Do you believe that homeopathy works?

1. 74

   Moon Daisyposted 12 years ago

   Do you believe that homeopathy works?
   
   Do you believe that the energy in homeopathic remedies helps to cure many ailments, or do you think that the remedies are so weak that they couldn't possibly do anything?

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2. 50

   bheemposted 12 years ago

   Even the most complicated and tough conditions can be healed by homeopathy without surgical intervention...just you must find the right homeo physician..

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   1. 69

      Debby Bruckposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      The number of reports of recovery confirm your statement. Finding the homeopathic physician who has experience and understands the patient will make all the difference.

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   2. 67

      Dorothee-Gyposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      You can also get quite knowledgeable by reading and studying it yourself. I treat many conditions (amongst others Rosacea, Herpes Zoster and severe hayfever) with remedies I found in books and over the internet. There are some great databases...

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3. 60

   swordsbaneposted 12 years ago

   Do I think Homeopathy works?  The short answer is Yes and No
   
   But it has nothing to do with homeopathy.  People with pacemakers installed (but not turned on) regulate their own heartbeat better.  People who think they're getting medicine but who are really getting a sugar pill many times react as if they are really getting medicine.
   
   But let me tell you what real homeopathy is: It is the belief that if you take something that is poisonous or debilitating and dilute it so that the molecules of the poison are so low that you are getting one molecule in several thousand bottles, you have nothing but water or a pill with NO active ingredient in it... and you charged a price for as if it were medicine.  If this water-drug is at all effective it is because the people who take it BELIEVE it is effective.  This is called the Placebo Effect.  It is not nothing, and it is a real medical phenomenon, but they are not selling medicine.  They are selling belief.  The medicine is not healing you.  You are healing yourself.  Take the credit.

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      WVBardsposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      I'll take placebo healing of hard drugs any day.

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   2. 67

      Dorothee-Gyposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      With kids and animals, it is crystal clear that it has NOTHING to do with belief. My cat cannot read the indications, but it stops barfing immediately when treated with Nux Vomica or Arsenicum Album.

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   3. 74

      Moon Daisyposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Both interesting points of view. I've had two experiences so far with homeopathy. The first was with my daughter. I gave her thuja to cure a stubborn verruca. I also tried an anti-candida remedy for myself. Neither worked.

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   4. 67

      Dorothee-Gyposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      With homeopathy it is very important to find the correct remedy, so if it doesn't work, that doesn't mean that homeopathy doesn't work, it rather means you haven't found the correct substance. Sometimes you have to combine the substances to get there

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4. 60

   sleepylogposted 12 years ago

   I don't believe it works because it didn't work for me. The only things that works for me are proven scientific methods backed by many years of studies and tests.

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   1. 74

      Moon Daisyposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Hmm, so far it hasn't worked for me or my daughter either.  But I'd really like it to be something that works.  I guess I have to know how long it should take to work, maybe I didn't wait long enough...

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   2. 67

      Dorothee-Gyposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      You don't have to wait long. If it didn't work, it wasn't the correct remedy. It needs to fit or it doesn't do anything.

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5. 0

   scottcgruberposted 12 years ago

   No. Homeopathy is placebo medicine at best and fraud at worst. There is no concievable way for it to have any physical effect on the body, since the active ingredient is diluted out of the solution. So homeopaths make up bogus mythology about "essential energies" to explain why a drop of distilled water on a sugar pill wil cure your gout.
   
   Funny how the water "remembers" being next to a few molecules of duck liver, yet forgets the number of times it's been through dog kidneys. Homeopaths never explain that one.
   
   The plain truth is that homeopathy does not work. It is snake oil and wishful thinking. No reputable study has ever found evidence of it working.

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   1. 74

      Moon Daisyposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      I want to believe that this works, as it's lovely to consider that there is this therapy that may cure disease with no horrible side effects, but your middle paragraph outlines my concerns.  It's exactly these thoughts that make me have doubts.

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   2. 52

      amnonposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      You know something Scott? I would have no problem with the remedies being a placebo, since they work for me and my friends.  I myself have a tight control of my diabetes with the help of such "placebo".  it works, there is nothing "funny" about it.

