homeopathy
- The main concern of the FoH seems to be boosting their membership. This suggests that their numbers are dwindling sharply. I wonder why. Is it because of the nasty sceptics? Or is it because the public is slowly understanding that homeopathics are placebos?
- No expertise or even previous exposure to science or healthcare seem to be needed. Considering that the successful candidate is expected to write grant applications, this seems surprising to say the least.
- No knowledge of homeopathy seems required. I find this odd. How is the ‘Chief Operating Officer’ going to understand the weird and wonderful world he/she is supposed to immerse into?
- Reputational management! What a great term! I had not heard it before. It makes sense in relation to Boris Johnson or Donald Trump. In connection with homeopathy, it is truly hilarious, I feel.
So, here it is:
- they offer a decent salary;
- they allow you to work from home most of the time;
- they require skills and expertise only in homeopathic doses.
Come on, Sandra, Lollypop, Dana, Heinrich, RG, Roger, Old Bob:
GO FOR IT!
Research by a reputable independent research company done for Securivita a German insurance company shows that those receiving homeopathic care were much better off. Over 15,700 patients were involved in the study which also used a comparison group.
The study showed that in a wide range of patients with various pathological problems that if they had homeopathic care they faired dramatically better than those just getting conventional medicine.
Children having homeopathy treatment from birth, were particularly healthier and with less problems. Over the three year study period, the number of children needing antibiotics decreased by 16.7 per cent in the homeopathy group, whereby it increased by 73.9 per cent in the conventional medical comparison group!
The number of hospitalizations in the comparison group increased by 32.6 per cent whereby in the homeopathy treatment group it decreased by 9.8 per cent!
Adults and children treated homoeopathically had dramatic improvements in allergies, dermatitis, asthma, just to name a few.
These are just a few examples of the remarkable benefits of homeopathic treatment outlined in the study by by the Leipzig Health Forum , an independent analytical institute specializing in health services conducted for Securvita Krankenkasse Insurer.
“We don’t need fewer, but more homeopathic doctors who will continue on this successful path,” says Götz Hachtmann , director of the health insurance company Securvita.
The study is in German and can be found here.
____________________________
Blessed are those who don’t read German (at least in this instance)!
As I am not amongst the blessed, I ought to tell you a bit about the ‘massive’ study. The OHR, the ‘OFFICIAL HOMEOPATHIC RESOURCE’ (btw what makes the OHR ‘official’?) claims that the study can be found here. The OHR is evidently not well enough resourced for translating the German text into English; if they were, they would know that the link goes not to a ‘study’ but to some kind of a glossy marketing brochure about the ‘study’ (there is no actual published scientific paper on the ‘study’). It provides hardly any relevant information; all we learn is that 15 700 individuals who regularly consulted homeopathic physicians were compared over a three year period to an equally sized control group who did not consult homeopathic doctors… And that’s essentially it! No further relevant details are offered.
By contrast, quite a bit of information is offered about the findings, for instance:
- In the homeopathy group, the hospitalisation rate of depressive patients dropped by 10%, while it increased in controls by 33%.
- The days off work dropped by 17% vs an increase in controls of 17%.
- The use of antibiotics decreased by 17% vs an increase of 74%.
And how do they explain these differences?
Yes, you guessed it:
they are due to homeopathy!
One does not need to have a perfumer’s nose to smell a few badly decomposing rats here, for example:
- We do not learn how many variables were tested in this ‘study’. Therefore, it is likely that the ‘results’ provided are the positive ones, while the not so positive potential effects of homeopathy remained unmentioned. Perhaps the death rate was higher in the homeopathy group? Perhaps they suffered more heart attacks? Perhaps they had a lower quality of life? Perhaps they caused more costs? Perhaps they committed more suicides? etc. etc.
- Even more obvious is the stench of selection bias. The individuals in the homeopathy group were clearly different from the controls to start with. They might have been more health conscious. They clearly were more cautious about antibiotics. They might have been of better general health. They might have been younger. They could have contained more women. They might have been more afraid of going into a hospital. They might have been keener to attend work. In fact, the only variable in which the two groups were comparable is sample size.
