Homeopaths Fail Logic Test. Again.

One more bizarre highlight from the Mind&Body supplement of 14th November 2006. Thankfully, unlike yesterday's appalling recommendation to inflict pain and suffering on your children, today's is just so bizarre EoR suspects it's a parody someone has slipped into the journal.

"Beat Summer Bugs" tells how to deal with viruses in Summer the natural way:

According to homoeopathic practitioner Jan Owen, of Owen Homoeopathics, many of the symptoms of hay fever mirror the common cold and people often confuse the two. "But the beauty of homoeopathy is that because you are treating the symptoms presented, rather than the illness by name, it remains straightforward to treat," she said.

This, even by altie standards, is bizarrely bizarre. Homeopathy treating the symptoms, not the illness? Is Jan confused? Doesn't she know that that's the evil Big Pharma Medical Conspiracy line? It's conventional medicine, as she well knows, that refuses point blank to do anything other than treat the symptoms. And here she is saying homeopathy does the same thing.

And what about the homeopaths' regular plaint that their magic can never be tested scientifically because it's all about individual differences? Jan seems to think homeopathy is "straightforward".

EoR loves it when alties run around in existential circles like that. Not that it will make any difference to their target markets, but it's still rather amusing.

Naturopath Sam Botica also seems to be living under the mistaken belief that homeopathy is all about relieving symptoms.

Ross River virus is also a problem in summer and according to Mrs Botica, homoeopathic remedies are effective in boosting the immune system and helping to alleviate symptoms.

At least she's got the altie mantra to "boost the immune system; boost the immune system" down pat. Or does she?

Mrs Botica said probiotics (such as acidophilus and bifidus) should be taken to boost immunity and keep viruses at bay. It was also useful to take probiotics to reduce hay fever symptoms. She said probiotics had been shown to reduce the immune response to the gut wall (most of our immune system is actually in the gut).

Which is really rather telling about homeopathic methods and anatomy. Boost immunity by taking something that reduces the immune response. No, EoR can't figure it out either. And since when was the immune system located in the gut? Apart from in fictional Materia Medicas that some acolytes still clutch to while screaming their rejection of any advances made in science and medicine in the last two hundred years. "No! No! I like living in the dark ages! Leave me alone!".

For a truly natural, immune boosting way of dealing with viruses, EoR suggests doing nothing. The virus will infect you (which is natural) and your immune system will boost itself in response (which is also natural).