Saturday, September 18, 2010

Homeopathy: Still Offering To Kill Babies

Not content that following the precepts of homeopathy to 'cure' anything can lead to the deaths of babies and cancer sufferers (not to mention many others), the woo-meisters who sell sugar pills are now claiming that whooping cough can be prevented and cured by their magic.

HOMEOPATHS are recommending "unproven" herbal remedies, including belladonna and phosphorus, for whooping cough.

A whooping cough epidemic has swept the country, and tragically turned fatal this week when a five-week-old boy died.

Homeopaths say their treatments can prevent and cure whooping cough, while doctors say that is "complete rubbish".

Drosera and pertussinum are other herbal remedies commonly recommended.

Australian Medical Association immunity spokesman Dr Rod Pearce said anyone recommending homeopathic "vaccinations" or treatments was illegitimate.


Unfortunately, the article doesn't point out that the belladonna, phosphorus, drosera and pertussinum products are all exactly the same: they contain nothing other than sugar or water or whatever substance the homeopath puts in the little bottle in order to fill it up (because selling a completely empty bottle would be just an obvious scam).

The homeopaths practice what they preach, diluting their argument to nonexistence:

The Australian Homeopathic Association did not return The Advertiser's phone call.


Of course, since telephones didn't exist two hundred years ago, they may prefer to use more traditional methods of communication, and are sending a horse and buggy with an urgent epistle to the newspaper.

Homeopaths in the UK also continue to offer homeopathic 'vaccines':

Homeopaths are offering "alternative vaccinations" which doctors say could leave patients vulnerable to potentially fatal diseases, a BBC investigation has found.

Three practitioners admitted giving patients a homeopathic medicine designed to replace the MMR vaccine.


How do they know they work? They don't. And they're happy to admit it:

When asked if the homeopathic remedy offered the same protection as the MMR, she replied: "I'd like to say that they were safer, but I can't prove that."


Even the homeopathic publicity organisation says it doesn't work:

The practice of replacing conventional vaccines with homeopathic alternatives has been condemned by the Faculty of Homeopathy.

It said there was no evidence for homeopathic treatments being able to protect against diseases, and said patients should stick to conventional medicines.


Just as in Australia, though, it appears that individual homeopaths can claim their water drops cure whatever they like, and get away with it with impunity.

Antivaxxers are also convinced, in the face of a complete lack of evidence, that homeopathy is the magic cure as this reply to a mother concerned by the death from whooping cough in South Australia:

See a homeopath asap!!!! They will be able to vacinate you homeopathically. Once you've got it not much treats the cough super effectively. aBX are often given but they only render you not infectious. Once the damage has been done the cough will hang around for about 3 months (100 day cough). Homeopathics, large doses of vit C, general immune boosting will help for sure.

WC vaccination is really really ineffective something like only 70% effective or there about so you cannot rely on it at all. Also it is a new strain going around so even if you got your blood tested they are testing for immunity to the old strain.


EoR may be slow, but he fails to see how a 0% effectiveness rate is better than a 70% effectiveness rate.

A purveyor of homeopathic vaccines

Edit: coverage of the South Australian death also at
The Sceptics' Book of Pooh-Pooh
Thinking is Real
Australian Skeptics

4 comments:

  1. It isn't homeopathy that kills babies, it's the lack of treatment that kills sick babies.

    ReplyDelete
  2. It's homeopathy that recommends not following evidence based preventative measures (vaccination) in favour of non evidence based measures (water drops) that reduces herd immunity.

    ReplyDelete
  3. It's not the fall that kills you, it's the sudden stop at the end!

    ReplyDelete

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