Homeopathy

[Paolo]

Latest post of the previous page:

I used to be pretty ambivalent about homeopathy, but the rampant bullshit that homeopaths insist on pushing on people has left me decidedly opinionated.

At present I am sorely tempted to write a spoof homeopathic paper and see if it gets accepted for publication by one of the Alt Med journals. In fact, I have already generated a randomised dataset and data-mined it using some of the statistical methods used in this awful paper (pdf), which I bitched about a while ago on my blog. It turns out that I got the same sort of results from my dataset of random numbers as this study reported - it goes to show how sensitive statistics are to small sample sizes of random numbers - you have to love Chi Squared tests for their ability to find significant results when they've not been used properly...

[G. Wiz]

Found this blog site the other day & added it to my watch list - this is their latest:

http://www.extraordinarymedicine.org/20 ... ed-for-me/

They obviously don't know the plural of anecdote.

[Alan C.]

I have a sneaky suspicion it may be a parody sight G. Wiz.

I was diagnosed with HIV some years ago. After a three week course of treatment with a classical homeopath (who really took the time to get to know me well) I am told that I am now disease free.

I cannot express how much it means to me to be able to get back to my life of frequent unprotected sexual encounters in public toilets with complete strangers. Thank you homeopathy, you worked for me!

Bob Santamaria

January 20, 2011 at 12:08 p.m. UT

[G. Wiz]

I have a sneaky suspicion it may be a parody sight G. Wiz.

I was diagnosed with HIV some years ago. After a three week course of treatment with a classical homeopath (who really took the time to get to know me well) I am told that I am now disease free.

I cannot express how much it means to me to be able to get back to my life of frequent unprotected sexual encounters in public toilets with complete strangers. Thank you homeopathy, you worked for me!

Bob Santamaria

January 20, 2011 at 12:08 p.m. UT

Nope - take a look at their home page:

http://www.extraordinarymedicine.org/

[Alan C.]

OK their home page looks genuine but this is surely somebody taking the piss? No?

I was diagnosed with HIV some years ago. After a three week course of treatment with a classical homeopath (who really took the time to get to know me well) I am told that I am now disease free.

I cannot express how much it means to me to be able to get back to my life of frequent unprotected sexual encounters in public toilets with complete strangers. Thank you homeopathy, you worked for me!

[G. Wiz]

OK their home page looks genuine but this is surely somebody taking the piss? No?

I was diagnosed with HIV some years ago. After a three week course of treatment with a classical homeopath (who really took the time to get to know me well) I am told that I am now disease free.

I cannot express how much it means to me to be able to get back to my life of frequent unprotected sexual encounters in public toilets with complete strangers. Thank you homeopathy, you worked for me!

Yep - that looks like someone taking the p - and I don't think they recognized it.

[G. Wiz]

OOPs - actually they did recognize it, they headed it:

"Oh, and for an example of the level of maturity and civility on the other side:"

[Alan C.]

OOPs - actually they did recognize it, they headed it:

"Oh, and for an example of the level of maturity and civility on the other side:"

That'll be the dark side It's nice that they acknowledge there are two sides, the credulous and the informed.

[Alan H]

Alan C.



You should know by now that Poe's Law cannot possibly apply to homeopaths - they are beyond parody.

The domain name is owned by a homeopath:

Registrant Name:Tracy Poizner
Registrant Organization:Tracy Poizner, Classical Homeopath
Registrant Street1:57 Hohner Ave
Registrant Street2:
Registrant Street3:
Registrant City:Kitchener
Registrant State/Province:Ontario

[sandymere]

I used to be pretty ambivalent about homeopathy, but the rampant bullshit that homeopaths insist on pushing on people has left me decidedly opinionated.

At present I am sorely tempted to write a spoof homeopathic paper and see if it gets accepted for publication by one of the Alt Med journals. In fact, I have already generated a randomised dataset and data-mined it using some of the statistical methods used in this awful paper (pdf), which I bitched about a while ago on my blog. It turns out that I got the same sort of results from my dataset of random numbers as this study reported - it goes to show how sensitive statistics are to small sample sizes of random numbers - you have to love Chi Squared tests for their ability to find significant results when they've not been used properly...

