Sad thing is that – outside of the placebo effect – that there are some effective treatments. To bad they are hidden behind layers of crap and stupidity.
The mind can be a very powerful medicine, all you have to do is find a way to make it believe. Ever seen the MASH episode where they run out of morphine and hand out sugar tablets telling the patients it’s a pain killer?
that’s the placebo effect that you’re refering to. which is a documented and testable effect. The problem with Homeopathy is that they claim it to have active working ingredients and claim that it can be used to cure things such as leukemia and cancers. pain is a subjective thing when it comes to classifying it’s symptomatic strength, so the placebo effect is awesome for things like that.
There’s a podcast called Skeptoid, and they did that with one of their episodes. It was called “The Most Effective Homeopathy Podcast Ever,” and it was just 8 minutes of silence.
New reader to your comic! Let me just say: Ouchies from my ickle homeopath’s heart – but hey, a good homeopath is hard to come by and many practitioners of “natural” medicine are flakes so…
I’ll say this, the empty panels? Would have been very funny to homeopaths too. Then again we are like Canadians when mentioned in American programming. It doesn’t matter if we’re being made fun of, we still get excited.
Your one hour comic is awesomeness though despite the ouchie!
I had asthma when I was 3, so my parents took me to a licensed homeopathic doctor who gave me pills to take for a couple months. I didn’t know what they (or asthma) were and as far as I was concerned, there was nothing wrong with me, but the “funny breathing,” stopped and I don’t have asthma to this day. On the other hand, I don’t trust everyone to know what over the counter stuff will work, manufacurers or crackpot theorists with no background who shove “what you should take,” down your throat, or those barely trained Herbalife dealers. I also know that I’ve been screwed over many times by doctors who take a businesslike approach to a practice that should be used for healing. I also realize that the less sleep and the more toxins in my body the less effective anything, including conventional medicine, will be.
While homeopathy was still in it’s mid life, pharmaceuticals were modifying willow bark to make aspirin, and prior to that leaches were always good.
Homeopathy works on the premise of like fights like, give something to the body, if only at an energetic level, to build antigens within the host.
Vaccines are similar only they are disproportionately high concentrations.
Most pharms. come with their host of side effects, homeopathic and naturalpathic don’t.
Sometimes the cure is worse than the disease.
And then again, sometimes the cure is just snake oil.
“Disproportionately high concentrations” ???? You mean “actual contents.” One ppm does not a medicine make. You test those homeopathic “remedies” in a lab and they usually have absolutely nothing in them other than water or sugar or alcohol. The homeopaths will say that it’s just suuuuuuper diluted. If you want suuuuuuper diluted arsenic, drink tap water, you’ll get about the same amount of arsenic as from those “arsenicum” tablets.
There’s the wiki, check it out. Note that there is clearly NO “This page is under dispute” or anything of the sort. That’s because of SCIENCE. The thing that actually cures malaria and cancer and shit like that.
If this was a real forum there would follow a large gif of a /facepalm /idontwanttoliveonthisplanetanymore
And seriously, “leaches were always good” ???? Do you have a gaping head-wound? Leeches (if that’s what you meant) killed many many people by weakening the already ill, or making ill the strong. The only reason some quacks are saying “see, we knew about leeches already!” is because medical research discovered that leech saliva contains some interesting blood thinners and anti-coagulants that are now being synthesized and perfected (and the dosage bloody well increased, since THAT is what increases effectiveness). And willow bark tea… How weak do you think those old apothecaries brewed that willow bark tea? What? Strong? Why would they do that?
I realize I’m a little late to this argument, but I wanted to have my say. As a Pharmacist, I like to direct people here when they ask about homeopathy: http://www.howdoeshomeopathywork.com/
haha just found your comic and am really enjoying it.
My eye starts twitching when anyone mentions homeopathy
http://www.smbc-comics.com/index.php?db=comics&id=2267#comic
yeah, I have friends who swear by it…
Sad thing is that – outside of the placebo effect – that there are some effective treatments. To bad they are hidden behind layers of crap and stupidity.
