# Homeopathy--quackery or legit medicine? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [July 21, 2011, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/homeopathy-quackery-or-legit-medicine/589899 "2011-07-21T19:49:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![Wakinyan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wakinyan/32/352_2.png) [@Wakinyan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wakinyan)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2011, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/homeopathy-quackery-or-legit-medicine/589899/101 "2011-07-23T20:47:19Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > And just as many or more where the homeopathy or other woo did not work, but the patient or pet owner didn’t bother giving a negative testimonial, figured it was their fault in some way that the “cure” didn’t take or were too embarrassed to come forward. Oddly enough, websites featuring testimonials for woo seem rather biased in favor of positive anecdotes. > But yes, anecdotes can seem compelling if one is not familiar with the fallacies involved and the natural history of many illnesses (which improve over time even if no real treatment is employed). Yes, I agree with you. ---
**Author:** ![Ca3799](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9f8e36/32.png) [@Ca3799](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ca3799)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2011, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/homeopathy-quackery-or-legit-medicine/589899/102 "2011-07-23T22:11:04Z")
Homeopathy is pure quackery. It has been quite some time since I made and sold homeopathic remedies, so I may have become fuzzy on some of the finer details over the years, but this is what I learned: I used to make and sell homeopathic remedies. I was, unlike most, registered with the FDA as a drug manufacturer, drug reseller and drug repackager. The FDA sent an inspector to my home and inspected my facilities (kitchen) and manufacturing process. I was not sure when I started the business if I would need FDA approval, but since the process was free and required very little to get approved, I decided to cover all may bases and get the approval. Homepathic remedies rely on Hanneman’s theory of “like cures like”. So, if you have, say, watery eyes and a runny nose, you need small doses of something that causes those symptoms to stimulate your immune system and set your body on alert to extinguish the symptoms that trouble you. The smaller the dose, the more effective it is. The reason smaller doses can work better is that water retains a ‘memory’ of it’s curative ingredient and the smaller doses cause less strident and more subtle reactions in the body. Go figure. So, let’s make a common remedy. What causes watery eyes and a runny nose? Onions. Now, at this point, my position was that the water in my faucet has been on the earth for billions of years and therefore must retain a memory of every substance, person, disease, etc., each of its molecules has ever encountered. My husband disagreed and said he would only participate in the homeopathic remedy business if I actually went thought he proper motions of manufacture. At this point my sister became upset and said my remedies would not work if I did not have faith in them as I manufactured them. So, we did indeed legitimately make them and tried mightily to remain full of faith while doing so. Anyway, for watery eyes and runny nose, I used green onions which go by the fanciful name of allium sepa in homeopathy. Plus, one bunch of (organic!) green onions from my local grocery store or farmer’s market is really cheap. I would take one part crushed green onion and 9 parts water or water/ethyl alcohol (cheap vodka, not organic) and mix vigorously. This would be a 10x preparation. To make the remedy “stronger”, I would then take one part of the 10x remedy and add 9 more parts water or water/alcohol. I now have a 100x remedy. Repeat for even stronger solutions! For the end users, a few drops several times a day is the recommended dosage. At this point, the uses is getting very, very, very little allium sepa. To meet FDA guide lines, I could not claim the my remedies “cured” anything at all or else I would be required to prove it. I could suggest that Allium Cepa would “help”, “assist”, “is for”, “benefits”, "is used for"or “for the use of”, or any other creative and vague wordery that struck my fancy. It was recommended I not make any claims at all because the buyer would probably know what ingredient or combination of ingredients they were looking for anyway. Many remedies are not just for physical symptoms, by the way. You can advertise remedies to release one of such problems as “fear”, or “attachments” for the broken-hearted and whatnot. We bought some beautiful one ounce bottles with droppers built into the lids and designed attractive labels for each remedy- I had about 50 separate ingredients in all, and some combo-products. I also bought a plastic sealer kit ( a bunch of heat shrink plastic tubes and a hairdryer) so each bottle had a tamper-proof seal. I advertised as organic where available and offered alcohol free custom remedies as well. I sold the remedies mostly on eBay, and a few to local health food stores. Originally, I tried to sell at “discount” prices, but found that for some unknown reason, higher priced bottles sold better. I typically sold my one ounce remedy for 12 to 15 to 17 dollars, retail. It cost me about $1.80 on average to make (onions are very inexpensive, but other more obscure ingredients are not, and the bottles and labels were quite nice. I also factored in the $600.00 color printer I bought for the label making process early in the process. I eventually just let the business fade away. I was a stay-at-home-mom early on, and as the kids grew, I grew bored dealing with the remedies and returned to full time work. It was a nice income trickle (never a stream) while it lasted, though. ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2011, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/homeopathy-quackery-or-legit-medicine/589899/103 "2011-07-24T00:40:55Z")
Thank you **Ca3799** for that, but you left out the most informative & important part, and the part that goes to the OP, what was the feedback from people who used your products? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2011, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/homeopathy-quackery-or-legit-medicine/589899/104 "2011-07-24T04:15:08Z")
