OrbitalDawn
Ulysses Everett McGill
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Homeopathy is bunk, study says
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OrbitalDawn
Ulysses Everett McGill
Unhappy1
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Nope, Randi will explain though
[video=youtube;BWE1tH93G9U]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BWE1tH93G9U[/video]
Arthur
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Unhappy1
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Not even in the slightest.
Watch this 3 part series, starting with this one:
[video=youtube;6dFYfeADX7g]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6dFYfeADX7g[/video]
Homoeopathy has absolutely nothing to do with natural, herbal, or homemade "remedies" for anything. This common misconception is a direct result of their clever tacking on to CAM and alternative medicine treatments (99% of which are horseschit as well). I always find it amusing just how many people use homoeopathic "treatments" while not having a cooking clue what it is they're taking.
Let's be clear - homoeopathy is not an "alternative" medicine. If it worked, it wouldn't require the label "alternative" - it would just be called medicine. Homoeopathy is not based in any science whatsoever. NOTHING! It is based on a few old fools who concocted a cock and bull version of science in order to scam people, and then it took off. Homoeopathy does absolutely nothing whatsoever. It is the principle of diluting active ingredients to the point of making them inactive. There are more impurities leached into a homoeopathic "treatment" from the container it is stored in than "active" ingredients at all.
It is a scam...
Unhappy1
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Have you been drinking :wtf:
No! No, not at all. That's not what homoeopathy is.
Watch the Randi and CHL vids posted, and read the wiki linked to. It is a complete load of hooey that has nothing to do with the word home. The etymology of the word stems from the Greek words for like and suffering. It is the principle that if carrots give you a headache (which they probably don't), then diluting carrots in a solution to such an extent that the carrot is actually no longer existent....will cure headaches!
Like cures liked. Because....well fsck it, that's why. And that diluting it makes it stronger. Because...well...because fsck logic and science. They say so. Because water apparently has memory when you shake it at a certain frequency. Because...well...because it makes it sound like science, but it's really not, and water has no such hippie-shake memory.
Even if water did have a memory, and the imprint of the active substance was dispersed into the solution after each hippie shake, then what the hell is the point of diluting in the first place? Just shake some carrots in water and be done with it already.
It is complete nonsense. Read up on it...
You think you were a little more calm. LOL.
This is where they sink their hooks - into vague claims of efficacy of treatment for vague symptoms that are subjectively measured by the end user.
So take their hippie medicine, and feel a little more calm (which can be brought about by a million different reasons) and suddenly it was the homoeopathic treatment that did it!
Notice that they'll never cure the common cold; HIV; cancer; MS; or any actual diseases or illnesses. No, but they'l sure as hell supposedly put you to sleep.
Or will they? Every year thousands of people around the world down dozens of homoeopathic sleeping pills together as a publicity stunt to prove how ridiculous the stuff is. To date nobody has fallen asleep after dropping hundreds of the pills. You can read about it here - http://www.1023.org.uk/
More:
[video=youtube;tWVaW9hmZwk]https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=tWVaW9hmZwk[/video]
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That's why I stopped taking the stuff after the second round. I figured why should I remain calm when someone cuts me off. So now I follow the ****er and start a fight. Much more interesting and it let's off some steam. Then I'm calm again.
SweetFennyAdams
Expert Member
Although many people lump these two health modalities together, Homoeopathy and Phytotherapy (Medical Herbalism) are two diametrically opposed systems of medicine.
This is a debate that is close to my heart, so please feel free read more if this topic is of interest to you. Also feel free to request any further info on this subject from me by by PM.
PHYTOTHERAPY
Phytotherapy (Medical Herbalism) is the practice of modern evidence-based herbal medicine, based on a pharmacological basis of therapeutics. Phytotherapy derives from the words 'Phyto' which is Latin for 'plant' and 'therapy' which means 'to treat'. There are thousands of peer reviewed studies which provide evidence for the rational use of crude and refined (standardized) plant-based medicines in modern health care. The majority of allopathic medicines (modern medicines found behind the counter in a pharmacy) were originally discovered from active ingredients used for treatment and prevention of disease from the plant kingdom.
When pharmacists learned how to synthesize (artificially reproduce in mass) these plant-based molecules in a lab, modern poly pharmacy took roots (no pun intended). Up until 1928, most medicines listed in the British Pharmacopoeia were plant-based drugs. Synthesizing and further tinkering with these plant-based molecules gave rise to 'patent protection' for novel molecules (not found in nature), which led to the systematic discarding of all things natural which are non-patentable & non-profit deriving.