Even if we eventually we see this ‘study’ published in a peer-reviewed journal with full methodological details etc., it will not allow even the smartest spin-doctor to establish cause and effect. Its findings would not be more conclusive than those of previously discussed attempts to produce positive evidence for homeopathy. The ‘positive’ findings could have been the result of hundreds of causes, none of which are related to homeopathy.
In a nutshell: this new German ‘study’ is a textbook example for arguing in favour of conducting proper research rather that rampant pseudo-research.
But I must not always be so negative!!!
So, let me try to point out the positive sides of this ‘study’:
The ‘massive independent study’ is a true masterpiece of advertising and marketing for both Securivita and homeopathy.
Well done guys!
I am proud of you!
- That’s exactly the stuff needed for successfully misleading the public.
- That’s precisely the info required to increase your cash flow.
- That’s helpful ‘research’ for convincing politicians.
- That’s definitely the type of baloney to impresses the Ullmanns of this world.
- That’s even the sort of ‘science’ which the ‘OFFICIAL HOMEOPATHIC RESOURCE’ cannot recognise for what it truly is:
invalid junk.
This recent review claimed to evaluate the evidence on the use of human and veterinary homeopathy, evidence level 1a studies were considered. Focusing on the external evidence on the use of homeopathy in infections, some evidence level 1a, 1b, 2c studies, and a case report, are described in more detail.
In conclusion, evidence for the effectiveness of human and veterinary homeopathy in general, and in particular, of homeopathic treatment for infections, is available. Especially, individualized homeopathy demonstrates effects at all quality levels according to Cochrane criteria, even in the methodologically high-quality studies. As in most areas of veterinary medicine and medicine, further good/excellent studies are necessary. In compliance with the principles of homeopathy, further methodologically high-quality trials focusing on the homeopathic treatment of infections are the next logical step. The selection of the simile (individually fitting homeopathic medicinal product) by appropriately trained homeopathic doctors/veterinarians is essential for the effectiveness of homeopathy. Implementation of studies at university facilities is a prerequisite for quality assurance. Consequently, further integration of homeopathy at universities is a necessary requirement for the patients’ best interests.
Who wrote this bizarre paper?
The authors who state to have no conflicts of interest are
Patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) have limited treatment options. Alongside conventional anticancer treatment, additive homeopathy might help to alleviate side effects of conventional therapy. The aim of this study was to investigate whether additive homeopathy might influence quality of life (QoL) and survival in NSCLC patients.
In this prospective, randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind, three-arm, multi-centre, phase III study, the researchers evaluated the possible effects of additive homeopathic treatment compared to placebo in patients with stage IV NSCLC, with respect to QoL in the two randomized groups and survival time in all three groups. Treated patients visited the university teaching hospital every 9 weeks: 150 patients with stage IV NSCLC were included in the study.
- 51 patients received individualized homeopathic remedies plus conventional treatments,
- 47 received placebo plus conventional treatments,
- 52 control patients without any homeopathic treatment were treated with conventional therapies and observed for survival only.
For groups 1 and 2, the study was double-blind. The constituents of the different homeopathic remedies were mainly of plant, mineral, or animal origin. The remedies were manufactured by stepwise dilution and succussion, thereby preparing stable GMP grade formulations.
QoL as well as functional and symptom scales showed significant improvement in the homeopathy group when compared with placebo after 9 and 18 weeks of homeopathic treatment (p < .001). Median survival time was significantly longer in the homeopathy group (435 days) versus placebo (257 days; p = .010) as well as versus control (228 days; p < .001). Survival rate in the homeopathy group differed significantly from placebo (p = .020) and from control (p < .001).
The authors concluded that QoL improved significantly in the homeopathy group compared with placebo. In addition, survival was significantly longer in the homeopathy group versus placebo and control. A higher QoL might have contributed to the prolonged survival. The study suggests that homeopathy positively influences not only QoL but also survival. Further studies including other tumour entities are warranted.
First of all, let me thank my friend Dana Ullman for alerting me to this new and interesting study. I have read what seems to be the full paper several times and have to admit that it puzzles me (and perhaps this version is just some type of pre-publication paper). Firstly, there seems to be no methods section (the abstract is followed by several tables and a discussion), and I am left guessing much of the details. Secondly, the paper raises several questions in my mind:
- What is the purpose of group 3? The authors call it a control group and state it allows assessing the real homeopathic effect on the homeopathic cohort as the real effect will be the natural historical effect minus the placebo effect and the homeopathic effect. Does that make sense?