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   3. 67

      Dorothee-Gyposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      There are actually lots of studies (please see here for a comprehensive article with further links),
      https://homeopathic.com/Articles/Homeop … icine.html
      
      You just don't find them easily...

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   4. 60

      swordsbaneposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Actually, I do.  I'm familiar with those studies and HES, and they are either bogus studies (don't adhere to rigorous controls) or the studies actually don't show what Homeopaths claim they do.
      
      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E0-NalmRSl8

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   5. 67

      Dorothee-Gyposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      I guess you could have 100 studies, double blind, placebo controlled, random, cross checked, and you'd still find something to nitpick about those (no recording of the breathing rates, wrong protocol, wrong hair color of the patients, wrong faith)...

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   6. 60

      swordsbaneposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      No.  I wouldn't.  I have a great deal of respect for science. Telling me what you think I would or would not do does nothing to prove your side, and it is very rude.  If you have a refutation to give, please do.

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   7. 67

      Dorothee-Gyposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Sorry if you see it as rude. There are enough studies out there that prove the validity of homeopathy, no matter if you believe it or not. Certainly not all of them are invalid and certainly not all of the allopatic drugs are flawless.

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   8. 60

      swordsbaneposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Then SHOW them, instead of an organization who's best source of "scientific" evidence is a paper who's own conclusions say "we found insufficient evidence from these studies that homoeopathy is clearly efficacious for any single clinical condition"

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   9. 69

      Debby Bruckposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      It's unfortunate that the double-blind studies allow so many drugs on the market that years later incur billions of dollars of criminal fines for hurting, maiming and killing people. So much for the double-blind studies. We are more than flesh &

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   10. 67

       Dorothee-Gyposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       Lancet, Dec. 10, 1994, 344:1601-6, conclusion: Either homeopathic remedies work or controlled clinical trials don't. (Can't expect more from people who set out to prove homeopathy wrong...)
       And no, they can't explain it in a hardcore physics way...

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   11. 60

       swordsbaneposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       Same researchers... 5 years later "it seems likely that our meta-analysis at least overestimated the effects of homeopathic treatments.”  I hope your hub provides evidence of a higher quality.

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6. 61

   Mathi Vathaniposted 12 years ago

   Homeopathy works for people who can be patient and wait for results

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   1. 60

      swordsbaneposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      No. It works for people who believe it will.  Normally, that would not be a problem, but when something serious comes up that a placebo WON'T cure, you have Homeopaths convincing people that real medicine doesn't work.  Homeopathy can kill.

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   2. 69

      Debby Bruckposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Dear Mathi - Patience is a virtue. Some people who have not experienced success, dismiss the success for others. The most scientific method would be to collect the data from millions of people who continue to use it for all types of disorders.

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   3. 0

      scottcgruberposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      The scientific method has shown many times that homeopathy is worthless. There is no evidence of any people ever being cured by it.

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   4. 69

      Debby Bruckposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Thank you for your own personal opinion on this topic, dear Swordsbane. Good to know how you feel.

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   5. 67

      Dorothee-Gyposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Not sure if you ever heard it, but prescription drugs are amongst the leading causes of death... I recommend to research especially statins, anti-coagulants and the like...
      
      Just because you are so concerned about the safety of homeopathy...

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   6. 0

      scottcgruberposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      I accept that actual medicine can be dangerous. After all, it consists of real drugs that actually react, rather than water and sugar. But the risk of treating dangerous conditions with magic and fairy dust is far higher than that of real medicine.

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   7. 69

      Debby Bruckposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Obviously, the risks are much higher using crude drugs that cause chemical imbalances and force the body to respond in unnatural ways and lose the potential to recover as the body weakens.

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   8. 60

      swordsbaneposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      I don't have a problem with the safety of homeopathic drugs themselves.  They don't have any active ingredient in them whatsoever, so they can't do anything.  I've seen someone down an entire bottle of homeopathic sleeping pills and nothing happened.

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   9. 67

      Dorothee-Gyposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      @swordsbane: Just because the person didn't die from the sleeping pills, doesn't mean that he couldn't profit from the right homeopathic remedy. The great thing about this medicine is that it doesn't do harm, but if you have the right one, it works.

