Monday, December 8, 2008

Homeopathy is foolish and must be stopped

Why seemingly intelligent people continue to believe in homeopathy, let alone practice this mumbo-jumbo on a nine-month old, is beyond belief.

Let me stress that this couple have not been found guilty of anything and are entitled to the presumption of innocence, but honestly!

The article notes;

The inquest was told the infant was severely malnourished when she died and had been suffering from such terrible eczema that much of her skin was split.

Her homeopath father and her IT professional mother allegedly treated her with homeopathic remedies rather than her prescribed medication
.

FFS!

There is no, repeat no, scientific evidence that I’m aware of that homeopathy is anything other than complete snake-oil. If you know anybody who believes in this nonsense, you may want to print out a copy of this article and shove it under their fucking noses.

34 comments:

homesick said...

So sad and completely avoidable.

There is a time and place for homeopathic remedies and they are

1. When a well rolled joint is smoked after a long tiring day and

2. Arnica tablets* when the 7 year old is throwing a Mugabe style tantrum all because her sister stepped on her foot... no point in dosing her up with Panadol if she is just a drama queen.

I know many friends (and a sister in law) that all swear by the white witch medicine but secretly they return to the more conventional potions when the elderflower root powder fails. Equally it is out of order to pour Tixylix down your 2 years olds throat just because he/she won't settle at night.

Happy medium people .. happy medium.

*commonly refered to as "magic fairy lollies" in our house as that is all they are really ... sweet-tasting placebos.

Lewd Bob said...

Huzzah! The more people critical of homeopathy the better. What a nonsense! Don't know if you've seen Richard Dawkins' doco entitled 'The Enemies of Reason' but he certainly takes homeopaths to task.

Apologies for using Wikipedia as my reference but I'm lazy and, further, I remember Dawkins presenting this very fact. I was totally dumbfounded:

"Dawkins explains that the rationale behind it (homeopathy) is unfounded and demonstrates that the magnitude of dilution (of the active ingredient) required is so great the patient is practically imbibing pure water. This is illustrated by a typical 30C (1:10030, that is thirty steps of dilution by 1% each time) homeopathic dilution requires a drop of active ingredient dissolved in a body of water greater than the whole ocean."

The whole ocean, mein Gott!

Still, I reckon homeopathy makes more sense that astrology. Again, seemingly intelligent people seem to get sucked in, under and off.

Perseus said...

I made an ex-stutterer stutter after 8 years of not doing so (because he did some speech course).

He owned a 'Healing Centre', and they used homeopathy. I asked what he healed. He said they had many cancer patients. I asked if he cured cancer. He said that results show that his work could prolong their lives. I suggested, forcibly, that he should rename it a 'Prolonging Centre'.

Then he started to stutter.

squib said...

I don't know which is more shonky

homeopaths or chiropractors

Ramon Insertnamehere said...

Oh and Patriarch Alexy II, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, has died of heart failure in Peredelkino, Russia.

His opinion on homeopathy is not known.

Natasha said...

Well I think it's safe to say it didn't work then eh Ramon?

Also, aromatherapy is another load of shite - it's all in the mind. There were studies. I'm not going to quote them because I don't remember where I got my information from... But my point remains.

wari lasi said...

A bloke called Nebira, a driver for Global Constructions, was killed this morning when his truck overturned on the freeway and caught fire.

His views on homeopathy were also unknown.

And isn't aromatherapy all in the olfactories?

Melba said...

If homeopathy didn't exist (and did you know the British Royals use it?) those Idiot Parents would have found another way to not take care of their child.

I think the fault lies with the people, not homeopathy, don't you?

wari lasi said...

those Idiot Parents would have found another way to not take care of their child

Hear, hear Melba. And because I know you care, the weather was great for the yacht club Christmas Party yesterday. We all got sunburnt (again) and our "professional" skipper wrote himself off and yours truly had to drive the boat home.

Perseus said...

Yacht Club? Were you wearing a V-neck around your shoulders? Did you toast the Queen?

patchouligirl said...

Malnutrition would kill the baby and no amount of prescribed medicine or homeopathy would save it if it wasn't being fed.

Lewd Bob said...

Sailing on the ocean with nary a drop of active ingredient, mind.

