Homeopathy – The Pathology of Pseudomedicine in Canada

Homeopathy is a natural system of medicine that uses highly diluted doses of substances to stimulate the body’s own healing mechanism to promote health.

The use of homeopathic medicines – popularly known as remedies – is based on the discovery that natural substances are capable of curing the same symptoms that they can cause.  By studying the symptoms that develop when a healthy person tests or “proves” a remedy, homeopaths can determine which symptoms the remedy is capable of curing.  This is called the Law of Similars or “like cures like.”

A simple example of this principle can be seen with the common onion.  Slicing an onion can cause symptoms of burning and watery eyes, as well as sneezing and a runny nose.  Many hayfever sufferers with symptoms of burning, watery eyes, sneezing, and runny nose have found dramatic relief after taking homeopathic Allium cepa (the remedy made from red onion).  Thus the substance that can cause symptoms can, as a remedy, also cure them.

– Canadian Society of Homeopaths, “What is Homeopathy?”

After assessing more than 1,800 studies on homeopathy, Australia’s National Health and Medical Research Council was only able to find 225 that were rigorous enough to analyze. And a systematic review of these studies revealed “no good quality evidence to support the claim that homeopathy is effective in treating health conditions.”

The Australian study, which is the first position statement relying on such an extensive review of medical literature, strikes the latest blow at a 200-year-old alternative treatment developed by a German physician with “no interest in detailed pathology, and none in conventional diagnosis and treatment.” The Washington Post reports that the study’s authors are concerned that people who continue to choose homeopathic remedies over proven medicine face real health risks—including the nearly 4 million Americans who use homeopathic “medicines.”

– Erin Blakemore, “1,800 Studies Later, Scientists Conclude Homeopathy Doesn’t Work”

Over the weekend, hundreds of skeptics in more than 25 countries took megadoses of the remedies to demonstrate they do nothing. It was the second annual event organized by the 10:23 Campaign. One bunch in West Virginia took 1 million times the recommended dose of a homeopathic sleep remedy and didn’t die — or even fall asleep.

Now, there’s a $1 million challenge on the table to makers of homeopathic remedies from magician and professional skeptic James Randi. If a rigorous double-blind, controlled study finds the remedies work better than plain water, Randi’s educational foundation will fork over the money. Check out the video for details and the other part of his challenge to retailers to label the remedies accurately.

– Scott Hensley, “Homeopathic Medicine Overdosers Survive Unscathed”

Certain homeopathic products (called “nosodes” or “homeopathic immunizations”) have been promoted by some as substitutes for conventional immunizations, but the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says there’s no credible scientific evidence to support such claims. The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) supports the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s recommendations for immunizations/vaccinations. 

– National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, “Homeopathy“

Homeopathy is a “treatment” based on the use of highly diluted substances, which practitioners claim can cause the body to heal itself.

A 2010 House of Commons Science and Technology Committee report on homeopathy said that homeopathic remedies perform no better than placebos (dummy treatments).

The review also said that the principles on which homeopathy is based are “scientifically implausible”.

This is also the view of the Chief Medical Officer, Professor Dame Sally Davies…

…There’s been extensive investigation of the effectiveness of homeopathy. There’s no good-quality evidence that homeopathy is effective as a treatment for any health condition.

– United Kingdom National Health Service, “Homeopathy”

Chief among medical ignorance comes homeopathy. The descriptions from a legitimate source endorsing of homeopathy provides an overview of the practice proposed as medical, at the top. The further descriptions from legitimate medical authorities present the opposing position.

Something to which individuals aim for some medical care. They’re people in need. They’re people sincerely searching for help with a medical ailment. The question raised by legitimate authorities on this particular health matter: Does homeopathy work?

Based on the substantive research in Australia (and elsewhere), and through the official statements made public by major organizations, homeopathy fails to pass the same medical standards of evidence as others proposed.

So, why is homeopathy pervasive? As it turns out, the answer isn’t complicated, it’s something entirely parochial, common, and unfortunate. People desiring some medical assistance in times of normal medical concern and extreme health distress will pursue alternative treatments.

Those treatments, over time, become a norm of practice for individuals concerned about personal health. Now, in Canadian society, homeopathy is pervasive; in British Columbia, and in Township of Langley, it is in many places, too. Something with the same efficacy and power of prayer, which is to state: None.

Five sets of homeopathic centres, practitioners, or places incorporative the homeopathic remedies appear present in British Columbia alone. These are items needing tackling because this is one of the most obvious failed practices in the world, as with the example of the individuals taking ‘overdoses’ of homeopathic remedies as a skeptic test.

These don’t work. With the principle of the more diluted the substance, then the more effective the substance, it, in some manner, inverts the idea of modern science. More of a substance in, for example, a vaccine helps with the delivery of an innocuous version of a virus for the body to build immune resistance to the virus.

Which is to say, vaccines work. Homeopathy, by this deduction, does not work. Now, in a preliminary search, five sets were found to endorse homeopathy in the province. As follows, these five sets.

