http://xkcd.com/765/

Homeopathy is a great way to get peoples money for literally nothing. The rate of dilution is so high that there is almost certainly not even one molecule of the original left in the super diluted "remedy." Homeopathy claims that this works by some mysterious and untestable energy left behind. And because all kinds of things including scents of mint and eucalyptus can allegedly interfere with homeopathic remedies, they are pretty much untestable.

On the other hand, for minor illnesses and injuries such as bruises, colds and such homeopathy is great, simply because it follows the "first, do no harm" idea very well, and homeopathic remedies make wonderful placebos. Far better than conventional medicine if it keeps people off the drugs for the minor stuff.

I think it's potentially damaging and utter bullshit. Homeopathy angers me.

What's sad is that a lot of homeopaths have great knowledge. But instead of using herbal and more 'natural' treatments to help their patients they waste everyone's time and money with this 'dilution' nonsense.

I just bought all the homeopathy cures at the local health food store and poured them down the toilet. Now the entire Great Lakes system will cure everyone immediately. In several days, that water should be making its way to the oceans via the Mississippi River. Within weeks that water will be in contact with water everywhere on the planet.

Yes, that's right, I have single-handedly eliminated disease on the planet!

Why didn't someone think of this before?

I'm sad about homeopathy, because its use demonstrates that people are pretty gullible.

This comic strip explains homeopathy quite well, I think:

I cannot make a case FOR homeopathy. However, you should look into some of the ridicule that proponents of the germ theory received before it was able to be verified by instrumentation. So, my problem is with the hubris of you all. In lieu of more concrete, scientific evidence one should be careful with homeopathy. As with all types of medicine-alternative or mainstream-there are plenty of people who want to rob you. I agree. However, homeopathy could be verified with better instrumentation. My point is don't be so sure of yourselves.

People here talk about N=1 all the time. Some people have success with homeopathy. Who are you to say definitely that it was all a placebo effect? The best you can say is that homeopathy falls outside of the present scientific paradigm and that you've haven't seen any studies that support its benefits.

It's funny to see people on what is an alternative health site (and don't think for a minute that what people espouse up here is part of mainstream science...if you do, you're fooling yourself) resort to supporting their arguments by linking to quackwatch. Check out the history of that website and report what you find out.

Seeing Paleos make fun of homeopathy is sort of like seeing a group of people who congratulate themselves on not being racist all the while making fag jokes.

As someone who walked to the edges of this earth in search of a cure, I can honestly say the placebo effect is greatly under-utilized by Western medicine. I began my search for a cure worshiping at the altars of the almighty scientific method and in desperation passed through Reiki, hypnosis, TCM, a (university backed) faith healer, and finally a psychic (aka medical intuitive).

While I never used homeopathy, I will never fault anyone for searching for an answer. Many who suffer stop hoping and THAT is a worse crime than any placebo offered.

The funny thing about my esoteric travels, all fourteen years of pain and searching, is they confirmed the deepness of my mind-body connection. My fancy Biochem degree could never explain why under hypnosis I could possibly correctly self diagnose the problem, a problem no surgeon could believe, no diagnostic tool could identify, and only time would prove shockingly accurate. Your mind is an amazing tool and your ability to connect with it, and use it, for better wellness is often overlooked by Western practices.

Whether homeopathy is just a placebo, is not important to me. If it works for some, then great. After my experience in the bowels of the US' disease maintenance system, I will never fault someone for trying.

PS The medical intuitive, well, she was right, too, but she just confirmed the diagnosis I'd proposed under hypnosis 10 years earlier.

Strictly speaking, I don't think anything about homeopathy.

Someone once said that people are just big bags of opinions. What makes us paleos a little different is that we use a combination of experience, research, and anthropological/genetic guesses when we choose what to eat. If homeopathy works for you, then awesome! Just be aware that, because of the ingenuity of the human body, a treatment can "work" just by not stopping the body from healing itself.

The placebo effect is not necessarily bad. Patients who get a pat on the shoulder from their doctor, and who are sincerely asked if they have any questions, have better responses to pain medication then those who don't. When you get colored pills, they "work" better than plain white pills of equal formulation. So when I've had the opportunity to take a free homeopathic remedy (meaning one of great dilution, not pseudo-homepathic stuff like zinc lozenges), I took it gladly. But I would not pay for something that has no reason why it would do anything, and has failed repeatedly when studied correctly.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMGIbOGu8q0 A comedy sketch about a homeopathic hospital.

(watch to the end of the clip for the homeopathic lager joke)

I fear that the idea of dilution works with some items, but that diluting anything down past detectable levels shows a disconnect with the scientific idea of minimal effective dose.

There may be some good ideas in homeopathy, but the incredible dilution meme weakens any other good that may some from that system or modality.

I have had positive experiences with homeopathy, most notably with arnica gel for bruising. I first used arnica gel on severe and painful bruising resulting from multiple heparin injections. I also use zinc pellets for occasional leg cramps and arnica pellets for muscle soreness, and they work quite well for me. I've also had positive experiences using herbal supplements and flower essences.

I'll admit that the dilution and shaking used to prepare homeopathic medicines have never been explained to me in any way that satisfies the rational part of my brain. The animal part of my brain doesn't seem to care as long as what I'm doing works.

Nothing I have seen has yet been able to explain any physiological plausibility for homeopathy. I am willing to use treatments that are "unproven" so long as I understand their method of working and believe there is some possibility that it may help without inducing additional harm. Homeopathy does not induce additional harm but it also just doesn't make any damn sense. If you want to use alternative medicine, use medical herbalism, mindfulness, osteopathy, chiropractic, or acupuncture (see http://thehealthyskeptic.org/acupuncture). Many of these methods are also unproven and/or somewhat questionable but at least they have some physiological plausibility on which you can base your decision rather than a principle that sounds like something taken out of some medieval book on the four humors.

If you look at the origins of homeopathy, chiropractic, acupuncture and similar treatments they resemble religion or mysticism. One must have faith to believe these methods work and the placebo effect becomes the faithful person's "proof".

I once thought some of these methods worked and over time realized I was being duped. The human body resolves almost every ailment within a short time and humans have a faulty cause and effect belief that makes us think that the silver colloidal solution we took last night is the reason our sinuses are clear this morning. We all want to believe we can heal ourselves with something readily available and even better if it's ancient and rehashed for our modern world or tries subvert established facts. Unfortunately we are very gullible.

I recommend www.quackwatch.com for more info.

Ok, maybe a little off topic, but you have got to watch THIS

very funny. Homeopathic A & E (aka Emergency Room).

I've always used homoeopathy with my daughter rather than pharms and we have got her through glue ear, chicken pox... and all the other regular childhood diseases. I know it works but it never ceases to amaze me each time it works so rapidly once you hit on the right remedy. The most effective way for it to work though is via a homoeopath. It's all a bit of a mystery otherwise!!