“Homeopathy Works – So Show Us The Money…”
A quick post just to point to this comedy gold here on Pulse: “As our news story elsewhere on the site shows, an NHS trial has backed homeopathy”; and “treatments could even save the health service money, it found, after 81% of patients receiving the treatments on referral from their GP reported improvements in their physical health, and 79% in their mental health”. Brilliant. A customer satisfaction survey proves homeopathy works. It gets better:
“So on behalf of the Government come in Professor Edzard Ernst, one of the leading professors of complementary medicine – and a man with a professor’s name if ever there was one – who last year offered a £10,000 cash prize to anyone who can prove homeopathy actually works”
There’s a brilliant comment on the website from Prof David Colquhoun of Improbable Science. He begins: “This is one of the worst pieces of journalism I have ever read. The Daily Mail does better.” Go read the whole comment – it’s ace.
EDIT 09/06/2009
I’d just like to point out that Homeopathy Awareness Week is coming soon and there is a post here that may be of interest: Homeopathy Awareness Week. This year Homeopathy Awareness Week (14th to 24th June) will focus on hay fever. EDIT 13/06/2009: AP Gaylard has taken a look at the evidence relating to homeopathy for hayfever. Homeopathy Awareness Week and hay fever sorts the wheat from the chaff and tells us where the evidence leads:
Would I trust in homeopathy for hay fever? Not on this evidence. On the whole, I would say that there is enough trial data to say that the incredible dilutions peddled by many homeopaths don’t work, and why should they? Perhaps some of the less dilute interventions might – but more work is needed.
So what does this make Homeopathic Awareness Week? In my opinion, nothing more than a sales drive.
Stuff And Nonsense 
apgaylard said,
February 18, 2009 at 9:37 pm
Even better than the 70% approval rating obtained by the notorious Bristol customer satisfaction survey. They must have been employing some real black-belt-ninja-advanced-guru-level Jedi Masters? What else could possibly explain this amazing result? They have, after all, obtained a Whiskas approval level. Next time, if they wish really hard they may even match Red Stripe.
That’s about all the serious analysis I can muster at the moment.
Teek said,
February 19, 2009 at 8:31 am
great comment from DC – what a load of dirge from Pulse!
Rob A said,
February 19, 2009 at 11:43 am
I see Pulse currently has a poll on its site:
Should complementary therapies be made available on the NHS?
wilsontown said,
February 19, 2009 at 1:42 pm
No doubt, this was a particularly poor article from Pulse. I did manage to get a comment up, but I don’t feel as though I’m going to change anyone’s mind. After all, Prof Colquhoun is accused of being “fixated” on properly conducted trials.
jdc325 said,
February 19, 2009 at 6:22 pm
apgaylard – thank you. I shall have to remember the Whiskas approval level for future reference.
wilsontown – I’ve just been back to check the comments. They’re a “mixed bunch” alright…
Perhaps a better article from Pulse is this one: via Dr Rant, we learn of a conversation Phil Peverly had with a patient.
Allo V Psycho said,
February 20, 2009 at 8:49 am
I see on the Prince of Wales’ ‘Foundation for Integrated Health’ site that “We are also advising the Department of Health in Northern Ireland on a ground-breaking pilot to make certain complementary therapies available to patients with particular conditions on the NHS”.
http://www.fih.org.uk/what_we_do/work_with_policy.html
Presumably that is the same study, and perhaps represents a further attempt (like the proposal that the CHNC post positive news stories on ‘Patient’s Voices’) to subvert the evidence base. Because of its history, Northern Ireland may be particularly susceptible to influence of this kind.
Claire said,
February 21, 2009 at 12:02 am
Some more comedy gold here where ARH are claiming that the Addenbrookes pilot oral immunotherapy study in peanut allergy proves ‘homeopathy works’!
“…The ARH welcomes the fact that homeopathy is now being utilised in conventional treatment programmes”
You couldn’t make it up. Irony meter bust, perhaps I need to invest in an absurdity meter.
Nihilodei said,
March 14, 2009 at 8:38 am
Taking absurdity to an all time high…
Doesnt that religious resident of costa rica, Tim McHyde, say that prince Charles might be the antichrist? does that mean that were going to all die by homeopathy..
Till Tim Hyde came along, i thought John the divine was just bitching about romans..
it sort of makes sense because that planet that surely will end the world in 2012 will poison all the water as it flies past.
Death by homeopathy. and to think our desalination plants cant pull those sorts of concentrations out.
Makes good sense to stock up on beer. I taking bets that the vikes will play the raiders in a cross conference game that day.
We are gonna get one hell of a view as we are homeopathically cured of every ill.
homeopathic cancer treatment said,
March 20, 2009 at 7:10 am
I appriciate your great efforts of spreading awareness of Homeopathy towards people who had disapointed from normal medical treatment. Hats off !!!
jdc325 said,
June 13, 2009 at 8:36 pm
Homeopathy Awareness Week is sure to be a huge success. I only hope it can be as successful as last year’s Chiropractic Awareness Week. (See my edits of 9th and 13th June for more.)
Homeopathy Heals said,
January 13, 2010 at 8:09 pm
Black Magic Blog
jdc325 said,
January 13, 2010 at 8:58 pm
Erm, OK. Thanks for the comment.