The Case FOR Homeopathic Medicine: The Historical And Scientific Evidence

[Lorien]

A lot of people today are confused about what homeopathy is (and isn't), and this situation is not helped by the skeptics of homeopathy who go to incredible extents to exaggerate and misconstrue what homeopathic medicine is and who commonly provide misinformation about it. It is more than a tad ironic that these "skeptics" who hold themselves out as "defenders of medical science" have exhibited an embarrassingly poor scientific attitude when evaluating what homeopathy is and what the scientific evidence does and doesn't say about it.

Because many skeptics of homeopathy today indulge in spreading misinformation about homeopathy, this blog is addressed at setting the record straight and is packed with references to confirm the veracity of what is being asserted here.

First, to clarify, advocating for or using homeopathic medicines does not preclude appreciation for or use of selective conventional medical treatment. Advocates of homeopathy simply honor the Hippocratic tradition of "First, do no harm" and therefore seek to explore and utilize safer methods before resorting to more risky treatments. This perspective has historical and international roots, and it is thus no surprise that American health care which has been so resistant to homeopathic and natural therapies in its mainstream institutions is presently ranked 37th in the world in the performance of its health care system.(1) In comparison, the number one ranked country in the world is France, a country in which around 40 percent of the population uses homeopathic medicines and around 30 percent of its family physicians prescribe them (2).

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dana-ullman/the-case-for-homeopathic_b_451187.html

[derby378]

1. Dana Ullman misquoted Mark Twain at the end of the article

Here's what Twain actually said:

When you reflect that your own father had to take such medicines as the above, and that you would be taking them to-day yourself but for the introduction of homeopathy, which forced the old-school doctor to stir around and learn something of a rational nature about his business, you may honestly feel grateful that homeopathy survived the attempts of the allopathists to destroy it, even though you may never employ any physician but an allopathist while you live.

(From A Majestic Literary Fossil)

Twain was no defender of homeopathy any more than he was a defender of standard medical practice at the time, but he was a virulent opponent of medical quackery:

Nov. 20. 1905

J. H. Todd
1212 Webster St.
San Francisco, Cal.

Dear Sir,

Your letter is an insoluble puzzle to me. The handwriting is good and exhibits considerable character, and there are even traces of intelligence in what you say, yet the letter and the accompanying advertisements profess to be the work of the same hand. The person who wrote the advertisements is without doubt the most ignorant person now alive on the planet; also without doubt he is an idiot, an idiot of the 33rd degree, and scion of an ancestral procession of idiots stretching back to the Missing Link. It puzzles me to make out how the same hand could have constructed your letter and your advertisements. Puzzles fret me, puzzles annoy me, puzzles exasperate me; and always, for a moment, they arouse in me an unkind state of mind toward the person who has puzzled me. A few moments from now my resentment will have faded and passed and I shall probably even be praying for you; but while there is yet time I hasten to wish that you may take a dose of your own poison by mistake, and enter swiftly into the damnation which you and all other patent medicine assassins have so remorselessly earned and do so richly deserve.

Adieu, adieu, adieu!

Mark Twain

[Joe Chi Minh]

6. ".... which forced the old-school doctor to stir around and learn

something of a rational nature about his business,...."

Sounds a pretty unequivocal endorsement of homeopathy to me. Particularly, in view of the grotesque pretentiousness of our 'scientismificist' friends, with their farcical claims to being the high-priests of rationality!

[derby378]

13. Try researching the history of standard medicine AND homeopathy in the 19th century

It's fascinating - and a little scary. And it shows that Mark Twain knew full well what he was talking about.

Science, however, is not dogma. It is a practice, and the beauty of it is that anyone can do it. As such, it doesn't suffer self-appointed "high priests" gladly - the scientific method and the results that stem from it overrule personal ego and mob rule every time.

I am a critic of homeopathy, yes, but I am also fascinated with the history of homeopathy in America, so I am more favorable to the old-school homeopaths such as Constantin Hering and Jacob Jeanes than I am to people such as Dana Ullman who really should know better by now.

[Joe Chi Minh]

20. All very interesting but try reading his words, as I quoted them to you. Much simpler

and more telling. Why erect strawmen, rather than concede what is there before your eyes.

I made no claims about 19th century homeopathy or conventional medicine - which latter would have been no great shakes by our standards today, of course.

"Science, however, is not dogma. It is a practice, and the beauty of it is that anyone can do it. As such, it doesn't suffer self-appointed "high priests" gladly - the scientific method and the results that stem from it overrule personal ego and mob rule every time."

You live in fantasy world. Knowledge without understanding is an onerous liability, although fortunately, in that regard, the victims tend to be the last to realise it.

From the Guardian article linked below:

"So, the suggestion is that you could be forgiven for concluding that science is only possible because scientists are prepared to make a collective leap of faith, a commitment to the prevailing paradigm. Further, science just wouldn't be possible if scientists always and everywhere adhered to the scientific method alone, the procedures that have come to define what counts as rational. Something other than repeated observations and correct inference is required for progress."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/belief/2010/jan/31/charles-taylor-philosophy-religion-science

[derby378]

64. I produced the actual quote for you

There's nothing "simple" about medicine except our attitude towards it sometimes. To wit:

2000 B.C. - Here, eat this root.
1000 B.C. - That root is useless. Here, use this ointment.
500 A.D. - That ointment is heathen. Here, say this prayer.
1500 A.D. - That prayer is superstition. Here, drink this potion.
1900 A.D. - That potion is snake oil. Here, swallow this pill.
1970 A.D. - That pill is too dangerous. Here, take this antibiotic.
2000 A.D. - That antibiotic doesn't work anymore. Here, eat this root.

[Oregone]

2. LOL. Get that crap off of Huffinton Post

Homeopathy is as useful to curing illness as tap water. What a joke

[HuckleB]

4. HuffPo does seem intent on bringing itself down with its anti-science goofiness.

As for the author ... ROTFLMAO! :rofl:

The Dull-Man Law
http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/?p=448

[HysteryDiagnosis]

19. And so is the placebo effect... nothing to it, medical science says

so.