For the last 80 years Medical Herbalism become a Cinderella profession as modern pharmacy grew exponentially with it's promises of quick fixes for symptoms. In this quest for all things new and modern, allopathic medicines have not addressed the reversal of the causation of many common diseases, preferring to offer panaceas for symptoms instead of cures, hence the term disease management is replacing health care (there is a difference).
Open almost any prescription medicine from your pharmacy and read it's package insert. It clearly states that the medicine is intended from the 'symptomatic relief of .... " Read further and read the exhaustive list of Side Effects.
Phytotherapists (those who practice Phytotherapy), as do a growing number of open-minded medical doctors and pharmacists have realized in the last two decades that allopathic medicine is in many cases deleterious to overall health, by virtue of not treating the cause of symptoms (allowing the disease to progress) and that modern drugs cause many unwanted side-effects worse than the disease they proclaim to treat symptomatically. It is a fact that properly prescribed prescription drugs have in some 1st world countries become the 4th leading cause of death (iatrogenic death).
Because of these perceived and practical shortfalls of modern medicine becoming common knowledge, Phytotherapy has had a resurgence in the last two decades, with many universities now offering 5 year Phytotherapy degrees across the globe. In South Africa, the University of the Western Cape offers the only accredited practitioner training degree in Phytotherapy, where graduates can register with the Allied Health Professions Council of South Africa and use the title "Dr". The course entails the basic medical undergraduate subjects and a specialization in therapeutics using plant medicines on an evidence-based approach.
Of all the complementary medicine / alternative medicine professions and therapies out there, I'm of the opinion that Phytotherapy is the only scientific, evidence-based modality which can integrate into a primary healthcare environment.
HOMOEOPATHY (also spelled Homeopathy)
This is probably the youngest system of 'medicine' known, and also the least scientific and most fraudulent.
It precepts are based on the erroneous notion that 'like cures like' and that the 'more dilute the medicine, the more potent it becomes'.
The entire system of homoeopathy is basically illogical, unscientific and tantamount to health fraud.
In recent years, governments have provided generous grants to eminent scientists to study homeopathy and provide scientific evidence for homoeopathy's claim to treat disease. All of the trials and a meta analysis study (comparing many trails) could not prove that homoeopathy is any more effective than placebo (giving nothing at all). Of the few studies allegedly supporting homoeopathy have either been tainted by publication bias, were poorly designed, or the control groups were too small to draw any reliable conclusions.
Essentially, homoeopathy is equivalent to spiritual faith healing with spirit water. Its tinctures (bottles of nothing more than water and ethanol) and pillules (blank lactose tablets with a sprinkle of aforesaid tincture) contain zero original active ingredients, due to the extreme dilution ratio of homoeopathic substances.
The most common dilutions of say 'D30' found in most commercial homoeopathic products is so preposterous that you would require an entire solar sytem (by volume) to receive one single molecule of the original substance (ingredient listed) in a bottle.
Modern Homoeopaths appear all important with their fancy "Dr" titles and white coats and stethoscopes, and by virtue of being registered with the Allied Health Professions Council of South Africa. They also do a five year degree at either the Durban or Johannesburg universities. They do learn the basic pre-med courses just like the regular GP's do, but that's as far as their profession has any value (knowing anatomy, physiology and basic diagnostics). Otherwise, they have no effective medicines to treat their patients besides their hocus-pokus remedies.
Most Homoeopath graduates soon realize that their treatments (homoeopathic medicines) have no health benefits at all, so they cheat the system by prescribing Phytotherapeutic (full potency herbal) products to lend credibility to their profession under the banner of 'homeopathy'. The only reason many patients who see homoeopaths claim to get well is because :
a.) they are influenced by the placebo effect (spontaneous healing which can account for up to 40% of healing in all medicine), and
b.) they mischievously label herbal medicines as 'homoeopathic medicines' which have a measured pharmacological effect.
Note: Homoeopaths are not trained in Phytotherapy and it is illegal for them to prescribe these medicines as it's not in their Scope of Practice, yet many do it.
Sadly the tax payers subsidize these Homoeopathic 'health sciences' (non-scientific) courses to the tune of tens of millions of Rands a year. Many Medical Aid funds reimburse their clients for useless homoeopathic consultations and worthless remedies, despite their rules prescribing that they they only pay for evidence-based medicines.
