# I want to throw up \[homeopathy\] **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [February 26, 2007, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-throw-up-homeopathy/393744 "2007-02-26T17:55:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![fessie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c37758/32.png) [@fessie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fessie)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2007, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-throw-up-homeopathy/393744/121 "2007-02-27T18:32:30Z")
Hrrrmph – You (collectively) seem to have me coming and going on this — how is it that (some) “folk remedies” are total B.S., until researchers demonstrate that they really DO work…and then all of a sudden it’s Science who “owns” the knowledge. C’mon, I’ve seen the headlines - “Traditional cure turns out to have measurable medicinal properties after all.” Where do you think people get some of their ideas for research? I’ll give you one - it turns out chicken soup IS good for colds after all. Did people start out testing every variety of soup ever created, just in case one might help? What, did somebody just open their cupboard one day and think “hmmm, there’s got to be a cure in here somewhere.” Where would they have gotten the idea, if it weren’t for that old bromide. Same with “an apple a day” - that one turned out to have legs, too. Sure, I’m gonna pick the one that’s been “proven” over one that’s merely the latest fad - but fads and profit motives exist in mainstream medicine, too, and I’m skeptical of those as well. It would be refreshing if professionals would acknowledge this. ---
**Author:** ![vetbridge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5e925/32.png) [@vetbridge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vetbridge)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2007, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-throw-up-homeopathy/393744/122 "2007-02-27T18:47:43Z")
[QUOTE=VCO3] What’s next, voodoo dolls and dowsing rods in the analgesic section?! [/QUOTE] Don’t be so quick to dis de voodoo, mon! Last year I was in the big easy for JazzFest and I stopped in a voodoo shop. I bought my kids a few trinkets. My daughter’s soap to ward off envy worked according to her. My son’s lucky deer eye helped him ace a test. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2007, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-throw-up-homeopathy/393744/123 "2007-02-27T18:56:53Z")
[QUOTE=fessie] **glee** , what I’m trying to say is that “doctors” are not a single entity, a borg-like creature that always reaches a unified opinion. They have different ideas of how to solve problems, and they are often mistaken. It took months to get a proper diagnosis for my daughter, and I still have questions. I’m the one who realized her antibiotics weren’t making her better. Doctors can only do so much in a 10-minute office visit. [/quote] I understand that there can be problems. Nevertheless your doctor has had years of scientific training. Alternative practioners have not. [QUOTE=fessie] That’s not to say that copper bracelets are better. Yes, there are lots of charlatans out there. [/quote] Copper bracelets are not just ‘not better’ - there’s no evidence they work. At all. There are indeed lots of charlatans. And I think this is a key point: **If your alternative medicine treatment (e.g. copper bracelet) fails, who do you complain to?** There’s no official body monitoring alternative medicine. There’s no research to say ‘this doesn’t work - we need a rethink’. ---
**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:** [February 27, 2007, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-throw-up-homeopathy/393744/124 "2007-02-27T19:14:52Z")
[QUOTE=fessie] Hrrrmph – You (collectively) seem to have me coming and going on this — how is it that (some) “folk remedies” are total B.S., until researchers demonstrate that they really DO work…and then all of a sudden it’s Science who “owns” the knowledge. C’mon, I’ve seen the headlines - “Traditional cure turns out to have measurable medicinal properties after all.” Where do you think people get some of their ideas for research? [/quote] **fessie** , I know you’re brighter than this. **A theory** about a drug or medical treatment, or any scientific proposition is speculative until confirmed by solid studies. This isn’t something Science invented to pick on alties - it’s applied rigorously (and sometimes rancorously) to cancer treatments, pharmaceuticals, cold fusion - you name it. I’m sure you’ve also seen headlines like “Natural cure (black cohosh etc.) shown to be ineffective”. Or for that matter “Promising cancer drug therapy (i.e. antiangiogenesis drugs) strikes out in clinical testing”. There is constant assessing and reassessing of what drugs and therapies work. All that those who believe in evidence-based medicine want is for the proponents of alt med to play by the same rules as everyone else. As far as “owning” the knowledge - this is only true in the sense that once alternative medicine is proven effective, it isn’t really “alternative” any more - it’s just medicine. I think that’s why many alties resist the idea of clinical testing for their favorite remedies (beyond the fear that they’ll be shown to be useless). Much of the appeal of alt med is the idea that one is putting something over on the Medical Establishment. If the Establishment embraces an herbal-based drug (as it has in the case of digitalis, colchicine, Taxol etc.) the alties evidently find that to be a downer and go off looking for the next big thing in the pages of folklore. ---
