Another Blogging Blog

There have been a series of thuds recently, the result of my head hitting the desk in despair each time I come across some piece of nonsense or stupidity in the newspaper, online or on the TV. In particular I am referring to health advice from practitioners and advocates of what they like to call alternative medicine.

I don’t make a habit of exposing myself to too much of this, because there are better ways to waste time and the headaches are rather unpleasant, but it really does bother me because such advice can be harmful (see Homeopathy couple jailed over daughter’s death) and these people are either deeply misguided or are exploiting the gullibility of people I care about, for their own gains.

Take this recent article by Susan Drury in the Vancouver Observer, for example, in which she recommends the use of homeopathy to ward off the flu, citing her own anecdotal evidence in a vague attempt to support her claims.

What homeopaths do is take a substance which provokes a similar response to the ailment in question, for example caffeine for insomnia, and then dilute it in water until nothing of it remains. The water is then administered directly or in sugar pill form.

Clinical trials, published in the best peer-reviewed journals in the world, have shown these drugs to be no more effective than the placebos they’ve been tested against. For such an ancient “medical system”, evidence showing the efficacy of homeopathy is long overdue.

Advocates cannot even come up with a good theory on how the treatments might possibly work. They sometimes talk about the memory of water and wave their hands in the air, drawing on words such as quantum and entanglement, but this only serves to baffle the enquirer and explains nothing.

At best the homeopath will take our money and leave us to consume harmless water; at worst, they might steer people away from the best and most thoroughly researched drugs and therapies available.

This morning I came across an advertisement from Access Natural Healing in a parenting magazine, offering homeopathic vaccines for “drug-free children”. They are very safe apparently, which is no doubt because they contain absolutely no active ingredients whatsoever, but in my mind this is only one interpretation of the word safe. Is it safe to “treat” children and their families with homeopathy at the expense of them not getting properly vaccinated against H1N1 or the seasonal flu? Whether or not it was there intention, their use of the term “drug-free children” certainly appears to advocate this approach, and therein lies the biggest danger of all.

Alternative cures can be attractive when confusion and contradictions abound, which is the case with H1N1 flu right now. And it takes no effort to state that a magic vial of water or a special brew of herbs and plant extracts can cure your ills. It is small wonder that there are so many “miracle cures” around, all trying to cash in on the uncertainty (see also this recent Globe and Mail article).

Beware of easy answers. Important decisions on how to tackle a potentially fatal illness should not be made lightly. Contagious diseases put you, your families and your communities at risk. Having said all that, if you really want an easy answer, try this: If an alternative medicine can be shown to work, it is just called medicine.

Recommended reading:
The end of homeopathy?
Homeopathy – Still Crazy After All These Years
Homeopathy Awareness Week