The homoeopathic product industry in SA is estimated to be a R1 billion market. Money wasted, that could be spent on proper interventions and real medicines.
It is worthy to note that in the UK and Germany, where Homoeopathy had it's roots, the governments have recently closed down all the university degrees courses in Homoeopathy and are ceasing to cover homoeopathy under their national health insurance schemes. Rightly, Homoeopathy is being systematically proven to be a false medical doctrine based of fraud (deception). Homoeopathy has taken root in many 3rd world countries such as India and South Africa, where it has State sanction.
SUMMARY
If only the Minister of Health would shut down the professional registers for Homoeopathy, realizing that Homoeopaths add no meaningful value to the health care system.
If only the Medicines Control Council would ban the use of all health claims on homoeopathic products and their associated marketing materials, and protect the public from this fraud instead of 'registering them' so people think they must be efficacious because they have registration numbers.
If only the Board of Health Insurance Funders would wake up and realize that Homoeopathy has reached a scientific cul de sak (now proven to be worthless) and that it is no longer ethical to endorse (register homoeopathic practitioners and medicines) and use tax-payers money to perpetuate this fraud any longer.
People who pay their hard earned cash into medical aid schemes each month should be protesting about subsidizing the other users of the schemes who claim for ineffective homeopathic services and medicines.
If only the Deans of universities that offered these charlatan degrees under their 'health sciences departments' would wake up and re-allocate their funding to real medicine (evidence based medicine only) that will make a meaningful difference to people's lives instead of defrauding them by selling false hope.
If only ....
This is a debate that is close to my heart, so please feel free read more if this topic is of interest to you. Also feel free to request any further info on this subject from me by by PM.
PHYTOTHERAPY
Phytotherapy (Medical Herbalism) is the practice of modern evidence-based herbal medicine, based on a pharmacological basis of therapeutics. Phytotherapy derives from the words 'Phyto' which is Latin for 'plant' and 'therapy' which means 'to treat'. There are thousands of peer reviewed studies which provide evidence for the rational use of crude and refined (standardized) plant-based medicines in modern health care. The majority of allopathic medicines (modern medicines found behind the counter in a pharmacy) were originally discovered from active ingredients used for treatment and prevention of disease from the plant kingdom.
When pharmacists learned how to synthesize (artificially reproduce in mass) these plant-based molecules in a lab, modern poly pharmacy took roots (no pun intended). Up until 1928, most medicines listed in the British Pharmacopoeia were plant-based drugs. Synthesizing and further tinkering with these plant-based molecules gave rise to 'patent protection' for novel molecules (not found in nature), which led to the systematic discarding of all things natural which are non-patentable & non-profit deriving.
For the last 80 years Medical Herbalism become a Cinderella profession as modern pharmacy grew exponentially with it's promises of quick fixes for symptoms. In this quest for all things new and modern, allopathic medicines have not addressed the reversal of the causation of many common diseases, preferring to offer panaceas for symptoms instead of cures, hence the term disease management is replacing health care (there is a difference).
Open almost any prescription medicine from your pharmacy and read it's package insert. It clearly states that the medicine is intended from the 'symptomatic relief of .... " Read further and read the exhaustive list of Side Effects.
Phytotherapists (those who practice Phytotherapy), as do a growing number of open-minded medical doctors and pharmacists have realized in the last two decades that allopathic medicine is in many cases deleterious to overall health, by virtue of not treating the cause of symptoms (allowing the disease to progress) and that modern drugs cause many unwanted side-effects worse than the disease they proclaim to treat symptomatically. It is a fact that properly prescribed prescription drugs have in some 1st world countries become the 4th leading cause of death (iatrogenic death).
Because of these perceived and practical shortfalls of modern medicine becoming common knowledge, Phytotherapy has had a resurgence in the last two decades, with many universities now offering 5 year Phytotherapy degrees across the globe. In South Africa, the University of the Western Cape offers the only accredited practitioner training degree in Phytotherapy, where graduates can register with the Allied Health Professions Council of South Africa and use the title "Dr". The course entails the basic medical undergraduate subjects and a specialization in therapeutics using plant medicines on an evidence-based approach.
Of all the complementary medicine / alternative medicine professions and therapies out there, I'm of the opinion that Phytotherapy is the only scientific, evidence-based modality which can integrate into a primary healthcare environment.
HOMOEOPATHY (also spelled Homeopathy)
This is probably the youngest system of 'medicine' known, and also the least scientific and most fraudulent.
