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?

I will happily scoff at her majesty, and I take positive relish in scoffing at her oldest son, who seems to believe all sorts of nonsense.

I just hope that when/if he eventually succeeds to the throne, he doesn't feel entitled to promote homeopathy and so on as official policy. But judging from the letters he sends government ministers on all sorts of topics, he probably will.

I personally don't give a shiney shit what the Queen believes about medicine. I would probably listen to what she has to say about corgis or horses.

Is this really the best you can do?

Yes...how naice it must be to witter on about homeopathy, when at the drop of a hat, if things take a turn for the worse, you know you have instant access to the very best doctors/specialists and hospitals in the Western world.

I was just about to type something like this, but yours is better.

Ah Claig to be fair I think my immune system kicked in finally & got rid of the verrucas. The question is why it kicked in - homeopathy or coincidence. I did point out on here that that was 2 weeks after a remedy given with them in mind, but that might well be happy coincidence. I was just amused by it. I tried the mumsnet banana remedy on three separate occasions & that definitely didn't work :) (nor does the mumsnet recommendation of Elizabeth Arden cream - save your money!)

Spero - the last person I know personally to have died did so as a result of medical error. But that doesn't make me reject all medicine. I'm sure there are bad practitioners in every field but my experience of homeopaths is that most work alongside medicine for serious conditions. Homeopathic training includes a mandatory module on recognising symptoms where you should encourage a patient to visit their GP. Of course not all will - but that's not necessarily the homeopath's fault. Most people approach alternatives when medicine hasn't offered them a solution rather than the other way round (and there may be no solution but they may access support)..

I didn't say it did laqueen. I also did quite a few years of nothing assuming my immune system would eventually recognise it. Amusing timing though.

'The application of a smear of amber gris, or a tincture of hoi polloi, or a tablet of twit twoo has no effect, whatsoever on the outcome.'

I take it therefore that you are not a believer in ancient folk remedies and wisdom and have never consulted a copy of Culpeper's Compete Herbal (1653), The English Physician (1652) and most importantly Astrological Judgement of Diseases from the Decumbiture of the Sick (1655)?

And I can't say for sure, but I wouldn't be surprised if one of Her Majesty's retinue carries at least one of those august tomes around at all times in case of emergency!

I do not understand the relevance to the argument that some doctors are cap and mistake mistakes.

Of course they do. They are human. But how do their errors rescue homeopathy from being a refuge for the credulous?

Doctors make mistakes and are useless some of the time. Homeopathy is useless all of the time.

Can we please STOP mixing up herbologists with homeopaths? Many herbs have well recognised effects and are widely used. This is nothing to do with homeopathy.

Hey hang on - you can't say homeopathy has been useless for me. As already mentioned I see a homeopath mainly to provide support in my role as a carer for my severely autistic child (juggled with working eye). I have found her incredibly helpful & supportive, have never needed anti depressants. Surely it's up to me to judge whether homeopathy has helped my mental health - not anyone else.

My point about the doctors was that I think it's unfair to assume all homeopaths are in a mission to force people off chemo - far more representative is sone

Bah phone - someone who works alongside someone receiving medicine. So they'll provide a remedy to help with side effects of chemo or radio for example. That's the homeopathy I recognise. Or supporting people who are dying. Not bonkers ranting to reject all medicine. I think that's as unfair as tarring all doctors as bad because of bad experiences with one.

Forget eye god knows what that was meant to be

die from sugar pills

Well some homeopaths think you can.

They believe if you take the most dilute form (which is the strongest version of the pills) of some remdies you can overdose and die. (But eating some mint or coffee acts as an antidote)

In fact, I think a few years ago I saw the original event that started the homeopathy overdose events outside boots et al.

There was a skeptic and homeopath having a war of words, the homeopath sent the skeptic a vial of the most dilute top stength pills and told him he would die if he overdosed by taking the lot.

Possibly the homeopath was relying on the skeptic being less sure of his postion and chickening out thus creating a chink of doubt. Instead the skeptic did "overdose", took the whole lot. At a conference. As part of his talk. On camera.

It's ok, he was fine. No emergency medical aid of coffee or mint required.

Think the homeopath may have ended up with a bit of a hump though, cos his cunning plan misfired, and possibly caused the attention grabbing "mass overdoses" that happen all over diffent continents, outside chemists selling the suff. Something of an unintended consequence ...with knobs on.

Chatting to people, being sympathetic and making them feel better is not the sole province of homeopaths. I do it with my clients. Simply listening to people and treating them as someone who matters will do enormous good.

I accept a lot of arrogant doctors don't do this, and they are tossers.

I accept your child is doing well which is great.

But I will never ever accept that homeopathy in terms of water with a memory had anything to do with that. And by saying hey! There is no harm in it, I am afraid you are supporting the nastier side of the business.

What is it with MN that they have it in for Homeopathy, it's been going for decades, so imo is as good as anything else.

Look at the way ordinary health care has changed. You used to be kept in for months with a broken femur, they used to shave you and give you an enema before giving birth, the advice on good/bad food changes every week/month!

Give them a break I say.

Saintly: of course it's not for you to judge whether HP works for you or not.
All these lovely know it all MNers know far more about you and HP than you will ever know.

Like I say I admire your tenacity, you have far more patience than I.

Simply listening to people and treating them as someone who matters will do enormous good

I'd second that. In fact my husband is convinced that some of my students may come for the English, but keep going well beyond their goals being achieved .. for the ear and empathy.

I am way cheaper than a therapist, that's for sure.

Look at the way ordinary health care has changed

Exactly!

Look how medicine is prepared to change when new evidence that supports a different approch having better results thus relagating some practices to the archives of history.

Now look at homeopathy and see how they do the same ...errr, well, ummm...

If medecine had the same "fixed belief regardless of the evidence" mindset as homeopathy we'd still be touching up each others humours when we felt peaky. And not washing hands before shoving them up the third vagina of the day.

I do find it strange that intelligent, educated, worldly people eschew evidence in favour of sugar pills and magic water. I am 100% against the NHS funding homeopathy. It makes my blood boil that I have to jump through hoops to get approved a new treatment to control my condition, yet the NHS funds treatments with no evidence base. At least the drugs I am trying to get have proven results!

No. That was unfair of me. Homeopathy has changed and pushed the boundaries of the original idea 200 years ago to make great advances in the homeopathic field.

In all three levels, the treatments selected or composed can be experienced directly as an audio visual experience, transcribed into water as a homeopathic remedy, attached to an e mail for delivery or transmited for distance healing as needed

E-Homeopathy! Healing sent to via an email attachement ! The greatest (and only) breakthrough since Hahnemann first...bashed a bottle of water against a bible...lots of times