Homeopathic Medicine: Real Science or Quackery?

[Elim Garak]

But not based on a scientific approach and method, he just mixed all toxic substances with alcohol or water and called it a cure. I don't give him credit for that. That's like giving a credit to a lottery winner for his mathematical knowledge of numbers. No, he just got lucky.

Before him no one even thought about using non-organic substances. It doesn't matter if he used scientific method (which was non-existent in those times anyway) or not. He explored. And others took note of such an approach, they took note that some of the substances were helpful and then science happened.

He wasn't a scientist, but he was a discoverer.

[Doctor Amadeus]

Google Samuel Hahnemann,

he invented Homeophatic medicine 1790 (!). He was NOT using scientific methods and made crazy claims even scientists back then found nonsensical and distanced themselves from him. It's 100% pure quackery based on his personal hunch on this self experience:

"While translating William Cullen's Lectures on the Materia medica into German, Hahnemann began to doubt Cullen's theory about Cinchona bark, a Peruvian plant that is now the basis of the malaria cure quinine, so he launched his own experiments, using himself as a guinea pig. Taking large doses of the substance, Hahnemann developed the fever, chills, thirst, and throbbing headache that characterize malaria. This experience convinced Hahnemann that small doses of the same substance would prompt the body's own immune system to fight off the disease, in much the same way a flu shot carrying deactivated germs wards off the flu. This became Hahnemann's famous maxim, like cures like, or the Law of Similars.
Read more at http://biography.yourdictionary.com/samuel-hahnemann#hDs1J7YfwGpCHk3U.99"

That was 1790! Medicine was just guesswork. For example he had no idea that white blood cells even exist because leukocytes where discovered 50 years later. So a guy who doesn't even have a basic clue about the human body is still believed to know what it does in detail when exposed to toxic material...

How this nonsense is still something people in 2017 believe in is baffling.

Haha I always love when people conveniently leave out those little details.

[Eazy]

It's quackery, but the placebo effect works.

Trust me, I'm professional.

[Doctor Amadeus]

It's quackery, but the placebo effect works.

Trust me, I'm professional.

Nope and I am David Hasselhoff

[Deleted]

Well, he was one of the first who began using non-organic substances for medicine - as medicine does now. So at least give him credit for that achievement, despite the quackery he made out of it.

No he wasn't. Physicians/apothecaries/alchemists were dosing patients with stuff like mercury for thousands of years. Even though they were completely misguided they were practising the "medicine" of the time.

[munkeyinorbit]

Depends. We have a 1 year old daughter who had extreme problems with her digestion (tummyache etc.)... we went to the doctor... he could not help, offered ibuprofen... 2nd doctor the same.

After 1 months of crying we decided to go to a homeopath and our daughter got some globules. 3 days later digestion was ok... she did not cry anymore.

Soooo... do you really think an one year old child knows what a placebo is?

People do not need chemical drugs everytime... sometimes there are herbal ways to deal with a problem, and that is was a homeopath does.

Nonsense. Pure nonsense. It is the Placebo effect. When a doctor said I don't know and just gave ibuprofen, your daughter picked up on your vibes and the medicine didn't work. The reverse placebo effect. You got suckered into believing in magic and your daughter picked up on that. Placebo effect. Worked for you, but what about the 85% of people that it didn't work for? Unlucky? They don't believe in magic and faeries enough? Or maybe homeopathic remedies are a crock of shit. If it was real then you bet that Big Pharmacy would've milked billions out of it.

[Kaleredar]

I am automatically suspicious of balled guys on TED talks making miraculous claims with little or not substance and relying on pure ignorance of those listening to it.

Relevant:

[Forogil]

But you could get the placebo effect AND something that might realistically help. There's no justification for substituting medicine with sugar pills and expecting the placebo effect to take over the rest when you could actually treat a person right?

There is some justification for that - as it is regularly done in medical testing to actually check that the pills, injections, or even surgery actually works - and how well they work.

But not in other cases; and certainly not using homeopathy as a substitute for actual medicine.

[PL-Cibo]

It's not science. The scientific approach has shown time and time again that homeopathie doesn't work. it's a fairy tale and it killed enough people as it is.

[Eazy]

Nope and I am David Hasselhoff

Nice to meet you David Hasselhoff.

No I was joking about being professional, but seriously - in our medical university there was a plan for having Homeopathic studies, but eventually they failed, most(if not all) of the bioethical comission protested about it to our rector that there are zero proofs that any of the homeopathic theraphy can cure any disease.
I was even doing a lectures for students based on the PudMed database about homeopathy so... I'm pretty sure I have much more information about it than most of the people here.

[Elim Garak]

No he wasn't. Physicians/apothecaries/alchemists were dosing patients with stuff like mercury for thousands of years. Even though they were completely misguided they were practising the "medicine" of the time.

That's not what I meant by medicinal usage of non-organic substances. Mercury treatment killed patients, 100% of the time. Dude, how can you even call that medicine? Regardless of the "times"... I am talking about non-organic substances that HELP.

[Deleted]

There is some justification for that - as it is regularly done in medical testing to actually check that the pills, injections, or even surgery actually works - and how well they work.

But not in other cases; and certainly not using homeopathy as a substitute for actual medicine.

Oh for sure, as part of drug trials and testing it has value. I was only talking about actually 'treating' patients.

[chazus]

I'm more annoyed that the OP posted a video that has nothing to do with homeopathic medicine, and then discussed it as if the two were related.

