Anyone used homeopathy? Does it work?

[extraconfusedhelp]

I have PCOS and just went to see a homeopath today. She has given me something to take.

I just wanted to find out if anyone has been treated by a homeopath before? And how quickly the treatment worked?

[hermioneweasley]

I'm afraid homeopathy is just water, so you'd be better off saving your money.

[extraconfusedhelp]

actually its a completely free service that is offered i my local area, so thats why im thinking its worth a try.

[nethunsreject]

Have I used it? YES

Did it work? NO. It is utter bollocks.

However if it is definitely free, why not? Placebo effect can be worth it. Plus just being listened to for an hour is valuable.

[RibenaBerry]

Well, homeopathy contains not one single active ingredient and relies on water having a 'memory' of once having bumped into the molecule in question, then this water being dried into a sugar pill, so make up your own mind [shrug].

Still, the placebo affect is incredibly strong, so there is an argument that perhaps the belief we'll get better actually encourages our mind to work in ways we don't really understand to boost our immune system. Weirdly, the effect seems to work in many trials even if the person knows it's a placebo.

[Panzee]

Yes I have, no it doesn't.

[mousymouse]

yes I have used it (forced on me by my mother)
no it doesn't work (unless you count the placebo effect)

[scaredmummy]

testing new name

[ExpatAgain]

expensive load of garbage...fume...

[Parietal]

Haven't used it cos the evidence is very clear that it doesn't work.

Even if it is free, you are wasting your time and someone's money on plain water.

[SpringchickenGoldBrass]

It's complete bollocks and doesn't work. but I am a little concerned that you got it free. Who funded it? If it's a standard bit of marketing by a more than usually slick woo-peddling charlatan fair enough, but if the council is spending your council tax funding homeopathic treatment then that's a bit of a problem.

[TheBreastmilksOnMe]

I think it's a load of tosh cos if it were true and water has 'memory' then we should all be free of most ailments from drinking ordinary tap water.

It's the same dillution as someone taking a piss in the sea in Dover and expecting to be affected by it in Calais.

[nightcat]

have used it on me and my ds - but not on PCOS
It has worked for me - arnica, ignatia, nat mur plus some others, arnica definitely worked on serious bruising and you can see results from 24 hrs on.
Also used it to decongest.

[extraconfusedhelp]

Thank you all for the replies. So the odds do not seem good.

And to answer a question asked, I do not know who is funding it unfortuntly, today was the first time ive ever been to it.

[SpringchickenGoldBrass]

Oh FFS if water 'has memory' then you are drinking the memory of every shit anyone ever took, along with every dose of syphilis, gonorrhea, typhoid, cholera, septacemia and leptospirosi that was on every pair of pants ever washed every time you have a glass of tapwater. Or are we expected to believe that what homeopathic dickheads are charging for is the wave of their magic tickling stick that engenders selective memory in water?

[CheerfulYank]

I have nothing useful to add, but I have to admit I sniggered like a schoolboy at "magic tickling stick." Is that was the kidz is callin it these days? :o

[camdancer]

I went to a homeopath when I was a child for a disorder that meant I had to use lots of strong steroid creams. My parents decided that it was worth trying a homeopath as the steroid creams had nasty side effects. My symptoms did defintely improve. So that's the good news.

The other side is that my hospital consultant had said that my condition may get better during puberty - and that is when I started with the homeopath. So you decide what actually happened. For me, I'm quite convinced that it was puberty that changed things. My Mum is happy to say it was homeopathy.

I think PCOS is something that can be very hard to treat. Don't discount the placebo effect of homeopathy. If you are getting it for free then go with an open mind and hope it helps. If you really want to know about homeopathy then Ben Goldacre's Bad Science book explains it very clearly.

[ppeatfruit]

At the risk of being flamed My DS was cured of eczema when 2 yrs old by hom. sulphur. he shut his finger in a car door at 14 and we saved his nail by soaking in arnica solution and taking loads of arnica.

[ppeatfruit]

It's funny how the criticism of homeopathy in Ben Goldacre's book is repeated but the much stronger criticicism of "normal" medicine and Big Pharma companies is ignored by a lot of people.At least homeo. does no harm.

[ginmakesitallok]

Homeopathy can do harm - at an individual level some people may use homeopathy instead of medicines which actually work and at a macro level it diverts funds from evidence based practices

[ppeatfruit]

yeah like all the 'proper' medicine;anti biotics that are so over used they don't cure, plus hormone based preg tests that give babies terrible disabilities, I'm crying about the huge lying pharmaceutical companies.

[ppeatfruit]

Homeopathy does work, i cured my elderly Jack Russell of shaking and as i said in my 1st post my 2 yr old's eczema was cured without the steroids that are thrown at everything by the G.P.s when they can't think of anything else to give.

[ppeatfruit]

Hi Cheerful!! (waves)

[seeker]

Homeopathy is excellent at curing time limited conditions.

Homeopaths are excellent at listening to people who feel unlistened to and making them feel that they are important when other people tell them they are not. It's a shame that they then feel the need to flog them some very expensive water and sugar before they let them go.

[camdancer]

Have you actually read Bad Science? The sections on homeopathy and placebo effect are a very small part of the book. Most of the book is about how to read mainly newspaper articles but also journal articles and find out what they really say. There is a huge amount of criticism of "big pharma" and the way they do things. I mentioned Bad Science because it is very clear and easy to understand. Reading metadata studies can be very hard going.

I'm glad that homeopathy worked for you. Using lots of steroids on a 2 year old can be very scary and have nasty side effects. I've said that I also got better while I was using homeopathy for a similar condition - I just wonder about the cause and effect.

The OP asked about homeopathy so that is what the replies have focussed on. Maybe if the post was about the PCOS medication that her GP had prescribed there would be a similar debate as to their effectiveness.

[Yogagirl17]

I'm suprised and a little disappointed at how many MNers are against or totally dismissive of homeopathy.

To answer the OP:

1. yes I have used homeopathy for myself and my family
   
2. yes I have found it very helpful for certain conditions, especially injuries & bruising, upset tummies/naseau, coughs & colds and quite a few other common, recurring problems. I have also occassionally used it for more chronic problems on advice of a homeopath with mixed success
   

To respond to some of the other comments:
-There is actually quite a substantial amount of evidence in support of homeopathy www.britishhomeopathic.org/research/

-Homeopathy does NOT cause harm, it does not interact with other medicines or cause side effects. If people are stupid enough to choose not to take other necessary medication recommended by their doctors, this is not the fault of homeopathy. Most properly trained, medically qualified homeopaths see homeopathy as complementary not alternative. This means it can safely be taken alongside other medications and is not a substitute for lifesaving treatment.