- Was the study under-powered? From my reading of the text, the answer seems to be yes.
- What is the full list of conventional treatments the patients received, and did they differ between the 3 groups?
- If I understand it correctly, the study patients did not receive immuno-oncological therapy. Does that fact not render the study unethical?
- What homeopathic potencies were prescribed in group 1? The paper says: The constituents of the different homeopathic remedies were mainly of plant, mineral, or animal origin. This is unlikely, as most homeopathic remedies contain nothing.
- The authors seem to have used individualised homeopathy according to Hahnemann’s instructions. Did Hahnemann not strictly forbid combining his approach with other types of treatment?
- How well respected is THE ONCLOLOGIST, the journal that published the paper?
- Was the article peer-reviewed? If so, by whom?
- Was the placebo indistinguishable from the verum?
- Was the success of patient-blinding checked?
- Have similar findings regarding survival been reported previously? The authors call this finding ‘unexpected’; I find it more than that; it is baffling.
- Should we accept such surprising findings, or would it be more prudent to wait until independent replications are available?
- The first author of this trial is Prof Frass who has featured on this blog several times before (see for instance here, here, here, here and here). Frass has published several studies of homeopathy and invariably manages to produce positive results. Am I the only one to find this odd?
I would be most grateful, if the readers of this blog could assist me in finding answers to some of the above questions.
In my last post, I reported that there are no rigorous studies of homeopathy for diabetes. This was only partly true: there are no such trials to test homeopathy’s effects on the disease itself, but I did find a study of homeopathy for diabetic complications.
It comes from India and seems to be based on proper preliminary ground-work:
A prospective multi-centric clinical observational study was published in 2013 in the journal ‘HOMEOPATHY’. It was carried out from October 2005 to September 2009 by Central Council for Research in Homeopathy (CCRH) at its five institutes/units. Its authors were Patients suffering from diabetes mellitus (DM) and presenting with symptoms of diabetic polyneuropathy (DPN) were screened, investigated and were enrolled in the study after fulfilling the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Patients were evaluated by the diabetic distal symmetric polyneuropathy symptom score (DDSPSS) developed by the Council. A total of 15 homeopathic medicines were identified after repertorizing the nosological symptoms and signs of the disease. The appropriate constitutional medicine was selected and prescribed in 30, 200 and 1 M potency on an individualized basis. Patients were followed up regularly for 12 months.
Of 336 patients (167 males and 169 females) enrolled in the study, 247 patients (123 males and 124 females) were analysed. All patients who attended at least three follow-up appointments and baseline curve conduction studies were included in the analysis.). A statistically significant improvement in DDSPSS total score (p = 0.0001) was found at 12 months from baseline. Most objective measures did not show significant improvement. Lycopodium clavatum (n = 132), Phosphorus (n = 27) and Sulphur (n = 26) were the medicines most frequently prescribed. Adverse event of hypoglycaemia was observed in one patient only.
The authors concluded that this study suggests homeopathic medicines may be effective in managing the symptoms of DPN patients. Further studies should be controlled and include the quality of life (QOL) assessment.
As good as their word, they then conducted a more rigorous trial which was published this year:
This study (authored in 2020 by and published in ‘EXPLORE’, an even worse journal than ‘HOMEOPATHY’, in my view) assessed the efficacy of individualized homoeopathic medicines in management of diabetic distal symmetric polyneuropathy (DDSP). It was designed as a multi-centric double-blind, placebo controlled, randomised clinical trial and conducted by the Central Council for Research in Homoeopathy at 6 centres with a sample size of 84. Based on earlier observational studies and repertorial anamnesis of DDSP symptoms 15 homoeopathic medicines were shortlisted and validated scales were used for evaluating the outcomes post-intervention.
The primary outcome measure was change in Neuropathy Total Symptom Score-6 (NTSS-6) from baseline to 12 months. Secondary outcomes included changes in peripheral nerve conduction study (NCS), World Health Organization Quality of Life BREF (WHOQOL-BREF) and Diabetic Neuropathy Examination (DNE) Score at 12 months.