[Oregone]

24. Placebo is the only mechanism that homeopathy could work from

Not the actually water-with-nothing-in-it. And medical science doesn't support the notion that some placebo has more efficiency over another placebo, now does it? So people ought to be buying sugar pills that claim to cure everything under the sun, and save their money. There is no reason to pay the snake oil salesmen for fake-medicine when you can find cheaper fake-medicine (And peace of mind) elsewhere. Have your neighbor lie and sell you a bag of Skittles if you are that desparate to trick your brain.

[HysteryDiagnosis]

25. German farmers would disagree with you... or perhaps they are

just stupid.

http://www.holisticonline.com/homeopathy/homeo_clinical.htm
Conventional physicians often belittle homeopathic remedies and their effectiveness to placebo effect. However, several studies on animals and infants show that homeopathic remedies do work. Obviously, animals and infants are less likely to be influenced by placebo. In Germany, poultry farmers are treating their hens with homeopathic remedies instead of antibiotics for coughs, colds, and digestive problems. Farmers also treat their cats, dogs, horses, cattle, and birds homeopathically.

Other animal studies add to the evidence. A 3x potency of Chelidonium lowered cholesterol in rabbits by 25 percent. Microdoses of Arsenicum (10x up to 30x; and 5c up to 15c) helped rats eliminate toxic doses of arsenic from their systems, a study that has important implications for humans who are increasingly exposed to many heavy metals in the environment. And pigs given Caulophyllum had half as many stillbirths as those who received a placebo.

[Oregone]

27. Fuck delusional German farmers

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homeopathy#High_dilutions

Physicist Robert L. Park, former executive director of the American Physical Society, has noted that:

"since the least amount of a substance in a solution is one molecule, a 30C solution would have to have at least one molecule of the original substance dissolved in a minimum of 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 molecules of water. This would require a container more than 30,000,000,000 times the size of the Earth."

Tee hee. Its just water. And no, I don't believe in "water memory".

So, there you have it. Case closed. Myth busted. Move on.

[HysteryDiagnosis]

30. You don't believe in quantum mechanics?? Strange that. You don't

understand the power of intent? You don't believe in magic?? Pity that.

On edit to add: Delusional? I don't think so.

http://ecam.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/full/3/2/171
The development of the chicken immune system is stimulated by homeopathic dilutions of bursin (7,14,15), a tripeptide (Lys-His-Gly-NH2) B cell differentiation hormone derived from the bursa fabricii. In these studies, chick embryos underwent bursectomy in order to make them immunodeficient (it is well known that the bursa of Fabricius is essential for the development of the B lymphocyte system). The in ovo administration of low doses and high dilutions of the hormone bursin (up to 10–40 g ml–1), which theoretically no longer contain any molecules of the original substance, restored the immune response as demonstrated by the normal antibody production of the adult animal in response to antigen stimulus (bovine thyreoglobulin). Moreover, an improved response of the pituitary–adrenocortical axis was shown by measuring adrenocorticotropic hormone. Moreover, in early embryonically bursectomized chickens, the plasma melatonin response to immunization by porcine thyroglobulin has found to be abolished (14,16). Conversely, administration of either minute amounts (100 pg, 100 fg) or highly dilute (5 x 10–27 g) bursin, with the exception of a highest dose (100 µg), to bursaless embryos induced recovery of normal antigen-induced melatonin response. The authors suggest that early in embryonic life, the bursa fabricii and its derived signal (bursin) are essential for normal development of pineal synthetic activity and underline the efficacy of very dilute bursin as an informative signal (17).

Minerals and Nosodes

A series of studies examined the action of high dilutions of silica on the production of platelet activating factor (PAF) by peritoneal macrophages in the mouse (18). The compound was added to drinking water at a dilution of 9c (corresponding to a theoretical concentration of 1.66 x 10–19 M) for 25 days. The peritoneal macrophages extracted from the mice showed an ability to produce PAF in response to a stimulus with yeast extracts that was 30–60% greater than that of control macrophages (untreated mice, mice treated with NaCl in a 9c dilution or with another homeopathic drug, Gelsemium 9c). Lower dilutions (5c) paradoxically had less effect.

For centuries, homeopathic practitioners have claimed that serially agitated dilutions of infectious agents (called ‘nosodes’) are effective in the prevention of infectious disease. Following this idea, an experimental trial of the immunostimulating power of high dilutions of pathogenic substances was done by a team of American researchers (19,20). They produced the dynamized dilutions from reticuloendothelial tissue of mice infected with Francisella tularensis, the microbial agent of tularemia, obtaining three dilutions containing original tissue (3x, 7x and 12x) and three dilutions beyond the presence of original tissue (30c, 200c and 1000c). These preparations were administered orally to a group of mice (0.03 ml, three times per week) for 1 month before and after challenge, whereas another control group was treated with dilutions of ethanol. Animals were challenged with a potentially lethal dose (LD50 or LD75) of F. tularensis, then evaluated for time of death and total mortality. After 15 experiments the very high homeopathic dilutions brought about a significant increase in survival time and a significant reduction in total mortality compared to controls. Protection rates averaged 22% over controls compared to 100% protection by standard vaccination. A partial protection was thus obtained from a nosode of tularemia, in dilutions below those expected to have protective effects, but not as great as those produced by standard vaccination.

Homeopathic dilutions of silica are widely used in homeopathy to treat sores, chronic ulcers and abscesses. An experimental animal model based on induced chronic wounds was used by a group of investigators in Rehovot (Israel) (21), who reported the therapeutic effects of homeopathic silica dilutions on the repair of holes pierced in the ears of mice. The holes were made using dental wire, which was then left hanging from the ear in order to cause persistent mechanical irritation. In each experiment, 3 or 4 groups of 10 mice each were treated by adding homeopathic dilutions of silica (10–10, 10–60 and 10–400) or saline (10–10) to drinking water for 4–20 days. The size of the holes was measured every second day and/or by means of an objective image analysis system. The results showed that, in 7 out of 11 experiments, the holes in the ears of the silica-treated animals were significantly smaller (P < 0.05–0.001) and healed faster than those in the saline-treated animals. The therapeutic effect also progressively increased with increasing silica dilutions.