**Author:** ![Eonwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eonwe/32/240_2.png) [@Eonwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eonwe)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2007, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-throw-up-homeopathy/393744/125 "2007-02-27T19:41:46Z")
[QUOTE=fessie] Hrrrmph – You (collectively) seem to have me coming and going on this — how is it that (some) “folk remedies” are total B.S., until researchers demonstrate that they really DO work…and then all of a sudden it’s Science who “owns” the knowledge. C’mon, I’ve seen the headlines - “Traditional cure turns out to have measurable medicinal properties after all.” Where do you think people get some of their ideas for research? [/QUOTE] I don’t think anyone is suggesting that simply because something is used before it’s been thoroughly clinically tested that it cannot work, or is B.S. What people _are_ arguing is that if you make treatment choices based on non-tested methods, you’re taking your chances (as you do with anything else, I imagine). If you choose non-tested methods _over_ tested methods because you don’t trust your doctors or the “establishment,” then you’re letting a bizarre paranoia influence your decision-making for the worse. Do I starve a fever and feed a cold, or feed a fever and starve a cold? Or, does it make any difference at all? ---
**Author:** ![Bridget\_Burke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@Bridget\_Burke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bridget_Burke)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2007, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-throw-up-homeopathy/393744/126 "2007-02-27T19:55:11Z")
[QUOTE=tdn] Woah, wait up here – tea tree oil? How did it work? How did you use it? How fast did it work? Yes, I know I’m asking for “mommy to mommy” advice here, but as great as science is, it has done jack shit to provide a decent treatment for toenail fungus. [/QUOTE] I bought a $17 bottle of tea tree oil online. Painted it on & around the nail at least once a day for a couple of months. Then part of the nail peeled off. It grew back perfectly & the fungus hasn’t returned after a couple of years. From Wikipedia: > [@](#): > > Tea tree oil is a known antifungal agent, effective in vitro against multiple dermatophytes found on the skin.[1] In vivo, shampoo with 5% tea tree oil has been shown to be an effective treatment for dandruff due to Malassezia furfur, the most common cause of the condition.[2] > **[Tea tree oil](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tea_Tree_Oil_(Melaleuca_Oil))** > > Tea tree oil, also known as melaleuca oil, is an essential oil with a fresh, camphoraceous odour and a colour that ranges from pale yellow to nearly colourless and clear. It is derived from the leaves of the tea tree, Melaleuca alternifolia, native to southeast Queensland and the northeast coast of New South Wales, Australia. The oil comprises many constituent chemicals, and its composition changes if it is exposed to air and oxidises. Commercial use of tea tree oil began in the 1920s, pion The... There appear to be few side effects. But– **investigate on your own**. Don’t just take my advice. Note: I don’t recommend “mommy to mommy” therapy for anything serious. I get checkups & flu shots & will go to a doctor when I get sick. Except that I’m rarely sick. ---
**Author:** ![Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hentor_the_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2007, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-throw-up-homeopathy/393744/127 "2007-02-27T20:03:48Z")
[QUOTE=fessie] I’ll give you one - it turns out chicken soup IS good for colds after all. Did people start out testing every variety of soup ever created, just in case one might help? What, did somebody just open their cupboard one day and think “hmmm, there’s got to be a cure in here somewhere.” Where would they have gotten the idea, if it weren’t for that old bromide. [/quote] Out of curiosity, I just did a quick cruise of the databases and online resources, and all I could find was that there remains no support for this assertion. Can you let me know where you found empirical evidence for this, or indeed for a reduction in visits to the doctor being associated with specifically eating apples (versus, say, the health benefits of a balanced diet that includes fruit)? ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2007, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-throw-up-homeopathy/393744/128 "2007-02-27T20:34:43Z")
What, soup or apples? ---
**Author:** ![Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hentor_the_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2007, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-throw-up-homeopathy/393744/129 "2007-02-27T20:36:14Z")
[QUOTE=tdn] What, soup or apples? [/QUOTE] No, a study comparing apples and oranges. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2007, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-throw-up-homeopathy/393744/130 "2007-02-27T20:40:42Z")
