Homeopathy is it a waste of time as it sounds?

Question

Homeopathy is it a waste of time as it sounds?

Answer 1

I am a chemist and the dilutions they use in homeopathic medicines are so extreme, the actual medicine has ZERO of the chemical being diluted.   On teh\\he other hand, double blind studies with placebos show the homeopathic medicnes actually have an effect.

Answer 2

No. I suppose it depends on whom you're listening to.

Answer 3

No it isn't. Going to your MD and wait one hour for his "Majesty" to see you in 10 minutes audience - THAT is a waste of time!! For everybody! (even for the Alopath).

Answer 4

I don't think its a waste of time at all.  I have a friend that goes to a homeopathic doctor for her migraines and she swears by it, she also took her husband there for problems that he was having and it helped him also.  People may be skeptical of it but its been around since the late 1700's and many people rather go this route instead of using conventional medicine.

Answer 5

I don't think so.  I think that as synthetic medications become less effective and so high priced regular people can't afford them, we'll be turning more to more homeopathic methods of helping ourselves, including preventatives.  Synthetic meda re made to be effective for the "average" guy--but a lot of us are not average and synthetics aren't real adjustable, can't be tailored for individuals.  Homeops can.  I think a person has to be astute enough to know know when mainstream medical attention is needed, and when alternative medicine will work better--you know, get the best of both worlds.

Answer 6

There are two principals in homeopathic medicine coined by the founder in 1790:

The Law of Similars. Hahnemann proposed that nature will never permit two illnesses with the same effects to coexist in the human body. As such, if we introduce a substance into the body that causes the same symptoms as an illness, they 'cancel' out.

The Law of Infinitesimals: The effectiveness of a drug is inversely proportional to its dose. Essentially, the smaller the dose of drug, the stronger it's effect on the body. So medications are diluted to the point where there is not a single molecule remaining, the water 'remembers the drug and maintains its curative properties'.

While it's a nice idea, and would certainly make medicine a lot simpler, it doesn't hold any water at all.

The idea of water memory is one of the most thoroughly and utterly discredited ideas ever to stumble into the idea of science.

Answer 7

Well, as far as it's underlying principles (like cures like, and dilution makes medicine stronger)...yes.  These ideas both have NEVER been proven, and they are scientifically implausible as they violate the laws of chemistry and physics that have been discovered since the invention of homeopathy in the late 18th century.

Now, people do claim to feel better, that is true.  This is all anecdotal however. No double blind study has shown that homeopathic medicines work better than the placebo response.  Homeopaths do spend a lot of time with their clients, certainly more than doctors are able to.  No doubt they are caring people and believe what they are doing works. Just simply spending time talking to some one, and being a caring person is probably a beneficial effect in and of itself.   As long as you've got nothing seriously wrong with you that is.....