Does homeopathy work?
I first posed this question on this blog almost a year and a half ago and my posting attracted some interesting comments – all of which you can read here.
Now today the House of Commons Select Committee on Science and Technology has published a detailed report on the provision of homeopathy on the National Health Service.
The conclusions of the report are clear and include the following:
- “We conclude that the principle of like-cures-like is theoretically weak. It fails to provide a credible physiological mode of action for homeopathic products. We note that this is the settled view of medical science.”
- “We consider the notion that ultra-dilutions can maintain an imprint of substances previously dissolved in them to be scientifically implausible.”
- “In our view, the systematic reviews and meta-analyses conclusively demonstrate that homeopathic products perform no better than placebos.”
Of course, the reason why homeopathic products work no better than placebos is that they work just like placebos because in fact they are placebos.
February 23rd, 2010 at 10:34 am
I agree that homeopathy is generally flawed, but it’s ironic that this report
“We conclude that the principle of like-cures-like is theoretically weak…” should appear at the same time as the peanut allergy trials when like-cures-like is the reason it does work!
February 23rd, 2010 at 2:36 pm
Not only peanut allergy either, most allergies are treated by small doses of what you are allergic to. Sometimes it works and sometimes it does not.
But then conventional medicine works sometimes and sometimes not.
You takes your pick and you hope it works.
Jury is out on this one for me, I will try anything once.
February 24th, 2010 at 8:57 am
janet & mrs K, I think the analogy is flawed; see The Homeopathy-Allergy Shot Analogy.