Using bananas as a control group? ---
**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2007, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-throw-up-homeopathy/393744/131 "2007-02-27T21:01:11Z")
Hell, I’m not doing anything. You could just use me as the control group. ---
**Author:** ![wring](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/838e76/32.png) [@wring](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wring)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2007, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-throw-up-homeopathy/393744/132 "2007-02-27T21:08:59Z")
[QUOTE=Ogre] Hell, I’m not doing anything. You could just use me as the control group. [/QUOTE] there’s a fruit vs. vegetable joke that virtually writes itself here, right? ---
**Author:** ![fessie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c37758/32.png) [@fessie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fessie)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2007, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-throw-up-homeopathy/393744/133 "2007-02-27T21:12:29Z")
[QUOTE=Hentor the Barbarian] Out of curiosity, I just did a quick cruise of the databases and online resources, and all I could find was that there remains no support for this assertion. Can you let me know where you found empirical evidence for this, or indeed for a reduction in visits to the doctor being associated with specifically eating apples (versus, say, the health benefits of a balanced diet that includes fruit)? [/QUOTE] I don’t have pubmed here (and don’t have the patience to read the verbage anyway) but since you asked, [this is probably what I recall reading (excerpts from it anyway, I’m sure it was just a wire service story):](http://www.cbc.ca/consumers/market/files/food/chickensoup/) > [@cbc marketplace](#): > > There has been no evidence regarding the healing powers of chicken soup that has been close to conclusive - perhaps until now . Dr. Stephen Rennard thought his family’s soup really did work. But as a scientist, he needed proof. > > “One day we were discussing chicken soup,” Rennard explains. “My wife says that grandma says this is good for colds, and I said maybe it has some anti-inflammatory action.” > > So Rennard put his theory to the test. He added his wife’s home made soup to white blood cells called neutrophils. They’re the cells which rush to attack an invading virus. That can cause the buildup of fluids in the chest. > > Taking chicken soup samples for laboratory testing requires the skilled hand of a professional. > > Rennard suspected the soup would slow the cells’ movement and reduce congestion. So he tested the homemade chicken soup and thirteen store-bought soups. > > The results > > Rennard found that his wife’s homemade soup did slow the neutrophils. But a third of the store bought soups slowed the cells even more. Knorr’s chicken noodle was most effective followed by two kinds of Campbell’s, a Lipton and a Progresso chicken soup. (Click for details.) Rennard can’t explain why. > > “Without doubt there are biologically active compounds in the chicken soup that can slow neutrophil migration,” Rennard said. > > Rennard’s study made headlines when it was published in a respected American medical journal last year. He’s not alone in his search for the soup’s secret. A year earlier, two Israeli researchers asked the World Health Organization to classify chicken soup as an essential drug. That request was a joke. But Jenni Tsafrir, a medical researcher at Tel Aviv University, says the soup actually meets the W.H.O.'s criteria for an essential drug. > > “I personally don’t know if it works or not,” Tsafrir told Marketplace. “But I would say the fact it’s been around this long shows there’s some basis for the thought.” > > Toronto contagious disease specialist Dr. Allison McGeer displays the current total scientific evidence backing theories of the healing power of chicken soup. > > Mainstream remains unconvinced > > Many doctors remain skeptical. Contagious disease specialist Dr. Allison McGeer says just because something happens in a lab,doesn’t mean it will work for a human being. > > “We used to treat syphilis with arsenic and we used to bleed people to make them better,” McGeer explains. “The world is full of treatments including recent treatments that are utter and errant nonsense and don’t stand up to scientific examination and the fact we believe things does not make them true.” > > Rennard admits there does need to be more study, but he believes his is one more morsel of evidence to add to the mix. > > It’s enough for soup chef Ester Goodbaum. > > “They just proved we’ve been right all these years,” she says. > > **The research to get the full scoop on soup would cost millions. And because chicken soup can’t be patented, a company would not be able to recover the research costs. So until chickens can talk and explain what their secret ingredient is, we may never know what good medicine chicken soup really is.