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 :)

Interesting - I wonder if it could be tested - a non-xylitol version that is.

Sugar free just means they have fake sugar instead, its the same effect.

And surely that advertising is illegal under the trade desriptions act? "The active ingredient is X which does whatever...." There is none of X in it!

Now Stoirin that's a little unfair! There's one part per trillion in it :o

And don't forget the special shaking......

If you got homeopathic pills that did anything for a migraine, I'd be worried abuot what drugs someone snuck into them. Sugar and water do not cure migraines, do they? You know that, you sound fairly intelligent, so why are you willing to believe in nonsense?

No, its not a good thing, for all the reasons already given. Plus its adding the dumbing down of modern society, its a backwards slide into charlatan bullshit being sold as medicine.

Well, you could view it like that. Or you could choose to view it as adding to the diversity of society where there are multiple ways to achieve well being - conventional medicine being an important but not singular - one.

As any biologist will tell you: diversity = stability.

It's not "either/or", it's "and".

FGS - I really wish that there was something 'in' homeopathic remedies to reward you all for your belief. But. There. Isn't. Many of us on this thread have already told you and others about the methodology behind homeopathy, so I won't so it again. I wish that homeopathy was deserving of your faith in it. But there's nothing in it!

I don't think I have "faith" in it per se. I just think that it works for some people for some conditions and I don't see anything wrong with that. I don't have much personal experience of it myself actually - I don't get ill/depressed/in pain that often!

I've no idea if it would work for me but I'd be willing to give it a go and find out should other routes fail, purely on the basis that some people report good things. Sometimes, when you really need to sort something out, logic and science take a back seat!

I realise though that not everyone thinks that way but that's fine as well. Stick to what works for you.

"If conventional medicine always worked, then there would be no need for any alternatives, would there?"

You could say that if alternative medicine worked there'd be no need for conventional medicine..........

biologists won't include homeopathy though, because they are scientists rather than imbeciles.

It doesn't work. THERE IS NOTHING IN IT. This is not my opinion, this is the basis of the twat wankery woo they peddle.

If alternative medicine worked, it would just be called medicine. If logic and science are in your back seat, what the fuck are you driving with? Your reptilian brain and ridiculous hope in fairy stories?

Give up Stoirin. They will not listen just like on previous threads. Nicking 'twat wankery woo' though. :)

I used that a lot in a previous incarnation. Didn't catch on well but I think its works.

You're right though, some people just don't have the capacity for rational thought, or if they do they are so willing to give it up for ridiculous "belief" instead.

I don't have an issue with others' beliefs, how ever mad they seem. The more the madder the merrier in fact. A bit of colour in life!

Wow...children have died because of belief in things that don't work, at least 2 posters here are left with physical & emotional side effects of their parent's beliefs & you are all for that, because it makes life colourful....? Just...wow!!

Better chemistry teaching in schools could knock this on the head, I reckon.

just to scare you, it might not. I'm an analytical chemist and work with lots of people with degrees in chemistry. i almost had an argument with a friend who was convinced her Homeopathic arnica pills worked, even when i ranted explained about the extreme dilution.

the word just hasn't got out about what Homeopathy actually is. 30c dilution means nothing unless you've done a bit of research.

until i read Bad Science i was only vaguely confused about it. someone had once tried to explain about the more dilute ones being stronger, which of course made no sense but i didn't care enough to look it up at the time.

the fact that there are shelves of little sugar pills in Boots for example, makes it seem a legitimate option rather than the con that it is.

rant over!

I have been lurking very happily on this thread for days now.

I have been rather disengaged with mumsnet lately but threads like this make me feel that the world hasn't gone completely mad.

Loving your work stoirin, seeker et al.

wish they'd listen though, eh!

we're just not 'colourful' enough...sigh.

oops. did i kill this one?

Nope Jaggy I think the woo followers may have found the conversation a bit hard to swallow

S'ok Jaggy

Just give the thread some rescue remedy.

(craftily waters down brandy and sells for massive markup per fl oz to Jaggy)

I'm sure that'll have the thread back on its feet in no time.

do you waft it about or drink it then?

My mum (trained nurse) for some reason got well into homeopathy and alternative medicine. That worked out ok until I got older and having been brought up with her beliefs didn't go to the dr much and so missed out on conventional treatment for some things. In the end i managed to get severe kidney damage through seeing a naturopath for "digestive" problems ( obviously not homeopathy but using one in our family led to using other alternative medicines) who was fully qualified and came recommended by family GP as well. Ten years later I am on BP tablets daily and have about 30% kidney function. I am in my early thirties. Sorry to rant but as I see it homeopathy can foster some beliefs that may lead to people not getting the appropriate treatment and may actually do harm if they try other things.
My mum bought ds1 homeopathic teething granules and I do have arnica cream for bruises but I won't be going any further with it. I go to my good GP instead. Not the old one that recommended the naturopath I hasten to add. Apologies for the long post!

don't worry, arnica cream has actual arnica in it, it's a herbal remedy not Homeopathic. :)

kind of horrendous to read about all these people permanently damaged by believing in alternative remedies to the exclusion of conventional medicine. :(

jaggy

Take thread's mouth, open it, in very medicinal manner squeeze a few drops in, repeat as required until thread feels better. Tell thread that twas the "medicine" that made it better. Fail to mention that self limiting nature of condition and placebo effect is the actual cause of recovery.

Make bundle off of flogging watered down brandy to thread for the next few years.