The first set: Vitale Homeopathy, Vancouver Centre for Homeopathy, Haney Homeopathy Clinic, Little Mountain Homeopathy, Zettl Homeopathy Vancouver, Rising Sun Homeopathy, Vancouver Homeopathic Academy Ltd., Ethos Sante Homeopathy and Mineral Therapy, Healing with Homeopathy, Bless Homeopathy Clinic, White Rock Homeopathy Clinic, Amie’s Homeo Care (Homeopathic Doctor), Natural Homeopathic Solutions Inc., Canadian Homeopathic Clinic, Pacific Homeopathic Clinic, Healing Solutions & Homeopathy, Aggarwal Health & Wellness Centre, Pure Healing With Homeopathy, Lifecare Homeopathy, and Qasim’s Homeopathic Clinic.

The second set: Serenity Homeopathic Clinic, Capilano Homeopathy (North Shore and Burnaby locations), Trinity Homeopathy Clinic, Ryan Carnahan (Homeopathy), Action Homeopathy, Arnica Homeopathy Centre, Gary Manngat’s Holistic Health Restoration Centre, Lauren Trimble Homeopathy, Restore Homeopathic Clinic, Scott Homeopathic Clinic, Dr. Flores Luis, Optimum Health Homeopathy, Sidhu Homeopathic Clinic, Anke Zimmerman, BSc, FCAH, Classical and Modern, Colin Gillies, Cynthia Shepard Homeopathy, Okanagan Centre for Homeopathy, Family Health Clinic: Naturopathic Medicine and Midwifery Care, Integrated Health Clinic, and Dr. Jiwani Naturopathic Physician Surrey.

The third set: Shuswap Homeopathy Clinic, Opti Balance, Shuswap Homeopathy Clinic, Reviviscent Health, Dr. Heathir Naesgaard, Naturopathic Doctor, H&W House – Acupuncture, Herbs & Homeopathy, Dr. Martin Kwok, ND, Dr. TCM, Dinas Homeopathic Clinic, Surlang Medicine Centre Pharmacy, Jericho Integrated Health Clinic, Practice for Homeopathy, Dr. Jennifer Doan, ND, HOM, RAc., Barbara Gosney (Homeopath), Pangaea Clinic of Naturopathic Medicine Inc. (Dr. Eric Chan & Dr. Tawnya Ward), Richmond Alternative Medical Clinic, Dr. Tonia Winchester, Nanaimo Naturopathic Doctor, Hemkund Remedies Inc., Dr. Tasneem Pirani-Sheriff, ND, Dr. Peter Liu, ND, and Longevity Compounding Pharmacy.

The fourth set: Dr. Penny Seth-Smith, East to West Holistic Pharmacy, Be Well Now Centre for Bowen Technique, Seraphina Capranos, Electra Health, Northern Centre for Integrative Medicine, Broadway Wellness, Finlandia Pharmacy & Natural Health Centre, Euphoria Natural Health, Gibsons Chiropractic, Health and Wellness Centre, Hummingbird Naturopathic Clinic, Be Well Now Centre for Pain & Chronic Disease, Dr. Lise Maltais, Pharmasave Elgin, Coast Therapy, Aaronson’s Compounding Pharmacy, Dr. Michael J. Foran, DC, DCCJP, Animals Body Mind Spirit, Lani Nykilchuk, ND, and Dr. Melissa Carr, Registered Dr. TCM.

The fifth set: Dr. Megan Kimberley, Naturopath, PURA, Transformative Health, Thompson Valley Naturopathic Clinic Inc., Dr. Michael Smith, Kamloops Naturopathic Clinic, Vital Energy Homeopathy, Remedy (Homeopathic Pharmacy), Balance Natural Health Clinic, Dr. Lawrence Brkich, Dr. Michael Tassone, ND, MOVE Therapies, Harpaws Holistic Veterinary Services, The Sppagyricus Institute, and Medpure Natural Pharmacy.

The tragedy is two-fold in the practice of and endorsement of homeopathy. On the one hand, it proposes something efficacious as if it was, when it is known, scientifically and on principle, not to function as hypothesized.

Yet, it is widely available, even pervasive. This nature of homeopathy as a fraudulent is not only a fact about it; it’s a commonly repeated and spread falsehood throughout the province. It should be questioned, dismantled, and dismissed ubiquitously in the province, because it wastes the public’s hope and confused fake medicine, homeopathy, with real medicine, non-alternative medicine.

Furthermore, it is a waste on people’s money. So, not only wasting people’s hopes in regards to a functional medical technology, which isn’t; it’s, as well, wasting time and money on the potential to spend on proper treatment if truly ill.

These treatments can be expensive as another formulation of waste. It’s a travesty medical authorities do not explicitly not simply regulate that which does not work, but ban it, because of false advertising in any way, shape, or form. It doesn’t work, never has, not only on principle, but according to the legitimate medical authorities and the systematic reviews of the literature.

Our province can and should take a lead in directly combatting pseudoscience and pseudomedicine, as it is an ignorance-creeping in the areas of sensitive parts of life – health and wellness.  

Photo by Jong Marshes on Unsplash