[Oregone]

34. lol. Nice reach. Its all bullshit

If there was anything such as "water memory", any tapwater in the world would already have a variety of molecular memorizations of the most common "medicines" that water once dissolved. "Water Memory" has not been illustrated or proven. It is a theory based on nothing, manufactured when people realized just how much the principles of homeopathy really were bullshit

[HysteryDiagnosis]

37. Diluted allopathic medicines have an effect on the body and if

you didn't read this, and apparently you didn't... read it again.

Homeopathic dilutions of silica are widely used in homeopathy to treat sores, chronic ulcers and abscesses. An experimental animal model based on induced chronic wounds was used by a group of investigators in Rehovot (Israel) (21), who reported the therapeutic effects of homeopathic silica dilutions on the repair of holes pierced in the ears of mice. The holes were made using dental wire, which was then left hanging from the ear in order to cause persistent mechanical irritation. In each experiment, 3 or 4 groups of 10 mice each were treated by adding homeopathic dilutions of silica (10–10, 10–60 and 10–400) or saline (10–10) to drinking water for 4–20 days. The size of the holes was measured every second day and/or by means of an objective image analysis system. The results showed that, in 7 out of 11 experiments, the holes in the ears of the silica-treated animals were significantly smaller (P < 0.05–0.001) and healed faster than those in the saline-treated animals. The therapeutic effect also progressively increased with increasing silica dilutions.

[Oregone]

41. Many homeopathic remedies are dilluted to the point the original molecule cannot statistically exist

...within the small container size.

Thats the fact of the matter. Deal with it.

[HysteryDiagnosis]

42. And what makes you think that you need the original molecule?

It should be quite obvious that having the original molecule would be problematic for the whole homeopathic magical happening to take place. I didn't print that stuff from the Oxford journal... I just put it there for you to read.

[Oregone]

43. Because, if you didn't, common tap water would be able to cure anything

Being that it would contain molecules that "memorized" just about everything under sun. The ocean is a dilluted mixture of about anything you can damn well think of, and therefore, it would be the ultimate homeopathic cure.

But it isn't.

Now you are going to nutso faith land. Believing in the efficiency of water that "memorized" dilluted molecules, without any scientific proof that water can do any such thing, is out there with thinking God knocked up some chick in the middle east.

[HysteryDiagnosis]

44. I believe in science and all that it doesn't understand... perhaps

this will do it for you.

http://hpathy.com/homeopathy-scientific-research/the-principle-that-makes-homeopathy-scientifically-possible-the-whole-is-greater-than-the-sum-of-its-parts/
Dylan Evans expresses the general misconception in his book, Placebo <7>, as follows, “There is no place in our current scientific theories for any possible mechanism by which homeopathy might work.” Again, “either homeopathy is simply a placebo, or the whole of physics and chemistry as we know them are false.” Milgrom <8> quotes Ennis similarly: “if the findings of the pan-European experiment (Ennis) was part of, were repeated, the whole of physics and chemistry might have to be rewritten.”

In point of fact nothing could be further from the truth. Recent advances indicate that the therapeutically active ingredient (TAI) of a homeopathic remedy has a quantum form connected to critical points. Torres <9>, shows that critical points on networks provide suitable systems; Weingartner <10>, that the TAI must obey scaling laws. In a heroic series of articles <11-15>, Milgrom derives many known aspects of homeopathic medicine from his intuition that the TAI is a quantum wave function.

Recently, a new model of cellular regulation has been used to show how an ultra-diluted solution of a toxin can reactivate a physiological system, deactivated by the original toxin – a scientific derivation of the principle underlying homeopathy <16>. The new theory of cellular regulation uses a new physical concept, critical regulation, based on well-known work by Prigogine <17>, who pointed out that critical instabilities necessarily occur in biological control systems.

[Oregone]

45. Ah, mysterious quantum workings? Well Ill start drinking the ocean just in case then

No, really, I wont. Thanks for playing.

[HysteryDiagnosis]

46. Glad you were able to understand that science doesn't have all

the answers yet.

[Oregone]

47. Thats why I kill goats for Bhall, Yaweh, and Shiva each week

Gotta cover my bases, you know.

Ill add some ocean water to the mix and Ill be set for life.

[HysteryDiagnosis]

48. Delusional American Dairy Farmers....

Management of mastitis on organic and conventional dairy farms.

Ruegg PL.

Department of Dairy Science, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706, USA. [e-mail]

This paper compares management of mastitis on organic dairy farms with that on conventional dairy farms. National standards for organic production vary by country. In the United States, usage of antimicrobials to treat dairy cattle results in permanent loss of organic status of the animal, effectively limiting treatment choices for animals experiencing bacterial diseases. There are no products approved by the US Food and Drug Administration that can be used for treatment of mastitis on organic dairy farms, and usage of unapproved products is contrary to Food and Drug Administration guidelines. In general, organic dairy farms tend to be smaller, produce less, and more likely to be housed and milked in traditional barns as compared with conventionally managed herds.

It is difficult to compare disease rates between herds managed conventionally or organically because perception and detection of disease is influenced by management system. To date, no studies have been published with the defined objective of comparing animal health on organic dairy herds with that on conventional dairy herds in the United States. European studies have not documented significant differences in animal health based on adoption of organic management. Few differences in bulk tank somatic cell counts have been identified between organic and conventional herds. Farmers that have adopted organic management consistently report fewer cases of clinical mastitis, but organic farmers do not use the same criteria to detect clinical mastitis. European dairy farmers that adopt organic management report use of a variety of conventional and alternative therapies for treatment and control of mastitis.

In the United States, organic farmers treat clinical mastitis using a variety of alternative therapies including whey-based products, botanicals, vitamin supplements, and homeopathy. Organic farmers in the United States use a variety of alternative products to treat cows at dry-off. Virtually no data are available that support the clinical efficacy of any of the alternative veterinary products used for treatment or prevention of mastitis. Some associations between organic management and antimicrobial susceptibility of gram-positive mastitis pathogens have been noted, but overall, few mastitis pathogens from both conventional and organic dairy herds demonstrate resistance to antibiotics commonly used for mastitis control.

PMID: 18820158

[HysteryDiagnosis]

49. Delusional Norwegian Farmers

Investigations of the motivation underlying Norwegian dairy farmers' use of homoeopathy.

Hektoen L.

Department of Production Animal Clinical Sciences, Norwegian School of Veterinary Science, PB 8146 Dep, 0033 Oslo, Norway.

