Homeopathy for children?

[fraktious]

I know this might be a bit woo but does anyone else use homeopathic treatments for common childhood ailments? We have (magic) teething powders and I've laid in arnica in anticipation but I'm not sure what else people typically use homeopathy for.

Our GP is very pro homeopathy and I swear by it for many things, I know that it can be used for a whole range if things but I'm looking for anecdotes/advice on where it does work and where it doesn't. I'm not planning to treat him myself but any advice about when to ask for a homeopathic remedy would be welcome :)

My dad used to be a pharmacy locum, and people would come in for their prescription and say "Can I take these with my [insert name of homeopathic product] ?' He always used to say "You can take whatever you like with [homeopathic product] It's only water."

Not sure Boots really wanted him to take that line but he said he just could not be arsed to go through the motions.

So you have no explanation for how sugar and water cured your kid then? Thought not.

And it can be proved it doesn't work. Easily, with no bunsen burners, just a tiny application of logic and 60 seconds of rational thought. So not very like religious faith then.

Oh, come on Stoirin, dont come ruin my perfectly good assimile with LOGIC!

I don't want to worship too much at the altar of Ben Goldacre, but I think he does make a good point when he says that all this woo does detract from what is potentially far more exciting- the whole issue of mind over matter. Effectively, people are to a degree getting better because they think they should (there are other reasons as well but placebo effect remains significant). Why? surely that's what would be really interesting to find out.

Sorry, Quint. I get where you going with it, it is a matter of faith, but its so easy to disprove!

Yes TheBride! That's what I want to know more about!

I agree, TheBride, some research on the placebo effect would be very interesting and could provide some huge benefits. Unfortunately no-one is going to make any money from it so they can't afford to fund the research.

This is very interesting

It CANNOT be proven that homeopathy doesn't work. A lack of evidence that it does work is not the same as proving it doesn't work. The medical profession are desperate to prove it doesn't work, but are not able to do so. All they can say is there is no evidence to prove it does work. Stoirin if you are so sure you can prove it doesn't work, I'd get in touch with the medical professionals as I'm sure they'd love to hear from you!

I never understand why, if people believe homeopathy actually works, they always say: "well obviously for anything really serious I'd go to see the GP/take conventional medicine."
It either works, or it doesn't. Of course it doesn't

Of course it can, its SUGAR and WATER! Are there many conditions that can be cured with sugar and water that you know of?
Come on, Loopy, answer a simple question will you, lay off the woo talk for one minute!

Why do think sugar and water could cure your child of anything?

PS. All the sensible medical professionals, the vast majority of them, already know this. Like most rational people.

LoopyLucyLoo It's water! What is there to work? It works in that perhaps you may be a little less dehydrated?

Jeez, Lucy, it also cannot be proven that me dancing one one leg and chanting "evil illness go away" doesn't work by those same standards. I'm sure that it will achieve a beautiful placebo effect given sufficient faith on the patient's side. What are my chances of making money in that way?

What I mean by this is: you don't use medicine that has not been 100% disproven, you use the stuff that has been shown to actually do something.

I find this site scientifically accurate

If Nelsons really thought it worked, they'd do a double blind randomised study and get a proper license for it.

Come back to me guys in a few years when homeopathy is widely accepted as an effective form of medicine and we'll re-open the debate.

Fact is you believe one thing and I believe another. Neither can be proven right or wrong. Pointless argument.

........and of course, the pharma companies/regulators fully recognise that the placebo effect is real. That is why drugs applying for license don't just have to perform better than nothing. They have to perform better than a placebo.

Right back at'cha :o

In a few years? Er no, its been around for 200 years and its still bunkum.

Have you even heard of SCIENCE, LOGIC, you know, stuff like that? You have been proven wrong already, that is why it is a pointless argument.

And you're still not answering the most basic question. Is that because you can't?

Loopy I don't know if you read all of the above.
I have permanent lung damage because my asthma as a child was 'treated' with homeopathy.
that for me is proof enough that homeopathy does not work.

there are those nice sentences that 'therapists' say:

• it often gets worse before it gets better, hold on
• you diet is interfering with the sugar pills so they can't work
• your (prescription) medicine interferes with the sugar pills so they can't work

unfortunately I heard that often and now pay the price!

Loopy

Trials have proven that homeopathy does not work better than placebo. You cannot prove that it outperforms placebo. Therefore there is evidence that homeopathy does not work, and none that it does. End of debate until you and the other quacks come up with some evidence.

If homeopathy was going to be widely accepted as anything other than a load of pants, I think it would have happened by now loopy....

No one has accepted the challenge to win $1,000,000 to prove it works, because they can't. There is no active ingredient.

Either your condition was going to get better anyway, or the placebo effect helped. The placebo effect is real and proven unlike homeopathy.