OK, if it’s for a bee sting or a cold then homeopathy does no harm but if it is a case where real treatment is needed and using homeopathic remedies prevents that it is a different kettle of fish. See my post above for some examples,
Yes, conventional medicine does need to be a bit more open about toxicity from prescribing errors or just side effect of treatment - but be wary of that third largest cause of death in the USA statistic. How many of these patients would have died of their condition without treatment or have had their lives usefully improved by treatment? Were any of these deaths due to completely unneeded treatment (possibly a few but almost certainly not the majority)?
We’re getting off the point (not that threads don’t drift) - that there are issues with conventional medicine does not automatically make homeopathy a valid alternative.
Actually this is a fallacy I haven’t got around to addressing - that “Big Pharma” are not interested in homeopathy or herbal medicine because “there’s no profit in it”. Sorry to disappoint but you have to understand what the pharmaceutical industry actually is, and what it is good at.
It is stupendously good at identifying interesting organic molecules and making them patentable, and subsequently profitable (they hope), it doesn’t matter if they started out as a herbal treatment. It would not matter if they were homeopathic - if a 30C dilution of Belladonna actually, provably, did something the drugs industry would tweak the molecule a bit, patent it, do a 30C dilution and flog it at an inflated price just like everything else.
I believe Bayer still makes a small profit from its analgesic based on Willow Bark extract and the fact that Docetaxel can be extracted from the bark of the Pacific Yew does not stop Pfizer(amongst others, it’s off patent these days) charging the NHS around a grand for just 160 milligrams of the stuff (about enough for a single treatment).
That’s a very courteous and well-argued response, Paul, and I thank you for the attention you gave my own rather stuffy one. The level of debate on SFN always delights me and the way people deal with technical issues (look at the cellar-pointing exchanges amongst experts) is gobsmackingly grabbing.
I’m going to ponder on what you wrote and may return to the discussion later, I’ve tried to ration my input for Lent!
Yes, Bayer making a small profit indeed from its analgesic you say Paul.
This corporation just bought Monsanto for 66 Billion dollars!
It is clear to me Paul 'exactly what the pharmaceutical industry actually is, and what it is good at.'
I think you’ll find it made most of that selling things other than Aspirin!!
Mind you - Monsanto is quite a name to conjure with if you want the epitome of "Evil Corp"™
It’s actually reasonably good at making drugs.
As I have said I’m not a fan of the way the pharmaceutical industry works - profit as a motivator is poor for healthcare because what you need to provide is not always the most profitable. There are frequent shortages of basic drugs because they don’t make a lot of money and there is always a conflict of interest generated if it is discovered that there is a downside to a profitable drug. In fact I don’t believe in taking profit from healthcare at all. We all need healthcare at some point in our lives and none of us can control how much healthcare or when we need it - so to deny that care based on whether we can pay is morally repugnant. To put that care in the hands of for-profit corporations is unwise in my opinion, and taking that profit makes the provision of healthcare more expensive for everyone - or reduces the amount of healthcare which can be provided.
I’m not a fan of entirely insurance based systems either - the setup in the USA is inefficient and does not deliver particularly good healthcare. Also how can a doctor do what is properly in the interests of his or her patient if there is a large kickback on offer for suggesting a particular course of treatment?
But I tend to view the pharma industry that we have now as a consequence of how things are set up (mixed in with the general fact that large corporations wield too much power) - it is a bit like the fable of the scorpion and the frog - the pharmaceutical industry sort-of can’t help its own nature.
We went to our ‘Generalist’, for the flu jab for me, oh no! sent us for a homio’ alternative thing at the pharmacy, never had even a sniff, this is the third winter
Got a better solution? Remembering that all human endeavour is flawed and whatever reward system exists (financial or status) will be abused by someone somewhere.
Sometimes I do have a flu jab, sometimes I don’t - depending on a rather random variable - this year I didn’t and I didn’t get flu either (despite being exposed to it two or three times).
In fact over the years I think I’ve had flu just once, jab or not.
Yep true…my stance is unbudgeable…and as always I empathise with your position too…My Dad died of cancer and one of my daughters is currently doing battle with it…How many children have you heard of…dieing because their parents turned to homeopathic (or herbal)…??? The cancer rates in children are also skyrocketing…(personally I feel that vaccines and roundup and it’s equivalents are contributory factors)…why wouldn’t they try to do everything possible…??? There have been many studies into homeopathy and cancer…phytollaca…rhus tox…carcinosin…many cancer sufferers finding relief from the side effects of chemotherapy through homeopathic means…they work in conjunction with their oncologists…why should their options be removed…???
Richard Dawkins…??? Isn’t he an atheist…??? Whilst I don’t support any organised “religion” and am probably more “pagan” in my philosophy and look to Mother Nature for guidance and inspiration before any “political or church leader”…I do feel that we are so much more than just “meat suits” and that consciousness equals the vital force in everything living…and it’s the vital force in everything living that responds to homeopathy and plant medicines…x
I remember having a week off school…felt lousy and could hardly lift my head off the pillow…could have been “flu”…I’ve never had the flu since and never had a flu shot…and never would…x
If you think about everything I have said about homeopathy you would realise that this would be a setting where I would have no qualms at all about use of homeopathic remedies.
You and I would differ on the mechanism of any action, but if patients undergoing chemo feel that there is a benefit (and they are not being fleeced to obtain it) then I would not wish to quibble about it.
I agree Paul…and it’s down to criminal patent holders…it’s difficult to patent a homeopathic medicine as they are all found in nature…mind you that hasn’t yet stopped the looming spectre of patented genetically modified cannabis oil…x
My daughter had a teacher who suffered from an incurable decease: his parents believed in prayers and not in vaccines (and as everybody knows billions of humans have been vaccinated last 70+ years) , resulting in him having had polio as young. Among the lighter ‘nuisances’ he had was to take taxi to and from work every day. All his working life. To see walk was painful just to watch. I get upset just thinking of his misery.
That’s really sad Peter…and I would never put my faith in prayers alone…(although I do light candles now and again and focus my intention on a better world for all of us…) Salk admitted that his polio vaccine was contaminated with Simian virus or SV40 as did Merck…and millions of people were injected with it…There is currently a massive lawsuit by horse owners in Australia against Zoetis the manufacturers of the Hendra vaccine…