The mind can be a very powerful medicine, all you have to do is find a way to make it believe. Ever seen the MASH episode where they run out of morphine and hand out sugar tablets telling the patients it’s a pain killer?
that’s the placebo effect that you’re refering to. which is a documented and testable effect. The problem with Homeopathy is that they claim it to have active working ingredients and claim that it can be used to cure things such as leukemia and cancers. pain is a subjective thing when it comes to classifying it’s symptomatic strength, so the placebo effect is awesome for things like that.
How can the placebo effect take effect unless you tell them it
really cures the symptoms?
There’s a podcast called Skeptoid, and they did that with one of their episodes. It was called “The Most Effective Homeopathy Podcast Ever,” and it was just 8 minutes of silence.
I’ve despised homeopathy ever since I saw that Richard Dawkins show “Enemies of Reason.” This is too funny.
I can’t remember who right this second, but there’s a comedian I saw with the line “You know what we call alternative medicine that works? Medicine.”
Tim Minchin. I believe that was in his six minute beat poem titled “Storm”. Guy does pretty funny stuff.
Love Tim Minchin. And loved the animated version of storm.
Pretty sure Dara O’Briain made that joke. Url right here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YMvMb90hem8
New reader to your comic! Let me just say: Ouchies from my ickle homeopath’s heart – but hey, a good homeopath is hard to come by and many practitioners of “natural” medicine are flakes so…
I’ll say this, the empty panels? Would have been very funny to homeopaths too. Then again we are like Canadians when mentioned in American programming. It doesn’t matter if we’re being made fun of, we still get excited.
Your one hour comic is awesomeness though despite the ouchie!
Is this the comic where you developed your signature hole-eyes?
I had asthma when I was 3, so my parents took me to a licensed homeopathic doctor who gave me pills to take for a couple months. I didn’t know what they (or asthma) were and as far as I was concerned, there was nothing wrong with me, but the “funny breathing,” stopped and I don’t have asthma to this day. On the other hand, I don’t trust everyone to know what over the counter stuff will work, manufacurers or crackpot theorists with no background who shove “what you should take,” down your throat, or those barely trained Herbalife dealers. I also know that I’ve been screwed over many times by doctors who take a businesslike approach to a practice that should be used for healing. I also realize that the less sleep and the more toxins in my body the less effective anything, including conventional medicine, will be.
While homeopathy was still in it’s mid life, pharmaceuticals were modifying willow bark to make aspirin, and prior to that leaches were always good.
Homeopathy works on the premise of like fights like, give something to the body, if only at an energetic level, to build antigens within the host.
Vaccines are similar only they are disproportionately high concentrations.
Most pharms. come with their host of side effects, homeopathic and naturalpathic don’t.
Sometimes the cure is worse than the disease.
And then again, sometimes the cure is just snake oil.
“Disproportionately high concentrations” ???? You mean “actual contents.” One ppm does not a medicine make. You test those homeopathic “remedies” in a lab and they usually have absolutely nothing in them other than water or sugar or alcohol. The homeopaths will say that it’s just suuuuuuper diluted. If you want suuuuuuper diluted arsenic, drink tap water, you’ll get about the same amount of arsenic as from those “arsenicum” tablets.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homeopathy
There’s the wiki, check it out. Note that there is clearly NO “This page is under dispute” or anything of the sort. That’s because of SCIENCE. The thing that actually cures malaria and cancer and shit like that.
If this was a real forum there would follow a large gif of a /facepalm /idontwanttoliveonthisplanetanymore
And seriously, “leaches were always good” ???? Do you have a gaping head-wound? Leeches (if that’s what you meant) killed many many people by weakening the already ill, or making ill the strong. The only reason some quacks are saying “see, we knew about leeches already!” is because medical research discovered that leech saliva contains some interesting blood thinners and anti-coagulants that are now being synthesized and perfected (and the dosage bloody well increased, since THAT is what increases effectiveness). And willow bark tea… How weak do you think those old apothecaries brewed that willow bark tea? What? Strong? Why would they do that?
/ragequit
I realize I’m a little late to this argument, but I wanted to have my say. As a Pharmacist, I like to direct people here when they ask about homeopathy: http://www.howdoeshomeopathywork.com/