God no they’ll not understand the underlying purpose and it will just be added to all the other dodgy research and used as proof to blind poor unsuspecting punters.

[Dave B]

Alan C.



You should know by now that Poe's Law cannot possibly apply to homeopaths - they are beyond parody.

The domain name is owned by a homeopath:

Registrant Name:Tracy Poizner
Registrant Organization:Tracy Poizner, Classical Homeopath
Registrant Street1:57 Hohner Ave
Registrant Street2:
Registrant Street3:
Registrant City:Kitchener
Registrant State/Province:Ontario

Can't accuse Mr Poe of having a potty idea here . . .

[Maria Mac]

Look for future pieces on who’s really behind the “skeptics,”

Hmm....I wonder what these future pieces will say.

[thundril]

Registrant name Tracey Poisoner?
Not taking the piss? Yeah right!

[Paolo]

I used to be pretty ambivalent about homeopathy, but the rampant bullshit that homeopaths insist on pushing on people has left me decidedly opinionated.

At present I am sorely tempted to write a spoof homeopathic paper and see if it gets accepted for publication by one of the Alt Med journals. In fact, I have already generated a randomised dataset and data-mined it using some of the statistical methods used in this awful paper (pdf), which I bitched about a while ago on my blog. It turns out that I got the same sort of results from my dataset of random numbers as this study reported - it goes to show how sensitive statistics are to small sample sizes of random numbers - you have to love Chi Squared tests for their ability to find significant results when they've not been used properly...

God no they’ll not understand the underlying purpose and it will just be added to all the other dodgy research and used as proof to blind poor unsuspecting punters.

Ah yes, but it would also provide concrete evidence that homeopaths will rely on any bullshit, which could then be used as the focus of a nice news article that would highlight the house of cards that homeopaths rely on. Better for the uninformed public to see exactly why they need to be careful.

[Alan H]

My latest blog post on an MHRA consultation on the licencing of homeopathy:

Active ingredients: None

[Alan H]

Professor Dave Curtis, Consultant and Honorary Professor in Psychiatry, has given his considered response to the MHRA consultation:

Review of Medicines Act 1968: Informal consultation on issues relating to the product licences of right (PLR) regime and homeopathy
There was an invitation to respond to this consultation. Here's the email I sent:

Hi.

This whole project is lunacy. Why are you wasting tax-payers money on it? Why don’t you waste your time licensing sunlight and lettuce?

Even thinking about thinking about licenses for homeopathy is an insult to every hard-working NHS professional trying to alleviate people’s suffering using evidence-based practice. Anybody involved in such an endeavour should go take a long hard look at themselves in the bathroom mirror and then flush themselves down the toilet.

There, that’s what I think.

Regards

- Dave Curtis

--
Professor David Curtis
Consultant and Honorary Professor in Psychiatry
Dept Adult Psychiatry
3rd Floor Outpatient Building
Royal London Hospital

Sums it up very nicely.

[Dave B]

I rather like the style of Prof. Dave Curtis!

[jdc]

I've drafted something: http://jdc325.wordpress.com/2011/02/04/ ... omeopathy/

Haven't sent it yet, so there's still time to improve it if anyone has any thoughts.

[Dave B]

I am trying to get my head around the numbers here - I know the idea, but putting it into numbers and finding a comparison . . .

Does this look right?

"There are thought to be 1080 atoms in the Universe.

Taking a 100X homeopathic solution; for each molecule of an active material there will be 10100 molecules of the diluting solution.

Thus we would need a quantity larger than all the atoms in the Universe to be sure of obtaining a single molecule of the original compound in any random sample."

[Alan H]

10:23 made it in The Times today if anyone's interested. Simon Perry's complaints to the ASA about Boots and their 'fanny magnet' also got mentioned. Google 'Adventures in Nonsense' for further details.

[getreal]

That's very disappointing, Alan. The last couple of trips I have made to Boots, I have noticed a gap on the shelves where the homeopathic stuff was displayed. There were still the silly "rescue remedy" and some of those flower remidies--but at least they actually caontain something!

Maybe it's just our local Boots. Or maybe it's under the counter and you have to approach the staff with hushed tones, wearing a dirty Mac!