Homeopathic medicines are JUST WATER!

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Re: Homeopathic medicines are JUST WATER!

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Homeopathy sceptics have staged a mass "overdose" of homeopathic remedies, in a bid to prove they have no effect.

Protesters ate whole bottles of tablets at branches of Boots in places such as Liverpool, Manchester, Glasgow, London, Leicester, Edinburgh and Birmingham.

They have asked the pharmacy chain to stop selling the remedies, which they call "scientifically absurd".

The Society of Homeopaths called it a "stunt". Boots said it followed industry guidelines on homeopathy.

From 2005 to 2008 the NHS spent almost Ģ12m on homeopathic treatments, according to a 2009 Freedom Of Information request by Channel 4 News.

'Placebo effect'

Supporters of homeopathy say it is a system that uses very highly diluted substances to trigger the body to heal itself, but critics argue there is no evidence they work.

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The demonstrations were organised by the Merseyside Skeptics Society (MSS).

Michael Marshall, from the MSS, said: "We believe that they shouldn't be selling sugar pills to people who are sick. Homeopathy never works any better than a placebo. The remedies are diluted so much that there is nothing in them."

Mr Marshall said demonstrations were also planned in Canada, Spain, the US and Australia.

The Society of Homeopaths said it did not expect the protesters to suffer any adverse reactions from taking large quantities of the remedies.

'Ill-advised stunt'

The society's chief executive, Paula Ross, said: "This is an ill advised publicity stunt in very poor taste, which does nothing to advance the scientific debate about how homeopathy actually works."

Paul Bennett, professional standards director from Boots, said the company follows advice from the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain on the correct selling of complementary medicines.

He said: "Homeopathy is recognised by the NHS and many health professionals and our customers choose to use homeopathy.

"Boots UK is committed to providing our customers with a wide range of healthcare products to suit their individual needs, we know that many people believe in the benefits of complementary medicines and we aim to offer the products we know our customers want.

"We would support the call for scientific research and evidence gathering on the efficacy of homeopathic medicines. This would help our patients and customers make informed choices about using homeopathic medicines."

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[Siggie]

Okay, clearly this is not new information that homeopathy is a lot of BS and their medicines are just expensive water. Anyone who has ever bothered to look up what they believe knows this already. Whatever substances they started with are diluted to such an extent that it would be like a molecule in the ocean. But this is a great story that forces them to acknowledge that.

Homeopaths Admit Expensive Concoctions Just Water
Sunday, 31 January 2010, 3:39 pm
Press Release: Skeptics

Homeopaths Admit Expensive Concoctions Just Water

A public mass overdose of homeopathic remedies has forced the New Zealand Council of Homeopaths to admit openly that their products do not contain any "material substances". Council spokeswoman Mary Glaisyer admitted publicly that "thereīs not one molecule of the original substance remaining" in the diluted remedies that form the basis of this multi-million-dollar industry.

The NZ Skeptics, in conjunction with 10:23, Skeptics in the Pub and other groups nationally and around the world, held the mass overdose in Christchurch on Saturday to highlight the fact that homeopathic products are simply very expensive water drops or sugar/lactose pills. A further aim was to question the ethical issues of pharmacies, in particular, stocking and promoting sham products and services.

"Youīre paying $10 for a teaspoon of water that even the homeopaths say has no material substance in it," says Skeptics Chair Vicki Hyde. "Yet a recent survey showed that 94% of New Zealanders using homeopathic products arenīt aware of this basic fact - their homeopath or health professional hasnīt disclosed this. The customers believe they are paying for the substances listed on the box, but those were only in the water once upon a time before the massive dilution process began - along with everything else that the water once had in it -- the chlorine, the beer, the urine...."

Hyde notes that one of the homeopathic products downed by the 40 or so people in the mass overdose had a label saying it contained chamomilia, humulus lupulus, ignatia, kali brom, nux vomica and zinc val. But those substances were actually in homeopathic dilutions, meaning that the kali brom, for example, was present in a proportion comparable to 1 pinch of sugar in the Atlantic Ocean - that is, not actually present at all.

"People donīt know that they are paying through the nose for just water - they believe the label implies there are active ingredients in there, just like youīd expect from a reputable health product. And you have to ask, at what point does it shift from being an issue of informed consent to become an issue of fraud?"

The UK-based 10:23 campaign is concerned about the ethical issue of pharmacies - touted as "the health professional you see most often" - supporting these products and giving them a spurious and unwarranted credibility.

"Does this mean pharmacists don't know that homeopathic products are just water, or they do know and don't care because people will buy it not realising the massive mark-up? Either way, that should be a big concern for the health consumer. Hereīs a huge industry with virtually no regulatory oversight or consumer protection or come- back, and even its keen customers arenīt aware of the highly dubious practices involved."

The alternative health industry has built a multi-million-dollar business exploiting the natural healing powers of the human body, as many conditions will get better within two to three days regardless of whether conventional or alternative treatments are used, or even if nothing is done at all. Independent testing has shown that homeopathic preparations take full advantage of this and homeopaths quickly take the credit for any improvement in their clients.

The Christchurch "overdose" included an "underdose" - homeopaths believe that the more dilute things are, the more potent they become, so the skeptics were careful to try that approach. There are also claims by product manufacturers that, in fact, dosage doesnīt matter at all - whether you take 1 pill or 100 - but the important thing is the frequency of dosage, and the skeptics covered that base too. No ill effects were reported, apart from a distinct drop in the level of cash in various wallets. For the demonstration, Hyde reluctantly purchased two small boxes of tablets and a 25ml spray from a Unichem pharmacy, costing $51.95.

"Thatīs a lot to pay for less than 2 tablespoons of water and not much more than that in lactose milk sugar."

Homeopaths claim all sorts of amazing results, from treating the 1918 influenza to AIDS. More dangerously, at least one New Zealand pharmacy has been known to push homeopathic water labelled as "vaccines" for meningitis and Hepatitis B. Perhaps not surprisingly, the most supportive test results are those which come out of the homeopathic industry, product manufacturers and other vested interests. Any completely independent evaluation, such as the highly respected Cochrane Collaboration, tends to find the results much more underwhelming, citing no convincing evidence in many claimed areas of effectiveness.

"Weīd recommend that if your local pharmacy stocks homeopathic products, take your business somewhere more ethical."

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