Eighteen Norwegian dairy farmers were interviewed to examine their reasons for using homoeopathic treatments in managing their herds' health. Overall, they chose the treatments on the basis of factors related to their personal experience, considerations of individual animals and the framework for dairy production. For individual animals homoeopathy was used as an alternative to conventional veterinary treatment, but at the herd level it was used to complement it. The farmers' use of homoeopathic treatment for personal health problems and the experience of their colleagues with its use in dairy production were important factors motivating their initial use of homoeopathy. Other factors included a desire to decrease the use of antibacterial drugs, reduce costs and find alternatives when conventional veterinary medicine provided no effective treatment. In individual cases, the severity of disease, previous experience and the farmers' personal knowledge and resources were important. These factors parallel those found to influence the use of complementary and alternative therapies in human medicine. The lack of understanding and documentation of the effects of homoeopathic remedies was not important to the farmers, and they valued personal experience more highly than scientific evidence or the opposition to homoeopathy encountered within the veterinary profession.

PMID: 15605537

[HysteryDiagnosis]

50. Delusional Indian Farmers...

Evaluation of a homeopathic complex in the clinical management of udder diseases of riverine buffaloes.

Varshney JP, Naresh R.

Division of Medicine, Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Izatnagar, Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh State, India.

We report an uncontrolled observational study of the treatment of udder diseases of buffalo, using a homeopathic complex medicine. Mastitis is an economically important disease of buffaloes. In India economic losses due to mastitis are estimated at 526 million US dollars annually. Conventional veterinary treatment relies on costly antibiotics; cure rate is only 60% in field conditions with a problem of milk residues. The present investigation was undertaken to evaluate the effectiveness of a homeopathic complex in the management of clinical udder health problems of riverine buffaloes. Cases of subclinical mastitis were excluded from the study. A total of 102 mastitic quarters (fibrosed--40, nonfibrosed--62) and five cases each of blood in milk and udder oedema in lactating buffaloes were treated with a homeopathic complex consisting of Phytolacca 200c, Calcarea fluorica 200c, Silicea 30c, Belladona 30c, Bryonia 30c, Arnica 30c, Conium 30c and Ipecacuanha 30c. The diagnosis of udder diseases and recovery criterion was based on physical examination of udder and milk and CMT/WST score. Bacteriological analysis and somatic cell count were not performed. Treatment was 80 and 96.72% effective in cases of fibrotic mastitis and nonfibrosed mastitis respectively. Recovery period was 21-42 days (fibrosed) and 4-15 days (nonfibrosed). Udder oedema and blood in milk responded favourably in 2-5 days. Cost of treatment was 0.07 US dollars per day. The homeopathic complex medicine may be effective and economical in the management of udder health problems of buffaloes. Definitive conclusions are premature due to the limited number of observations and lack of control group.

PMID: 14960098

[Oregone]

52. Heh, farmers...

The ultimate quantum physicists

[HysteryDiagnosis]

53. Results in sick animals, the ultimate placebo killing, skeptic slaying

results driven test to see if something works... I don't need a weatherman to tell me which way the wind blows.

[Oregone]

54. heh, farmers...

Doing peer-reviewed, published, double-blind studies since 1385

[HuckleB]

56. You sure about that wind of yours?

Keeping an open mind - the research
http://www.vetpath.co.uk/voodoo/research.html

Controlled clinical trial of the effect of a homoeopathic nosode on the somatic
cell counts in the milk of clinically normal dairy cows
http://www.skeptics.org.uk/documents/homeopathy_dairy_cows.pdf

Cases where animals have suffered at the hands of "homeopathic vets"
http://www.vetpath.co.uk/voodoo/cases.html

Treatment of canine atopic dermatitis with a commercial homeopathic remedy: A single-blinded, placebo-controlled study
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC339391/pdf/20020800s00021p601.pdf
and...
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC339391/

Efficacy of a homoeopathic prophylaxis against experimental infection of calves by the bovine lungworm Dictyocaulus viviparus
http://veterinaryrecord.bvapublications.com/cgi/content/abstract/124/1/15

The Placebo Effect in Animals, and Their Owners.
http://skeptivet.blogspot.com/2009/07/placebo-effect-in-animals-and-their.html

:rofl:

[HysteryDiagnosis]

62. From your link:

http://skeptivet.blogspot.com/2009/07/placebo-effect-in-animals-and-their.html

There have not really been any studies done in the veterinary field, but a some studies of preconceptions held by parents demonstrate how such an expectation may affect how caregivers can be affected by treatments. This report discusses how the common perception that sugar or other foods cause hyperactivity in young children is unfounded, and a recent review shows how parents, teachers and medical personnel can be effected by knowledge and expectation of treatment. I have seen several clients give their pets rescue remedy, a bach flower remedy which is a type of homeopathic remedy to their pets to help with anxiety just before a visit. I have always thought that the remedy seemed to calm the owner down more than the pet, and these reports help to explain why that may be.

And data that disagrees with it.

Eur J Clin Nutr. 2009 Apr;63(4):491-8. Epub 2007 Dec 5.
'Junk food' diet and childhood behavioural problems: results from the ALSPAC cohort.

Wiles NJ, Northstone K, Emmett P, Lewis G.

Department of Community Based Medicine, Academic Unit of Psychiatry, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK. [e-mail]

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: To determine whether a 'junk food' diet at age 4(1/2) is associated with behavioural problems at age 7. SUBJECTS/METHODS: Data on approximately 4000 children participating in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children, a birth cohort recruited in Avon, UK in 1991/92 were used. Behavioural problems were measured at age 7 using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ; maternal completion). Total difficulties and scores for the five sub-scales (hyperactivity, conduct and peer problems, emotional symptoms and pro-social behaviour) were calculated. Principal components analysis of dietary data (frequency of consumption of 57 foods/drinks) collected at age 4(1/2) by maternal report was used to generate a 'junk food' factor. Data on confounders were available from questionnaires. RESULTS: A one standard deviation increase in 'junk food' intake at age 4(1/2) years was associated with increased hyperactivity at age 7 (odds ratio: 1.19; 95% confidence interval: 1.10, 1.29). This persisted after adjustment for confounders including intelligence quotient score (odds ratio: 1.13; 95% confidence interval: 1.01, 1.15). There was little evidence to support an association between 'junk food' intake and overall behavioural difficulties or other sub-scales of the SDQ. CONCLUSIONS: Children eating a diet high in 'junk food' in early childhood were more likely to be in the top 33% on the SDQ hyperactivity sub-scale at age 7. This may reflect a long-term nutritional imbalance, or differences in parenting style. This finding requires replication before it can provide an avenue for intervention.

