In the end, it
was a complete waste of time and money. Yet, the National Health and Medical
Research Council (NHMRC), Australia’s top agency for medical research
has concluded that night is darker than day, but not before examining 225
studies that had already “proven” this. If that sounds
stupid, it is. Just as much so as studying the actual topic of the
research—homeopathy.
Homeopathy is a remnant from
the 19th century. It arose as an alternative to drugs of the day, which were
toxic and mostly useless, and was based on a fundamental flaw in chemistry and
biology—that when a solution of God-knows-what is diluted to the point where
none of it is left, it will still have a biological or medicinal effect.
“Still” is really not an
appropriate term, since God-knows-what almost certainly did nothing even before
it was diluted. This led ACSH’s Dr. Josh Bloom to wonder if “perhaps homeopaths
practice a different version of the Hippocratic Oath—‘First, do no harm.
Second, do no good.”’
So, how is it possible for
something that was present to still have a biological effect after it is
gone? Well, it’s not, but that didn’t stop believers from coming up with an
explanation that managed to violate pretty much every rule of chemistry.
Homeopathy “works,” according to its adherents, by altering the structure and
function of the water that remains once the God-knows-what is gone.
Dr. Bloom comments, “Too bad
this doesn’t work in my kitchen. Then, after I finished an entire box of
Entenmann’s chocolate donuts, I could go back to the same cabinet and they’d
still be there.”
We are not even going to bother
to discuss the findings of NHMRC. It’s a waste of electrons. Rather, we would
like to point out both the harm and harmlessness and danger of homeopathic
voodoo (we don’t have strong enough stomachs to call it medicine).
The good news is that a
homeopathic “remedy” cannot directly harm you, unless you drown in it. But
there is also a real downside to this.
Dr. Bloom explains “When people
drink water instead of getting real medical treatment, they are putting
themselves at risk indirectly. The same concept cost Steve Jobs his life. Jobs
tried ‘alternative medicine’ at a time where his rare form of pancreatic cancer
was curable. Of course, it didn’t work, and by the time he realized this, it
was too late—the cancer had spread.”
He concludes, “It is nothing
short of pathetic that any money or time is spent disproving something that is
patently ridiculous. I don’t need to study whether a bowling ball dropped from
the top of the Empire State Building will hurt when it lands on my head.”
In the end, it was a complete
waste of time and money. Yet, the National Health and Medical Research Council
(NHMRC), Australia’s top agency for medical research
has concluded that night is darker than day, but not before examining 225
studies that had already “proven” this.
If that sounds stupid, it is.
Just as much so as studying the actual topic of the research—homeopathy.
Homeopathy is a remnant from
the 19th century. It arose as an alternative to drugs of the day, which were
toxic and mostly useless, and was based on a fundamental flaw in chemistry and
biology—that when a solution of God-knows-what is diluted to the point where
none of it is left, it will still have a biological or medicinal effect.
“Still” is really not an
appropriate term, since God-knows-what almost certainly did nothing even before
it was diluted. This led ACSH’s Dr. Josh Bloom to wonder if “perhaps homeopaths
practice a different version of the Hippocratic Oath—‘First, do no harm.
Second, do no good.”’
So, how is it possible for
something that was present to still have a biological effect after it is
gone? Well, it’s not, but that didn’t stop believers from coming up with an
explanation that managed to violate pretty much every rule of chemistry.
Homeopathy “works,” according to its adherents, by altering the structure and
function of the water that remains once the God-knows-what is gone.
Dr. Bloom comments, “Too bad
this doesn’t work in my kitchen. Then, after I finished an entire box of
Entenmann’s chocolate donuts, I could go back to the same cabinet and they’d
still be there.”
We are not even going to bother
to discuss the findings of NHMRC. It’s a waste of electrons. Rather, we would
like to point out both the harm and harmlessness and danger of homeopathic
voodoo (we don’t have strong enough stomachs to call it medicine).
The good news is that a
homeopathic “remedy” cannot directly harm you, unless you drown in it. But
there is also a real downside to this.
Dr. Bloom explains “When people
drink water instead of getting real medical treatment, they are putting
themselves at risk indirectly. The same concept cost Steve Jobs his life. Jobs
tried ‘alternative medicine’ at a time where his rare form of pancreatic cancer
was curable. Of course, it didn’t work, and by the time he realized this, it
was too late—the cancer had spread.”
He concludes, “It is nothing
short of pathetic that any money or time is spent disproving something that is
patently ridiculous. I don’t need to study whether a bowling ball dropped from
the top of the Empire State Building will hurt when it lands on my head.” ....This Appeared Here.....
Coalition composed of Attorneys General to crack down on dietary supplements industry- Last month, the NYS Attorney General's offices tested herbal supplements from major retailers and found the supplements did not contain the herbs on the label over 80 percent of the time. Now Attorneys General are banding together to investigate. Read more.
Foodborne illness most likely to come from fruits and vegetables. Who knew? - We've been hearing warnings about foodborne illness frequently. While many believe that meat and poultry are the main offenders, new CDC data show that most cases of food-related illness come from fruits and vegetables. Read more.
Hormone replacement therapy: Is it linked to cancer? - Is hormone replacement therapy for menopausal symptoms safe? Recent studies suggest a slightly increased risk of cancer mortality - but depending on symptom severity, hormone replacement therapy may still be a good option. Read more.
A NYTimes "Well" column discusses a way to reduce chemo-induced hair loss - A major concern for the many thousands of women undergoing cancer chemotherapy - most commonly breast cancer - is hair loss, even though it is reversible over time. A new technique seems to help reduce the risk and severity: freezing caps. Read more.
Peanuts linked to
lower death rates from heart disease, according to large study - Peanuts may be good for your heart. A new study
including over 200,000 participants from the United States and Shanghai, China
found a link between high peanut intake and lower risk of death rates from
cardiovascular disease. Read more.
Cochlear implants
improve both hearing and cognition in older patients
- Cochlear implants can improve not just hearing, but cognitive
function, in older patients. They have also helped toddlers with impaired or
absent hearing to learn to speak normally, if utilized at an appropriate age,
between 12 and 18 months. Read more.
Encouraging more boys to get the HPV vaccination could lead to greater protection at the same cost, study suggests - HPV vaccination rates are unacceptably low, and increasing much too slowly, given the important public health benefits such protection confers. A new study finds that getting more boys vaccinated might be the most cost-effective way to increase protection. Read more.
Maryland's psychotic herbicide laws - Montgomery County, going against both science and already-cautious federal guidelines, wants to ban "cosmetic pesticides" - those that are used for non-essential purposes, like lawns. The proposed regulations are not only disjointed, but also unnecessary. Read more.
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