Well, I'm pretty sure that Jessica's response to
me will similarly be a "whatever"
but she DID ask, and both Ra3chel and myself are pointing out
problems with homeopathic remedies as: a) safe and/or b) effectiveI think it is safe to say that this pretty much sums up what Ra3chel was getting at:
Homeopathic Companies attempt to muzzle criticismsand for those that prefer video from the CBC (the entire thing is about 20 minutes long, but both links are embedded here):
"Homeopathy; Cure or Con? (comment 32 is particularly enlightening re: what homeopathic remedies are-- and are not.)
Please note that the links above both
mention Boiron (the manufacturer contacted by Jessica).... adding to what Ra3chel noted, relatively minor illness (cough, aches, etc.) is certainly an instance in which (IMO) the placebo effect is a perfectly valid and reasonable consideration. It's probably what makes things like hot toddies, chicken soup, and warm tea with honey work, too. <shrug> I see nothing wrong with that, and belief is a pretty powerful thing. In that sense, I'm of the 'whatever seems to offer comfort' school of thought. I definitely don't think that "it doesn't have any active ingredients" is a reason to dismiss CAM remedies in such instances.
Homeopathic remedies, on the other hand, I have some disquiet on other fronts. Please bear with me. I have a hard time trusting manufacturers who produce homeopathic remedies on the subject of cross-contamination risk to even KNOW what they are talking about. (See below for a major example) The fundamental belief behind it all is that
dilution makes things MORE POTENT... In other words, a single molecule of {whatever} in a gallon of water is more "potent" medicinally than 100 billion of those molecules would be in that same gallon of water. I suppose by that standard a gross instance of cross-contamination with an allergen ought to be "fine" though, huh?
Of course, they generally IGNORE the impact made by any 'inactive' ingredients in those statements, too. An example: a skin cream that my DH (inadvertently) purchased for himself... it is labeled 10x, which means that it is almost certainly entirely devoid of the "active" ingredient "sulfur" but certainly contains acrylates, ALOE, and a bunch of other things (including triethanolamine, parabens and lactose) in macroscopic quantities. It has, by weight, more EDTA (a preservative) in it than sulfur.
My point being-- it's hardly "all natural" by any stretch of the imagination, and any effect that it has is more likely the result of the urea and/or aloe in it than the sulfur. In other words, it's VERY expensive, preservative-laced aloe gel which probably wouldn't be safe for someone with a milk allergy (lactose).
These (homeopathic) remedies are NOT regulated as either foodstuffs OR as drugs. In terms of the homeopathic dilutions, they
are :just water: beyond ~10x (or any "c" designation of 'concentration'), but that most certainly does NOT mean that they contain nothing else.
FDA regulations for HOMEOPATHIC products.Marketing claims and the legal differences between regular pharmaceuticals and CAM products:
http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/index.php/marketing-pharmaceuticals-in-todays-regulatory-environment/#more-7888By the way, the SBM site columnists are nearly ALL practicing medical doctors or other professionals working in associated disciplines. No, I don't write for them.
I
strongly caution anyone with LTA (to anything) to be extremely critical of any and all homeopathic
and/or herbal/natural remedies marketed as "safe." The alt-med crowd (and that includes those manufacturing and marketing those remedies) can be
frighteningly ignorant. But confident. Not a good mixture. This is exactly what I wonder about the response Jessica recieved; did the person answering it even understand the nature of the question in the context of true medical significance?
Honestly, if I were after the placebo effect that homeopathic remedies offer?
I'd give some molasses, corn syrup, or simple syrup (flavored with lavender or thyme) in a teaspoon and call it "medicinal." Or hard candies as 'cough drops.' Our favorite non-drug intervention for a sore throat and cough is hot tea with agave, or hot spiced cider.
That seems significantly safer to me than
anything bearing what's commonly known as the "CAM Miranda" box:
“These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.”
If it bears such a box, then the product is handled as a "supplement" rather than a drug. More like a food. It is covered by FALCPA, (including the same loopholes re: intentional addition, cross-contact and 'safe' ingredient exemptions) but not by the FDA's more stringent regulations for drugs.
Here's an example of why using these products, fundamentally,
bothers me (using Hyland's brand).
This recall is just a bit over a year old:
Hyland's Teething tablets recalled for belladonna poisoning risk In essense, there are few manufacturing constraints in this industry, and someone in the minimum-wage workforce apparently forgot to DILUTE (or mix?) a batch. Given that there isn't any product batch/lot testing going on, nobody even knew about it until the product starting harming babies.
Hyland's recall exposes lack of regulationHopefully that last example makes it clear why I will personally NOT purchase "homeopathic" remedies for myself or my family. And why I won't shut up about them when someone else brings it up, either.