PMID: 18059416



Arch Oral Biol. 2008 Oct;53(10):964-8. Epub 2008 Jul 16.
Effect of lavender aroma on salivary endocrinological stress markers.

Toda M, Morimoto K.

Department of Social and Environmental Medicine, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, 2-2 Yamada-Oka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan.

OBJECTIVE: We evaluated the stress relief effect of lavender aroma by measuring sensitive salivary endocrinological stress markers, cortisol and chromogranin A (CgA). DESIGN: Thirty healthy students performed a serial arithmetic task for 10min and then rested for 10min. During the resting period, 16 students (aroma group) were exposed to airborne organic essential oil of lavender. Saliva samples were collected immediately before and after the arithmetic task, and at 5 and 10min after that. Salivary cortisol and CgA levels were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. RESULTS: In the aroma group, levels of CgA that had been elevated at the end of the arithmetic task were statistically significantly lower 10min later. The control group showed no such change. During the protocol, no statistically significant changes in levels of cortisol were detected in either the aroma group or the control group. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that lavender aroma has a stress relief effect.

PMID: 18635155

[HuckleB]

65. Really? That's your response?

Wow!

An anecdote in the face of comparison studies is meaningless -- especially when that anecdote is explained by what we already know, including something in my post. A study about "junk food" has nothing to do with homeopathy at all. And a pointless study on lavender (not homeopathy) with no comparison also offers nothing. I offered studies and a review of studies with comparison to placebo and other treatments. All of those showed no benefit for homeopathy. Of course, since homeopathy equates to faith healing, there really should not have been a need to do any of those studies.

[trotsky]

82. You probably know as well as I do, that's HD's standard attack pattern.

When he's got nothing left, he just starts cutting & pasting from a volume of (at best) tangentially related studies that have nothing to do with the point that he just lost. For someone who hates science so much, he sure seems to want validation from it.

[HuckleB]

94. He certainly conjures up one confused, bizarro world.

[HuckleB]

101. In truth, his posts are usually so all over the place that I don't bother reading them.

For some reason, I had the patience to do so today, and, yeah, well, uh, hmm, WOW!

[HysteryDiagnosis]

92. Your quote refers to Bach flower remedies as homeopathic

preparations. They are not.

[HuckleB]

93. Thank you for adding to my post.

I'm not going to spend time showing how every single part of every one of your posts is off base.

But, if you want to add to the list, thanks!

[HysteryDiagnosis]

96. No problem... and if I am wrong about everything I threw up here,

at least I am consistent.

[HuckleB]

97. Actually, your posts are both wrong AND inconsistent.

[HysteryDiagnosis]

98. Thank your for your kind words... but really you should stop. n/t

[HuckleB]

99. Try responding to the actual content of the posts you "respond" to...

That would be a marked change.

[Joe Chi Minh]

89. Before even reading his response, I was going to say, 'Don't bank on it'!

Our 'scientismificists' never let you down.

[derby378]

55. Actually, homeopaths tend to have a simpler label for it

They call it "die Lebenskraft," or the Vital Force. You dilute the original ingredient out of a homeopathic solution, but the "essence" of the ingredient is left in the solution, and this essence interacts with the Vital Force within your body and supposedly restores health.

I know, I don't buy it, either.

[Joe Chi Minh]

3. Fascinating information, Lorien. Paging Ian David! Paging Ian David!

[Lorien]

57. I have no personal success stories with homepathic medicine

though my current doctor has me on two homeopathic remedies and five traditional medications. I'm feeling better, so something is working-but it's probably the traditional stuff. Still, I guess we'll see; the homeopathic stuff is supposed to treat mercury poisoning. Since there are ways of reading levels of mercury in the system I guess the proof will be in the final tests.

[Joe Chi Minh]

88. I soon gave up on Saw Palmetto for my prostate problem, but am sure that

there are very effective homeopathic remedies familiar to the experts in the field. Hunter-gatherer societies, I believe have a very wide knowledge of plants with healing properties of various kinds, and it sounds as if many of your doctors are also knowledgeable about the subject.

[HuckleB]

95. It appears that you don't know what homeopathy is.

Perhaps you should do some research, and then get back to us.

[laconicsax]

102. Yeah, there are lots of plants with healing properties.

Along the way, they were tested and the ones that actually worked are now typically called "medicine" and pushed by those evildoers in the 'medical establishment.'

[HuckleB]

103. +1

[SidDithers]

120. Homeopathic != Herbal...nt

Sid

[fascisthunter]

5. Lorien, it seems like Germany has embraced Homeopathic remedies

last time I was at an Apotek(pharmacy), I noticed most products were of the homeopathic variety.

[Joe Chi Minh]

8. Ah, Old Europe.... What would they know!

[Warpy]

7. Homeopathy certainly does no harm

Unfortunately, it doesn't do anything.

It's a "science" designed for hypochondriacs.

It's main danger is that people will rely on it when medicine based on the scientific method might have cured them.

[Joe Chi Minh]

9. Indeed, it can do great harm if care is not taken. Your post is foolish from start to finish.

[NoNothing]

10. Exactly

Just like "Christian Science"

[HuckleB]

11. And Faith Healers.

And we know that doesn't cause anyone any harm.

Faith healers found guilty in OC
http://www.westlinntidings.com/news/story.php?story_id=126522989178170700

[HuckleB]

12. Then again...

Homeopath Thomas Sam guilty of daughter Gloria's death
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/homeopath-thomas-sam-guilty-of-daughter-glorias-death/story-e6freuy9-1225723018271

Homoeopathy may not be as harmless as you think
http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/286662

[kimmerspixelated]

16. Modern medicine laden with chemicals does not cure anything.

The body cures itself when given the right nutrients or positive flow of chi energy. Modern prescriptions containing chemical synthetic versions of herbs, etc., usually mask or "manage" a symptom. The body does not know what to do with these foreign ingredients and rebels. The main danger of modern medicine is that people will rely on it when knowledge about what the body might be deficient in is what is truly needed.

