not admit to my lovely df that i think homeopathy is a load of, well, nonsense?

[ForkInTheForeheid]

My df is a big believer in homeopathy, the homeopathic Dr was the first port of call when we were kids, I'm sure we as kids and my dad have had lots of benefit from the placebo effect over the years. :-) however, as an adult with a critical mind and some scientific knowledge I came to the conclusion that I didn't believe any of homeopathy's claims. So for several years every time DS or I get any illness my dad tells me which homeopathic remedy I need, emphatic that aconite will destroy the common cold if you "catch it early enough" and that rus. tox. (?) will cure chicken pox and stop the spots from turning into scabs, they will just disappear back into the body apparently...

So aibu to politely nod and agree despite thinking it's a load of rubbish (no placebo effect if you don't believe it will work either) or should I admit my scepticism to him? I'm usually pretty honest with people and so it makes me feel icky and uncomfortable but I don't want to hurt his feelings.

If he's sensible enough to know that doctors are needed for some medical problems and it's things like coughs and colds he's trying to help with I'd nod and smile. Nothing wrong with it being the first port of call then if that doesn't work going to see someone else.

I also love Ben Goldacre and think that homeopathic medicine is a cruel practice when peddled to those with terminal or chronic diseases. The woman who tried to push me to give my terminally ill father honey instead of the drugs was given short shrift.

Long as he's not hurting anyone or risking his health by shunning real medicine I wouldn't risk the relationship if you think he'll be upset by your opinions. YANBU.

YABU - it's utterly fake and your father should be told this at every possible opportunity.

Can't believe there are still people who believe in homeopathy. Do they believe in Father Christmas too?

No, iPhoned. Homeopathic arnica did not work for you.

You took homeopathic arnica.

You recovered quickly.

You may also have been wearing red socks. None of these three things have any connection to each other.

Can't believe you can do a homeopathy degree! I have a friend who is very into homeopathy. I smille and nod when she suggests particular "medicines" for ailments. You are not really lying as long as you don't tell him you used them. Just smile and change the subject.

I used a homeopathic practioner when I was young and had a weird illness, he came highly recommended. Not only did it not work, but he was one of the rudest, most offensive people I have ever met. I have used other alternative practitioners such as acupuncturist which worked very well for me.

My daughter fell over quite badly in a playground once and a well very meaning lady offered us arnica, which I accepted out of politeness and again I though it might comfort DD. I think it is too late to start arguing with DF, if he enjoys using the remedies and gets comfort out them, don't say anything. As long as he doesn't neglect using conventional medicine when necessary it is not harmful.

My friend's mother is the same. She told me to take pulsatilla to turn my breech baby ( how the hell would that work then?) I just nodded and smiled and muttered loon under my breath.

Loving this. There's as much evidence for homeopathic efficacy as there is for god, i.e. none, but there'd be waaay tip-toeing round the woo if it was labelled Christian or Muslim beliefs.

Can someone explain the difference to me?

Acupuncture at least has a logical mechanism for how it might work. Homeopathy merely plays on the gullibility of fools who wil swallow anything with enough woo attached.

Interesting that most of those who claim it worked for them don't even know what it actually is or how its meant to work. Its not ancient wisdom at all, it was invented by one lone german weirdo 2 hundred years ago who was a laughing stock then. ITs taken this long to find enough idiots to buy into to it to give it a veneer of quasi-respectibility.

I think you are all forgetting about the hitting of the water which is what makes it have memory.

If you think about banging a bottle of water 7 times on a saddle, then it makes perfect sense.

you know the same guy also decreed that almost all diseases are caused by coffee? Thats whose woo-water you're necking. Obviously a genius.

So by his own logic the cure for everything is massively diluted coffee :)

Its funny you should say that AKiss. I am the sole UK agent for an ancient product that uses the ancient memory of coffe to cure all known ailments. Just deposit lots of money in my paypal account and i will send you some

Echt - Are you trying to start a bun fight? although you are right

She's not right. Homeopathy gets the same regard as a religion that has only been around 5 mins and was invented on the spot by one dude. Think of it as scientology, its the same thing.

Homeopathy has as much chance of working as you have of getting pregnant when you get the burger with the angry chef's special sauce on at ad dodgy cafe and anyone who says different I'll believe ya when me shit turns purple and smells like rainbow sherbet.

My FIL is the total opposite, so we never mentioned using: homeopathic teething powder (at least it made me feel better), or the use of any kind of arnica. He also disapproved of the acupressure anti-travel sick bands.

No, Eats, I'm pointing out a logical inconsistency in the debates on MN. We can pour scorn (and quite rightly IMO) on homeopathy, but the same, ahem, rigour applied to religious beliefs brings on quite different reaction.

Genuflections all round, on the whole.

Well, when our ds was a baby/small boy he had the following: Bronchiolitis at 5 months, pneumonia at 6 months, 11 ear infections between 8 months and 14 months, he had puffers, nebulisers, inhaled steroids, oral steroids, grommets, suspected cf, referral to the Royal Brompton - after which he improved greatly because we were given nebuhaler (turbohaler I think) that was small, easy to use and not available on the NHS - worth every penny of £25.00 and a private consultation. The asthma nurse also explained that babies tended to hold their breath when it was put on their face so just counting to 10 wasn't always effective - you had to make sure they took breaths too. Odd how no paediatric hospital nurse or paediatric district nurse managed that.

Any way I digress - by about two he also had rank eczema. Our GP said it might be worth trying homeopathy and he was referred to Michael Jenkins at the Royal Homoepathic hospital in Great Ormond Street in London. He was prescribed pulsatilla, mercuris and Dulci Mur. I was very sceptical but thought I would give it a try because nothing else was getting him round the right corners. We didn't stop using any of the conventional medicine that was recommended and it may have been time for a turning point anyway. But from that moment there was such an improvement it was quite remarkable. I was sceptical and I thought it woudl be a waste of time but I don't know, I really don't.

Echt - I do agree with that point. But I cba to have a fight robust argument on here, which is what would happen.

Apples and oranges, Echt like I said. You can't compare a made up quackery "discipline" like homepathy with ancient established religions. To compare properly, think of homeopathy more like David Icke as the son of god. No genflecting to that.

Plus if you'll look closely not all of us give much more notice to any kind of religion. But if you're going to compare, do it properly.

I agree with Echt.

CallmeAl you so can compare! its all made up whats the difference bar a few centuries?

A lot really. And its millenia rather the centuries. Religion is metaphysical, homeopathy is supposedly medical. Believing in catholocism instead of latter day saints won't kill you, believing in homeopathy instead of actual medicine will kill you.
I'm rather more interested in actual lives than eternal souls, so yes, there is a big difference.

The placebo effect is a powerful one, so I have been known to use homeopathic tablets say for car sickness with my daughter, knowing full well they could contain nothing active, but it gave her something to do and a sense of reassurance I was taking it seriously. Obviously she could have quite a few per journey!

It's a bit like cranial osteophathy for crying babies, in desperation, I took my daughter who screamed and howled through the entire session and got no better whatsoever, but lots of people believe it works, although CO has not been as comprehensively debunked as homeopathy. But, I did have my doubts that the very slight movements the man was making were really doing anything, and it had a lot of 'woo' and beliefs that didn't sound physically plausible, my husband (from another culture and not averse to woo) thought it was the biggest load of old bullshit ever (but lots of people will come on saying how their babies magically stopped crying after CO which may well be true).

I said I cba to get involved in this . But actually agreeing in catholicism does kill people. Remember all the people in countries ravaged by Aids not using condoms to protect themselves as the pope tells them not to?

Nod and smile, I do it a lot these days.