Does homeopathy work?

[flowergarden2]

Hi, I live in the USA where homeopathy is not that popular. I have heard it is more commonly used in the UK. I just started working with a classical homeopathic doctor ( via Skype) who put me on my first ever constitutional remedy. My main health concern is a chronic lyme disease co infection ( babesia) which affects my breathing.
( I am also treating with herbs, have had this for years and it comes and goes in severity- currently flared up ). this is my first time trying homeopathy. I am about 25 days in. the homeopath told me to expect 10-20% improvement in 6 weeks, 50% improvement 3 months later, and full recovery in one to two years.
One weird thing is he didn't seem to believe my illness was tick-borne. But he said with homeopathy it doesn't matter what the cause of it is, it treats the whole body anyway.

So I am wondering if any of you have used classical homeopathy- where they give you one constitutional remedy, which is supposed to heal your whole body.
I am not sure yet if I notice improvement. I feel slightly better than before I started but nothing remarkable. I would love it if it works and so I am looking to hear experiences other people have had using it.
Thank you

People also confuse it with herbalism which does work

Exactly. Alternative medicine that works is just medicine. For example St John's Wort herbal remedy does work for mild to moderate depression (but makes some medicines like the pills stop working). Some herbal medicine is good. Homeopathy is not.
Testing Treatments by Simon Singh is a good read on this.

Homoeopathy is utter bollocks. At best, it is well-meaning uselessness. The rest of the time, it is fraud committed against ill people. Imo it should be outlawed.

People may feel better after seeing a homeopath.

1. The homeopath gives you a long appointment, is nice to you, listens to everything you say and treats you like an individual. This is bound to perk anyone up.

1. People usually exhaust conventional medicine before going to see a homeopath so often by the time they get to the homeopath the condition is getting better anyway.

1. The placebo effect - even if you know the pill is nothing but sugar or the liquid is just coloured water, for some reason nobody understands taking the medicine rather than doing nothing makes you feel better.

(Thanks to Ben Goldacre in Bad Science for these points.)

Storm by Tim Minchin covers this nicely

Homeopathy preys on the vulnerable and gullible

It's a load of bunkum I'm afraid.

No it cannot work and worse can cause serious problems by people seeing no effect and increasing the dosage. I watched a child die of gold poisoning many years ago. He was quite ill anyway but parents refused orthodox medicine and read up on homeopathy. They self prescribed increasing doses of gold salts with tragic consequences. In itself a homeopathic dose cannot cure and generally does no harm. It’s quackery but repeated increasing doses of toxis can cause complications.
Go to a GP instead.

Ohyesiam glad you're loving the replies so far. I know someone who was a homeopath. They got cancer. Refused any medical treatment, tried to 'treat' it with homeopathy and diet. Died horribly, at the end saying truly horrible things to their family because of the pain they were in.

Homeopathy (and all alternative medicine) is not just ineffective nonsense, it is dangerous and has caused deaths because people 'believe' in it rather than seeking actual medical treatment.

I honestly don't know. It does have an effect studies have shown, whether this is due to placebo effect is unclear. It is a very safe medication, so apart from the cost you have very little to loose. It is based on the belief of using a substance that produces an effect diluted in very small amounts will produce the opposite effect.

So to cure watery eyes, onions that make the eyes water can be used in miniscule doses eg hay fever. This is based on the idea of gradually diluting by shaking with water, changing the structure of the water molecules, which retain a memory. So in theory the more diluted the substance has been the more potent it is.

My mum swears by Arnica tablets.

Has this dr any other Lyme patients he^she has/is treating you could contact.

I hope you find some help a friend of mine has this and it is awful.

Of course homeopathy''s safe. There's no active ingredient.

Arnica tablets presumably do have an active ingredient.

There is a big difference between herbalism and homeopathy.