America is far,far, behind the common sense of some other countries in medical practices. We should follow Germany or France's model and be more open to safe alternatives.

Modern medicine is designed for those sheeple who don't want to educate themselves about their own bodies.

[Oregone]

22. Utter bullshit

[SemiCharmedQuark]

23. Where did you get your biology degree?

I'm pretty horrified that someone can believe this.

[Warpy]

32. You might want to reconsider that snotty post assessing lack of education.

I was an RN for 25 years. I know what can be treated and what can be cured and what cannot.

There is no cure for a combination of ignorance and arrogance, I'm afraid. It always ends up being its own worst enemy.

[trotsky]

35. That is one of the most ignorant, uninformed, ridiculous things I've ever read on DU.

And that's saying something.

[Lorien]

74. Do you think that you can try to make a point WITHOUT personal attacks?

some manners would be appreciated. Thank you.

[SemiCharmedQuark]

76. Did you miss the post that generated this? It calls scientists "sheeple" who can't be bothered to

get educated.

[LeftishBrit]

118. Worse than that...

it calls PATIENTS who use modern medicine 'sheeple' who can't be bothered to get educated - i.e. it doesn't say, as I think you might have read it, that modern medicine is designed *by* 'sheeple'; but that it is designed *for* 'sheeple'. Scientists for the most part can defend themselves; patients who depend for their lives on modern medicine may not be so readily able to do so.

[SemiCharmedQuark]

121. Ah you're right. It calls patients sheeple and implies that scientists are shysters

[trotsky]

79. If it's a personal attack, then alert on the post and it will be deleted.

However it wasn't a personal attack, it was an attack on what the post said. Which contained personal attacks, go figure. :eyes:

[LeftishBrit]

114. Calling people who are in need of modern medicine 'sheeple' who won't try to 'educate themselves

about their bodies' is a personal attack! And INDESCRIBABLY hurtful to those of us who truly depend on modern medicine.

It is just like calling people who depend on government financial assistance 'scroungers'.

[EvolveOrConvolve]

39. Your post would be funny in its complete and total foolishness

were it not also extremely dangerous to be so ignorant. I honestly hope that if you have children that they are seen to be a real doctor on occasion.

[Codeine]

61. Dogpiling is kinda cheap,

but a post that fucking stupid deserves all the opprobrium possible.

[LeftishBrit]

113. Modern medicine is ONE OF THE MOST PRECIOUS THINGS IN THE WORLD!

I owe my life, and my quality of life to it. There are people in the world who would NOT have survived in the past, and it DOES NOT MAKE US immoral, or 'sheeple who don't want to educate themselves about their own bodies' if we make use of it for our survival! That is just like sneering at poor people for not being able to survive without financial help from the state or from other people. Not EVERYONE can just 'stand on their own feet' - financially or medically!

I don't object to people using any sort of alternative medicine that they choose, so long as they don't question or challenge or try to restrict other people's BASIC HUMAN RIGHT to access to modern medicine! It is just as cruel to deny people such access because we are seen as 'sheeple' for not using natural medicine, as to deny people the right to medicine based on stem-cell research on religious grounds. (I am not saying that the same people necessarily do both; just that both are placing ideology ahead of desperate human needs.) It is basically a form of attacking people for illnesses beyond their control.

[Oregone]

21. Unless you skip on real medicine when you need it thinking you have a cure

[eShirl]

14. At this point he's like the crazy uncle who keeps going on and on

while everyone nods and smiles.

[HuckleB]

15. +1

:rofl:

[EvolveOrConvolve]

40. Ha, nice! :)

Rarely does a post make me snort out loud like yours' did.

Thanks for the laugh. :hi:

[kimmerspixelated]

17. Excellent Post Lorien!

Thanks for sharing! I see the skeptics came out swinging just as you presumed!

[trotsky]

36. As responsible adults SHOULD do when they are confronted with such colossal ignorance.

It's like someone posted an article lauding the "bell curve" nonsense about intelligence varying with race. You bet your ass I'd jump on such pseudo-science just like this, because they're both bullshit.

[Lorien]

60. Hey, I just posted it because it seemed like an interesting debate

I had know idea that people here would want my head on a pike for doing so. Why does this stuff drive some people into such a white hot seething rage?

[trotsky]

63. For one, if you think this is "white hot seething rage," you have lived a sheltered life.

For another, promoting any kind of quackery can influence others to pursue it instead of proven treatments. I don't want anyone to get sicker because you gave them bad advice.

[Lorien]

72. I'm am neither sheltered, nor promoting anything

channel your anger elsewhere. I just posted an article, that's it. I made no comment about it in the OP.

[trotsky]

78. You didn't post an article, you posted a piece of charlatan fiction.

The homeopaths make money by peddling false hope. If you just posted it with no comment, why do you care what others say? And why do you have to try and neutralize only some responders by calling them angry?

[LeftishBrit]

115. I was lecturing to our students on the fallacies of the 'bell curve' theory last week!

There's sadly a lot of rubbish that passes for 'research' in this world.

[Lorien]

58. Thanks! But I'm neither a believer nor a denier

some people I know claim to have been cured by homeopathy, some say it's all nonsense. Every doctor I've seen here in Florida thinks that it has some merit, so I have an open mind about it. I suspect that it's like a lot of modern traditional meds; sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. At least I doubt that homeopathic remedies have killed as many people as Big Pharma has (though people who will ONLY trust in homeopathic treatments are likely making a big mistake).

[Confusious]

111. Every doctor I've seen here in Florida thinks that it has some merit

Yea, it keeps the hypochondriacs of their backs.

[HuckleB]

81. Homeopathic A&E

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMGIbOGu8q0

[SidDithers]

83. A classic...

it never gets old :)

I'm drinking an homeopathic rum and coke right now!

Sid

[OneTenthofOnePercent]

18. Don't use big words like Homeopathic around FReepers.

Their heads will explode if they think drugs might make them 'homos' :dunce:

[fascisthunter]

26. amazing how black and white this issue is for those against Homeopathic Medicine

I'm not sure I understand why.

edited: Why can't both coexist?

