Is Homeopathy just Placebo?

There is a general consensus among the right-thinking tech/geek/nerd community that 'homeopathy is just placebo', that it is impossible/implausible. That any effects someone might have from it HAVE to be from placebo. But is this true?

Let's find out! I'm someone in a position to talk about this subject as...I am a homeopath. Before this I was an electronics engineer... I'm not someone deep in the woo-woo, I'm logical, I look for reproducible results. I try to reduce the variables in each case to a minimum. I'm constantly experimenting and testing. I also use the inductive scientific method, science is absolutely compatible with homeopathic practice.

When I started my practice way back in 2009 I was a generalist. My marketing consisted of 'hey I'm a homeopath, come see me'. Consequently I got mainly female clients with a range of problems like 'I'm feeling bit low'. These were no good at showing homeopathy to be anything more than placebo or being a sympathetic ear. I needed cases with more 'meat'.

Case study: An interesting case from the early days was a lady who had suffered a grief after her father had died. Interestingly she developed pneumonia shortly afterwards and for 6 months she'd been having long coughing fits daily. She was a school teacher and frequently had to leave her classroom to cough and splutter in the corridor for minutes at a time. Various combinations of antibiotics and steroids had been tried for this symptom but she had shown no improvement. In addition to this she started having Obsessive Compulsive traits. She'd lock and unclock her front door over and over. Return repeatedly to check that the windows were secure and the gas cooker was switched off. It was affecting her life as she'd frequently be compelled to return whilst she was driving to the school she worked in (20 miles away) to repeat her OCD routine. Various medications and even counselling had been tried, but the problem was continuing to get worse. Somehow she found me (my marketing was woeful in the early days!) and I prescribed her Ignatia 200c. This remedy is made from a bean (Saint Ignatius Bean), but it was diluted WAY beyond there being any molecules of the bean left in it. A month later we met again and the coughing & OCD had disappeared as if by magic. Now yes it could be coincidence...though the symptoms had been continuing unabaited for 6 months already, and yes it could be placebo...but why did it work for me but hadn't worked for the various doctors and counsellors she'd seen before me?

This is one example, but if I was getting these results repeatedly, then something interesting is going on.

I decided to specialise in something concrete and measurable. Something where my results couldn't be denied. I chose autism and developmental disorders for several reasons. Firstly, these conditions have become incredibly common...where twenty years ago they were unheard of, suddenly everyone seemed to know a family affected. Secondly, the medical profession could offer no help whatsoever. Once a family receive the diagnosis they are told 'this is a lifelong condition, there's no treatment but sometimes therapies can help'. It can be as devastating as a cancer diagnosis. Finally, I wanted to treat conditions where no-one could say to me that 'oh, it's just placebo'. There were serious physical issues going on: poor absorption and physical development, chronic constipation and sometimes serious gastro-intestinal inflammation, or where the child is having seizures, or is totally non-verbal. There were also frequently behavioural issues like extreme hyperactivity or aggression (which often turned out to have physical causes). I reasoned that if I could affect THESE types of symptoms repeatedly and consistently, then this would be a clear indication that homeopathy was much more than 'just placebo'.

In part 2 I'll discuss the results so far from the 1000-odd autism cases that I've treated.