> [@kanicbird](#): > > Thank you **Ca3799** for that, but you left out the most informative & important part, and the part that goes to the OP, what was the feedback from people who used your products? > > 😕 Your confusion may stem from not having comprehended the OP. > [@Indygrrl](#): > > Recently I’ve been reading a lot about the practice of homeopathy and have come to the conclusion is that it’s absolute and total quackery…I’m very interested to see what Dopers think about this. > [@Ca3799](#): > > Homeopathy is pure quackery. That conclusion _is_ most informative and important, as well as being “the part that goes to the OP”. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Lubricious\_Integument](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/82dd89/32.png) [@Lubricious\_Integument](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lubricious_Integument)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2011, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/homeopathy-quackery-or-legit-medicine/589899/105 "2011-07-24T04:35:16Z")
I post a link to [this video](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C0c5yClip4o) whenever I see a homeopathy thread. Dr. Werner clearly articulates the science behind homeopathy. ---
**Author:** ![Indistinguishable](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/90ced4/32.png) [@Indistinguishable](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indistinguishable)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2011, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/homeopathy-quackery-or-legit-medicine/589899/106 "2011-07-24T05:27:03Z")
> [@Lubricious\_Integument](#): > > I post a link to [this video](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C0c5yClip4o) whenever I see a homeopathy thread. Dr. Werner clearly articulates the science behind homeopathy. Oh man… Oh fucking Christ. That is so awesomely awful… ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2011, 5:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/homeopathy-quackery-or-legit-medicine/589899/107 "2011-07-24T05:32:20Z")
> [@Lubricious\_Integument](#): > > I post a link to [this video](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C0c5yClip4o) whenever I see a homeopathy thread. Dr. Werner clearly articulates the science behind homeopathy. It is clear that Dr. Werner is incapable of putting two sentences together without spewing massive amounts of bullshit. It wouldn’t surprise me if she regularly mispronounced her own name. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2011, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/homeopathy-quackery-or-legit-medicine/589899/108 "2011-07-24T05:37:33Z")
> [@Lubricious\_Integument](#): > > I post a link to [this video](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C0c5yClip4o) whenever I see a homeopathy thread. Dr. Werner clearly articulates the science behind homeopathy. [This one is better.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BWE1tH93G9U&feature=related) ---
**Author:** ![Lubricious\_Integument](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/82dd89/32.png) [@Lubricious\_Integument](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lubricious_Integument)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2011, 5:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/homeopathy-quackery-or-legit-medicine/589899/109 "2011-07-24T05:49:14Z")
Define better. To me it doesn’t get much better than “cancel the mass to get energy equals light”! Sure Randi gets all sciency and skeptical and stuff, but the stupid is so much more fun. ---
**Author:** ![Indistinguishable](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/90ced4/32.png) [@Indistinguishable](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indistinguishable)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2011, 6:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/homeopathy-quackery-or-legit-medicine/589899/110 "2011-07-24T06:13:32Z")
I think **Czarcasm** may have been under the misimpression you were a homeopathy believer… ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2011, 11:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/homeopathy-quackery-or-legit-medicine/589899/111 "2011-07-24T11:27:31Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > Your confusion may stem from not having comprehended the OP.That conclusion _is_ most informative and important, as well as being “the part that goes to the OP”. 😃 OK perhaps, but it is a fair question, what was the feedback that **Ca3799** got. Did Ca3799 get reorders or feedback of how well it worked? It seems like Ca3799 is in a unique position to be able to state if homeopathy seemed to be working for the people who ordered through her. * * * To me it appears that Ca3799 may have been guided from above, but not just Ca3799 but her husband and her sister even if they didn’t realize it. They all were acting as I see it, the hand of God to administer this to God’s other children who may have needed it. It is perhaps that the God saw some of His children sick, went to make a potion and administered it using Ca3799 and her family as if He was using His own very body to do it. When God was finished Ca3799’s drive to make the medicine was no longer in her heart and it fell away. Ca3799 didn’t need to understand how homeopathy worked or even belief it is possible, or even believe in God, but just do it. Cures are not always complicated medical research projects, God has given us very easy and safe ways that we can cure each other and acts through us to do it. I am interested because in the above I believe is how God tends to work in our world, acting through us, and it seems like how she was held to do it the correct way instead of taking shortcuts was something she was guided and perhaps, going into the free will issue, didn’t have the choice that she though she did have and had to make the cure the correct way for those who God had it prepared for. ---
**Author:** ![Ca3799](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9f8e36/32.png) [@Ca3799](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ca3799)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2011, 12:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/homeopathy-quackery-or-legit-medicine/589899/112 "2011-07-24T12:29:38Z")
I don’t think God was acting through me as I’m not a believer and never have been. I don’t think anyone ever rated my remedies on eBay based on their effectiveness. eBay ratings do indicate that I mailed them quickly, though! It’s “faith based medicine” at best- basically water and hope. ---