[Oregone]

28. Here is a clue:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=222&topic_id=82646&mesg_id=82673

Just take a moment and soak that in.

[SemiCharmedQuark]

29. amazing how black and white this issue is for those against Creatioinism

I'm not sure I understand why.

[HuckleB]

31. Penn and Teller revealed the tricks behind magic... and... well...

Bad Science: A Kind of Magic
http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2007/nov/16/sciencenews.g2

Ben Goldacre on Homeopathy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZiLsFaEzog

[Lorien]

59. You got me. I see four different doctors here in Florida. They mostly practice

very traditional medicine, but every so often they prescribe a homeopathic remedy instead. I see two of these doctors because they're on the "America's top doctors" lists, and the other two I see because they serve those of us who are of little means. When they prescribe the homeopathics it's usually because it's either far cheaper than the traditional drugs and is seen, by them at least, as nearly as effective. Or it's because the traditional meds would conflict badly with something else that I'm already taking. It's not either/ or for my doctors so I remain open minded about it. Heck, one even gave me a Chinese folk remedy that was highly effective! As Dr. Lash says "if it works it's not "alternative" medicine, it's just medicine."

[HuckleB]

66. "Top Doctors" lists don't mean a thing.

Further, either they're using homeopathy as a placebo that they can justify as "something" to the patient, or part of their practice is pure quackery.

[fascisthunter]

67. that makes sense to me...

I have read that homeopathic remedies have been proven to work, yet one side of the argument is that homeopathic never works... I would like to believe without doing more research that the truth lie somewhere in between.

What you stated sounds resonable to me, but since I know very little about this topic, I can't make any absolute conclusion.

Thanks for posting, Lorien

[HuckleB]

68. By what function, other than the same function that faith healing "works," would homeopathy "work?"

[fascisthunter]

70. put a lid on the condescending attitude

I'm keeping an open mind here, because I obviously don't know much about this topic. But what I do see here, are contrasting views, and mainly a condescending attitude from those of you who absolutely disagree with homeopathy. I see no such thing coming from those who seem open to it's uses.

Gee, which one convinces me more?

I'll do my own research... until I know more, I will be keeping an open mind.

[HuckleB]

71. I'm asking a question. It's a genuine question.

There is nothing condescending about it. Your attempt to dismiss the question without thought is what is condescending. You say you want to keep an open mind, while also saying that you don't want to inform yourself, and without being open to genuine, necessary questions. I find it interesting that you have ignored the posts that provide actual insight into homeopathy. So much for that open mind claim.

Further, there is an open mind, and then there is the pretend type of open mind. What do you want for yourself and for the world?

On false "open mindedness" ...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T69TOuqaqXI

[HuckleB]

80. Good reads, as a start.

Diluting the scientific method: Ars looks at homeopathy
http://arstechnica.com/science/news/2007/09/the-pseudoscience-behind-homeopathy.ars

51 “Facts” About Homeopathy
http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/?p=264

[fascisthunter]

85. thank you

I will take look...

[Lorien]

73. FWIW; they aren't giving me bottles of water with the "essence" of something

in it. The products have a number of ingredients in them and are often fairly thick, bitter or sweet tasting. They come from homeopathic companies, but I don't think that they are traditional homeopathic remedies. Two of these doctors also prescribe traditional Chinese remedies as an alternative to expensive drugs or even surgery. One of those saved me from having to spend $25,000 for gallstone surgery, so I was definitely thankful for that! Gallstones hurt like a sonofabitch, believe me!

[fascisthunter]

77. I have Read many of your posts since becoming a memeber here, so I trust you

in what you say... it's part of the reason I keep an open mind.

...and I don't mean to patrionize when saying that.

[EvolveOrConvolve]

100. Then they're not giving you homeopathic remedies

They're going more of a "naturopathic" route, which has its quacks but also isn't entirely bullshit.

[FiveGoodMen]

84. If homeopathy works, then science -- all of it -- is wrong.

That's why people get worked up about it.

Diluting water until there's nothing there at all but water leaves you with just ... water.

If that has magical properties, then the world works on magic and all of this cause-and-effect stuff that the scientific world has spent centuries on is meaningless.

[fascisthunter]

86. ok... if is all that is done, then I am a skeptic

I will need to look into this topic more.

[FiveGoodMen]

87. My understanding is that the term Homeopathy has come to mean just that one narrow thing

As to whether things like herbs have actual medicinal value ... that's a whole other debate.

[fascisthunter]

90. ahhhh... ok

when I hear or read "homeopathy", I automatically think of herbal remedies. I am very ignorant on this topic... love learnin' though. This is why I keep coming back to DU.

[Joe Chi Minh]

91. You'll see a little below your post, it's all about their fear and hatred of religious belief.

I know that sounds beyond laughable, since they claim to focus on the hard facts, but you'll see it again and again on here. One of them will always give the game away.

This is something they wouldn't want to take on board:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/belief/2010/jan/31/charles-taylor-philosophy-religion-science

[SemiCharmedQuark]

109. Ah yes. Because if there's anyone who would know about the scientific method, it's a philosopher.

And considering the theory that won him the Templeton Prize rests on him arguing that one *needs* religion, it is not shocking that he is trying to suggest that scientists need religion.

So Charles Taylor is arguing that a scientist following a hunch is akin to belief in God? Hardly. When a scientist gets a hunch, they do not immediately declare it FACT. The first thing they do is form a hypothesis and look for ways to test the hypothesis. Furthermore, NOBODY accepts a scientist's "hunch" until the hypothesis has been subject to testing. Meanwhile, religion is based on faith alone. Religion is not subject to a hypothesis. The author of the article you posted tries to imply that religion has some sort of "truth" to it but that truth is subjective. Scientific truth is objective-A hammer and feather dropped at the same time in a vacuum will fall with the same acceleration and therefore hit the ground at the same time. Period. But religion is personal-what some people believe is not what others believe and there is no way of testing to find out who is right. That's fine-that's why they call it faith. But to pretend that religious faith and a scientific "hunch" are one and the same is ludicrous.

[HuckleB]

110. +1

[Confusious]

112. Why not just let con men do their thing?

It only hurts the gullible.

