Zak Debunks Homeopathic Medicine

This is an interview I did for a short documentary. I discuss why homeopathic treatments are bunk.

I explain how it "works", the "science" behind it, and why people continue to use it, and believe it works.

But don't take my word for this stuff... go research it yourself!

http://www.lukesurl.com/archives/1096

"With respect to homeopathy, the evidence points towards a bogus industry that offers patients nothing more than a fantasy." -Edzard Ernst, MD, (who used to be a practicing homeopath, and was the worlds first professor of complementary medicine)

"Homeopathy goes beyond current understanding of chemistry and physics... There is, to my knowledge, no condition for which homeopathy has been proven to be an effective treatment." -Dr. Jack Killen, deputy director of the National Center for Complimentary and Alternative Medicine

For an example of several studies which document the failure of homeopathy, please go to any of the following links. And if you don't care to read the abstracts, I have quoted the conclusion of each study, for your convenience. Let the excuses begin!

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16125589
"This finding is compatible with the notion that the clinical effects of homeopathy are placebo effects."

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12492603
"It is concluded that the best clinical evidence for homeopathy available to date does not warrant positive recommendations for its use in clinical practice."

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16376071
"Our analysis of published literature on homeopathy found insufficient evidence to support clinical efficacy of homeopathic therapy in cancer care."

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17285788
"The evidence from rigorous clinical trials of any type of therapeutic or preventive intervention testing homeopathy for childhood and adolescence ailments is not convincing enough for recommendations in any condition."

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14973954
"There is not enough evidence to reliably assess the possible role of homeopathy in asthma."

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12535487
"In view of the absence of evidence it is not possible to comment on the use of homeopathy in treating dementia."

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14583972
"There is insufficient evidence to recommend the use of homeopathy as a method of [labor] induction."

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11212088
"The authors conclude that the small number of randomized clinical trials conducted to date, although favoring homeopathic treatment, do not allow a firm conclusion as to the effectiveness of homeopathic remedies in the treatment of patients with osteoarthritis."

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14651731
"Ultramolecular homeopathy had no observable clinical effects."

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11872551
"There was no difference in most outcomes between placebo and homoeopathic immunotherapy."

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9251877
"Overall, there was no significant benefit over placebo of homeopathic treatment."

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12614092
"Evidence suggests that homeopathy is ineffective for migraine, delayed-onset muscle soreness, and influenza prevention."

http://rheumatology.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/full/40/9/1052
"We found no evidence that active homeopathy improves the symptoms of RA."

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11212083
"No discrete signals suggesting a difference between remedies and controls were seen."

http://www.biomedcentral.com/1472-6882/4/15/abstract
"In conclusion, published results from NMR research on homeopathy indicating differences between homeopathic solutions and control samples could not be reproduced."

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15500843?dopt=Abstract
"None of the homeopathically treated groups differed significantly with respect to any of the parameters from the non-medicated, infected control group. It is concluded that the results of this study do not justify use of these homeopathic remedies for treatment of colibacillosis in broilers."

http://veterinaryrecord.bvapublications.com/cgi/content/abstract/124/1/15
"There were no discernible differences between the treated and control groups in their manifestations of resistance to D viviparus or their clinical responses to the disease produced."

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14650548?dopt=Abstract
"These results support the widely held opinion that scientific proof for the efficacy of veterinary homeopathy is lacking."

http://vetpath.co.uk/voodoo/mastitis.pdf
"There were no significant differences between the SCC of the two groups."

http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/118788810/abstract?CRETRY=1&SR...
"Evidence of efficacy of homeopathic treatment beyond placebo was not found in this study."

Category:

Education

Tags:

• Zakiechan
• homeopathic
• homeopathy
• medicine
• alternative
• complementary
• skeptic
• science
• deubunks
• explains
• placebo
• effect

[politicomdk]

You talk about newsletters containing skeptic experiments?

Where did you find those and how do I sign up :)

[zakiechan]

@politicomdk It's not just newsletters... it's magazines, journal articles, news articles, etc. Though, I would suggest the Skeptic newsletter if you are interested in that sort of thing.

[zakiechan]

@pkkda If you want to be pragmatic, you have to toss homeopathy. Look at all the studies that show it doesn't work. What is more likely, that your uncle is wrong, or that all the studies are wrong?

[zakiechan]

@pkkda Well, for starters, there are 20 studies linked in the video info. I have done quite a bit of research into homeopathy and alt medicine. The fact that you aren't aware that studies showing homeopathy to be nonsense exist tells me that you haven't taken your own advice. Also, are you not aware that Montagnier's research has been thoroughly discredited? However, even if true, they don't support any of homeopathy's basic tenets (read the actual research)

[pkkda]

@zakiechan All the studies? What studies are you referring to? Who were the studies paid by? Google “Nobel Scientist Discovers Scientific Basis of Homeopathy” & in general do some other research to discover alternatives to your views. What scientific basis does mainstream medicine have? None for immunizations; none for their cancer “cures”, etc. Their drugs are taken off the market regularly due to their ineffectiveness & harmful side effects. Does homeopathy have any less credibility?

[pkkda]

@zakiechan My uncle (MD) had a greater correlation curing diseases with homeopathic than with allopathic medication, and therefore his choice was to mostly use the former. Correlation is not causation, but let's be pragmatic about it.

[pkkda]

@zakiechan You and others of your disposition could continue to take the drugs approved by the FDA, many of which are later taken off the market because they are harmful or ineffective. That tells something of the FDA's approval process!! You appear to be ignorant of the term 'iatrogenesis' - that's what almost sent be to my deathbed. I'll stick with the placebo effect of homeopathy, thanks.

[zakiechan]

@pkkda Correlation is not causation. Though, I am glad you are alive! It's odd though that you would be on your deathbed from treatment... it's not some new thing. Curing TB is not really a problem with normal medical treatment.