Can you have a bad reaction to homeopathic remedies?

[lovecloud]

Sorry for the silly question, bought a helios homeopathic kit and although it comes with a manual it does not really explain exactly what is in the remedies and how they work etc.

I just find it hard to believe that these tiny little identical balls can work this magic the manual claims.

You cant have an allergic reaction can you?

or me??!! though much more articulate and evidence-based than I'm currently capable of being in my befuddled with-teethy-baby-not-sleeping state

The bruise cream you get in Boots etc is the herbal variety. But you often see the homoeopathic version being recommended for childbirth.
Weleda also do a few herbal things, I think: I have a calendula (marigold) nappy cream that is ace, but I think it's herbal rather than homoeopathic.

Pruni - . Perhaps you're also a child of the enlightenment, which would make us sisters!

NQC, arnica's a traditional herbal remedy for bruising, and it also exists in homeopathic forms. There's plenty of evidence for it helping when externally applied in the herbal form. \link{http://www.pdrhealth.com/drug_info/nmdrugprofiles/nutsupdrugs/arn_0025.shtml\arnica}
IME people often get the two muddled up

Have you been on MN long, Kathy? I usually note people I always agree with

MissChief - no, you are very articulate judging by your earlier posting.
I'm just a horrible pedant

Pruni - coupla months I think. I have a peculiarly unmemorable name because I was too baby-fuddled to think of a better one when I first signed up.
Have been agreeing with your posts in the Creationism thread but didn't bother to post much myself because other people (incl. you) were saying it so well!

Yes but lots of articulate voices on that thread. Though i think we scared dissenters away.

I posted a very cautious, balanced comment very early on in that thread and then loads of other people came on and said 'Of course it f shouldn't!'
It was brilliant!

Kathy don't worry I have clocked you as A Voice of Reason

Hi,

I'm a homeopath (I'm killing myself with laughter at the "debate" below). In answer to your question no, you cannot be allergic to it (unless you are severely lactose intolerant). You can OD on it though (it won't cause anything scary to happen though) so don't take them like sweets! If you have any questions I'm busy at the weekend so won't be checking forums but please feel free to email me via my website www.birthfriendly.co.uk

Sarah

PMSL

Join the club, Pruni.

Oh yes something scary CAN happen!! Have you not read the Miranda Castro book? She tells of an incident where a lady had thrush and went to her local pharmacy who told her to take a homeopathic remedy. She started taking it and the thrush started to get better. She continued to take it and it got worse again. The pharmacy where she got it from sold her another bottle and it got worse that it had been before.

You CAN od on remedies if you are not careful (although if a child ate a whole bottle they'd be ok as they'd be taking them all in one go - the od'ing comes from taking them over time when you don't need them.)

You take 2-3 doses and see what happens. If it gets better you stop. If it does not get better you stop and try something else. So either way you stop. That's why you don't need huge bottles of the stuff.

Oh yes and I'm not uncritical because I believe in the stuff, I am uncritical because it works. I'm intelligent, read a lot and have made up my own mind and made my own experiences. If you don't think it works, fine, you'll use other ways of beating illness (and labour pains). But don't take the view that anyone who thinks it works is someway stupid just because they don't agree with you. I have done homeopathic courses and used a lot of remedies.

And arnica cream may be herbal (I believe, it may also be a homeopathic tincture which is mixed with a cream base - probably depends on the brand) but the homeopathic (ie potentised and succussed (bashed up in a certain way)arnica also works and has been proved in double blind placebo trials to work.

not sure why I keep saying "oh yes" - sorry about that

kathy, sure, research is fine, but it's inevitably going to kill any placebo effect isnt it, you must agree that surely? I resented the posts that implied that people who take homeopathic medicines are being duped, because I think these posts were completely missing the point.

People take homeopathic medicines knowing that they may or may not work. If they do work, and if it is a placebo, then the person has harnessed the healing power of their own mind. That's terrific, surely?
I used to take homeopathic tablets once or twice a year to dry up my nose, as I often get rhinitis (was prescribed conventional stuff, it didnt work, homeopathic did.). But after reading these very strong views about placebo, I really dont have the heart to buy them any more, because it has been stuck right up my nose that Im just a gullible fool. Im sitting here at this moment, with my nose dripping and a hanky up my sleeve, feeling pissed off, actually.

If you are going to attack homeopathy, dont forget the face cream industry, the health food industry, the diet industry - dont they deserve an equal measure of your scorn?

By the way, I drew the comparison with the food industry because both examples have well organised multi nationals, with market share at stake. I don't believe that big pharmaceutical companies take a very different approach from big food companies.

Hellywobs I'm not being funny (I am not a believer in homoeopathy) but I'd be really interested to read the paper where homoeopathic arnica was proven to work - professional reasons. Where would I find it? Do you have a link?

No I haven't - I read it somewhere and I think my antenatal teacher may have mentioned it as well - you could ask the Society of Homeopaths. Sorry!

What remedies did you use and when/what for?