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?

So do homeopaths commit suicide by taking an underdose?

Shit, there was an overdosing event here.. I wish I had known! Fantastic!!!

Actually OP, I'd say you were being very reasonable... I would probably say a lot worse about it (and have too). Unfortunately, some folk don't understand the extent of the scientific evidence against its alleged efficacy, or prefer to sweep the evidence under the carpet in favour of that old chestnut "science doesn't know everything". Each to their own, folk are welcome to waste their money where they please

it can work as a placebo

but that's it

Lol,

Could all be placebo effect

However, I find things such as tiger balm really do work, for headaches, sore feet, helps my restless legs etc

Good idea for the campaign redshifter - but I guess not everyone here would agree.
Even amongst the scientific/logical many probably feel if it gives some people comfort then no harm in it ?
But I agree any money spent on it by NHS could be better and more honestly spent on other services - counselling for example.

Is Echinacea a homeopathic medicine? I know people who swear by this to keep colds away.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regression_toward_the_mean

What it means is that people tend to try things when they are desperate. Their foot, for example, is the worst it has ever been. This means that the statistical likelihood is that their foot will improve regardless of what they do. It will revert to the average, not bad, state. Homeopathy uses this and, fucking brilliantly, also says that your foot might get worse before it gets better with their 'cures' therefore covering themselves either way.

Genius.

In what way are the nhs funding it?

Just watched a Richard Dawkins thing on YouTube which said going on the homeopathic theory, every glass of water will have one molecule of Oliver Cromwell' s urine in it.

YANBU

In the words on Tim Minchin:
Water has memory!
And while it's memory of a long lost drop of onion juice is Infinite
It somehow forgets all the poo it's had in it!

(its a fair way in)

tiger balm is not homeopathy FFS it is stuffed with camphorated oil, one of the most traditional remedies there is; your granny will have used that.

Homeopathy would be looking at a photo of a wet cardboard box that once held tiger balm for three minutes....

no, echinacea is not homeopathy, it is a herbal extract full of the active ingredient.

As I explained earlier the main principle of homeopathy is to treat like with like.

They will also give herbal remedies (just as long as they are not poisons) that are "like" the illness.

I don't remember now how the dilutions came about, but I think it had to do with the use of poisons, as they would have to dilute them, and eventually "found out" that the more diluted the stronger the curative effect.

I used to live in the epicentre of the Woo universe: Berkeley, California. And it was my experience that some of the most awful people were really into woo. Like, major personality disorders. I really believe that a lot of people who claim to be practitioners /providers of alternative therapies and services are cons. Cynical, exploitative hustlers. Who will look you in the eye and say, with apparent sincerity, that they are "sensitive" "enlightened" "spiritual" and "healers." Make my skin crawl.

homeopathy

I think I need to google homeopathy as I'm clearly confused as to what it actually is. I assumed it meant natural medicines from plants etc. Never heard of all this diluting and shaking. That does sound like rubbish to be fair.

This is how they get you. There is echinacea, which has some anti-inflammatory uses. Then there is homeopathic echinacea, which is sugar and/or water. There is arnica, which may have some anti-bruising properties and homeopathic arnica, which is sugar and/or water.

These homeopaths are REALLY clever. You can see how people get sucked in.

sadly humanity has not yet evolved sufficiently to stop people believing in all sorts of nonsense, including this.

it actually did work on me for a while until I found out that it was a placebo - when it stopped working. Placebo is a real effect but once someone blows the gaff, that's it.

YANBU. But the people who 'believe' against science are really a bit of a waste of good air. Just as well the stuff can be reused.

For all those confused- homeopathy by definition is almost entirely water and sugar. Anything that is not almost entirely water and sugar is not homeopathy; it may be a traditional or herbal remedy and some of those are very effective.

OP - so her homeopath is also a GP?

bet she's never heard what a huge percentage of other Gps are saying then (my dh is one, nothing like tossing the word "homeopathy" into a gathering of them

Though dh has had a handful of patients over the years who he wished he could do something his defence union warn against : a GP in England had a complaint upheld against him when the local pharmacist questioned a prescription of "ADT" to be taken prn (as required). Pharmacist hadn't heard of "ADT" so phoned to query it with the GP. Turns out it stood for "Any Damn Thing"

This is my favourite quite from Dara O'Briain.

I'm sorry, 'herbal medicine', "Oh, herbal medicine's been around for thousands of years!" Indeed it has, and then we tested it all, and the stuff that worked became 'medicine'. And the rest of it is just a nice bowl of soup and some potpourri, so knock yourselves out

What about rescue remedy?

Or even a quote...

Ah, thanks for that about regression to the mean TP - of course ! Makes sense now! And I like that extra touch of "it may get worse before it improves" too. As you say, absolute genius ! (and very funny )

Echinacea and Tiger Balm clearly not homeopathic, nor fish oil.
I'm sure though that this blurring of boundaries with traditional and herbal remedies, as well as dietary and food supplements only adds to homeopahy's credence!

And now I see that EvilEdna beat me to the Tim Minchin reference. Obviously a woman of taste.