Regardless of whether it does or doesn’t work (it doesn’t), I have a massive fucking issue with a ‘doctor’ who hasn’t even met the patient, deciding via Skype what is wrong with a patient, telling them it isn’t what a doctor who has examined the patient has diagnosed. It is morally bankrupt and unethical. And should be completely illegal.

I'd be interested to see the results of any double blind studies that proved an effect from homeopathic treatment

And what Fitz said

it's not 'safe' to treat serious illnesses with homeopathy. withholding conventional medicine in favour of sugar pills can have serious consequences.

It has worked for me, my pets and family members.

HOMEOPATHIC LEAK THREATENS CATASTROPHE

An accidental release of highly dilute homeopathic waste from a research institute in Swindon has led to calls for the centre to be shut down. Plant operators have admitted responsibility for massive safety blunders after a spilled drop of an enormously dilute test product was cleaned by a caretaker, and in complete disregard of all safety procedures, allowed to enter the water system after he emptied his mop bucket down the drain.

Article continues here. It’s terrifying stuff.
www.newsbiscuit.com/2011/09/09/homeopathic-leak-threatens-catastrophe/

would you be willing to share more details? I am also inclined to thin it doesn't work, but I thought it was worth a try . I would loe to hear what it helped you with.

sorry I am new on here and wasn't sure if I can edit my post- I was trying to respond to chocolatebourbons reply that it had worked for them. I am inclined to agree with all of you that it doesn't work, but I am eager to hear any stories of how it did specifically work too. I have already done it and paid for it, and the homeopath said just give it time and it continues to work after I stop taking it. So I am just waiting to see. But as I said I am not using it as my only treatment.

With homeopathic medicine the problem can become worse before it gets better, but in my experience it has had great results and works well alongside conventional medicine.

It helped me with anxiety, depression and a sinus problem.

Helped my last cat with cystitis and kidney failure, and arthritis. We had tried conventional medicines for her cystitis, it didn't work and in desperation we contacted a holistic vet. Her cystitis was cured within a few weeks of starting the remedy.

Helped one of my DB's overcome eczema. No conventional medicine worked.

I have had some unexpectedly woo experiences with homoeopathy (and I am pretty unwoo), encouraged by well meaning friends and relatives.
I suffered awful suction related bruising on my face following an accident; eyes, cheeks and nose dark purple with serious swelling. SIL applied arnica cream under a compress and gave me arnica tablets within an hour. I went to bed and woke up the next morning with hardly any bruising left.
Treated broken ribs with comfrey and was amazed at speed of recovery, as was my GP.
I suffered recurrent tonsillitis throughout my teens and early 20s, which had my tonsils persistently weeping pus and blood for 6 months during my final year of teacher training. My GP prescribed several courses of antibiotics until I had a severe allergic reaction to the final dose. Having given up on treatment, signed off for a month with no recovery in sight and faced with having to defer my final year, being sooo sick, I agreed to see my landlady's homoeopath. Following a thorough but unnerving consultation, a 'constitutional' remedy arrived by courier the next day, and the recovery was almost instant. I have never suffered tonsillitis since, in fact, my tonsils completely changed appearance in the week following the remedy; went from being more or less chronically swollen, red and pitted with tonsil stones to pale, smooth and a fraction of their pre-treatment size. My voice changed permanently.
Funnily enough, I haven't used homeopathy for anything since!

Arnica and comfrey are herbal medicines

adulthumanfemale that is great to hear!I have read other stories like that online but have not met anyone personally who has had that kind of help with homeopathy. There is a woman I have only talked to on the phone and online who recommended the homeopath I am seeing who has had amazing results, which is why I tried it. But I am 25 days in with no real change yet so I am pretty doubtful. We also just ordered a homeopathic remedy for my husband who has completely different issues than I do, so it will be interesting to see if it helps him. I know lyme and tick borne illnesses can be really hard to treat so maybe homeopathy can work on some things but not others, I don't know. I wish it would work for me.