-Caveat Lector- <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/">
</A> -Cui Bono?-
The recent headlines on the number of people in this country killed annually
by treatment from conventional medicine was a sad commentary on the status
of health care here. That first tenet of "First, do no harm" does not seem
to apply any more. Add to that the number of people who do not have access
to health care insurance and it is understandable why people would turn to
alternatives. Having been previously married for 22 years to a physician, I
know that they DO bury their mistakes so I wonder what the true count would
be. If it "can't hurt, might help" I see no harm in trying an alternative
method of treatment. We cannot continue the course of guzzling antibiotics
and massive amounts of other drugs. We are only one drug away from an
incurable staph and that drug is still in the research phase now that staph
has resisted vancomycin. It would not matter as that drug is far too
expensive to administer to the great unwashed masses should that staph
become widespread. Enhancement of the natural immune system is by far our
best bet.
Amelia
----- Original Message -----
From: "William Shannon" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Sent: Tuesday, February 29, 2000 6:00 PM
Subject: [CTRL] TSD On Homeopathy
> -Caveat Lector- <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/">
> </A> -Cui Bono?-
>
> Dear Cecil:
>
> This friend of mine is taking a homeopathic remedy for a cold. He
explained
> that it's "the vibration of the molecules of the plant" that is the active
> remedy here. What's up with this? --Joanne Keefe, Albuquerque, New Mexico
>
> Cecil replies:
>
> Homeopathy! I can't believe this has made a comeback. The last time
> homeopathy was big, Ulysses S. Grant was president. Now here it is, two
> months into the year 2000, and you walk into one of these pricey organic
> supermarkets and see aisles full of homeopathic nostrums, all of which
have a
> proven effectiveness on a par with eye of newt. So, recognizing the
complete
> futility of the effort, I feel obliged to state for the record: Come on,
> folks. This is nuts.
>
> Homeopathy was founded by the German physician Samuel Hahnemann
(1755-1843).
> He enunciated what remain today the guiding principles of homeopathic
> medicine, the foremost of which is the Law of Similars: if a large amount
of
> medicine produces a given symptom, then a small amount of the medicine
will
> stimulate the body to combat that symptom. This isn't a completely crazy
> concept; modern vaccines use the same basic idea. The twist with
homeopathic
> medicines is that they reverse the usual understanding of dose
effectiveness.
> Mainstream science holds that, generally speaking, the potency of a drug
> increases with the dose. Homeopathy--in particular, the Law of
> Infinitesimals--says the medicine's effectiveness decreases with the dose.
> The less you use, the better it works! Which would lead one to conclude
that
> it works best if you don't use any at all.
>
> Homeopaths don't say that, of course, but it's the practical impact of the
> fantastic dilutions they employ. Two scales are used, X and C. A 1X
solution
> means the original medicine (the "mother tincture") was diluted with
water,
> alcohol, or whatever to one part in ten, or 1/10; 2X is 1/100; 3X is
1/1,000;
> etc. A 1C solution is 1/100, 2C is 1/10,000, 3C is 1/1,000,000, and so on.
> Most homeopathic remedies range from 6X to 30X. At 30X, chances are that a
> given dose of the medicine doesn't contain a single molecule of the
original,
> but some dilutions go a lot higher than that. I've heard of one cold
remedy
> with a dilution of 200C, which mathematically is less than one molecule
per
> all the known matter in the universe.
>
> How, then, can homeopathy possibly work? Apologists fall back on
far-fetched
> explanations involving energy and vibrations and so on. A key step in the
> manufacture of homeopathic medicines is "succussion," in which the mixture
is
> vigorously shaken at each stage of the dilution process. This miraculously
> unlocks the healing power of the medicinal substance. Could be just my
> Catholic background talking, but that sounds like making holy water to me.
>
> Homeopathic remedies can legally be sold as drugs in the U.S. owing to an
odd
> circumstance--one of the key sponsors of the Federal Food, Drug, and
Cosmetic
> Act of 1938 was a homeopathic physician, and he was able to get the entire
> homeopathic pharmacopoeia (nux vomica, arsenicum album, et al) officially
> recognized. Homeopathy has enjoyed a quasi-protected status ever since,
with
> federal regulators generally taking the view that the practice is harmless
> and that any attempt to suppress it would likely have political
> repercussions. There have even been studies in journals with varying
degrees
> of credibility purporting to show that homeopathy actually works. These
have
> been roundly criticized on methodological grounds, and the universal view
> among scientists is that any perceived benefit is simply a placebo
> effect--you think something is going to help you, so it does.
>
> Why does belief in homeopathy persist? Well, for most routine,
> common-cold-type health complaints, it's not noticeably less effective
than
> mainstream medicine, or noticeably different in its therapeutic approach.
> People catch "bugs" that are never diagnosed (and which, if viral, have no
> cure anyway), take some over-the-counter remedy that claims to address the
> symptoms, and eventually get better. Did the over-the-counter remedy help?
> Who knows? It's silly to believe in homeopathic cures, but I'm not seeing
> that it's smarter to place your faith in Sudafed instead.
>
> --CECIL ADAMS
>
> <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/">www.ctrl.org</A>
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>
<A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/">www.ctrl.org</A>
DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER
==========
CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic
screeds are not allowed. Substance�not soap-boxing! These are sordid matters
and 'conspiracy theory'�with its many half-truths, misdirections and outright
frauds�is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects
spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRL
gives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers;
be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and
nazi's need not apply.
Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector.
========================================================================
Archives Available at:
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http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/
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