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   10. 60

       swordsbaneposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       Except the sleeping pills, if they really worked, should put you in a coma or even kill you (warning on the label) if you scarf a whole bottle.  They don't.  What it means at the very least is that the manufacturers are lying.

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7. 60

   WVBardsposted 12 years ago

   I know that it works, at least for my mother and I, as we can feel the side-effects almost immediately.  The doctor might not be able to tell you what it is, the pills might taste like sugar, but somehow, even when he doesn't mention what we should feel, we feel it, and we feel the change significantly.
   
   So I think that, truly, it depends on the person.  For my mother and I, homeopathic remedies work.  Then again, we are extremely susceptible to medications of all kinds, from supplements to opiates.  Maybe it just depends on how easily your body chemistry is manipulated.
   
   And I believe there's a component of wilfulness that goes along with the whole thing, as well.  Like wishing away a wart, if you truly believe or at least attempt to have some faith in the remedy, it might just work - maybe it's placebo, maybe it's the remedy amplifying your own body's healing powers, or maybe it's the medicine itself.  But no matter what, if you mentally fight the prospect of being cured, you will not be, susceptible or not.

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   1. 67

      Dorothee-Gyposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Wishing warts away doesn't help, I tried. But some people can make them go away, even though you do not know anything about what they do, it happened to me.

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8. 57

   Kalar Waltersposted 12 years ago

   ABSOLUTELY!!  I've used them for nearly 20 years.  I credit them with saving my life and my sanity!!  I realize that it can be complex and difficult to find just the right remedy, but when that remedy is found it is mindblowing!!  I wouldn't be without them!!

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      Debby Bruckposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      So true, Kalar. When the correct matching energy is found, then the results can be seen without a doubt. Blessings, Debby

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9. 67

   JRScarbroughposted 12 years ago

   I believe it works for some things but not others. There are a lot of skin illnesses and pain issues that it can help solve.
   
   I wouldn’t say that something like cancer can rely on it though, but to each their own beliefs. I would not deny that anyone was healed by homeopathic medicine no matter the severity of their illness.

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10. 52

    megg40posted 12 years ago

    3 children raised for their entire lives until they left home with no conventional medicine used, only homeopathic remedies & sometimes herbs. As adults they still call up for remedies. Homeopathy used with all my animals & in one case saved my dog from an expensive & traumatic series of operations. After 10 + years nursing I knew there had to be a better way & homeopathy was it for me & my family. I personally don't care that homeopathy can't be 'proved'. It has been proven to me multiple times over the last 20 yrs of using it as my primary health care treatment. I have witnessed responses that are nothing short of remarkable & clearly not placebo as the symptoms/conditions never returned.

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    1. 67

       Dorothee-Gyposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       Same with me, and all of my family.

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11. 48

    tushar1kaposted 12 years ago

    yes. i believe that homeopathy works, but it works slowly.

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    1. 74

       Moon Daisyposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       Thanks, how long would you say the remedies take to work?

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       Dorothee-Gyposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       In my experience, it works very rapidly if you have the correct remedy, with my husbands Herpes Zoster it works within 30 minutes or faster, he has an effect as soon as he drinks the water with the pills.

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    3. 69

       Debby Bruckposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       Thank you for all the wonderful successful experience testimonials, Dorothee-Gy. Adding up the millions of positive outcomes brings us to a positive conclusion. Blessings in 2013

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    4. 74

       Moon Daisyposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       Thank you Dorothee and Debby for your answers.

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12. 89

    ChitrangadaSharanposted 12 years ago

    There are some cases in which homeopathy is very effective, whereas in some cases we can not afford to wait for the treatment to be effective. Since it is a holistic treatment, it corrects the whole system and not a certain body part---it is a time taking process.
    For infants and small children, it works very fine and also for chronic ailments. But obviously you can not depend and wait for it to show results for a life threatening disease.
    Again it is very important to find a good homeopathic doctor, if you are taking medicines for your children.
    One of my friend  had taken homeopathic treatment for a stubborn skin problem, and touch wood it got cured completely. The treatment lasted for one full year. Before that she had taken allopathic treatments for the same problem, she used to get alright, but the problem used to occur  again and again.
    So, it works for some cases and may not be effective in other cases.

