Via Ben Goldacre @ Bad Science
Woman claims homeopathy cured her cancer
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(33 Responses)
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The dangers of spontaneous remission! Am I alone in thinking that she doesn’t make a very convincing homeopath?
It’s great how, at 3:24, she almost says there is scientific evidence, but then corrects herself.
She keeps mentioning all this evidence for homeopathy, but where is it?
Loved the stuttering around 3:30 and that she kept talking at the end
The only valid point she makes is that people using homoeopathy are treated as a person not just a disease carrier. Whilst homoeopathy is the worst kind of bull**** she might just be on to something there.
While it is wonderful that this person\’s cancer receded, anyone with a logical mindset can put this down to chance. It is the same chance that allows one in 1000000 people who go to Lourdes to be cured by a miracle. How many people with cancer turned to homoeopathy and got nothing. If medical drugs performed like homoeopathy they would be refused licensing for distribution. If homoeopathy performed like medical drug treatments then they WOULD BE medical drug treatments.
Headdesk. Truly.
well… sounds like the chemo worked after all.
Interesting how she refused to answer directly any questions about whether she knew of any other cases like herself, which might help to prove that Homeopathy consistently works. Instead she stuttered, and eventually resorted to spouting some general Homeopathy propaganda.
Also: “It looks at the symptoms, not just the diagnosis.” Excuse me? Isn’t the diagnosis the identification of the root problem that causes the symptoms? How is it useful to treat the symptoms without treating the underlying cause?Only to the Homeopathist is it useful – by not treating the cause of the symptoms they keep coming back! Now it makes sense!
And I get the feeling that this woman’s “miracle cure” was probably due to the chemotherapy she’d already had. From the way she tells it it sounds like she just didn’t like the side effects, because, yes, you do get sick from chemotherapy, but that doesn’t mean your cancer is getting worse. And the only reason the doctors told her there was nothing they could do was because she refused treatment.
I think one of the biggest problems is that people often confuse Homeopathy with herbal medicine – which actually is effective.
I may be wrong, but I was always under the impression it was illegal for you to claim you can cure cancer without any peer-reviewed evidence, because it’s clearly deceptive. She is trying to sell water, promising it’ll cure cancer..
…And a little while ago, someone was claiming it had caused their cancer. I don’t think it can do either.
Oh, the sublime power of the anecdote…
In other news: Religious person claims that God exists!
“If medical drugs performed like homoeopathy they would be refused licensing for distribution.”
jim, not to take a pro or con stance here; but i’m not aware of any homeopathic remedy which actually killed somebody on its own, as certain licensed drugs have done. frankly, drug companies are too eager to rush a product to market these days, & they tend to ignore contradictory evidence…even if it’s death.
why she looks so unhappy ?
Quote “Homeopathy looks at the symptoms, not just a diagnosis”. Um, you mean diagnosis as in, when a doctor diagnoses symptoms?. I gotta say, I have lost a lot of faith in GP’s and the NHS in general, but I would still rather turn to something thats been carefully tested under controlled conditions over a liquid that is more like to have some of Napoleons urine in it than any beneficial content. I’m happy for her that her cancer is cured, whilst at the same time scared that other cancer sufferers will turn to homeopathy as a first choice treatment now and die a horrible painful death as a result…
she doesn’t convince me…but then I also believe that homeopathy CAN work for SOME things. I think it’s ok for mild things, it’s good to invest in good thought practices, anything that can help that is good. but if I had cancer I wouldn’t rely on homeopathy to cure it…I would rely on the millions of scientists who have worked for years on finding a cure. I think her restoration of health is due to the chemo, which does indeed make you very ill…as has been said.
there’s a preacher in Bristol town who angers me SO much when he says “when you have cancer it’s because you don’t believe in jesus…” I wonder what HE would make of this.
homeopathy is a useful add on tool. hayfever and cancer are worlds apart!
she’s sort of made me a bit angry, she’s not really helping the cause is she.
*facedesk*
Sounds like she’s still got a brain tumor…
you could give almost anything to a child, say it will make them better and they will believe it. so by saying that it works well with children kind of reinforces the argument that it doesnt work beyon a placebo.
and she had a bad reaction because the chemo made her hair fall out and put on weight? They are both side-effects of chemotheraphy that almost everyone who has it gets.
that was one of the least convincing arguments i have ever heard
@ SpiritMuse ‘I think one of the biggest problems is that people often confuse Homeopathy with herbal medicine – which actually is effective.’
Totally agree! I had a really bad skin conditiion as a child, along with asthma, and I was given two herbal treatments for them that worked brilliantly. But homeopathy is either just flowery oils mixed with water, or sugar pills. And when that woman says there’s over two thousand years worth of evidence for homeopathy, she’s actually confusing it with herbal medicine.
Of course NHS expenditure would be far less if it solely invested in homeopathic treatments; it’s water!
What a load of garbage. Obviously this woman is a true believer. Even if you put the evidence right in front of her she will deny its existence.
I watched Eastenders and broke wind. Do you think Eastenders causes flatulence?
Indeed
just like a Lourdes case of coincidence that suddenly pops up as ‘proof’ for something that is just a load of crap.
Wow. How outraged all these comments are! The power of positive belief huh! For the record chemo doesn’t cure cancer and it doesn’t profess to. Extension of life and inhibition of tumor growth is its best claim. For those who want to believe that chemo is the cancer wonder drug so be it. For those that want to question more try reading “chemotherapy cures cancer and the world is flat” by Lothar Hirneise as a starting point.
@Claire, Um, name one person or comment here that made a claim that Chemo cures all cancer?. Cant find one? no neither can I. If you want to be constructive, start by not putting words into peoples mouths
Homeopathy is pure fantasy, its like making a choice between something scientifically proven to shown benefit vrs a man dressed as a blue fairy showing up saying “im the blue fairy! i will wave my magic wand and make it all better”. Remco is right, don’t confuse coincidence with proof. Scientific tests are there to a) rule out cause by other factors and b) rule out possibility of coincidence thus c) showing if there is indeed an improvement that its caused by the drug/method in question.
I wouldn’t even claim an aspirin cured my headache to that degree of certainty. A very fortunate and very dangerous lady.
I wonder how many cancer sufferers have used homeopathy and died anyway. They should stand up and be counted.
Im sure it’s like 66 people (out of millions) have been so called cured by a visit to lords/Lourdes. Considering the other forms of treatments and natural physical healing along with positive thinking that is remarkably low. And atheists getting cancer because some don’t believe in hayzeus then who would they take to court? I don’t even care about this woman anymore!
It is easy to be ignorant and give out about something .. How about looking into things before trashing the poor girl? You wouldn’t be nervous, perhaps studdering, when on national TV being interviewed for a big news story?
“How about looking into things before trashing the poor girl? ”
Anders, I think you will find most people commenting here have looked at these things in great detail, and that is why they are so unconvinced,
Did you know that Homeopathy is actually a direct anagram of the popular word PLACEBO