Lewd Bob said...

Agreed patchouligirl, but it seems the were using homeopathy INSTEAD of feeding her. Let's see, some mashed vegies, stewed apple and a nice bottle of milk or a vial of water containing 2 parts hydrogen and 1 part oxygen?

patchouligirl said...

This is a simple case of neglect anyway. If your baby was that sick and the treatment wasn't working you wouldn't just let it die without seeking another opinion.

Melba said...

Thanks wari lasi. I was wondering how the weather was going over there.

wari lasi said...

Were you wearing a V-neck around your shoulders? Did you toast the Queen?

A V-neck? I don't think so. But it is the "Royal" Papua Yacht Club, so QEII gets the odd toast.

And Melba, I knew you'd be concerned. Right now the sky is as black as the folk walking around in the street down below my office window.

Lewd Bob, I was deemed least likely to fuck up, there were ten kids on the boat.

catlick said...

I'm just surprised that homeopaths don't go the full monty, claim Homeopathy is a religion, and get a tax bonanza.

Lewd Bob said...

Wari lasi I was referring to homeopathy, not the amount of active ingredient in your bloodstream which I daren't make judgment on a) because I wasn't there and b) because I hardly know you. I'm sure you were fully competent.

Christian Kerr said...

I imagine the looming recession will do terrible things to the cupping "practitioners" of Clifton Hill and North Fitzroy.

Ramon Insertnamehere said...

Christian, even now practitioners of alternative medicine are lining the streets of Clifton hill and North Fitzroy with signs saying "Please help, life-partner and aura to support".

Breaks your heart, it does.

Melba said...

My daughter, on a trip to Byron Bay coincidentally, years ago, very matter-of-factly told all of us in the family what different colours we had coming out of our heads one day, when I tried to explain auras to her.

She was 4.

She can't do it any more.

Ramon Insertnamehere said...

Melba, The Boy asked me the other day "Why did Jesus die?"

I was tempted to say "Dead! I didn't even know he was sick!" but I didn't think the Mrs would appreciate it.

Lewd Bob said...

Melba, when your daughter was 4 she probably made far more sense than 'aura readers' or whatever they call themselves.

Incidentally, my star's entering Uranus this week so I should be receiving some good fortune anytime soon.

WitchOne said...

Those people are not seemingly intelligent, regardless of degrees and current occupations. Anyone who lets their baby die is a fucked up retard who should be sterilised.

I cannot breeding hasn't been regulated yet*!

*Thank God, I kinda like being a parent.

Perseus said...

There used to be a 'colour therapy' shop near me. You paid $180 for a consultation, and at the end of it they gave you a bottle with a specific colour in it, which was meant to heal you or something. I knew one person that went, but she was a chakra / aura / astrology / tarot freak who was beyond healing. But boy did she have great bosoms.

I never once saw a customer in there. Remarkably, the shop lasted six months before closing down.

WitchOne said...

3 year old just told me my aura is turning white.

Actually, I said "hey kiddo, does Mummy have a colour coming out of her head?"

He said, "let me see"

Bent my head down to look at the top of it.

"Hey" he says, "It's turning white"

"Ok" says I while mentally shrugging my shoulders.

Ramon Insertnamehere said...

But boy did she have great bosoms.

I could never knock boots with somebody like that.

Not because of high principles but because I could never stop myself making smart-arse comments.
Sort of a passion killer, all around.

Melba said...

WitchOne. Maybe that's dandruff?

Melba said...

And Ramon. What was your answer? Slow suffocation due to exhaustion and legs collapsing after being nailed to a wooden cross through the palms and feet by the Wo-mans?

Ramon Insertnamehere said...

Um, no Melba.

I said it was because of bad men who didn't like him.

His next question was "when will Kitty die?"

Anonymous said...

His next question was "when will Kitty die?"

Son, as long as Kitty doesn't declare herself King of the Jews and stays on the good side of their Roman liason, she'll avoid crucifixion for many years to come.

WitchOne said...

Anything is possible Melba.

Melba said...

I was just thinking that's what my now 12-year old former aura reader would say if she looked at my scalp these days.

Ramon Insertnamehere said...

as long as Kitty doesn't declare herself King of the Jews.

"King of the Slobs", more like.