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    1. 74

       Moon Daisyposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       Hmm, I'm glad your friend had success in curing her skin problem, but I often wonder if something that took as long as a year to cure (with homeopathy, or any other similar treatment), would have just got better anyway?

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    2. 67

       Dorothee-Gyposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       I had Rosacea once, which is a rash that develops little blisters all over your skin that itch, then break open and build nasty crusts. It normally takes at least 6 to 8 weeks to heal conventionally. With homeopathy, it was gone in 3 days completely.

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13. 60

    ellaameliaposted 12 years ago

    Homeopathy do not working fast but its working is slow and effective. In emergency Homeopathy is not effective due to slow effect. One of the best benefit, this medicine have no side effect.

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       scottcgruberposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       Of course homeopathy has no side effects - it has no effects, period!

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       megg40posted 12 years agoin reply to this

       I have seen very fast responses with homeopathy. Recently cat  found affected by paralysis tick at 11pm unable to walk & breathing laboured. Death often quickly follows. Remedy given, immediate response. 3 more doses over 30mins cat recovered.

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    3. 69

       Debby Bruckposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       Actually, it is a myth that homeopathy works slowly. In acute situations, homeopathy works immediately to heal. This is why people take arnica for any bump, bruise or shock. There are many emergency remedies.

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    4. 67

       Dorothee-Gyposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       I totally agree with Debbie. It can work very rapidly with the correct remedy. The trick is to find the correct one. It's a pinpoint science, not a shotgun method.

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       ellaameliaposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       @Dorothee-Gy
       Absolutely say right,  Actually it's a pin point science.

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14. 67

    Dorothee-Gyposted 12 years ago

    Well, since it invariably works with my cats and my husband's herpes zoster, plus cured my little boys hayfever, it would be more than funny if I wouldn't believe in it!
    
    I didn't tell my husband anything about the pills (you could call that a blind-study), I just dissolved them in water and gave it to him. The pain immediately subsided and the inflammation went away, and after 2-3 days, it was gone. He didn't know anything about homeopathy, and was very sceptic, but now, when his herpes flames up, he always asks for "the water". He still doesn't know which remedies I used.
    
    My son suffered for years with severe hayfever all summer long. It practically confined him to the house and every night, he'd hardly sleep, because his nose was so clogged up.
    
    Last year, I got all remedies that have to do with his symptoms, dissolved them in water twice a day and let him drink that in the morning and evening. You can believe it or not, but he had hardly any symptoms, even after trampolining on a heavily pollen-coated trampolin. I don't even want to think what that would have done to him in the years before! And no, he wasn't in sponateous remission before that, the hayfever started right on time and was like in the years before, until I started with the pills.
    
    All my cats have always immediately reacted to homeopathic remedies, and they cannot read anything about what I give them.
    
    So, whoever calls it a fraud, is entitled to his opinion and will hopefully find relief with hard-core chemicals that have tons of toxic components and a load of side effects. For me, the proof is in the pudding, and so I cannot do anything but know that it helps, every time.

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    1. 0

       scottcgruberposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       It's not merely opinion that homeopathy is bogus. It has been proven in many double-blind studies. I'll take proven medicine over magic beans any day.

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    2. 67

       Dorothee-Gyposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       Good for you! Double blind, that must lead us to the truth, I understand! What is life experience against that??? You know, we need a lot of people who believe in this double-blind approach, or the pharmacytical industry will axe all other methods...

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    3. 69

       Debby Bruckposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       Everything is founded upon certain premises, belief systems, and understanding. However, homeopathy is based upon universal natural eternal laws. Scientific fact. No one can refute that. similia similibus curantur

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    4. 0

       scottcgruberposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       "Universal natural eternal laws?" Please. That is pseudoscientific BS, not scientific fact. There is no evidence that water remembers. None. You can appeal to "essential energies" and quantum physics all you want, but the facts are against you.

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    5. 69

       Debby Bruckposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       I think gravity is real science. It is a law of nature. It's up to the individual to bring into their consciousness facts of what they see occur all around them.