**Author:** ![Grumman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/43a26b/32.png) [@Grumman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grumman)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2011, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/homeopathy-quackery-or-legit-medicine/589899/113 "2011-07-24T14:18:49Z")
> [@Indistinguishable](#): > > Oh man… Oh fucking Christ. That is so awesomely awful… I know! She even says “diabeetus”. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2011, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/homeopathy-quackery-or-legit-medicine/589899/114 "2011-07-24T14:32:22Z")
> [@kanicbird](#): > > It is perhaps that the God saw some of His children sick, went to make a potion and administered it using Ca3799 and her family as if He was using His own very body to do it. When God was finished Ca3799’s drive to make the medicine was no longer in her heart and it fell away…Cures are not always complicated medical research projects, God has given us very easy and safe ways that we can cure each other and acts through us to do it. Curious that you don’t believe that God works through the minds and hearts of medical researchers, and instead facilitates people’s delusions about magic water. Would it not be far more reasonable for a spiritual person such as yourself to conclude that **Ca3799** was influenced by God to stop making money by selling a useless product, and that she stopped doing so as a result of divine intervention on behalf of evidence-based medicine? ---
**Author:** ![Ca3799](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9f8e36/32.png) [@Ca3799](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ca3799)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2011, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/homeopathy-quackery-or-legit-medicine/589899/115 "2011-07-24T15:09:36Z")
I also sold magic spells on eBay for $15.00. The people who bought them were kind of scary- they would send me emails telling me their whole life stories and why they needed a love potion or whatever. The magic spells sold surprisingly well and I was thinking to sell some remote reiki (sp?) healing touch therapy (LOL- remote touch!), but decided that selling these kinds of ‘products’ was just too unethical for me. I concluded that it violated my moral code, was basically a sheer theft of money from gullible people, and dumped the ‘product’ completely. At least with the homeopathic remedies, the buyer got something they could hold in their hand, no matter how worthless. With the magic spells, all the buyer got was $15.00 lighter. ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2011, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/homeopathy-quackery-or-legit-medicine/589899/116 "2011-07-24T19:20:35Z")
> [@Ca3799](#): > > I don’t think God was acting through me as I’m not a believer and never have been. That is fine as your belief, but _if_ you are God’s child you are God’s child regardless of you believing it, so your belief as to your nature is not going to stop your nature, which as I see it includes some godly powers. > [@](#): > > I don’t think anyone ever rated my remedies on eBay based on their effectiveness. eBay ratings do indicate that I mailed them quickly, though! Understandable, was hoping for some testimony for the effectiveness from someone actually with the experience. > [@](#): > > It’s “faith based medicine” at best- basically water and hope. I believe your daughter was the one with the faith and hope, so yes, and yes water. But also it was more then that, it was substance (in this case green onions), and method of preparation. It is also interesting to increase the effectiveness you had to increase your input. It was about double the effort input to get a 10x increase in effectiveness. Or at least that’s how it is said to work. ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2011, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/homeopathy-quackery-or-legit-medicine/589899/117 "2011-07-24T19:24:49Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > Curious that you don’t believe that God works through the minds and hearts of medical researchers, and instead facilitates people’s delusions about magic water. Would it not be far more reasonable for a spiritual person such as yourself to conclude that **Ca3799** was influenced by God to stop making money by selling a useless product, and that she stopped doing so as a result of divine intervention on behalf of evidence-based medicine? I believe that God uses multiple methods in healing including but not exclusively science based. God is Love, and if **Ca3799** was feeling guilt, which it appears from the next post she made she did, that was not from God, but IMHO interference to take her away from her calling. ---
**Author:** ![Indygrrl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/58f4c7/32.png) [@Indygrrl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indygrrl)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2011, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/homeopathy-quackery-or-legit-medicine/589899/118 "2011-07-24T21:19:31Z")
Oh good grief, that might be the most ridiculous “theory” I’ve ever read. o ---
**Author:** ![Ca3799](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9f8e36/32.png) [@Ca3799](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ca3799)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2011, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/homeopathy-quackery-or-legit-medicine/589899/119 "2011-07-24T22:34:33Z")
I didn’t say I felt guilty about the magic spells. I said it was too unethical for me because it was a complete rip-off and that with the remedies, which I felt were bogus too, at least I had a ‘product’ as opposed to just air to provide the customer. I’ve never had someone try so hard to convince me (or, themselves, really, I guess…) that I am a unwilling religious conduit for God, though. That is totally weird to me. ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2011, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/homeopathy-quackery-or-legit-medicine/589899/120 "2011-07-24T22:55:55Z")
> [@Ca3799](#): > > I’ve never had someone try so hard to convince me (or, themselves, really, I guess..) that I am a unwilling religious conduit for God, though. That is totally weird to me. No not some religious person, but God’s actual daughter. (no religion required) About the magic spells it was very interesting how people would be willing to tell you their life stories, seems people are very open to you, looks like a great avenue to be able to help people. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/homeopathy-quackery-or-legit-medicine/589899.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/homeopathy-quackery-or-legit-medicine/589899.md?page=7)