The data of 68 enrolled cases was considered for data analysis. Statistically significant difference (p<0.014) was found in NTSS-6 post intervention in the Verum group. Positive trend was noted for Verum group as per the graph plotted for DNE score and assessment done for NCS. No significant difference was found between the groups for WHOQOL-Bref. Out of 15 pre-identified homoeopathic medicines 11 medicines were prescribed in potencies in ascending order from 6C to 1M.
The authors concluded that further studies must be taken up with larger sample size and defined parameters for NCS to assess the effectiveness of homoeopathy.
This looks to me as though the trial failed to produce a positive result on inter-group comparisons. The abstract is unfortunately not very clear, and I have no access to the full text (in case someone has, please send it to me). Judging from the abstract, the study has several important flaws. For instance, it was small and we don’t know why only 68 of 84 patients were considered for analysis. Normally, an intention to treat analysis would be needed for analysis of all 84 patients.
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So, does homeopathy have anything to offer to patients with diabetes?
As far as I can see, the answer is NO!
I’d be happy to change my mind, provided someone shows me convincing evidence.
Prof. Shailendra Ramchandra Vishampayan is the 1st author of the paper we discussed yesterday. He was kind enough to repeatedly join us in the comments section, and I was therefore keen to learn more about him. On his website, he says about himself that he is a renowned academician and famous homeopath, enriched with decades of ideal experiences and quality services. He is registered medical practitioner (M.D), performs all the duties of registered medical practitioner following the law of land in India. Globally he is considered as homeopath and known as “Dr.V”. He is a registered member of Society of Homeopaths (overseas).
Dr. V, is a practicing homeopath with clinical experience of over 20 years. In course of his years of practice he had successfully helped more than 250 happy families globally, with various kinds of cases like thyroid, immune compromised, epilepsy, endocrine disorders, paediatric, gynaecological disorders addictions, psychiatric disorder, children with special needs, pets and plants.
He is famous for his path breaking concept and novel idea of creating an organization called ‘Folk Homeopathy ‘, which is dedicated to professional enrichment of homeopathic practitioners helping them to improve their clinical acumen with spot on prescription.
His practical approach in solving cases has earned him accolades and fame throughout the globe.
Dr. V is the author of ‘Kinder Garten Materia Medica’ a reference book for beginners widely used by homeopathic students in India. It is a book with unique combination of pictorial and pneumonic.
He is a Professor (PG) at D.Y.Patil Homeopathy Medical College (Pune). He has a teaching experience of over 16 years in teaching UG and PG. He has drawn large number of followers through webinars which is accessible throughout the globe. He has given more than 50 international seminar ,workshops and webinars in countries like USA, Ireland, Malaysia, with presentations on Homeopathic approach to female hormonal imbalance cases at OMICS Conference of Alternative Medicine, presentation on Psychiatric cases at Asian Homeopathic League. And various presentation at University of Cyberjaya, Malaysia, California Homeopathic Medical society, San Diego and also at Corte Madera, 98th FOH Congress, Liverpool and Kinvara Co Galway, Ireland.
And on the same site, we also learn that ‘Dr V’ is particularly adept at treating diabetes:
India is now considered as the diabetes capital of the world. Approximately 8.7 percent of Indians between the age of 20 to 70 years are diabetic. This translates to approximately 62.5 million diabetics living in India, according to estimates by the World Health Organisation (W.H.O.) The economic burden of managing this disease is also substantial since this is a combination of cost of treatment and loss of productivity in such a high number of diabetics. Diabetes can affect multiple organ systems resulting in a wide range of serious issues in patients. Many of these complications in a diabetic do not have any specific treatment with conventional medicines. However, an indication of the popularity of homeopathy amongst diabetics is that the doctors at our clinic treat approximately two hundred cases of diabetes or diabetes related issues every day. We have, in fact, developed specific diabetes management protocols for patients based on the experience of thousands of cases we have seen over four decades.
This is interesting, I thought, and conducted a few Medline searches to see whether there is any evidence to show that homeopathy is an effective therapy for diabetes. I am afraid, I found no papers of ‘Dr V’ to suggest such an effect. But what I did find was certainly fascinating.