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    6. 52

       amnonposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       Our dog was scared of thunder, and if left alone would hide under something and get something to chew :-)  A friend pulled a white BB out of her purse, put it in a bottle of water, gave instructions of administering, and after one week, he was cured!

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15. 60

    housexpertposted 12 years ago

    Anything has to be better than manufactured drugs. Homeopathic medicine is based on"the significance of small amounts" this premise is "not" recognized by licenced medical practitioners. Strange eh! Conspiracy  maybe? DHL

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    1. 69

       Debby Bruckposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       Not only does the substance get diluted and reduced in size; it must be potentized to release the energetic qualities and essence of the substance.

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16. 38

    Borsiaposted 12 years ago

    It certainly has its place in the course of treatments but serious problems require serious medical attention.
    I would point out the recent passing of Steve Jobs from cancer.
    The type of cancer he had was quite treatable with modern medicine and surgery. He had caught it early and if my memory is right he initially had around 80+% chance for a total cure.
    Instead he chose to treat it for 9 months with "alternative medicine". By the time he finally underwent surgery it was too late the tumor had split and spread and his fate was sealed.
    So treat a cold, allergies, minor intestinal problems; sure give it a try and if it doesn't hurt you haven't lost anything. But if you have anything prolonged or you believe you have a serious problem you should at the very least get an opinion from a real doctor.

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    1. 67

       Dorothee-Gyposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       The biggest problem with that is that the 'real doctors' are utterly unable to do anything outside of the box, because they could be sued to death if they did. So they stock their protocols, no matter if they are good or not.

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    2. 38

       Borsiaposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       There are medical research programs where the patient must agree to experimental treatments. But modern medicine holds the best diagnostic and treatments options for sever problems. If they fail you can try another approach,with nothing to loose.

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    3. 69

       Debby Bruckposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       We can cite the healing stories of many people, but we cannot predict the outcome. Actress Suzanne Somers,  Jessica Richards, Lorraine Day, M.D. and others used alternative therapies and recovered from cancer.

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    4. 60

       WVBardsposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       Then again, my grandma got rid of her breast cancer with alternative medicine.

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17. 63

    cjpooja26posted 12 years ago

    yes, homeopathy works but it is very long and you have that much patience so that you can wait for the effects of the homeopathy remedies. But it works defenitely.

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    1. 67

       Dorothee-Gyposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       I've written that before, so just for the record: if you have the correct remedy for the job, the effect is very often instantaneous. No waiting required!

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18. 72

    Dan Barfieldposted 12 years ago

    I have for years been in outspoken opposition to Homeopothy... until recently. I was not convinced by personal experience... because individual cases can be explained away by the placebo effect.
    
    I met a good friend of mine for a pint after work one day. My friend is a neuroscientist and a more rational anti-bunkum type of person is harder to find. I could tell from the minute he sat down at the bar that he was annoyed. This is what he told me: A famous opposer of homeopathic practice and the psuedo-science behind it had carried out a broad trial of homeopathic medicines on a very large number of people. Data from thousands of individual cases had been collated, double blind trials run etc. To the scientist's credit, she had come out with surprising results. There is a definite statistically significant success rate above and beyond what can be explained by the placebo effect in the case of homeopathic medicine.
    
    It works. The scientist went on to say that classical homeopathic explanations for how it works are still utter nonsense... but it does work. We now need to work out why it works. It just doesn't make sense that it should work according to classical scientific understanding. This means something very new and different will need to be grasped to explain the processes involved.
    
    So in conclusion - you can trust that it will work to some degree in most cases but don't trust anyone who tells you they know why it works. They don't. No-one does.

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       megg40posted 12 years agoin reply to this

       Dan can you provide more information on this study; name of researcher etc,? Thanks

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       Dorothee-Gyposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       As long as we exclude energy and information from the forces at work, we will never be able to explain it! Homeopathy, as old as it is, is not Newtonian...

