Remember the Bavarian Homeopathy Study? I reported about it only a few days ago. Now the ‘German Homeopathic Doctors Association’ has published an interview with someone who allegedly knows more about it. Here is my translation:
Dr. Springer, what does it actually mean politically that this study came about at all?
First of all, it means that the work of several years was worthwhile and that we were able to convince those responsible with a carefully elaborated study design. It also shows how enormously important it is to have solid political contacts with parties, MPs, parliamentary groups, and spokespersons in health committees. In addition to persuasion, personal credibility and professional competence are indispensable for the growth of such contacts. This is also shown by the fact that LIMed (List of Integrative Medicine) in Bavaria (as in some other federal states) has succeeded in sending committed colleagues to the representations of the State Medical Association and the Medical District and County Association.
What is special about this study?
As far as I know, it is the first study worldwide to be carried out with hand-shaken high potencies (C 200 and C 1000). If the results were positive, the mechanism of action of homeopathy would not be clarified, but it would be proven that highly potentised medicinal substances have a healing effect that can be objectified scientifically.
Who is the sponsor of this study?
The Bavarian Parliament voted with an absolute majority to scientifically investigate the role of complementary medicine in the fight against increasing antibiotic resistance. Several study designs were submitted on this question, and our study approach won the bid in the end. The Bavarian State Ministry of Health and Care is financing the study and has won the Technical University of Munich as a partner – after all, it is one of Germany’s universities of excellence. This removes all doubts about the correct scientific conduct of the study.
What is to be investigated in the study?
It relates to a diagnosis with great relevance to healthcare: Women often suffer from recurrent urinary tract infections, which are often treated with antibiotics. This is always associated with the risk of causative bacteria developing resistance to antibiotics. As homeopathically qualified doctors, we know from decades of experience that we can reduce and even end the frequency of recurrent urinary tract infections and their occurrence with our homeopathic remedies. We want to put this experience to the test scientifically with this study.
How do you see the chances for a positive study result?
As doctors, we know what we do and what we can do. We will do everything in our power to show that we can do it! I would also like to take this opportunity to thank all those who have made this study possible and who are providing us with professional and scientific support!-
The interview was conducted by Ulf Riker, MD.
___________________________
The interview raises several questions:
- Dr. Springer confirms that the existence of the study and its financial support is mostly due to political influence. Is this how good science should be generated?
- Is it true that the study is the first to investigate potency homeopathy? Considering that the bestselling homeopathic, Oscillococcinum, is sold in the C200 potency, this seems to be a very questionable statement.
- If the results were to come out positive, would we really re-write the textbooks of physics and chemistry which state that the absence of an active molecule cannot have an effect?
- Does the involvement of the Technical University truly remove all doubts about the correct scientific conduct of the study?
- If the homeopathically qualified doctors conducting the study already claim to know from decades of experience that they can reduce and even end the frequency of recurrent urinary tract infections with homeopathic remedies, are they not going to be too biased in conducting such a study?
- If the trialists are determined to do everything in their power to show that homeopathy works, will the study generate a reliable result?
- My last question is, how reliable is Dr. Springer? I found another interview of him dated 2021. In it he stated about the homeopathic treatment of COVID patients: ” [There is a} group of Covid-19 patients … [to] whose successful treatment we as homeopathic physicians can certainly contribute. The symptomatology of these patients is considerable, sometimes severe, but not life-threatening. They suffer from headaches and pain in the limbs, dizziness, fever, have the often-quoted “dry cough”, sweat, and usually feel very weak. But they have not yet developed clinical symptoms of pneumonia. These patients – and they are by no means few – can be helped by medical homeopathy, I am firmly convinced, curatively. Provided, of course, that a very precise, individual homeopathic anamnesis is carried out, the patient is closely followed, the course of the disease is closely observed and the remedy administered is adjusted if necessary. By preventing an acute condition and hospitalization in these patients homeopathy could make a not inconsiderable contribution to overcoming these greatest health and social challenges in one hundred years.” That, I think might answer my question.
As I pointed out before, the study design looks rigorous. After reading this interview, I have my doubts that its execution will be rigorous as well.
15 Responses to More information about the Bavarian Homeopathy Study
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I found the following eulogy of the DZVhÄ about Dr Springer. He apparently has good connections with the Bavarian Ministry of Health.
https://www.homoeopathie-bayern.de/journalisten-sollten-fuer-etwas-und-nicht-gegen-etwas-arbeiten/
yes, I had seen this too.
INTERNATIONALLY KNOWN? No!
I tried to find out whether he has ever published anything on homeopathy; I could not find anything on Medline.
Perhaps Dana and Heinrich can telll us how internationally Wolfgang is known? Except in relevant homeopathic circles, of course? 😉
[In honour of the late SkepDoc Harriet Hall]
“Dr. Springer, what does it actually mean politically that this study came about at all?”
“It means that politics finally appears ready to take a serious look into the phenomenon of the Tooth Fairy.”
