Why is homeopathy and alternative "medicines" not illegal?

robdean

There is a great book by Ben Goldacre called 'Bad Science' which addresses a lot of these issues.

Also lots of great stuff on the QuackWatch website.

I think the main reason for lack of regulation is ignorance. Many legislators have no more insight into scientific method than regular folks, for example not appreciating that anecdote (such as testimonials) has no evidential value since by its very nature such data is selective.

Many people have a longing to 'do something' - so if conventional science either says it can do nothing or tells them they have no definable illness, they look elsewhere.

The whole point of scientific method is it presents a rigourous remedy to just believing what you want to believe or presenting 'plausible' as 'factual'. The 'alternative' in 'Alternative Medicine' is essentially an alternative to that rigour...

Evo

This forum is for valid science, not personal opinions and guesses. If you are claiming something works, for whatever reason, you must also post the mainstream, peer reviewed studies about that particular substance from an acceptable journal.

RabbitWho

Who are you talking to?

misnderstudge

Who are you talking, to me or evo, if me everyone who looks at this, and evo I THINK is talking about a few who don't understand the question or came out with rather misguided answers, they have been deleted i think. I think that is it

RabbitWho

Cool, thanks. I asked a question and it was deleted, or I never clicked send. I don't know which!

I know that there is proof that placebos work for pain (https://itunes.apple.com/itunes-u/ps...54824511?mt=10) but I wanted to know if there was proof or studies about whether positive thinking helped people recover.

misnderstudge

Yeah but it may not be like that it maybe more survival. Lets say if 50 medically similar and similar aged people brake there spine and damage there cord the same way. pushing them self at the same level. Now say some get highly stressed and some don't 25/25 mentally stressed of course the ones who are less stressed should recover faster but that stress can be helped by doctors, nurses, carers, physical therapists, pharmacist, psychologists, family's friends and or course them self etc

RabbitWho

What you're saying is there's no way to do a controlled experiment, there would be too many variables. I guess so!

It's not like a placebo vs. no placebo test where you get it or you don't get it, there are so many ways to define stress and it is very subjective. I don't like the idea of subjecting people with spinal injuries to long questionnaires about how relaxed and cheerful they feel.

misnderstudge

No but look at how they look and act are they unstable, angry, upset not pushing them self hard enough example are they "giving up"etc and ask there family are they normally like that, word it different than i did. Also ask the patient questions ie how are you Mr patient note what they say how they look and do you believe they feel fine if they say they are. but get psychologist to record the body language etc. But i think that sort of research has been done

RabbitWho

I am sorry I don't understand what you wrote.

misnderstudge

I edited it

Evo

The dangers of homeopathy are the people that are actually ill and need real medical care. People that are sold water, which is basically all that homeopathic products are, and told that it will cure them, will fail to get medical help, they can potentially die or their conditions can become incurable. The peddlers of homeopathic products aren't just appealing to people with minor headaches or imaginary illnesses that can be "cured" by a placebo.

hiranyu

Why on Earth do you feel the need to make something illegal just because you don't think it is ok?

I am more offended by your "let's make it illegal because I am convinced it is junk" than the thing you wish to make illegal.

misnderstudge

You clearly have no idea about the subject, it kills people because they don't know better or more about the science of medicine. All so some people get rich that is ok but i think it should be band because people really do die and because of this i am the bad guy. Wake up and smell the coffee i work as a medic no not a doctor but on ambulances. So i know enough to know it is unfair on the clients

AnTiFreeze3

Let's replace the "it" in "you don't think it is ok?" with anything else horribly wrong:

Why on Earth do you feel the need to make murder illegal just because you don't think murder is ok?

Why on Earth do you feel the need to make rape illegal just because you don't think rape is ok?

Some things are simply immoral. If you fail to see why conning innocent people out of their money is wrong, or if you fail to see how lying to people in scenarios which could endanger their lives is wrong, then I would be very worried for you.

Obviously people have reasons for thinking that something is wrong. If you cared to read a single post in this thread, then you would be adequately supplied with reasons explaining why homeopathy is wrong. Instead of making incredibly vague assertions about you being offended, I recommend that you try arguing against the given reasons, instead of arguing about the fact that we're arguing.

Evo

Seems people aren't reading, aren't grasping what's been said, or don't care to read or understand. Time to close.