Last year, Italian diabetologists published an review entitled ‘Alternative treatment or alternative to treatment? A systematic review of randomized trials on homeopathic preparations for diabetes and obesity‘. Here is what they reported:
The searches failed to retrieve any trial comparing homeopathic remedies with placebo or any active drug for the treatment of either diabetes or obesity.
These authors commented that
… if homeopathy is used as an alternative to available and effective treatments, the consequences can be catastrophic, particularly in some conditions such as insulin-requiring diabetes. In conclusion, there is no scientific evidence on efficacy and no demonstration of safety of homeopathy in diabetes and obesity…
I agree with my Italian colleagues and I have previously expressed this view bluntly; I even entitled one of my posts ‘This is how homeopathy could kill millions‘.
‘Dr V’ will probably point out that he is a fully qualified doctor and uses homeopathy merely as an adjunct to conventional anti-diabetic treatments; thus he kills nobody.
I certainly hope this is so! But, even in this case, I must still ask: WHERE IS THE EVIDENCE THAT HOMEOPATHY IS AN EFFECTIVE ADJUNCT TO CONVENTIONAL MEDICINE?
Indian homeopaths published a remarkable article in the journal ‘HOMEOPATHY’ proposing Mercurius solubilis as genus epidemicus for the current pandemic. Here it is:
From mid-June to mid-July 2020, our team of homeopathic doctors treated 104 patients in two COVID treatment centers—Pandit Bhimsen Joshi Hospital and Sheth P.V. Doshi Hospital—on the outskirts of Mumbai, India, with adjuvant homeopathy. It was observed by the patients, hospital staff, and the management that those patients on adjuvant homeopathy were discharged 3 to 7 days earlier than other comparable patients in the same wards, allowing us gradually to accommodate more severely ill patients who required oxygen, continuous positive airway pressure, or a ventilator.
Twenty-five different homeopathic medicines in total were prescribed to the patients, each receiving individualized treatment according to his or her symptoms. After collecting 143 clinical and individualizing (homeopathic) symptoms of 104 patients and converting those symptoms into rubrics, we repertorized the combined data with the help of the software Hompath, with an aim to arrive at a genus epidemicus. We observed that the medicine Merc Sol was at the top of the combined repertorization chart. After reviewing repertory sheets of all 104 patients, we discovered that Merc Sol was at the fourth or fifth place of all individual repertorization charts as well.
To substantiate our deduction, we studied the Materia Medica of Merc Sol from the original provings of Hahnemann[1] and other sourcebooks.[2] [3] [4] We also searched research articles and case studies about toxicological effects of mercury.[5] [6] [7] [8] These showed that acute exposure to mercury produces an acute respiratory distress syndrome-like presentation, a picture similar to the COVID symptomatology. Moreover, anosmia, aphthae, gastrointestinal and ocular manifestations that are seen in patients with COVID-19 were produced also by mercury the toxin and mercury the homeopathy-proved medicine. This finding is in accordance with the homeopathic Law of Similars: a substance producing a symptom in a healthy person is able to cure a similar symptom in a sick person.
To confirm our hypothesis, we identified 13 common symptoms of Merc Sol, such as indented tongue, salivation, perspiration, and night aggravation, which were present in various intensities in the previously treated 104 patients. We created a 13-point questionnaire and, after obtaining suitable Ethics Committee approval and individual informed consent from the patients, we evaluated 68 further patients in the above-mentioned COVID hospitals. People with at least eight confirmed symptoms from the questionnaire were prescribed Merc Sol 200c thrice a day for a week. In our 2-week study at both the locations, we observed a speedy recovery and a hospital stay reduction by 5 to 7 days in all the 68 patients when Merc Sol was used along with the standard Indian Council of Medical Research clinical protocol. Many of them were not newly admitted patients but were those who exceeded the mandatory minimum hospital stay. We are now using Merc Sol as a preventive medicine for over 1,000 people in a COVID hot-spot area in Powai, Mumbai, with the expressed permission of local authorities.
Following the Hahnemannian method of arriving at a genus epidemicus [9] (§ 99–103), and deducing it from the combined data of symptoms of more than 100 patients, we arrived at the conclusion that Merc Sol, “the deceitful malefic mercury” known for various symptomatic presentations and tissue destruction, is genus epidemicus of this pandemic. Our efforts are in accordance with the logic of homeopathy proffered by Dr. Stuart Close[10]: exact observation, correct interpretation, rational explanation, and scientific construction.