[laconicsax]

33. The core concepts of homeopathy are nonsense.

First, that diluting something makes it more potent is demonstrably false. That water has a memory is demonstrably false.

[grytpype]

38. What horseshit.

[HuckleB]

51. Even for horses.

Is There a Placebo Effect for Animals?
http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/?p=263#more-263

Veterinary Homeopathy
http://skeptvet.com/Blog/2009/06/veterinary-homeopathy/

[HuckleB]

69. Homeopaths Admit Expensive Concoctions Just Water

http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/GE1001/S00073.htm

"A public mass overdose of homeopathic remedies has forced the New Zealand Council of Homeopaths to admit openly that their products do not contain any "material substances". Council spokeswoman Mary Glaisyer admitted publicly that "there´s not one molecule of the original substance remaining" in the diluted remedies that form the basis of this multi-million-dollar industry.

The NZ Skeptics, in conjunction with 10:23, Skeptics in the Pub and other groups nationally and around the world, held the mass overdose in Christchurch on Saturday to highlight the fact that homeopathic products are simply very expensive water drops or sugar/lactose pills. A further aim was to question the ethical issues of pharmacies, in particular, stocking and promoting sham products and services.

"You´re paying $10 for a teaspoon of water that even the homeopaths say has no material substance in it," says Skeptics Chair Vicki Hyde. "Yet a recent survey showed that 94% of New Zealanders using homeopathic products aren´t aware of this basic fact - their homeopath or health professional hasn´t disclosed this. The customers believe they are paying for the substances listed on the box, but those were only in the water once upon a time before the massive dilution process began - along with everything else that the water once had in it -- the chlorine, the beer, the urine...."

Hyde notes that one of the homeopathic products downed by the 40 or so people in the mass overdose had a label saying it contained chamomilia, humulus lupulus, ignatia, kali brom, nux vomica and zinc val. But those substances were actually in homeopathic dilutions, meaning that the kali brom, for example, was present in a proportion comparable to 1 pinch of sugar in the Atlantic Ocean - that is, not actually present at all.

..."

[SidDithers]

75. Homeopathy, it's nothing more than shit and sugar...

Sid

[Lorien]

104. Here's an idea; if you don't like homeopathy, don't use it.

unlike smoking or meat eating, those who use homeopathy-if the enraged ones are correct-are suckers who are only hurting themselves, or, at best, enjoying a placebo effect (there's nothing wrong with that. The mind/body connection can't be minimized). If the haters are incorrect, they are reaping some benefits. People kill themselves with their food choices all the time: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x7699805 do you run up to everyone at McDonald's and scream at them for being idiotic, brainwashed mindless suckers? Free choice; it ain't just for food, smokes, and our wombs.

[HuckleB]

105. Thanks for the red herring.

Scam artists are scam artists, and they prey on people who don't have time to know better, among other issues. Fraud is normally considered to be a crime, but, for some reason, we let homeopaths and others get away with it, in an area (health care) where fraud should be watched very closely.

Unless you want to give Big Pharma and every other type of company in the nation complete freedom from the FDA and other regulatory agencies, etc..., your "argument" is ludicrous. Well, I'd find that to be a ludicrous argument, too, but at least it would be consistent.

[FiveGoodMen]

107. "do you run up to everyone at McDonald's and scream at them"

If they were on a campaign to convince the world that McDonald's sold health food, then I might.

[trotsky]

108. And that perfects the analogy.

Thank you! :applause:

[HuckleB]

116. And what happened to your claim to not have a dog in this hunt?

[LeftishBrit]

119. And here's another one: if you don't like modern medicine don't use it.

You may not have attacked the use of modern medicine, but others have.

FWIW, I don't care if anyone uses homeopathy, or any other treatment, so long as they don't pressurize others to use it *instead* of modern medicine.

I will avoid using such terms as 'woo', if others will avoid using such terms as 'sheeple' or 'shills'.

Thanks to all!

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

106. This shit's hilarious.

Thanks for the laugh.

[LeftyMom]

117. Homeopathy "works" great for things that are best treated by doing nothing and waiting.

[Tumbulu]

122. So, I had a new riding instructor

my horse shied and I was thrown to the ground. Within seconds, this teacher plopped some pellets into my mouth. They were sweet. She had me take them every 15 minutes for an hour as we continued with the rest of the lesson and then putting the horse back in the trailer so I could drive home. Normally when I was thrown from my horse I would be sore and covered with bruises. That night after getting home and feeding a the animals I took a bath to soak. No bruises. None. I called my instructor to ask her what was that stuff she plopped into my mouth. It was homeopathic arnica montana. I had never heard of homeopathic remedies, but amazed that I had no bruising or soreness I went to a heath food store and bought a bottle of this stuff. That was in 1994 and I never go anywhere without it. Since then I have been stunned by how some of these remedies can work for me. I know many people for whom these remedies are useless.

If I take apis melifera right after being stung by a wasp, there is not swelling and the sting stops hurting within 10 minutes. If I am out of the stuff and can't take it, then the stings hurt for days.

So, just because I do not understand why water would have a memory, what does it matter? These remedies work for me. So, wonderful. The arnica montana that I keep in my purse costs maybe $5 as does the apis. This is not a big deal. They help. They are inexpensive. There have been plenty of remedies that have not worked. So, I don't use them. There is one that supposedly gets a mother sheep to take a rejected lamb. So far this remedy has not worked. I am stuck bottle feeding lambs. I have stopped even trying that one.

Most organic livestock operations have a few remedies that they use regularly. The cattle and dairy people seems to use them the most. I find it very strange how many people go all crazy about homeopathy. It is the same group who go all nutty about vaccines on DU. I find it tiresome.

[MineralMan]

123. How did I miss this thread? Oh, well...too late now.

[HuckleB]

124. MPs deliver their damning verdict: Homeopathy is useless and unethical

http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/blog/2010/feb/22/mps-verdict-homeopathy-useless-unethical

[laconicsax]

125. It's a conspiracy!

Dr. Wakefield Homeopaths is are being silenced by Big Pharma and the medical establishment. They just don't want the TRUTH to get out that vaccines homeopathic medicine cause cures autism everything 100% of the time!

It's like mad-libs.

[semillama]

126. Ouch!

I like how the author compared the homeopaths' testimony to dialogue from a Terry Pratchett novel.