Tuesday, November 22, 2005

Yet More Homeopathic Wonders

EoR is fascinated by the wonderful magic of homeopathy. He can't get enough of it.

According to Antidotes that Interfere with Homeopathic Treatment no matter how powerful the healing vital force of homeopathy is, it can apparently be stymied by something as simple as a sip of coffee, or going to sleep in the wrong bed, or being unfaithful and casting your gaze at the local acupuncturist. Of course, it wouldn't be because homeopathy simply doesn't work. Or that people's symptoms come and go with no correlation to intake of homeopathic 'remedies'. Homeopathy is magic, and magical thinking requires that disparate events are inextricably linked by some mysterious force. Let's call it, umm, how about 'vital force'?

In the absence of studies, always fall back on anecdote...

Poor Debbie suffered from a variety of women's issues, all resolved by Sulphur (including making her "energy much better"). This was fine for seven months until she partook of forbidden fruit (well, actually some coffee flavoured cookies). The effect was dramatic. Only one week later her symptoms had returned. There could be no doubt. The cookie from a week ago was the culprit. Nothing else could explain it. Not even that the two events were fundamentally completely separate and unrelated. There was manifestly a direct causal link.

Poor Don had some men's issues, resolved by Thuja. But when he used some marijuana, his venereal warts returned. When he used Thuja again, they disappeared. EoR is convinced. He's never heard of warts disappearing on their own before. In passing, EoR wonders about how powerful a high you could get from homeopathic marijuana...

Barry had a number of issues which "resolved well" with Causticum, but he foolishly threw away the miracle by using an electric blanket only to have the symptoms return. Yes, obviously it couldn't have been that the homeopathy had no effect at all, it was that nasty device with all that evil bad energy. Presumably the homeopathically besotted should forego all electrical devices.

Vick's Vapo-Rub, hair perms, coffee and caffeine (though not, strangely, caffeinated tea), Tiger Balm, cough drops, prescription medicines, immunisations, dental work, other homeopathic remedies, herbs, vitamins, acupuncture... The list seems endless. EoR is amazed that any homeopathic remedy works. Ever.

EoR admires the way homeopathic victims are turned away from wasting their precious money on other SCAMs. Give it to your friendly local homeopath instead. This appears to be the standard 'alternative' ethical stand: it's okay to spend all your money on bullshit, as long as it's my bullshit. Just don't fall for those other shysters.

As an aside, EoR finds it presumptuous and misleading of Judyth Reichenberg-Ullman N.D., M.S.W., DHANP to refer to herself as "Dr" Reichenberg-Ullman (and stick all those silly letters after her name).

2 comments:

  1. The role of coffee and other stimulants - and whether they should be entirely avoided or not during a homeopathic treatment - is by no means as clear-cut as your musing makes it appear; there are very great differences of opinion among homeopaths in that regards.
    Please, do try and research it more thoroughly before posting. (Though I am very happy that you are interested in homeopathy..:))

    Obviously, I am in no position to judge what you consider "magic". By my standards homeopathy is anything BUT magic. It has saved many, many lives; it could save many more if more people would give it a try.
    And it will happen.
    Sadly, it will only happen after the current mounting dissatisfaction with allopathic medicine (now there's "magical thinking" at its worst - pop a ill, ANY pill, one-size-fits-all!) reaches its culmination.

    There are many many bad homeopaths, just as there are many many bad allopathic doctors (only the homeopaths' results aren't deadly, like physicians' mistakes).
    But even the worst homeopath will take far more time to examine the patient than any allopathic doctor. And, more importantly, homeopathy works. When somebody isn't satisfied with their homeopath, they can always go to a different one - one that will find the right medicine(s) for that person (whereas allopathic medicine has only a very limited range of remedies for any given condition).

    If anyone is really - genuinely - interested in the effects of homeopathy, they should go and find at least a few of the many tens of thousands who have been helped by homeopathy (usually after having been given the thumbs-down by allopathic medicine) instead of relying on a purported "lack" of (Randiesque?) studies.

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  2. "Magic (n): the art that, by use of spells, supposedly invokes supernatural powers to influence events; sorcery; the practice of illusory tricks to entertain other people; conjuring."

    Please name one life homeopathy has saved (not anecdotes please).

    Anonymous said allopathic medicine equates to "pop a ill, ANY pill, one-size-fits-all!" No, that would be homeopathy. Take this sugar pill. It will cure everything.

    EoR does, however, agree that few homeopaths kill people. That's how they've been able to keep the scam going so long. People give up on them and turn to allopathic doctors when they're worse and, unfortunately, that's when they're more likely to die.

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