** \*\*Notice that last paragraph – it’s perfectly understandable, but that’s exactly the kind of thing that makes people distrust “the establishment.” In case you don’t like “CDC Marketplace”, here’s the Mayo Clinic’s take on it: > [@Mayo Clinic](#): > > Chicken soup. Generations of parents have spooned chicken soup into their sick children. Now scientists have put chicken soup to the test, discovering that it does seem to help relieve cold and flu symptoms in two ways. First, it acts as an anti-inflammatory by inhibiting the movement of neutrophils — immune system cells that participate in the body’s inflammatory response. Second, it temporarily speeds up the movement of mucus through the nose, helping relieve congestion and limiting the amount of time viruses are in contact with the nose lining. Researchers at the University of Nebraska compared homemade chicken soup with canned versions and found that many, though not all, canned chicken soups worked just as well as soups made from scratch. [http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/cold-remedies/ID00036](http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/cold-remedies/ID00036) Here’s some stuff about apples (quotes a UC Davis study) from [“straight from the doc”](http://www.straightfromthedoc.com/50226711/scientific_secret_of_apples_health_benefits_now_revealed_by_uc_davis_researchers.php) : > [@](#): > > “An apple a day keeps the doctor away” has always been the health mantra. There is actually a grain of truth based on scientific evidence why doctors have long been recommending more fruits and vegetables in the diet. > > Researchers from UC Davis have discovered a way by which flavonoid-rich apples prevents the kinds of cellular activity that leads to the development of chronic diseases like heart disease and age-related cancers. > > ``` > "We've known for a long time that it's the flavonoids in fruits that are protecting the body. We just haven't known exactly how. > > Now, at least in the case of apples, we have a good idea about what's going on," said Eric Gershwin, professor of allergy, rheumatology and immunology at the UC Davis School of Medicine. > > ``` > > The research team found that apple extract was able to protect cells from damage and death by interfering with communication between cells. While previous studies have shown that flavonoids act like antioxidants, taking up free oxygen radicals that can damage the DNA while the UC Davis researchers have taken that research further by looking beyond the antioxidant effects of apple flavonoids. > > ``` > "Our study showed that the flavonoids in apples and apple juice can inhibit signals in this pathway that would otherwise damage or kill cells in the body," Gershwin explained. > > ``` > > An apple a day keeps the doctor away. Indeed. **Jackmanii** , I’d lay odds that your willingness to engage with people one-on-one to discuss medical treatment options and debunk ineffective medicine as a friend (which I applaud and admire, truly) is much more effective than someone just saying “Trust your doctor.” Talk about relying on faith! Your knowledge of medicine was gained first-hand, no? You didn’t read about illness, you touched it yourself, saw it, smelled it. Wasn’t that part of the argument for 36-hr rotations for Residents, so that they could really see their patients’ progress? First-hand experiential knowledge generally trumps someone’s “word”. And information from a trusted friend is probably next (the Internet’s likely third, but that’s a whole 'nuther thread). A doctor’s medicine? When it failed your Grandpa/cousin/next-door-neighbor? When a physician doesn’t make eye contact, doesn’t know you, doesn’t explain things, gives the flat-out wrong information (I had one read me the results of someone else’s films, thinking they were mine)… If a person doesn’t have a good reason to have faith in medicine, why would they? I really don’t think most people _want_ to be stupid, they’re just afraid. ---
**Author:** ![fessie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c37758/32.png) [@fessie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fessie)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2007, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-throw-up-homeopathy/393744/134 "2007-02-27T21:26:46Z")
[QUOTE=Jackmannii] All that those who believe in evidence-based medicine want is for the proponents of alt med to play by the same rules as everyone else. [/QUOTE] Honestly, that makes sense and seems perfectly fair. I don’t know how you would do it, though. How would you test the effectiveness of prayer when it was carried out by people who don’t believe in it? I can’t even begin to google that one, _everyone_ has an axe to grind. Yet I know people who’ve incorporated prayer (and “healing touch”) in their treatment regimens (along with chemo and radiation for my friend with lung cancer, and insulin for the diabetic) and it worked. The lung cancer was pretty amazing, her odds were terrible and ::knock wood:: she’s doing great (probably helps that she’s a Minister) (the staff about fell over when she blessed her chemo drip, no one had ever done that before). But perhaps you would say that prayer is no longer viewed as “alternative”? That’s the main tool I think of. ---