It precepts are based on the erroneous notion that 'like cures like' and that the 'more dilute the medicine, the more potent it becomes'.
The entire system of homoeopathy is basically illogical, unscientific and tantamount to health fraud.
In recent years, governments have provided generous grants to eminent scientists to study homeopathy and provide scientific evidence for homoeopathy's claim to treat disease. All of the trials and a meta analysis study (comparing many trails) could not prove that homoeopathy is any more effective than placebo (giving nothing at all). Of the few studies allegedly supporting homoeopathy have either been tainted by publication bias, were poorly designed, or the control groups were too small to draw any reliable conclusions.
Essentially, homoeopathy is equivalent to spiritual faith healing with spirit water. Its tinctures (bottles of nothing more than water and ethanol) and pillules (blank lactose tablets with a sprinkle of aforesaid tincture) contain zero original active ingredients, due to the extreme dilution ratio of homoeopathic substances.
The most common dilutions of say 'D30' found in most commercial homoeopathic products is so preposterous that you would require an entire solar sytem (by volume) to receive one single molecule of the original substance (ingredient listed) in a bottle.
Modern Homoeopaths appear all important with their fancy "Dr" titles and white coats and stethoscopes, and by virtue of being registered with the Allied Health Professions Council of South Africa. They also do a five year degree at either the Durban or Johannesburg universities. They do learn the basic pre-med courses just like the regular GP's do, but that's as far as their profession has any value (knowing anatomy, physiology and basic diagnostics). Otherwise, they have no effective medicines to treat their patients besides their hocus-pokus remedies.
Most Homoeopath graduates soon realize that their treatments (homoeopathic medicines) have no health benefits at all, so they cheat the system by prescribing Phytotherapeutic (full potency herbal) products to lend credibility to their profession under the banner of 'homeopathy'. The only reason many patients who see homoeopaths claim to get well is because :
a.) they are influenced by the placebo effect (spontaneous healing which can account for up to 40% of healing in all medicine), and
b.) they mischievously label herbal medicines as 'homoeopathic medicines' which have a measured pharmacological effect.
Note: Homoeopaths are not trained in Phytotherapy and it is illegal for them to prescribe these medicines as it's not in their Scope of Practice, yet many do it.
Sadly the tax payers subsidize these Homoeopathic 'health sciences' (non-scientific) courses to the tune of tens of millions of Rands a year. Many Medical Aid funds reimburse their clients for useless homoeopathic consultations and worthless remedies, despite their rules prescribing that they they only pay for evidence-based medicines.
The homoeopathic product industry in SA is estimated to be a R1 billion market. Money wasted, that could be spent on proper interventions and real medicines.
It is worthy to note that in the UK and Germany, where Homoeopathy had it's roots, the governments have recently closed down all the university degrees courses in Homoeopathy and are ceasing to cover homoeopathy under their national health insurance schemes. Rightly, Homoeopathy is being systematically proven to be a false medical doctrine based of fraud (deception). Homoeopathy has taken root in many 3rd world countries such as India and South Africa, where it has State sanction.
SUMMARY
If only the Minister of Health would shut down the professional registers for Homoeopathy, realizing that Homoeopaths add no meaningful value to the health care system.
If only the Medicines Control Council would ban the use of all health claims on homoeopathic products and their associated marketing materials, and protect the public from this fraud instead of 'registering them' so people think they must be efficacious because they have registration numbers.
If only the Board of Health Insurance Funders would wake up and realize that Homoeopathy has reached a scientific cul de sak (now proven to be worthless) and that it is no longer ethical to endorse (register homoeopathic practitioners and medicines) and use tax-payers money to perpetuate this fraud any longer.
People who pay their hard earned cash into medical aid schemes each month should be protesting about subsidizing the other users of the schemes who claim for ineffective homeopathic services and medicines.
If only the Deans of universities that offered these charlatan degrees under their 'health sciences departments' would wake up and re-allocate their funding to real medicine (evidence based medicine only) that will make a meaningful difference to people's lives instead of defrauding them by selling false hope.
If only ....
Last edited:
Albereth
Honorary Master
Arthur
Honorary Master
Thanks. Phytotherapy immediately makes sense to me.
Midnight_choir_drunk
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I dated a girl who'd studied homeopathy in Europe. Whenever any of my friends or hers were sick she'd get out her little bottles of voodoo. I called her out on the bull so many times and she claimed I just didn't understand it. I asked her what there was to understand and she said "It works with energies". :erm:
So many fights.