Reply #28: As a scientist, though not medical [View All]

The burden of proof lies with those in favor of homeopathy to prove that it is safe and effective. No one really debates safe, since the vast majority of homepathic medications are distilled water, lactose pills, and sand capsules. Effective is a more difficult hurdle, however.

What I have NEVER seen, even in Europe, is a statistical double-blind study comparing homeopathic medication to a placebo. Now, let's visit what a statistical double-blind study is.

In a double-blind study some patients are given the test medication, some are given placebo. It is called double blind because neither the person dispensing the medication nor the test subject knows what they are getting, which avoids any sort of bias on the test results. (typically the doctor administering the study gives the dispensor numbered pill cups and keeps the record elsewhere). Then the number and magnitude of improvements in the patients with placebo is compared to those with medication. Typically, you will find around a third of patients on placebo report improvement in symptoms and/or side effects.

Now, what are we NOT using? Anecdotal evidence ("I saw" "My friend did this"). This is what kills people about the whole Alternative Medicine debate. In medical research you CANNOT count what you observe as gospel. As a for instance, let's suppose I have a headache. I drink a Coke and take a nap. I wake up, and I don't have a headache. Have I discovered a cure for headaches in Coke, naps, or a combination of the two? No. The actual fact is that most headaches go away on their own after a length a time that is less than my average nap. Similarly, if you choose to attribute the cure of condition A to some action on your part B, you are kidding yourself. The human body is a fantastically complex system, and it virtually impossible to pinpoint anything as a effective by looking at one person.

So what is my point? While I am happy for every person who comes to this thread and report that they have been cured of some malady, you have provided NO PROOF that homeopathy work. NONE. Sorry. Homeopathy can show no mechanism for curative behavior, has no scientifically meritous study to prove it works, and ultimately cannot provide any reason to suggest it accomplish anything more than to line the pockets of homeopathic "drug" manufacturers, who makes a marvelous profit on tap water, cornstarch, and lactose.