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    3. 72

       Dan Barfieldposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       Sure thing - you may have to give me a few hours. Gotta phone my friend and get the details

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       Debby Bruckposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       This gentleman may have been referring to the massive homeoprophylaxis in Cuba to prevent Leptospirosis. The information can be found on this Hubpage. http://bit.ly/IYY3uW

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       megg40posted 12 years agoin reply to this

       Thanks Dan. I am familiar with the Cuban experience but that wasn't double blind so I am thinking Dan's friend was referring to something else

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       Debby Bruckposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       Wow! Maybe people don't have to do 'double-blind' when they are completely blind. The Cuba experience demonstrated without doubt that the ONLY regions of Cuba who received homeopathic preparation reduced typical disease spread, while NOT elsewhere.

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       scottcgruberposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       Sorry, but "the rest of the country" is not a control group. The Bracho study is methodologically flawed and reaches dubious conclusions from a questionable premise. Which is why it's in a homeopathy journal, not a scientific one.

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    8. 69

       Debby Bruckposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       I suppose we will find out the results of upcoming data collection, as the Cuban government has decided to repeat and expand the dissemination of homeopathic remedies as prevention of infectious contagious disease during future post hurricane events.

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    9. 72

       Dan Barfieldposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       Couldn't get through to my friend but the article on this page gives good info: http://www.homeopathic.com/Articles/Hom … icine.html

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    10. 52

        amnonposted 12 years agoin reply to this

        You guys will continue with your arguments about "double blind" and such, while those of us who actually experienced the remedies will help our body repair itself.  I am the type who needs to see actual proof in order to believe something, and I did!

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19. 56

    Phil Northingposted 12 years ago

    Hi Moon Daisy,
    
    Between them, scottcgruber & swordsbane have nailed this. The scientific consensus is that there is no consistent evidence that Homeopathy provides any effective treatment over a placebo effect (see http://1.usa.gov/VuBYJy for example).
    
    Another fundamental problem is that there is no logical mechanism for how it works! See the The Physics of Homeopathy section in this article (www.colorado.edu/philosophy/vstenger/Me … omeop.html) for a discussion of how the laws of Physics get in the way of putative mechanisms.
    
    Many pro-homeopathy commentators seem to come up with stuff about energy etc - see Debby Bruck below for an example "Certainly potentized remedies transfer the essential energies into the water molecules enabling organisms to heal." Question is what does this actually mean, exactly? I certainly couldn't tell you and I wouldn't be surprised if Debby struggled to pin down exactly what this meant and how it actually worked.
    
    Unfortunately I would put Homeopathy in the box marked "sounds too good to be true"...

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    1. 67

       Dorothee-Gyposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       Well, the proof still is in the pudding. If it does the job and helps, then it is valid and it really doesn't matter what you call it. Placebos are highly effective and the fact that we have them in us doesn't invalidate this.

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    2. 56

       Phil Northingposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       The placebo effect is not fully understood, but to say it is highly effective somewhat overstates it. Why rely on this when you can visit your doctor and get a treatment with proven efficacy? Homeopathy is risky if relied upon for serious illness.

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    3. 67

       Dorothee-Gyposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       Don't know when you took your last conventional drug, but have you ever looked at the list of side effects? There's one of the arguments for placebos or homeopathy, no side effects. And with homeopathy, high efficiency (no belief required).

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       swordsbaneposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       Nothing wrong with using the placebo effect, but it is a very different (and dangerous) thing to say "Homeopathy works.. Don't rely on standard medicine."  The placebo effect IS standard medicine, and it works.  Homeopathy isn't... and doesn't.

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    5. 67

       Dorothee-Gyposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       Well, if you ask people who actually use it, they WILL tell you, it does! Sorry, it just does, can't change that! Too many experiences with too many different people AND animals, can't negate it.

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    6. 60

       swordsbaneposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       Homeopathy APPEARS to work BECAUSE of the placebo effect.  Chewing leather would have the same effect if  generated the same convictions in patients.

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    7. 0

       scottcgruberposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       The plural of anecdotes is not data. It doesn't matter how many people claim to have been cured by magic sugar pills. Homeopathy fails in double-blind clinical testing. That is the real truth.

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    8. 67

       Dorothee-Gyposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       It's quite humorous to see how stuck the opponents of it are, no life experience can't help here. The funny thing about it is that, as I've written repeatedly here, the choice of the correct remedy IS crucial, which makes the placebo argument bogus.

