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Research into homeopathy: data falsification, fabrication and manipulation

skeptic.org.uk

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Re: Research into homeopathy: data falsification, fabrication and manipulation

#21

Post by bitwize »

gumby wrote: post #10

If homeopathy "theory" says that the water retains an "imprint" of other chemicals it encountered, clearly the tap water coming into your house is horribly contaminated with the fish pee, ozone (from UV purification treatment) and the pipes themselves. I briefly considered selling a device that would "reverse" those consequences so the water from your tap would be homeopathically neutralized. But it just seemed uneth…

"It's a miracle! Take physics and bin it! Water has memory, and whilst its memory of a long lost drop of onion juice seems infinite, it somehow forgets all the poo it's had in it." --Tim Minchin

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KtYkyB35zkk

Re: Research into homeopathy: data falsification, fabrication and manipulation

#22

Post by brendoelfrendo »

charles_f wrote: post #15
gumby wrote: post #10

If homeopathy "theory" says that the water retains an "imprint" of other chemicals it encountered, clearly the tap water coming into your house is horribly contaminated with the fish pee, ozone (from UV purification treatment) and the pipes themselves. I briefly considered selling a device that would "reverse" those consequences so the water from your tap would be homeopathically neutralized. But it just seemed uneth…

> clearly the tap water coming into your house is horribly contaminated with the fish pee, ozone (from UV purification treatment) and the pipes themselves. But then, the next concept is "like cures like". Why do you think people are so immune to fish piss?

Boy, I bet all those people in Flint, Michigan are glad they're immune to lead now.

Re: Research into homeopathy: data falsification, fabrication and manipulation

#25

Post by skrebbel »

munchler wrote: post #3

Homeopathy is total BS, but the placebo effect is real. Is there a way that medical science can allow people to benefit from the latter without rewarding quacks who push the former?

I’ve never understood why this isn’t explored more.

It’s like, at some point we discovered the placebo effect, which has got to have been a pretty shocking result, right? I just can’t fathom that the entire scientific community just went “ah, hm, right, placebo. I see. I guess we need to do our random-controlled-trials with a placebo control group now”. Wait, that’s it? Nobody went “wtf woa we can cure a % of people with empty pills, how does that work and how can we up the %?”

I just don’t get it, it seems to me that the existence of the placebo effect is hard evidence that there’s a mind-body connection and we can cure body stuff with mind stuff (and vice versa, probably), so why does nearly all of that remain firmly in alternative woo-woo land?

Re: Research into homeopathy: data falsification, fabrication and manipulation

#26

Post by gumby »

charles_f wrote: post #15
gumby wrote: post #10

If homeopathy "theory" says that the water retains an "imprint" of other chemicals it encountered, clearly the tap water coming into your house is horribly contaminated with the fish pee, ozone (from UV purification treatment) and the pipes themselves. I briefly considered selling a device that would "reverse" those consequences so the water from your tap would be homeopathically neutralized. But it just seemed uneth…

> clearly the tap water coming into your house is horribly contaminated with the fish pee, ozone (from UV purification treatment) and the pipes themselves. But then, the next concept is "like cures like". Why do you think people are so immune to fish piss?

Well, we all know what else fish do in the water and I don't want my kids being born with gills.

Re: Research into homeopathy: data falsification, fabrication and manipulation

#27

Post by rc_mob »

gumby wrote: post #10

If homeopathy "theory" says that the water retains an "imprint" of other chemicals it encountered, clearly the tap water coming into your house is horribly contaminated with the fish pee, ozone (from UV purification treatment) and the pipes themselves. I briefly considered selling a device that would "reverse" those consequences so the water from your tap would be homeopathically neutralized. But it just seemed uneth…

There are all sorts of homeopathy theories depending on who you talk to and what day of the week it is.

Re: Research into homeopathy: data falsification, fabrication and manipulation

#28

Post by bratwurst3000 »

The joke about homeopathy is that the guy that invented it knew that it didn’t work. He invented an heal plan that included fresh air and forrest walks and good food and exercise… the obvious today. But his patients wanted also medicine too … because you know that’s how people are apparently… so he invented homeopathy and the nice story to it. But people should primary do the other things. It’s funny that only his fake medicine is so successful today.

Re: Research into homeopathy: data falsification, fabrication and manipulation

#29

Post by sgerenser »

pixelpoet wrote: post #2

I wish more German doctors would acknowledge what utter quackery homeopathy is. Three separate doctors wanted to prescribe me homeopathy stuff last year, ended up not getting any help at all.

In the U.S., sometimes a medicine is marked as “homeopathic” just to avoid regulation, and actually does contain a real active ingredient. This is the case with zinc lozenges (for colds), which contain an actual therapeutic dose of zinc but are presumably marketed as “homeopathic” since the FDA doesn’t regulate herbal or homeopathic “treatments.” Not sure if anything like that happens in Germany as well though.

Re: Research into homeopathy: data falsification, fabrication and manipulation

#30

Post by ThinkBeat »

I had horrible pollen allergies. My mother took me to a homeopath (in addition to regular doctors) She prescribed some tablets / pills to dissolve under the tunge, that had some pollen in them.

It worked pretty well for allergies but not the best for teeth. Just building up resistance I would think.

I know you can get similar treatment now from regular doctors.

So my one and only interaction was fairly successful.

I have never sought one out for anything else.

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