Dr. Shaun Holt
… because they’ve got no idea. According to a survey by researchers Shaun Holt and Andrew Gilbey in the latest edition of the New Zealand Medical Journal, that is.
Dr. Holt reports in a press release:
92% of users of homeopathic remedies think that the products work according to a survey published in the latest edition of the New Zealand Medical Journal. But only 6% of those surveyed knew that homeopathic remedies did not contain any active ingredient and most thought that homeopathic remedies were either moderately or very concentrated.
Homeopathy critic Dr. Shaun Holt said that he was not surprised by the survey findings, and that they confirmed his suspicions that homeopathy remained popular because people did not know what it was. “Two thirds of people think that there is good scientific evidence that homeopathy works, but there is none”, said Dr. Holt. “There’s a US$1 million prize for anyone who can prove that it works that has remained unclaimed for many years.”
Researchers Shaun Holt and Andrew Gilbey surveyed 124 patients in GP surgeries and found that 65% had used homeopathic products. Dr. Holt said that “…almost all of the general public and many health professionals do not understand that homeopathic products are not simply dilute solutions – there is no active ingredient. It is like pouring a cup of coffee into Lake Taupo and then taking a cup of water from Taupo the next day and describing that water as “dilute coffee””.
Dr. Holt said that there were good explanations as to why people thought that homeopathy worked despite the complete lack of scientific plausibility or evidence. These reasons included placebo responses and also confusion between clinical improvements, which are attributed to homeopathy, and the natural history of the illness. In other words, the medical conditions would have improved anyway. “It’s like the emperor’s new clothes” concluded Dr. Holt.
The Swiss recently voted to enshrine complimentary medicine in their constitution. It must be asked: how much did a lack of public understanding there play a part?
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14 responses
Switzerland?!?!
Not the home of 25 Nobel prizes, one of which was won by a young up-and-comer known as Albert Einstein?!?
…or the place with the world’s largest laboratory and world-reknowned medical research facilities?!?
PLEASE, not from the guys who invented the army knife…with a bottle opener, scissors AND a toothpick!?!
Tell me they haven’t been conned by the homeopathetic “magic water” fairies
*sigh*
I’ve often suspected that most people go for CAM because it just seems all nice and holistic and alternative, rather than because they know anything about the specific treatments in question.
Why else would people so easily mix and match CAMs? I mean if you believe in homeopathy, then herbal medicines, traditional Chinese medicines, whatever, are just as bad as pharmaceutical drugs. They’re all “allopathic” and not diluted.
Interesting site, but much advertisments on him. Shall read as subscription, rss.
I have to wonder if people in the survey perhaps mixed up homeopathy with herbal remedies. I’d love to read the actual article but it appears you need to be a registered member or somesuch.
Thanks for discussing my paper. I’m afraid you need a subscription to read the full article, but I can assure you that the responders knew it was homeopathy that we were asking about, here are some of the questions..
There is good scientific evidence that homeopathy works
Agree strongly Agree slightly No firm opinion Disagree slightly Disagree strongly
I know what homeopathy is
Agree strongly Agree slightly No firm opinion Disagree slightly Disagree strongly
How concentrated are homeopathic products?
Very concentrated Moderately concentrated Moderately dilute Very dilute Nothing there
Cheers
Shaun
Thanks for replying Shaun. But may I ask, how can you assure me that respondents knew homeopathy wasn’t the same thing as herbal remedies?
Oh I see…I don’t think that I can prove that, although the name of the survey and questions all referred to homeopathy, I guess that some may have confused them; I don’t think so, but can’t prove this. I’ll send you a pdf if you give me your email address. Cheers
“But may I ask, how can you assure me that respondents knew homeopathy wasn’t the same thing as herbal remedies?”
Well, surely that is the point: if they think homoeopathy is the same thing as herbal remedies, then they don’t know what homoeopathy is.
Quite, Mojo.
of course even the Cochrane Collaboration have been known to confuse the two!
There’s still an important difference between people not realising that homeopathic remedies contain no active ingredient, and people not realising that homeopathy isn’t the same thing as herbalism. For example if people were confusing the two, and you explained that they were different, they may then admit “in that case I’ve never used homeopathy” … in which case the claim that people who *use* homeopathy don’t know what it is, is invalidated.
Don’t get me wrong, they’re very interesting results, but if you do a similar study in the future you may want to check this distinction.
Surely this is further proof that homeopathy works by the placebo effect? It’s ‘natural’, it’s ‘traditional’, its got the royal seal of approval etc.
I don’t think there is anything wrong with the “Placebo Effect”. If only everything worked properly because of expectations.
Dr Shaun does not know any thing about this science. He doesnt understand the depth and do not have any knowledge of this wonderful science. If is driving a car blindfolded. Sir please study this science first and then comment.
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