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    9. 60

       swordsbaneposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       Dorothee-Gy: It doesn't make the "placebo argument" bogus at all. It's like saying the Sun is going around the Earth and based on what we see from Earth, it couldn't happen any other way.  I suggest you read up on the placebo effect.

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    10. 67

        Dorothee-Gyposted 12 years agoin reply to this

        I know enough about the placebo effect that I'm aware that it is based on a strong belief in the recipient that he receives a valid remedy. But even if you believe in it, if you have the wrong remedy, it doesn't work.

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    11. 60

        swordsbaneposted 12 years agoin reply to this

        Um.. .no.  The placebo effect is a medical principle that says that sometimes when you believe you are being given medicine, your body behaves as if it is, even if it's not.  It's extremely unreliable and rather rare.  This is how Homeopathy "works"

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    12. 67

        Dorothee-Gyposted 12 years agoin reply to this

        According to a meta-analysis in 1991 of 25 years of clinical studies using homeopathic remedies, 81 from 107 controlled trials showed that homeopathic remedies were effective, so I'd say there's more than just placebo effect at work....

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    13. 60

        swordsbaneposted 12 years agoin reply to this

        Please provide the study name and the name of the head researcher.  You'd be surprised how many times people cite studies to me that turn out to be bogus.  Just because someone said it's a "study" doesn't make it legitimate research.

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    14. 52

        megg40posted 12 years agoin reply to this

        Cat & paralysis tick. Paralysis of limbs, laboured breathing, choking as airways constricted. Homeopathic remedy given 3x over 30mins. Breathing eased, choking ceased, cat able to move. Full mobility restored next day. Placebo effect? Not convinc

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    15. 72

        Dan Barfieldposted 12 years agoin reply to this

        The placebo effect can't be relied on for everyone unfortunately - for the 30% of the population unresponsive to the power of suggestion (the hypnotist's nemesis) this will not work. Psychosomatic healing processes require susceptability to sugestion

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20. 67

    pradiiphiraposted 12 years ago

    hello,
    yes Homeopath works, but as a ayurveda doctor i can't understand how it works,
    but i know that it works,.....!!!

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    1. 67

       Dorothee-Gyposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       I guess that is the main problem with it, it is just very hard to explain how something that shouldn't be in there any more can have any effect. But as you say, it works anyhow, and that's what matters!

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21. 48

    Akif Mansoorposted 12 years ago

    Homeopathy does work, at times more effectively than allopathy. It is more effective in case of infections, kidney related problems and neural problems. Good thing about homeopathy is that in this type of treatment the medicines trigger your body's immunity to fight the disease instead of medincines fighting the symptoms as does allopathic medicines ( hence no side effects on other body parts).
    Homeopathic treatments take some time in showing results because of the way dese medicines work. Instead of directly fighting symptoms and suppressing them, homeo medicines develop body's immunity which then fight on its own against the disease and cure the disease from its roots.
    Sometimes patients feel aggravation in their symptoms when they start using homeo medicines. This is not alarming, instead its an indication that medicines are working, body would develop its own immunity in the next step and would fight the disease on its own.

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22. 58

    starstreamposted 12 years ago

    Yes, I believe it works for many people.  I am a believer in herbal remedies instead of artificial chemicals.  Please read these answers. There are some interesting findings here.  Having options and choices to heal without causing imbalance to our body systems is important.

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23. 78

    Elderberry Artsposted 12 years ago

    I believe it works as it has worked for me, my children and also I used it to cure a persistent skin problem my dog had. My son took a homoeopathic remedy when he was young for his adhd and without even knowing he was taking it school commented on how much his behaviour had improved.

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24. 55

    Jerryjarposted 12 years ago

    I believe it works as it has worked for me, my children and also I used it to cure a persistent skin problem my dog had. My son took a homoeopathic remedy when he was young for his adhd and without even knowing he was taking it school commented on how much his behaviour had improved.

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25. 60

    Samith Jhonposted 12 years ago

    I think that it really does work the few times that I actually used it.  I just used an earache medicine  and it helped within a day or two.  I would definitely try it again.

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26. 60

    papiyajanaposted 12 years ago

    Yes I believe it but medicine should be genuine.

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