We now appeal to the global homeopathy community to test our findings in their respective areas, designing specific research projects to explore the utility of Mercurius solubilis in the COVID-19 pandemic as genus epidemicus.
If it were not such a serious matter, I might joke that everyone with a dental amalgam filling must be protected from COVID-19. But it is rather too serious to make fun, I am afraid. Therefore, I will just point out to all those homeopaths across the globe who follow their Indian colleagues’ appeal something rather basic: it is bad science to confirm their hypothesis. Science works by falsifying hypotheses. And a proper hypothesis needs, of course, more that the implausible hunches of some evangelic believers in the homeopathic cult.
I have to thank one of our regular commentators for inspiring me to write this post. He recently contributed this insight about homeopathic provings:
If you didn’t experience anything from a proving you didn’t perform it properly.
It is an argument that, in different forms and shapes, I have heard very often. Essentially it holds that, if an investigation or a test fails to produce the desired result, the methodology must have been faulty. Donald Trump is, I fear, about to use it in the upcoming US election: if he is voted out, he will claim that there was too much fraud going on. Therefore, he cannot accept the result as valid. Thus it is his democratic duty to remain in post, he is likely to claim.
In medicine, the argument has been popular since millennia. In our book TRICK OR TREATMENT?, we recount the story of blood letting. Based on the doctrine of the 4 humours, it was believed for centuries to be a panacea. If someone died after losing litres of blood to the believers in the doctrine, the assumption was not that he had been bled to death, but that he had sadly not received enough of the ‘cure all’. Eventually, some bright chap had the novel idea of running a rigorous test of blood-letting, and it turned out that the patients who had received the treatment had a worse chance of survival than those who had escaped it. Aaaahhh !!!, shouted the blood-letters, this shows that the concept of the scientific test is flawed.
Checking the methodological rigour of clinical studies (or homeopathic provings) can be a tricky and tedious business. It requires proper learning and experience – qualities that SCAM fanatics rarely possess. Amongst other things, one needs to know about:
- trial design,
- statistics,
- sources of bias,
- confounding,
- and the many tricks people use to hide flaws in published studies.
This is not easy and it takes time – lots of time – to acquire the necessary skills. Having discussed such issues with enthusiasts of so-called alternative medicine (SCAM) for decades, I realise that it would be unrealistic to expect of them to spend all this time learning all these complicated things (they have to make a living, you know!). I therefore propose an entirely new and much simpler method of differentiating between valid and invalid research of SCAM. It rests on merely 2 golden rules:
- Any research methodology is valid, if it produces the desired result.
- Any research methodology is invalid, if it fails to produce the desired result.
In analogy to these two rules, one can easily extrapolate further. For instance, one can state that:
- any person who generates or promotes the desired result is honest;
- any person who contradicts the desired result is corrupt (bought by ‘Big Pharma’).
I am sure my readers all see the beauty of this revolutionary, new system: it’s easy to learn, practical to apply, it avoids controversy and it takes full account of the previously much-neglected needs of the SCAM fraternity.
Sorry, I have been neglecting my ‘heedless homeopathy’ series of articles – it’s all too human to forget, I suppose. Here are a few remedies which also seem ‘all to human’, but in a very different sense. As far as I can see, they all originate from human tissues or materials.
I was tempted to call these products cannibalistic homeopathy, but then I decided against it; after all, the remedies contain nothing at all, only their mother tinctures are based on human materials.
In any case, I thought you might be amused (or perhaps mildly disgusted?) by my list:
- Dental Plaque
- Lac Humanum (Human milk)
- Lac Humanum (Divya) (Human milk)
- Lac Maternum (Human milk)
- Lumbar disc
- Mastitis milk
- Meconium
- Medorrhinum
- Medorrhinum americana
- Menses
- Placenta (Eberle) (Placenta Humana)
- Placenta Humana (Placenta Humana (welsh))
- Psorinum
- Retina (Retine)
- Semen humanum
- Sigmoid Colon
- Umbilical cord (Guild)
- Umbilicus humanus (Umbilical Cord Humanus)
- Uterus
- Vertebral disc
Looking at the list, I cannot help asking what these remedies might be used for. Applying the twisted logic of homeopathy, while mixing it with that of isopathy, I can just about understand that:
- MASTITIS MILK is for treating mastitis,
- LAC HUMANUM might be for a mother wanting to stop breast feeding,
- DENTAL PLAQUE could be against … yes, dental plaque!
