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?

a teaspoon of fish oil daily

ie, nothing at all to do with homeopathy. Homeopathy would be drinking a glass of water a day, on the grounds that fish swim in it.

I've said on similar threads that I don't think it should be funded by NHS, and that it's mainly being listened to and cared for that brings any benefits (similar to counselling) .... but have just been thinking that the placebo effect should not be discounted. I think evidence has shown that it (placebo) can be quite powerful, yet is largely discounted by GPs etc ? Perhaps they should prescribe more "tonics" and vitamins or similar as in the old days ?

sicutlilium Fish oil is not homeopathy.

And there is the exact problem. People confuse homeopathy with herbal remedy, natural extracts and other things, which are not the same. FFS.

Penny - yup!

Where on earth did you get the idea that fish oil is homeopathy, Goofy?!

It's utter shite.

This thread is making me so distressed I'm going to take an overdose of homeopathic pills - call an ambulance!

What does whale poo, fish poo, diver wee, chalk (from banging on the cliffs) and all the millions of other things seawater has in it do? I have to imagine that whale poo is better than duck offal. Maybe if we dilute seawater 1,000,000 times it will cure cancer.

It is just nonsense. All the people saying that it worked, read Bed Goldacre with particular reference to placebo effect and regression to the mean.

Ok i stand corrected, it was a homeopath who gave us it so i just assumed...! Sorry

Homeopathy would be drinking a glass of water a day, on the grounds that fish swim in it.

Only if they were shaken. Poor fish.

GPs are well aware of the placebo effect. www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-21834440

Fish oil is a highly nutritious food. Excellent stuff.

I wonder how many manufacturers of homeopathic solutions don't actually bother to even make the stuff? I mean, if it's pure water in a labeled bottle? It would be impossible to test for the duck shit or whatever, anyway.

I wonder if they laugh at pharmacies when people bring in old homeopathic remedies to be destroyed.. In fact, do they have expiry dates? When does water/sugar go "off"?

sicutlilium in order to take an overdose of homeopathy, wouldn't you need to take fewer than the prescribed number of pills?

goofy, i am v glad the homeopath gave you an effective, proven conventional medicine for your DD and did not mess a child around giving her expensive water when she was suffering. Good for him.

I wonder how many manufacturers of homeopathic solutions don't actually bother to even make the stuff?

I've always assumed it's all doubly fraudulent: the products can't possibly have the claimed effect, but also almost certainly aren't the claimed product anyway. Just put the same sugar pills into bottles with different labels, and watch the gullible hand over their money.

Seriously, I could make a ton of money if I didn't have a conscience. Water is the cheapest snake oil of all.

I bet sociopaths make the best homoeopaths.

Didn't a load of sceptics stage a mass overdose outside Boots or something at one point?

Don't think any of them died or even come down with a touch of the nerves

Moutarde: That blows my mind..

Moutarde- in that case we are all overdosing, right now. very very seriously, having taken none.

But we dont know what we have overdosed on.

HELP

What is "regression to the mean" - I've heard that mentioned on other similar homeopathy threads and hoping to learn something ?

I understand a fair bit about statistics (I think , well compared to some!) but don't remember hearing about this ?

moutarde
It's been done though: www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2010/jan/29/sceptics-homeopathy-mass-overdose-boots

I've often thought that Katy. Money for old rope.....and I mean that literally. There's probably a homeopathic cure for something that involves essence of old rope

Ah! Thought so!

YADNBU

It is a CROCK OF SHIT and ultimately harmful.

And it makes me so angry that millions of NHS pounds is being wasted on this bollocks each year.

We should start a Mumsnet campaign against this waste