Comments on: Vital Signs

By: David Bradley

David Bradley — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 08:59:18 +0000

Simon Singh and Edzard Ernst are offering £10,000 (about $20000) to anyone who can prove that homeopathic remedies work better than placebos, according to New Scientist. The pair examined alternative medicine in their recent book and point out that 36 practices work for particular conditions, e.g. St John's wort is effective in treating mild depression, but homeopathy is not on their list of effective alt remedies.

By: David Bradley

David Bradley — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 12:19:07 +0000

Gari, it’s bizarre isn’t it? Why should we as tax payers fund this pseudoscientific quackery.

By: Gari Owen

Gari Owen — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 11:07:48 +0000

I’ve often wondered why the NHS appears to support alternative medicine, (through UCL), why there is a “Royal” hospital for this purpose and why they received a £20M makeover:

http://www.uclh.nhs.uk/Our+hospitals/Royal+London+Homoeopathic+Hospital.htm

Is this funding justified under the peer review process?

By: David Bradley

David Bradley — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 21:21:46 +0000

Bert – CAM is complementary & Alternative Medicine, depends where you are and what you are practicing as to whether you have to be licenced, regulated, or even have any qualifications. In the UK, anyone can call themselves a homeopath with no qualification.

By: Bert Ramsay

Bert Ramsay — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 19:04:16 +0000

What is CAM? (….. alternative medicine?) And who licenses CAM practitioners?

By: Robert Bowen

Robert Bowen — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 16:40:08 +0000

We should keep in mind that to many (many,many) people, science based real medicine, homeopathy and all the other stuff are indistinguishable. They’re all eye of newt and hair of frog. Much easier to take the magic distilled water that you don’t have to work to understand.

By: Johnx

Johnx — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 13:06:18 +0000

We are in the 21st Century. We went to the Moon in the 20th Century. We have machines exploring the outer reaches of the Solar System and indeed looking to the edges of the Universe. We have the LHC and similar devices.

And yet, a substantial portion of us accept Homeopathy. That rates right up there with believing in ghosts, consulting the astrological calendar and performing superstitious rituals.

Oh, what a piece of work is man (paraphrasing sir William, Hamlet, Act II I think.)

By: David Bradley

David Bradley — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 20:53:54 +0000

Thanks Mitch. Apparently, it’s National Homeopathy Week in the UK. What a load of baloney!!! It’s time we had an International Flying Spaghetti Monster Snake Oil Sale Weekend…

By: Mitch

Mitch — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 17:38:05 +0000

Good story, I’m glad you take them to task.