Is homeopathy a religion rather than a medicine?
It’s very illogical and seems to be based on faith rather than on evidence.
Phil: believing that dilution = stronger, that like cures like etc. appear to me to be supernatural beliefs. These beliefs go against everything we know about the world. There appears to be no evidence to support them. Hence to believe in them requires extreme faith, just as religion does.
August 21st, 2010 at 2:49 am
For me, its just medicine.
August 21st, 2010 at 3:09 am
No they’re just not atheists like Medical Doctors.
Any MD student who brought up the power of God’s healing in med school would be laughed out of there – not so at Chiropractic School and Homeopathy school – where God’s or at least nature’s power is part of the regular teaching.
August 21st, 2010 at 3:49 am
homeopathy is like cures like and it does work. it is not a religion. homeopathy is based on more faith than evidence but do you have to know it works to believe it? and sometimes if you believe you are being cured by it, whatever was wrong in the first place will cure. homeopathy isnt a religion. and yes it is logical. take for instance a burn, instead of running it under cold water ( like cures like ) hold it under warm water or by a candle because the sudden change in temperature will kill the cells leaving a blister but if you run it under warm water it slowly cools down giving the cells a chance to heal themselves quickly
August 21st, 2010 at 4:25 am
That’s a very foolish and uneducated statement. Homeopathy is the use of natural substances, like plant extracts, spices, and foods, to treat illnesses. You believe that makes it a religion?
Most of our modern drugs are based in ancient homeopathic remedies. Natural remedies also produce fewer side affects, like liver damage and gastric bleeding, than modern drugs.
August 21st, 2010 at 4:26 am
Good analogy. Yes, because so many homeopathic remedies have no objective proof of efficacy, it IS a giant leap of faith to use them.
August 21st, 2010 at 4:29 am
dictionary definition of religion:a strong belief in a supernatural power or powers that control human destiny.
Taking natural substances in order to change your body chemistry doesn’t seem to fit into that category. I find it weird that you would write out your question so intelligently without first knowing the definition of religion. Where you went wrong was equating faith to religion. Religion is a practice that requires faith, but not visa versa. When I have faith that my car will start, that doesn’t make any part of my car a deity.
August 21st, 2010 at 4:39 am
I have never visited the Church of the Homeopathic Healers and the bookstore in the Religion section has no “Bible”. It is an alternative therapy that does not have the press that herbs and acupuncture has. It works sometimes and sometimes not..just like allopathic medicine. There are just OK practitioners and there are real stars in the profession….just like allopathic medicine. It worked twice for me and once not in the last 15 years.
August 21st, 2010 at 5:19 am
In properly controlled tests, homeopathy consistently fails to show any effect at all on the patient receiving the treatment.
HOWEVER, the placebo effect is very powerful. All of the theatre and performance surrounding the preparation and administering of homeopathic remedies certainly makes a difference. If both the practitioner and the patient believe in it enough, there are measurable, if temporary, benefits to be had. But that doesn’t make it evidence-based medicine.
August 21st, 2010 at 6:04 am
Not exactly religion, however Homoeopathy is a belief system rather than a system of medicine. There is no scientific basis or plausible rationale behind Homoeopathy at all. Water is diluted to such an extent that there is not a single molecule of any active substance left (!!)
Homoeopaths believe that water has a memory, “through the process of potentisation, the water remembers the ‘essence’ of the mother tincture that was once dissolved in it” This is quite a ridiculous statement.
Homoeopathy is basically pseudo-science and after thousands of double -blind over studies, has time and time again been debunked and disproved as having anything more than the Placebo effect. It is simply quackery and now the ‘Homeoquacks’ claim it is not subject to scientific and clinical evidence!
To conclude; Homoeopathic ‘remedies’ are simply water or sugar pills that have been dipped in water,- It really is little more than sympathetic magic! The power of the mind is a wonderful thing…
EDIT
Ah the Homoeopathy working in animals excuse.
There have been NO sound studies that show homoeopathy has any theraputic benefit in animals. How do you know the animal being treated with homoeopathic ‘remedies’ is actually getting better?
This is the placebo effect by proxy, where the animals’ owner may think and believe the animal is being treated and responding to the Homeopathic ‘treatment’ that the vet is providing, when in reality the animal remains medically untreated and charlatans have of course charged money for this service.
August 21st, 2010 at 6:33 am
Good comments from both Steve and Rhianna, Homeopathy has been definitively demonstrated to be no better than placebo, so the analogy that you require faith for it to work has some merit.
Best analogy I heard was it is like throwing a pint of beer in a reservoir, and expecting to get drunk on the water.
I was interested to see a random article in the Daily Mail today, which is notorious for its support of alternative therapies and the inappropriate advertising it gives to new medications, ( for which I am sure someone receives back handers.) This one discussed Acupuncture. An excellent fairly recent scientific study, which showed it to be no better than random needle pricks was quoted on one side, however on the other side of the scale as a sort of counter argument was given the story of ONE woman whose eye got better!
This article did however show quite well the facetious arguments that are often put up in favour of alternative therapies, by those with absolutely no knowledge of scientific methods, and was in fact laughable!
August 21st, 2010 at 6:41 am
calling all believers:
does diluting something make it stronger or weaker? i’ve asked this question sooooo many times on this forum and not one of these idiots has EVER answered it. not one!! so come on homeopaths, answer the question……
…. bet you can’t
August 21st, 2010 at 7:02 am
No I don’t think it is but if it was would you advocate banning it?
Wouldn’t this be discriminating against peoples freedom of religion?
For the same reasons is it fair to try and stop people doing it if it isn’t a religion?
Aren’t we entitled to spend our money as we chose providing we aren’t doing anything immoral, unethical, illegal or dangerous?
August 21st, 2010 at 7:57 am
it is not based on religion in any way.
It does work if the right practitioner gives you the right tablets.
It has worked for me anyways.
August 21st, 2010 at 6:20 am
For anyone that understands the history of homeopathy, the answer is very clear. Belief in homeopathy is not in itself a religion, but it is a metaphysical belief that often goes hand in hand with religious and other esoteric beliefs.
Those familiar with, for example, the history of homeopathy in the US will know that for a considerable period of time homeopathy was synonymous with Swedenborgism.
I’ve seen indian homeopaths praying at little shrines to Hahnemann and the like.
Anyone who suggests that homeopathy is not a metaphysical belief either i) does not understand homeopathy or ii) is trying to decieve you.
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