Is Homeopathy just Placebo?

in #homeopathy7 years ago (edited)

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.

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Placebo is code for "my worldview is too narrow to accept these facts as possible." I have seen homeopathics work too often and too quick, both on myself and on my patients, for me to come to the conclusion that it is just placebo.

Homeopathy is what Western countries need to adapt into their public healthcare systems if they dont want to have the system go bankrupt with the toll of modern day chronic disease.

worth looking at Dr Rajendran's book Nanodynamics, I will be writing a post about it soon.

Thank you for the tip @mikeandrews. I'll add it to my wishlist

I'm just off with a patient's mum. We are currently doing a Glyphosate detox for him. Every time he has that particular remedy (he's on several) he gets stomach pain, diarrhoea, and bone pain in the night (all symptoms of Glyphosate poisoning). When we don't give that one (but continue with his other remedies) he doesn't have these quite severe reactions. This seems a clear cause-and-affect to me. (he's never met me, I communicate with his mum via Skype. He isn't aware of what remedy he is being given...they are all just little sugar balls to him).

This Post very nice... thanks for sharing this post...I appreciate this Post...

What's Placebo mean? I'm sorry I'm not a genius ^_^

"Placebo: a medicine or procedure prescribed for the psychological benefit to the patient rather than for any physiological effect.
a substance that has no therapeutic effect, used as a control in testing new drugs."

Hi Alan, been reading your posts for a while and I can relate to most what you are sharing. I am a starting homeopath myself and I can see the significance and courage that is necessary to tackle this deep problem of autism. It's really cool to hear you are having good results, my own experience of seeing such cases being treated, mostly observing them being treated at school , were not producing much change. It felt quite hopeless seeing the children in this state. Anyways, super that you are in this space sharing your process, I will definitely wait for further updates. Cheers

Another homeopath, welcome & hi :) I'm not sure how you practice, but I found that 'classical' didn't often help much. It was when I started homeopathic detox with these kids that the results came. Book recommendation: 'Fighting Fire With Fire' by Ton Jansen.

thanks, will check this out

@arvydasplatakis
MTHFR Gene mutation is a big deal

Thank you for what you do for others. It is important to have options apart from the pharmaceutical industry that are truly directed toward health and recovery.

Thank you @marymg2014 ...change is coming, or was it here all the time? :)

Cured patient = lost customer :(

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