Originally posted by KazetNagorraThe homeopathy lobby was stronger. The NHS is notorious at this, they also pay for acupuncture and other alternative medical practices that are not scientifically validated.
That is pretty retarded. Don't they have any scientists in their advisory panels?
I agree it's retarded, though.
Originally posted by PalynkaYeah, makes you wonder how the NHS still manages to be so efficient.
The homeopathy lobby was stronger. The NHS is notorious at this, they also pay for acupuncture and other alternative medical practices that are not scientifically validated.
I agree it's retarded, though.
Originally posted by WajomaThou, Wajoma? I could believe Caveat Emptor coming from Bernanke/Goldman/Sachs .... but thou?!?
Which ever way, it's not for you to decide for others. People that believe in homeopathic remedies should not have their ability to pursue those remedies hindered by paying for treatments they do not believe nor make use of.
still waiting for those guys to jerk the football away .... oh, wait! they already did!
Originally posted by Sartor ResartusWell, if they are going to prescribe them to hypochondriacs (which I suppose is what homeopathic medicine is useful for), you could at least just have someone make pills with nothing for 2 cents a pack and vary the labels a bit.
Yes and clinical trials have repeatedly shown that homeopathic remedies are no more effective than placebos. It's all the mind.
Originally posted by KazetNagorrahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homeopathy#Dilutions
Well, if they are going to prescribe them to hypochondriacs (which I suppose is what homeopathic medicine is useful for), you could at least just have someone make pills with nothing for 2 cents a pack and vary the labels a bit.
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Three logarithmic potency scales are in regular use in homeopathy. Hahnemann created the centesimal or C scale, diluting a substance by a factor of 100 at each stage. The centesimal scale was favored by Hahnemann for most of his life. A 2C dilution requires a substance to be diluted to one part in one hundred, and then some of that diluted solution diluted by a further factor of one hundred. This works out to one part of the original substance in 10,000 parts of the solution.[57] A 6C dilution repeats this process six times, ending up with the original material diluted by a factor of 100−6=10−12 (one part in one trillion)(1/1,000,000,000,000). Higher dilutions follow the same pattern. In homeopathy, a solution that is more dilute is described as having a higher potency, and more dilute substances are considered by homeopaths to be stronger and deeper-acting remedies.[58] The end product is often so diluted that it is indistinguishable from the dilutant (pure water, sugar or alcohol).[5][59][60]
Hahnemann advocated 30C dilutions for most purposes (that is, dilution by a factor of 1060).[61] In Hahnemann's time it was reasonable to assume that remedies could be diluted indefinitely, as the concept of the atom or molecule as the smallest possible unit of a chemical substance was just beginning to be recognized. The greatest dilution that is reasonably likely to contain one molecule of the original substance is 12C.
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homeopathy#Dilutions
X Scale C Scale Ratio Note
Ø Ø 1:1 mother tincture [65] (undiluted)
1X — 1:10 described as low potency
2X 1C 1:100 called higher potency than 1X by homeopaths
6X 3C 10**6
8X 4C 10**8 allowable concentration of arsenic in U.S. drinking water[66]
12X 6C 10**12
24X 12C 10**24 Has a 60% probability of containing one molecule of original material if one mole of the original substance was used.
60X 30C 10**60 Dilution advocated by Hahnemann for most purposes;[61] patient would need to consume 10**41 pills (a billion times the mass of the Earth), or 10**34 gallons of liquid remedy (10 billion times the volume of the Earth) to consume a single molecule of the original substance[67]
400X 200C 10**400 Dilution of popular homeopathic flu remedy Oscillococcinum
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oscillococcinum
Oscillococcinum (commonly shortened to Oscillo[1]) is a homeopathic alternative medicine marketed to relieve influenza-like symptoms. It is one of the most popular homeopathic preparations, particularly in France. Oscillococcinum is manufactured by a French company, Boiron, its sole manufacturer. There are, however, other manufacturers who make similar preparations. Oscillococcinum is used in more than 50 countries. In France, it has been in production for over 65 years.
The preparation is derived from duck liver and heart, diluted to 200C—a ratio of one part duck offal to 100200 parts water.[2] This is such a high dilution that the final product likely contains not even one molecule of the original liver. Homeopaths claim that the molecules leave an "imprint" in the dilution that causes a healing effect on the body, although available evidence does not support efficacy beyond placebo.[3][4][5]