**Author:** ![DanBlather](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f4b2a3/32.png) [@DanBlather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DanBlather)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2007, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-throw-up-homeopathy/393744/135 "2007-02-27T21:43:43Z")
[QUOTE=fessie] Yet I know people who’ve incorporated prayer (and “healing touch”) in their treatment regimens (along with chemo and radiation for my friend with lung cancer, and insulin for the diabetic) and it worked. The lung cancer was pretty amazing, her odds were terrible and ::knock wood:: she’s doing great (probably helps that she’s a Minister) (the staff about fell over when she blessed her chemo drip, no one had ever done that before). [/QUOTE] That’s interesting, I know someone who integrated chemo with a prayer-based regimen and the \*chemo \*worked. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2007, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-throw-up-homeopathy/393744/136 "2007-02-27T21:51:11Z")
[QUOTE=fessie] \*\*Notice that last paragraph – it’s perfectly understandable, but that’s exactly the kind of thing that makes people distrust “the establishment.” [/QUOTE] It also strikes me as pretty stupid. I could be wrong, here, but if they can isolate what it is in chicken soup that acts as a decongestant, they can isolate that element, patent it, and market it as a medicine. I’m open to correction from any doctors or patent lawyers who happen by. Also, can I ask why you keep injecting religion into the discussion? We’re talking about medical treatment, not supernatural intercession. ---
**Author:** ![saoirse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@saoirse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saoirse)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2007, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-throw-up-homeopathy/393744/137 "2007-02-27T21:52:54Z")
> [@](#): > > So until chickens can talk and explain what their secret ingredient is, we may never know what good medicine chicken soup really is. If the chickens could talk, wouldn’t they do their damnedest to convince us that there is nothing healthy about chicken soup? Wouldn’t their last words in fact be curses upon any who would eat them, interspersed with hysterical pleas to the chicken god for rescue or salvation of their gallian souls? ---
**Author:** ![Bridget\_Burke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@Bridget\_Burke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bridget_Burke)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2007, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-throw-up-homeopathy/393744/138 "2007-02-27T22:04:19Z")
[QUOTE=fessie] Yet I know people who’ve incorporated prayer (and “healing touch”) in their treatment regimens (along with chemo and radiation for my friend with lung cancer, and insulin for the diabetic) and it worked. The lung cancer was pretty amazing, her odds were terrible and ::knock wood:: she’s doing great (probably helps that she’s a Minister) (the staff about fell over when she blessed her chemo drip, no one had ever done that before). But perhaps you would say that prayer is no longer viewed as “alternative”? That’s the main tool I think of. [/QUOTE] Incorporating anything that has not been proven harmful into medical treatment is not–well, “harmful.” If people want to pray, good for them. But anecdotal information is not clinical data. Some alternative therapies _are_ clinically useful. And others are being investigated. [Check out this list. Lots of data under the links.](http://www.mdanderson.org/departments/cimer/dindex.cfm?pn=5ac57a83-0f8d-4a3f-b743a0cdf23f193c) Will you reject the ones that are adopted by the Evil Medical Establishment? ---
**Author:** ![Bridget\_Burke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@Bridget\_Burke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bridget_Burke)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2007, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-throw-up-homeopathy/393744/139 "2007-02-27T22:10:22Z")
[QUOTE=Miller] It also strikes me as pretty stupid. I could be wrong, here, but if they can isolate what it is in chicken soup that acts as a decongestant, they can isolate that element, patent it, and market it as a medicine. I’m open to correction from any doctors or patent lawyers who happen by… [/QUOTE] Well, I think that drinking hot liquids makes my throat feel better. So does chilled orange juice. Speaking for myself, I’ll “treat” a sort throat using those methods. If symptoms persist beyond a couple of days–off to the MD! When I broke my fibula, I went straight to the MD. ---
**Author:** ![flight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bbce88/32.png) [@flight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flight)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2007, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-throw-up-homeopathy/393744/140 "2007-02-27T22:15:38Z")
I have to say that I am incredulous about no one being interested in finding the cold reducing components in chicken soup. Sure no one can patent chicken soup, but if you find the active component you can concentrate it and sell that. A concentrated version would likely be a lot more effective too. It sounds a lot like the writer of the article adding their own 2 cents. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-throw-up-homeopathy/393744.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-throw-up-homeopathy/393744.md?page=8)