CBC Marketplace - Homeopathy: Cure or Con? Part 2 of 2

For more skeptical coverage of bogus products like homeopathy go to http://www.skepticnorth.com/ and http://www.ottawaskeptics.org/the-reality-check

Show description:
Erica Johnson investigates one of the country's fastest growing alternative health treatments: homeopathy. Ontario homeopaths are about to become the first province in Canada to regulate homeopathy — lending credibility to this unproven practice.

Canada's leading consumer ally takes a long hard look at the theories, and the remedies. For the first time in Canada, we conduct a test of homeopathic medicines, investigating the science behind these so-called medicines. In light of our results, we ask both the Ontario government and Health Canada why they are lending credibility to the homeopathic industry. Johnson also meets up with a rep from the world's leading manufacturer of homeopathic medicines, who admits that even the company says how homeopathty works is a mystery.

Watch, as we witness a Vancouver group of skeptics (CFI) taking part in a group overdose of homeopathic remedies. Perhaps most disturbing we learn that some homeopaths are treating cancer patients with homeopathic remedies. A leading cancer specialist says there is no role for homeopathy in the treatment of cancer, that it is a "scam that is not evidence-based."

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• homeopathy
• consumer protection
• scam
• fraud
• pseudoscience
• skepticism

[Woodlandview]

Someone said below: "for whatever reason homeopathy works". It is not "whatever reason", it is the placebo effect - clear and simple. If Merck or Pfizer sold a line of sugar pills, but lied to the public and marketed them as having health benefits, many people would take those pills and feel better. The placebo would work. But where "Big Pharma" would be vilified for selling placebos, the homeopathy sellers are embraced and protected by legislation.

It's time to call a spade a spade.

[cutes22]

Why are placebos illegal in mainstream medicine but allowed for this junk medicine? OMG, that kid is vaccinated against NOTHING. Mother's who are gullible shouldn't be making decisions. Con's should be exposed and made illegal.

[FeelsLike32]

I feel that homeopathy consumers do not really understand what homeopathy is or how the drugs are made. Liquid drugs are literally just water and the pills are literally just sugar, as the tests done in this video have shown. To suggest that a drug dose less than what is measurable by modern technology has any physiological effect is absolutely ridiculous.

[antitheist1980]

@sheradized Pointing out that water has no memory is not "bigoted".

[murdocha]

@14sJakeB190 That is exactly why studies must be peer-reviewed and repeatable. Those studies that are well designed, double-blinded, placebo-controlled show....no effect beyond placebo in case after case.

[murdocha]

@simonealisa ...continued

The placebo effect observed in animals and children is most likely observational bias on the part of the owner or veterinarian. Any positive outcome is construed as being due to the action of the placebo. Any double-blinded placebo controlled study will show that there is no effect beyond placebo in animal testing.

If you are truly doing research, it is significantly lacking in depth.

[murdocha]

@simonealisa How many times can you be wrong in three sentences?

The placebo effect occurs when there is an intervention, regardless of the type of intervention. It could be capsule, injection, false accupuncture, or even intercessory prayer. Belief in the intervention is unnecessary. The phenomenon is related to the perception and expectation that the patient has, if they are lead to believe the effect will be positive, it tests positive, if negative, it tests negative (nocebo).

...continued

[murdocha]

@simonealisa I presume you mean "affected" not "effected". The other point is your complete misunderstanding of science and science-based medicine.

Nobody ever stated vaccines are 100% effective, that would be a blatant lie.

Stop constructing straw man arguments and actually do some research.

I suppose you have some genius insight into the recent outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases in undervaccinated populations?

[simonealisa]

@battleaxegoblin herd immunity is impossible to achieve. The reason why unvaccinated people are fine has nothing to do with the "majority" being vaccinated. Do more research and you'll see it's soon obvious, there is something else which is preventing these diseases occurring in the unvaccinated. By the way, when there is an outbreak of something like measles - often times the vaccinated are actually more effected then the unvaccinated. Vaccines are not 100%, far from it.

[simonealisa]

The placebo effect can only be explained when the patient 1) knows they are taking a medicine 2) and secondly believe it works. The thing about homeopathy is, the statistics make it clear that the stuff works even for animals and very young babies who don't understand what medicine or homeopathy is, and that homeopathy also works for people who don't believe in it. My research continues... I don't think this is a black and white issue. Modern science may not be as advanced as we think.

[Nomiss9]

That mother should be beaten up.

[14sJakeB190]

@Woodlandview Okay then. Well I guess someone should conduct that study.

I'm still not convinced that several scientist would have miscounted.