It's like "What are your opinions about sandwiches? Here's a video about crock pot cooking to help decide."

[Doctor Amadeus]

Nice to meet you David Hasselhoff.

No, but seriously - in our medical university there was a plan for having Homeopathic studies, but eventually they failed, most(if not all) of the bioethical comission protested about it to our rector that there are zero proofs that any of the homeopathic theraphy can cure any disease.
I was even doing a lectures for students based on the PudMed database about homeopathy so... I'm pretty sure I have much more information about it than most of the people here.

You're welcome



Remember this favor.

:P

That university wasn't Arizona was it, because apparently they actually have nurses that teach laying on of hands therapy. No I am not kidding.

https://integrativemedicine.arizona.edu/

Naturopathic Medicine

Is apparently one of those things they teach.

- - - Updated - - -

I'm more annoyed that the OP posted a video that has nothing to do with homeopathic medicine, and then discussed it as if the two were related.

It's like "What are your opinions about sandwiches? Here's a video about crock pot cooking to help decide."

So then here you come to try to draw a distinction where there is none, which is exactly why the video I posted thrives, I also posted a video of another more sophisticated form of this horse shit, that has roots in the same form of thinking that leads to this form of nonsense.

[Eazy]

You're welcome



Remember this favor.

:P

I love you David!

That university wasn't Arizona was it, because apparently they actually have nurses that teach laying on of hands therapy. No I am not kidding.

https://integrativemedicine.arizona.edu/

Naturopathic Medicine

Is apparently one of those things they teach.

I'm from the Europe, there was a trend for the homeopathy, most of the medical universities wanted to open new degree courses, but they failed... and I'm glad for that.

[chazus]

So then here you come to try to draw a distinction where there is none, which is exactly why the video I posted thrives, I also posted a video of another more sophisticated form of this horse shit, that has roots in the same form of thinking that leads to this form of nonsense.

More that you're trying to mislead people into thinking that Homeopathic Medicine is what the video was.

Homeopathy is misleading. The video is misleading. The thread is misleading.

[Doctor Amadeus]

More that you're trying to mislead people into thinking that Homeopathic Medicine is what the video was.

Homeopathy is misleading. The video is misleading. The thread is misleading.

Or you don't know what Homeopathy is, let me help you.


ho·me·op·a·thy
ˌhōmēˈäpəTHē/Submit
noun
the treatment of disease by minute doses of natural substances that in a healthy person would produce symptoms of disease.



Homeopathy is a system of alternative medicine created in 1796 by Samuel Hahnemann, based on his doctrine of like cures like (similia similibus curentur), a claim that a substance that causes the symptoms of a disease in healthy people would cure similar symptoms in sick people.[1] Homeopathy is a pseudoscience – a belief that is incorrectly presented as scientific. Homeopathic preparations are not effective for treating any condition large-scale studies have found homeopathy to be no more effective than a placebo, indicating that any positive effects that follow treatment are only due to the placebo effect, normal recovery from illness, or regression toward the mean.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homeopathy


It's the same thing, based on the father of Homeopathy, which isn't science it's the exact same form of quackery as gem crystals or the brain scan guy. It's the same thing.

[Deleted]

It is both.
It all depends on the cure.
Homeopathic are home cure's for stuff. Allot of them are BS. But like most site's say:
includes practices claimed to have the healing effects of medicine but which are disproven, unproven, impossible to prove, or are excessively harmful in relation to their effect.

The 2 in bolt are the ones to look out for. If its proven that it is not a hoax homeopathic medicine ( the specific one) is not a hoax.

And the second one. It might be harmful but it will also give people some info on how to deal with making a real medicine.

But again for 99% homeopathic medicine is BS.

Technically Weed was homeopathic for a long time.

Weed wad never homeopathic.

Do you even understand what homeopathy is?

Extremely diluted (to the extreme) solutions that have no medical benefit in anyway.

It's snake oil. Whereas weed seems to have some very valid medical uses.

[Doctor Amadeus]

I love you David!



I'm from the Europe, there was a trend for the homeopathy, most of the medical universities wanted to open new degree courses, but they failed... and I'm glad for that.

Well if things get too bad, I will just suggest that photos of David Hasselhoff, have the same effect, as Homepathy, and millions of ladies especially in Germany seem to agree.

[Deleted]

That's not what I meant by medicinal usage of non-organic substances. Mercury treatment killed patients, 100% of the time. Dude, how can you even call that medicine? Regardless of the "times"... I am talking about non-organic substances that HELP.

Because at the time they were given, mercury was being given as a medicine. It doesn't matter that is was actually bad, what doe smatter is that mercury was used as a medicine.

"Medicine" is defined as the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of the disease. The ancient physicians, apothecaries and alchemists who dosed people with mercury thought they were benefitting the patients.

Whether is was good or bad is immaterial. They were using mercury as a treatment for disease. It was a medicinal use. The ancient Chinese dosed Emperors with mercury because they thought it would grant immortality for example; not because they thought it would kill them (although probably some wise men did actually know how bad mercury was..by observation of it;s actual effects)

Elemantlal sulphur was common used in ancient and medieval times too - either as a treatment for worms, or as an element that was known to "burn", it was given to cure patients of "phlegmatic" and "melancholic" disease by rebalancing the "humours" of the body.

It may seem nonsensical, but sulphur was most definitely used for a medicinal purpose, and it fitted in with how physicians thought disease worked and could be treated at that time. It probably didn;t do much harm because sulphur is far less toxic than mercury.