But what might some of the other remedies on the list be for? Assuming that the human tissues are from biopsies or cadaveric material of (formerly) healthy individuals, I have to conclude that:
- VERTEBRAL DISC is for someone who is keen to have back problems.
- UTERUS is for a woman who wants to see more of her gynaecologist.
- SEMEN HUMANUM could be an anti-baby pill for men.
- MENSES might be an alternative for an oral contraceptive.
- etc. etc.
As many homeopathy-fans have been pointing out endlessly, I am not a truly qualified homeopath. This means that I am merely guessing here.
So, could a member of the homeopathic fraternity PLEASE enlighten me?
During the last decades, the sales-figures for so-called alternative medicine (SCAM) have been increasing steadily and substantially. A recent report predicts this trend to continue:
… The global market for alternative and complementary medicines is projected to experience substantial growth in the next few years. The rising expenditure of the healthcare facilities is considered as the major factor that is likely to encourage the growth of the overall market in the coming years. In addition, the increasing number of initiatives being taken by Governments across the globe to promote alternative and complementary medicines is projected to accelerate the market’s growth. Thanks to these factors, the global alternative and complementary medicine market is likely to exhibit a promising growth rate in the near future.
A significant rise in the number of initiatives by NGOs and government organizations to encourage the use of alternative and complementary medicines is estimated to bolster global market in the near future. In addition to this, technological advancements in this field and the rising inclination of consumers towards these medicines and practices are likely to offer lucrative growth opportunities for the leading players operating in the alternative and complementary medicine market across the globe. However, the lack of scientific results is expected to hamper the overall growth of the market in the next few years…
From a regional perspective, Europe is considered as one of the leading segment, thanks to the significant revenue contribution in the last few years. This region is expected to account for a large share of the global alternative and complementary medicine market with the rising use of botanicals. In addition to this, the increasing awareness among consumers regarding the availability of effective alternative and complementary medicines and the benefits they offers are expected to encourage the growth of the Europe market in the coming years.
Furthermore, with the rising popularity of medical tourism, the alternative and complementary medicine market in Asia Pacific is projected to witness a steady growth in the next few years. Moreover, the presence of a large number of new players operating in this region is likely to offer promising growth opportunities over the forecast period. The Middle East and Africa segment is anticipated to experience a healthy growth in the alternative and complementary medicine market in the near future.
The global market for alternative and complementary medicines is presently at a highly competitive stage and is predicted to experience an intense level of competition among the leading players in the coming years. The prominent players in the market are focusing on the expansion of the product portfolio so as to attract a large number of consumers across the globe. This is likely to help them in creating a brand name and acquiring a leading position in the global market. Some of the leading players operating in the alternative and complementary medicine market across the globe are Herb Pharm, Yoga Tree, Quantum Touch Inc., Helio USA Inc., Pure encapsulations, Inc., Pacific Nutritional Inc., Deepure Plus, Herbal Hills, Iyengar Yoga Institute, The Healing Company, and Nordic Naturals.
Yes, I know, this is little more than hot air mixed with platitudes and advertisements to purchase the full report. I used to buy such documents for my department and research but was invariably disappointed. They provide are expensive and of very little of value.
Yet, one thing has been confirmed over the years: the prediction of steady growth of the SCAM-industry is rarely wrong (certain sections, such as homeopathy, have been shrinking in some regions, but the industry as a whole is financially healthy). The scientific evidence seems to get less and less convincing, yet consumers buy more and more of these products. They may do little good and have the potential to cause quite a bit of harm, but consumers continue to waste their money on them.
The question is: why?
There are, of course, many reasons. An important one is that the gullible public wants to believe in SCAM, and the SCAM-industry is highly skilled in misleading us. What is worse: many governments, instead of limiting the damage, are mildly or even overtly supportive of the SCAM-industry.
Whenever I contemplate this depressing state of affairs, I realise that my blog is important. It is only a drop in the ocean, I know, but still…
