SoylentNews is people
SoylentNews
from the take-.00002-and-call-me-in-the-morning dept.
ScienceMag has an article discussing the reevaluation of the entire field of Homeopathy. For starters, the FDA has decided to take a new look at how homeopathic treatment are manufactured.
In a 2-day hearing, the agency invited public input on how it should regulate homeopathy—a traditional healing practice that has been called into question by numerous scientific studies.
The problem is that there isn't any evidence beyond the placebo effect for much of homeopathy:
“By its own definition, homeopathy cannot work,” Michael De Dora, director of public policy at the nonprofit Center for Inquiry’s Washington, D.C., branch, told the panel in his Monday presentation. Several large metastudies, including a recent analysis by the National Health and Medical Research Council in Australia, have concluded that homeopathic remedies are no more effective than placebos for treating any condition. “We need not spend much time on this,” De Dora said, “as the federal government is well aware of the scientific evidence against homeopathy.”
Yet, largely due to the political maneuvering on the part to U.S. senator and homeopathic physician Royal Copeland, who co-authored the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, the FDA has regulated homeopathic "medicine" since 1938, largely taking a hands off approach.
But homeopath is now starting to cost big money. Homeopathic treatments generally qualify insurance coverage, including Medicare. Because Obamacare now funds medical premiums for the poor, this is costing the government (and government mandated insurance plans) huge sums of money, and inflating premiums for the rest of us.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by PizzaRollPlinkett on Friday April 24 2015, @07:46PM
See, I could have been a legit scammer and bilked people with homeopathic medicines. One guy sold "homeopathic soil organisms" to treat anything that's wrong with you. He sold people dirt in a pill! But, no, I went wrong in life. I got an education, learned skills, and worked at a job. And look at where I am now. In a basement, waiting for my pizza rolls to finish cooking. I could have been filthy rich. I could have made a name for myself. Is the only way left to get ahead these days to scam people?
(E-mail me if you want a pizza roll!)
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Sir Finkus on Friday April 24 2015, @08:33PM
I suspect that the vast majority of the people peddling these "remedies" are "true believers" and make very little money off peddling their wares. Just like pyramid schemes.
Also, since I've posted a comment on your webzone, I expect a pizza roll.
Join our Folding@Home team! [stanford.edu]
(Score: 3, Interesting) by frojack on Friday April 24 2015, @09:13PM
In the US, mountains of homeopathic "medicines" are prescribed by "naturopathic physicians" as TFA mentions.
Some patients eventually figure out that none of these things actually require a prescription, but since the "doctor" visit is covered by most insurance as well as anything they prescribe, they keep going to the naturopath.
TFA also mentions that it has become a big business, and somebody is pocking all that cash.
Incidentally: Dara O'Briain does a hilarious bit on homeopaths, chiropractors etc: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YMvMb90h [youtube.com]
No, you are mistaken. I've always had this sig.
(Score: 2) by ah.clem on Saturday April 25 2015, @04:52AM
Old Joke - You know what they call homeopathic medicine that works? Medicine.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Grishnakh on Saturday April 25 2015, @01:46PM
No, you got it wrong. It goes, "you know what they call alternative medicine that works? Medicine."
Homeopathy is not medicine, and never will be. Ingesting purified water will not cure your ailments.
(Score: 2) by halcyon1234 on Monday April 27 2015, @12:54PM
Original Submission [thedailywtf.com]
(Score: 2) by PizzaRollPlinkett on Friday April 24 2015, @10:30PM
We used to call "true believers" by the term "marks"... making money off of scams wouldn't be possible if there weren't dumb people to fall for them.
I'll send you the pizza roll on a floppy disk. You can upload -- download -- it to your computer and put it on your screen saver.
(E-mail me if you want a pizza roll!)
(Score: 2) by ah.clem on Saturday April 25 2015, @05:04AM
Way back in the day, there were men's magazines like "Argosy", "Man's World", "His", etc. that, as a kid, I used to read at the barbershop on Saturday mornings. There were always interesting ads to be found in the back pages. One of my favorites that I remember to this day (along with the $40 surplus US Army jeeps packed in cosmoline) was for "Placebo Brand Spurious Spanish Fly - Make Her Crazy With Desire!". It was something like $1.99 (no stamps, please) and shipped from a PO box somewhere in the Midwest, IIRC. Man, what a world.
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Friday April 24 2015, @08:52PM
Your pizza roll is a scam. What's your email address?
(Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Friday April 24 2015, @11:38PM
It's a homeopathic pizza roll.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday April 24 2015, @11:43PM
That has been true since before P.T. Barnham.