to think homeopaths really just make money out of the gullible?

[WidowWadman]

A remedy made from diluted bits of the Berlin Wall - seriously, that's surely just a test to find out how far they can push it, isn't?

But the people who want to use it aren't half as angry as those who don't! You should all chill safe in the knowledge that you have it all sewn up scientifically and let the woo people get on with it.

You are being very reasonable.

Homerpaths are being very silly indeed.

Why doesn't all water have the imprinted memory of shit then?

Maybe it does I am an interior designer how would I know?

You should all chill safe in the knowledge that you have it all sewn up scientifically and let the woo people get on with it

Oh, OK. Never mind the countless cases where people have avoided medical treatment in favour of homeopathic treatment and died. The silly billies. Where's the harm? You are quite right

Noddy there are a few reasons why people get fired up about this subject.

Its partly because it is potentially harmful, if used for serious illness instead of conventional medicine. This means that people, sometimes vulnerable people like children who haven't been able to make the choice for themselves, suffer needlessly.

It is also because there is no evidence to support its benefit, which means that people are being parted from their money, which maybe they can ill afford, on the basis of promises that can't be delivered.

It is also immensely frustrating when people in our privileged western society discount medical research and tried and tested treatments, dismissing them as if they were the whim of some crazy meddlesome scientist.

The fact that it isn't just harmless stuff makes people very angry about it.

There is a very long list of specific cases in which people have been harmed by homeopathy. And I don't think it even goes into the harm that's been done by its inappropriate use in developing nations.

It is personal choice. I have had extensive conventional treatment and some of it does more harm than good too.

That site has been linked to a number of times - what are its credentials? Someone said there were scientific papers on it - what, to justify that Mrs ABC said someone told her something about homeopathy and they died? I could link to a thousand DM articles and you'd criticise their provenance. What are the credentials of this site?

I'm with noddy, except (sorry Noddy) I don't believe it's to do with memory imprints.

There is a very important distinction between managing conditions and claiming a cure. This is why I've made this distinction - there is such faith, blind faith, that modern medicine "cures" and in fact it does so very rarely, if at all.

It treats, and manages, and controls.

I can help you out, by the way - a range of parasitic conditions could be considered cured, but they aren't really diseases. Still there's no doubt a number of cheap treatments have revolutionised health for some in tropical and developing zones.

Have much more, must go.

Here is a link to an article about the risks of homoeopathy. The article appeared in The Lancet, which is the most respected medical journal in the world (with a 5-Year Impact Factor of 33.8, if you're interested). All articles have to go through a rigorous peer-review process.

Crumblewalnuts Conventional medicine may not cure but it can treat, manage and control unlike homeopathy. Sugar pills will not halt the progression of my condition (nor many others), however you dress it up.

Crumbled I have my tongue firmly in cheek at times .

This article appeared in the British Medical Journal (BMJ): Dutch doctors suspended for use of complementary medicine

Patient died after being told to stop medicine From The Telegraph newspaper

A baby with a treatable condition refused conventional medicine by their homeopathic practicing parents

If someone charged a vulnerable elderly relative of mine a vast amount of money to tile their roof, and didn't actually tile the roof at all but the elderly relative THOUGHT it had been fixed, and was happy, would that make it ok? Of course not.

That's why I get downright angry at any sort of woo merchant, especially those who charge money.

It's dumb tax, to an extent. Yes, trading standards should come into play at some point (getting what you paid for, no false advertising etc) but if someone is stupid enough to refuse conventional medical treatment and they suffer as a result then Darwinism is working, no?

Peresis No. Aside from the finding the idea stupid people deserve to die a bit grim, what if they refuse conventional medicine on behalf of their children?

My granny used to claim the same effect from a nice dose of Syrup of Figs, LaQueen

LaQueen a massage or therapy session would deliver the same well-being benefits and would not involve magical potions.

Sadly, being intelligent, well educated - even with a scientific education - doesn't stop some people believing utter nonsense.

I met an ex-GP (she'd taken early retirement) at a party a while back. Her new occupation involved diagnosing allergies. But not via something vaguely scientific such as blood tests or whatever. No. She said that she would have a telephone consultation with the patient, and then dangle special crystals over a list of allergens, and this would tell her what the patient was allergic to.

She seemed to be completely and genuinely convinced that this was an accurate and sensible way of diagnosing allergies. And this was a woman who was intelligent enough to get into medical school, and had then gone through medical training.

Upon my return home from the maternity ward, the visiting midwife recommended I buy arnica tablets from Boots to help heal my Caesarean scar. I didn't realise they were homoeopathic until found them in that shelf. I did buy them, in the end, I guess to please her. Don't know what possessed me. I know they are sugar tablets. The instructions were ridiculous (tip straight from bottle to mouth without touching it ). I think I took a few because they tasted nice and then binned them.

Am now a bit and at an NHS midwife recommending homoeopathy. What a load of rubbish.