1/ Homeopathy is a ~ €600 million market in Germany alone. Worldwide it’s billions.
ICYMI:
- Homeopathy is effective, which explains why so many people swear by it.
- Homeopathy is not more effective than placebo but it is particularly powerful in triggering ...
ICYMI:
- Homeopathy is effective, which explains why so many people swear by it.
- Homeopathy is not more effective than placebo but it is particularly powerful in triggering ...
2/ ... the placebo effect (because of the rituals, stories and ideology around it).
- Efficacy of drugs is usually assessed based on the benefit beyond placebo baseline. So based on that standard, homeopathy is ineffective.
This brings up two questions. One ethical, one ...
- Efficacy of drugs is usually assessed based on the benefit beyond placebo baseline. So based on that standard, homeopathy is ineffective.
This brings up two questions. One ethical, one ...
3/ ... political.
Should doctors give placebos to adult patients? (Without disclosing that it’s a placebo, since that would reduce the placebo effect)
Should society allow the producers of homeopathic products to generate huge profits by selling hot air? In Germany, ...
Should doctors give placebos to adult patients? (Without disclosing that it’s a placebo, since that would reduce the placebo effect)
Should society allow the producers of homeopathic products to generate huge profits by selling hot air? In Germany, ...
4/ ... homeopathy is covered by health insurance so public funds are used for this.
In case you disagree with the ‘not more effective than placebo’ statement:
- Homeopathic products contain no or very few molecules of a potentially effective compound.
- There is no theory...
In case you disagree with the ‘not more effective than placebo’ statement:
- Homeopathic products contain no or very few molecules of a potentially effective compound.
- There is no theory...
/5 ... nor any evidence for the alleged ‘water memory’ effect. It is also extremely illogical: If water did have a memory, every glass of tap water would be a highly effective drug because it contains as many or as few ‘memories’ as a homeopathic product.
6/ Finally: Supporters of homeopathy claim that it cannot be tested vs placebo because every homeopathic treatment is highly individualized. That is nonsense. Why not test 1000 patients on an individualized homeopathic treatment plan vs 1000 on placebo?
