homeopathy... aibu to say i think of it's a crock of crap?

[ILetHimKeep20Quid]

Was at my brothers for dinner yesterday. My baby has a touch of eczema. As a chronic sufferer myself I roll my eyes whenever people start on the 'oh have you tried this' thing but smile and nod. I have used steroid creams in the past, of various strengths, to deal with outbreaks. I'm well versed in the treatment.

So, the wee touch my ds has isn't concerning me and I'm moisturizing him regularly.

Cue my sil practically gushing over her homeopath (not just a normal one. He's a gp but does this on the side it seems).

I smiled and nodded. Not wanting to get into the whole thing. But she would not give up. So I asked 'what is homeopathy?'

Apparently, get this, water has a memory. What the actual fuck? How can water have a memory?

[Pagwatch]

Well no. But tbh this thread appears really regularly so it's not the most 'out there' of opinions.

[angelos02]

YANBU. Tis bollocks. I used to work with someone that was into every alternative therapy going. Never known anyone so ill so often.

[donnie]

yes you are being unreasonable , seeing as it has worked for many people, including me. You are also being obnoxious and childish in calling it 'a crock of crap'. Why the spoilt kid language?

[Shallishanti]

the thing is, people pay, quite a lot, for homeopathy, hence they have a lot invested in it. Hence they put quite a lot of effort into persuading themselves that it works, and ignoring evidence to the contrary (I give you- 'the healing crisis')
Eczema is particularly prone to this as it tends to come and go anyway.
I speak from bitter experience.

[ChunkyPickle]

It gets better - you can drip this special memory water onto sugar pills, and the dried sugar pills now apparently have this 'water memory' despite not even being water.

It works as well as placebo, and there is a $1million prize for anyone who can prove that it works better than that which has remained unclaimed for years.

[MaidOfStars]

Not unreasonable - it's bobbins. It doesn't work. There is no conceivable mechanism by which water can "remember" being in contact with, say, a silver molecule, yet forget being in contact with urine salts/rock salts/acid rain/etc/etc.

[MaidOfStars]

ChunkyPickle I ranted about it the other day. Try "hair transmission homeopathy" or "mp3 homeopathy" if you want an even bigger head fuck.

[MaidOfStars]

Donnie I fit has worked for "many people", one might imagine the scientific literature to be positively awash with credible studies, no? Can you explain why this isn't the case? (I'm not asking why you think it works, I'm asking why you think science has apparently ignored positive data).

[MaidOfStars]

If it....

[ChunkyPickle]

Maid - I'm 40 weeks pregnant today, I don't think my stomach muscles or bladder could handle the laughter.

I'm torn between not wanting to encourage the idea, and thinking homeopathic MP3s would make an awesome secret santa present for someone though...

[oohdaddypig]

I know plenty of people for whom it's worked, including animals and babies.

We are on holiday ATM and the very normal pharmacist (Spain) suggested we try a homeopathic remedy first on DS before antihistamine, for mozzie bites.

I agree the whole water memory issue sounds far fetched. But who gives a toss if it works for these people? A hell of a lot better than the conventional remedies often handed out for eczema.

Sounds like your SIL is just trying to help!

[Lweji]

YANBU to say it or to think it, because it is.

Most people who do well with homeopathy, would still get better if nothing was done, as most transient illnesses.

Actually homeopathy actually means treating with the "same". For example, if you have a fever, you'd treat with something that raises your temperature, but with very low dosages. The thing is, supposedly, the more you dilute it, the more powerful it becomes.


BTW, washing less worked well for my DS. Removing the natural oils from the skin is not good.

[Lweji]

It will work.

I can guarantee you that if I take a homeopathic remedy for my cold, it will be gone in 3 days.

[ShepherdsPurse]

YANBU at this is your take on things.

Other people including myself have differing views.

Each to their own sort of thing.

[SleepPleaseSleep]

It is very clearly and obviously a load of old twaddle. Ben goldacre on bad science has some interesting things to say about it... The mighty placebo effect is both fascinating in itself and very undervalued apparently. www.badscience.net/category/complementary-medicine/homeopathy/

[Beastofburden]

Placebos can be very powerful. Also a lot of things either get better on their own, or fluctuate naturally. There has never been any evidence that homeopathy does anything other than take credit for these two things.

What is interesting is why people want to believe in it.

[Pennyacrossthehall]

Cue a link to one of my favourite websites www.howdoeshomeopathywork.com/

Homeopathy is one of my pet hates - the most ridiculous alternative medicine and somehow the most mainstream.

I assume that people who believe in it are idiots - because either they believe it without any understanding of how it works (which is stupid) - or they are stupid enough to believe that hyper-dilution of random substances (aka drinking water) can treat anything.

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

[Larrygogan]

Of course you're not unreasonable. Duh.

[Charlesroi]

No, you're right. It's a crock of shit.

[curlew]

"yes you are being unreasonable , seeing as it has worked for many people"

It hasn't, you know. They took it. They got better.

Correlation is not causation.

[WiddleAndPuke]

YANBU.

The placebo effect works on children and animals and surprisingly even on people who KNOW they have been given a placebo!

The only studies that show any efficacy are - NOT surprisingly - those carried out by homeopaths.


When it comes to proper, peer reviewed, repeatable, reliable results there is NO evidence to show it works beyond placebo. NONE.

But you'll still get people saying oh but it worked for me. Apparently the phrase "The plural of 'anecdote' isn't 'data'" goes over their heads.

[SunshineSuperNova]

YANBU. It's copper-plated bollocks.

[Nacster]

Someone asked me if I had considered homeopathy for my son's anaphylactic allergies and asthma.

The person was quite put out when I laughed, but I didn't have another good reaction available.

It's bollocks.

[MaidOfStars]

ChunkyPickle Apparently, the mp3s are just short jazz clips - it's the resonant undertones (undetectable) that "cure" you. My husband and I had a highly amusing discussion about whether the music should be tailored to the affliction. Got an eye problem? Here's some Ray Charles. Earache? Have some Beethoven. And what's that? A sore arm? Def Leppard for you, my sweet.

[Beastofburden]

I know someone who took her pre-school DC to Africa for three mnths with no anti-malerials, or any other innoculations, only homeopathy (it was a malarial area). of course I am glad she got away with it- who would wish malaria on a three year old- but I was furious with her for being so stupid.

She, of course, thinks it "worked". She came home within three weeks as they were miserable, but this no longer features in the story.