No homeopathic thread is complete without it. n/t

[GoneOffShore]

55. And there's never a reply.

Do you suppose that's because the replies are so diluted that we can't see them?

[laconicsax]

56. If that were the case, we'd be unable to avoid them.

The silence would literally be deafening.

[GoneOffShore]

57. I always dilute my replies in GD.

They're homeopathetic threads.

With an omega blue tinge.....

[superduperfarleft]

58. That wasn't homeopathic remedies you saw at the grocery store.

The new clerk just accidentally put the crate of bottled water in the vitamins section.

Damn it, Bob.