Comments on: Homeopathy is witchcraft, say doctors

By: Harry Benson

Harry Benson — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 15:45:11 +0000

I can’t say I agree with what you’re saying as homeopathy DOES work for some people. So what’s the harm in it?

I am sure that you will find this latest research on Homeopathy incredibly beneficial as there needs to be more proof out there that homeopathy DOES work and WHY it works. Then perhaps there wouldn’t be such prejudice against those who do believe in it.

This new research is about the property of water, and discoveries that prove very simply how homeopathy works. It may come surprise to you, to discover, that it is nothing whatsoever to do with chemistry but it is all to do with the unique properties of water and vibrations.

Anyhow, have a look at the website at http://www.blindedbyscience.co.uk. The chapters are free to download so start off with ‘Water’

Harry

By: Jethro Stevenson

Jethro Stevenson — Sun, 06 Feb 2011 11:17:42 +0000

The brilliant James Randi has made an interesting comment on homeopathy http://www.latimes.com/health/boostershots/la-heb-skeptics-homeopathy-01052011,0,2326137.story

By: Berber Anna

Berber Anna — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 22:15:43 +0000

alan: It would be, if the willow bark didn’t contain any trace of medicinal compounds like salycylic acid. I think homeopathy is more akin to drinking a glass of water or eating some milk sugar to ease pain and headaches.
Seriously, I can see willow bark (or quina bark, for that matter, which through the allergic symptoms it induced in Hahnemann caused his unfortunate misunderstanding of medicine) being used to make a case for herbal medicine, but ritually shaking dilutions can be seen as little else but a magical ritual.

By: alan

alan — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 16:54:55 +0000

“Homeopathy is witchcraft”.
Why its almost as demonic as chewing the bark of a willow tree, to ease pain and headaches.

By: James

James — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 14:43:29 +0000

So you ‘believe’ a primitive data collecting system created by humans in the last two hundred years has total authority over the the idea that perhaps natural substances created by a vast and complex Earth system cannot heal a natural organism called the human body/mind?

James

By: Jess xxx

Jess xxx — Fri, 21 Jan 2011 12:26:55 +0000

Homeopathy is a load of rubbish. I make my own herbal medicines, discarding recipes that don’t work, and keeping ones that do, and it’s brilliant, but homeopathic medicine is just a few drops of flowery oil in water! Glad the guy apologised for the witchcraft remark, because we’re not that stupid! (Just kidding. I do think us Wiccans and Pagans can take others using the term ‘witchcraft’ casually a little too seriously, but it’s just frustration at the fact we’ve all been branded hippie idiots. People shouting “BURN THE WITCH!” at me, however, I will take offence to )

By: Miss Di Rection

Miss Di Rection — Fri, 21 Jan 2011 12:11:59 +0000

Please Don’t confuse herbalism with homeopathy. Herbalists, who study 3 years at degree level, to become qualified are fairly miffed when people draw comparisons between the two as homeopathy is,basically, snake oil. Some types of herbal medicine have been proved (& I emphasize the SOME”) we know tea tree oil is good for spots, Passiflora & valerium are good for nerves, chamomile makes a good sleeping draught. But none of it & I do mean NONE of it is as effective as modern medicine. Do you really think anyone in China uses chinese herbal medicine when they have a headache? Course they don’t, they take a bloomin paracetamol like the rest of us!

Sorry rant over

By: James Gavin

James Gavin — Fri, 21 Jan 2011 11:25:30 +0000

Argument from ignorance is an oft-cited defence when the evidence fails to back up extra-ordinary claims. But, to paraphrase Dara O’Briain, just because science doesn’t know everything that doesn’t mean you get to fill in the gaps with whatever fairy tale you fancy.

There is an ethical issue when it comes to lying to your patient about the treatment you offer. By the same token there is a massive ethical issue when it comes to advising that patients ignore proven treatments and instead rely on the placebo effect in order to treat potentially life-threatening diseases.

Homeopathy ignores the germ-theory of disease, which puts them in very much the same camp as AIDS denialists and the anti-vax movement.

By: Chris

Chris — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 22:54:58 +0000

Acupuncture is one of many ‘alternative’ practices that today are edging mainstream, if we had this conversation 10, 20 or 30 years ago they would quite possibly(probably) have induced the same reaction as Dr T does here. These practices worked (for some) then without the backing of science was it ‘witchcraft’ or ‘nonsense on stilts’. Some of the techniques used by DB such as NLP and Hypnosis not that long ago would be the preserve of witch doctors – spellcasting, bewitching, trances or magic. I think we should keep an open mind to areas we don’t maybe yet understand. Anyway if a placebo cures your dis-ease is that bad medicine? We don’t know why it worked ‘yet’ but surely target is the good health of the patient.

By: Jethro Stevenson

Jethro Stevenson — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 22:53:16 +0000

Cin, although I’m happy to hear you had a positive outcome which you attribute to homeopathy, it’s pretty meaningless without any real evidence.

There are other people who, like you, have beaten serious illnesses whilst taking homeopathic medicines, but as there is no independant evidence whatsoever that homeopathy has ever cured a serious illness we can only assume that their cases are simply a matter of coincedence.

Your case taken in isolation is not evidence. It would be interesting to find out the statistics of how many people have fought off illness when using homeopathy measured against the number who have not fought off their illnesses. But the problem is, the homeopaths never mention those cases.

Homeopaths are, I’m afraid, charlatans. They make claims which they cannot backup.