“What is special about this study?”
“As far as I know, it is the first study worldwide to be carried out where advanced forensic technology is used to determine the physical form of the Tooth Fairy, up to and including the colour of the Tooth Fairy’s garments. It would of course not result in an actual image of the Tooth Fairy, but we can at least find out what size she takes and what colour she prefers.
“Who is the sponsor of this study?”
“Luckily, we found taxpayer representatives willing to engage with our research efforts, providing the substantial contribution needed to conduct our research into the Tooth Fairy in a thorough, scientific manner.”
“What is to be investigated in the study?”
“It relates to something of great importance: the physical appearance of the Tooth Fairy is very important to the acceptance of the Tooth Fairy paradigm, not only among scientists, but also for the actual children whose teeth are at stake here. We would for instance not want children to be traumatized by the whole Tooth Fairy process, involving teeth falling out and a strange personality showing up at night. It can be a tremendous help if we can familiarize children with what they can expect beforehand.”
“How do you see the chances for a positive study result?”
“As forensic researchers, we know that children’s teeth, when placed under their pillow, are exchanged for local currency, a fact which provides very solid support for our Tooth Fairy theory. We are confident that with our extensive skills and knowledge, we will succeed in securing significant traces of the Tooth Fairy’s intervention, contributing to the aforementioned theory in no small way. We would also like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who made this study possible, supporting our efforts to achieve what we hope will be a breakthrough.”
excellent!
This interview is a great insight into the mind of a homeopathic “doctor” conducting an investigation about the efficacy of his beloved pseudomedical treatment.
Knowing the likely outcome of the study before it even started and being eager to get the desired results. Priceless 🤣… and obviously a great starting position for an unbiased, rigorous & critical assessment of the trade that he most likely also financially relies on.
That is the scientific method! You have a theory of how something works and you test it out. All scientists are eager to prove they are right. Because they are homeopaths there is something wrong with that?
Obviously if they fudge the data there is a problem, as many conventional doctors and scientists, especially those employed by the pharma companies, do.
“And companies can ensure their drug never causes anything by making sure that trials are organized so that important adverse events cannot become statistically significant.” – Dr David Healy, Pharmageddon
Stan, I don´t expect YOU to understand the difference between science and pseudoscience and that as a scientist, it should not be your main aim to prove your preconceived notion correct, but instead to be most critical about your own work.
However, I expect that a person who received >700.000 Euros of public founding should know this very well. The funny thing is that this person does not seem to have a clue about the inherent problems of having a bias opinon and the limited value of personal experience. Claiming that a positive result in his single study would prove that “homeopathic remedies objectively have a healing property”, further indicates that he apparently has never heard that reproducibility is a key aspect of the scientific method.
Finally, I find it hilarious that he boasts with having a partner from a German “Exzellenzuniversität” and stating that this would “remove all doubts about the correct scientific conduct of the study” 😆. What a pretentious BS (and close to the well-known argumentum ad verecundiam fallacy).
Becoming an Exzellenzuniversität in Germany does not even mean that all FACULTIES of the University were involved in the excellence-grant proposal, let alone that all persons working at this institute are great scientists.
I am really looking forward to seeing the results of this study, but after reading this interview, I have even more doubts than before that the experiments will be conducted with great diligence.
“If the results were to come out positive, would we really re-write the textbooks of physics and chemistry which state that the absence of an active molecule cannot have an effect?”
Skeptics always repeat this without any real foundation. MAYBE homeopathy works by means of a form of energy not currently addressed in textbooks, as Dr Hahnemann speculated 220+ years ago. Dr H. was a well respected chemist in his day and knew Avogadro’s principle at the time. Consciousness itself will never be understood using the current mechanistic paradigm.
“… Skeptics always repeat this without any real foundation.”
The “real foundations” are called first principles, as I’ve shown you recently, ‘stan’.
“Dr H. was a well respected chemist in his day and knew Avogadro’s principle at the time. Consciousness itself will never be understood using the current mechanistic paradigm.”
You know that this is untrue because your error was pointed out by Dr Julian Money-Kyrle on Saturday 17 September 2022 at 00:55:
And read again my reply below Julian’s.
@stan
Wouldn’t it be a better approach to FIRST come up with solid, ubiquitous evidence proving that homeopathy works at all, before dreaming up all sorts of hypothetical mechanisms? Also see Tooth Fairy Sience.
“Dr. Springer confirms that the existence of the study and its financial support is mostly due to political influence. Is this how good science should be generated?”
Speaking of tooth fairies. So funding for scientific research is supposed to appear suddenly under the pillows of the scientists that wish to do the studies, without seeking it out and convincing people that it should be done?
EE, is that how your funding for studies arrived? Or did you convince someone that your studies should be done? Sounds political to me. You better be investigated for that improper activity.
sorry, but your comment is too stupid to merit an answer.
Study contact backup: Dr. Katharina Gaertner, former student of Michael Frass …
I know!
says it all, I think