# Met my Primary Care Provider for the 1st time; she recommends homeopathy. Should I trust her? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 10, 2015, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/met-my-primary-care-provider-for-the-1st-time-she-recommends-homeopathy-should-i-trust-her/737161 "2015-11-10T02:54:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![usedtobe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ec9cab/32.png) [@usedtobe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/usedtobe)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2015, 6:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/met-my-primary-care-provider-for-the-1st-time-she-recommends-homeopathy-should-i-trust-her/737161/21 "2015-11-10T06:14:47Z")
If you have any doubt that she is/isn’t advocating Homeopathy, at least set up one more face-to-face to resolve the question. I ran into Homeopathy once - at a real, live old-fashioned Drug Store - complete with the gray-haired Pharmacist behind the counter. I filled a $600.00 'script - out of pocket - maybe, if I hadn’t looked like a promising customer, he would have remained silent, and I could have not noticed the Homeopathy display by the cash register. As it was, he insisted on pushing the ‘little helps, a lot hurts’ theory and pushed the display around for my view. I never returned. Store closed within 10 years (retired or died, my guess) and did not stay a Pharmacy - he couldn’t sell the business. Give her the benefit of any doubt - but get the issue resolved. If she does try to push Homeopathy, find another MD. If she considers Homeopathy helpful in _some_, _incredibly rare_ circumstances, I’d try this one: How do you feel about Schedule II drugs? Sch II are the opioids/opiates (among others) and require a special, 3-part 'script form - they cannot be called in, they cannot be Fax’ed in, nor can they be refilled - a new 'script (blue) is required every month (at the longest). A Homeopath is likely to have an ‘interesting’ view of these drugs. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2015, 6:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/met-my-primary-care-provider-for-the-1st-time-she-recommends-homeopathy-should-i-trust-her/737161/22 "2015-11-10T06:32:14Z")
The only condition that can be cured by homeopathic medicine is thirst. ---
**Author:** ![tacos4all](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/51bf81/32.png) [@tacos4all](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tacos4all)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2015, 6:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/met-my-primary-care-provider-for-the-1st-time-she-recommends-homeopathy-should-i-trust-her/737161/23 "2015-11-10T06:32:27Z")
There is no scientific basis for homeopathy. It is basically magic.The idea is that, if pure water comes in contact with another substance, the water molecules “remember” the “energy” of the substance, the the mixture can be diluted to one part in a billion but you still get the benefit of the substance. In addition, the original substance itself is usually of no use, or even harmful. If anyone benefits from homeopathy, it is primarily the placebo effect. On the other hand, a homeopath, unlike a regular doctor, is more likely to spend time with you, talking, giving personal attention, have a warm caring, sympathetic manner, etc. And the importance of these factors in the healing cannot be discounted. Doctors should not ignore the important role of simple caring as therapy but they so often do ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2015, 7:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/met-my-primary-care-provider-for-the-1st-time-she-recommends-homeopathy-should-i-trust-her/737161/24 "2015-11-10T07:06:40Z")
> [@tacos4all](#): > > On the other hand, a homeopath, unlike a regular doctor, is more likely to spend time with you, talking, giving personal attention, have a warm caring, sympathetic manner, etc. And the importance of these factors in the healing cannot be discounted. Doctors should not ignore the important role of simple caring as therapy but they so often do ☹ Maybe that’s a good point. She was very personable and friendly, and I liked her quite a bit, which makes it harder to just walk away =/ But in the end I’m not paying for a friend, but for effective medical care. Hopefully it can be resolved less ruthlessly. ---
**Author:** ![harmonicamoon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/65b543/32.png) [@harmonicamoon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/harmonicamoon)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2015, 7:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/met-my-primary-care-provider-for-the-1st-time-she-recommends-homeopathy-should-i-trust-her/737161/25 "2015-11-10T07:17:45Z")
How long was the visit? How much information did she gather, before making this decision? For a first visit, she should have asked a lot of questions. If not, move on. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2015, 7:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/met-my-primary-care-provider-for-the-1st-time-she-recommends-homeopathy-should-i-trust-her/737161/26 "2015-11-10T07:17:59Z")
Echinacea with goldenseal are not remotely homeopathic. And both do actually have some evidence of reducing the length of a cold–though it’s quite thin. I would try to explain the difference mentioned above about homeopathy vs natureopathy. Ask her if she believes that you can dilute something to make it stronger, or believes in molecular memory. That’s homeopathy, and it’s bunk. (It’s at best an extension of the real science of allergy prevention to absurd levels. An allergy shot takes something that causes a bad reaction, dilutes it just enough that the body doesn’t react, and then gradually decrease the dilution. I can see how someone could stumble onto this and make a theory out of it–if they weren’t using the scientific method.) ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2015, 7:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/met-my-primary-care-provider-for-the-1st-time-she-recommends-homeopathy-should-i-trust-her/737161/27 "2015-11-10T07:28:25Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > I would try to explain the difference mentioned above about homeopathy vs natureopathy. Ask her if she believes that you can dilute something to make it stronger, or believes in molecular memory. That’s homeopathy, and it’s bunk. Try to ask some questions without putting words in her mouth. Ask her to give you a quick three-minute tutorial on what homeopathy is and how it works and how homeopathic therapy is done, without suggesting what kinds of answers you are “looking for”. See if she says anything about diluting stuff, or molecular memory, or what, without you prompting her. That should give you a clue about just what she thinks she’s talking about. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2015, 7:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/met-my-primary-care-provider-for-the-1st-time-she-recommends-homeopathy-should-i-trust-her/737161/28 "2015-11-10T07:53:01Z")
> [@astro](#): > > A homeopathic medical “MD” doctor?. I think the “MD” stands for “majorly deluded”. A Majorly Deluded practitioner pushing Majorly Diluted salt water as his cures. ---
**Author:** ![BlackKnight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/eb8c5e/32.png) [@BlackKnight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlackKnight)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2015, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/met-my-primary-care-provider-for-the-1st-time-she-recommends-homeopathy-should-i-trust-her/737161/29 "2015-11-10T15:19:45Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > The only condition that can be cured by homeopathic medicine is thirst. It can also help some back pain, such as that caused by having too thick of a wallet in your back pocket. ---
**Author:** ![Blue\_Blistering\_Barnacle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blue_blistering_barnacle/32/3386_2.png) [@Blue\_Blistering\_Barnacle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blue_Blistering_Barnacle)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2015, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/met-my-primary-care-provider-for-the-1st-time-she-recommends-homeopathy-should-i-trust-her/737161/30 "2015-11-10T18:52:32Z")
Normally, I’d say to take her advice with a grain of salt. In this case I suggest you add that grain of salt to a liter of water, shake it up, take one cc of the mixture and add that to a fresh liter of water. Repeat up to 5 dilutions (but be careful not to dilute TOO much- it becomes more potent with each dilution, and you don’t want to overdose). 🙂 In her defense, she recommended a questionable herbal therapy (which has a lot of popular, if unscientific, support). When challenged, she (sorta kinda) offered you a “tincture of time”, which is a reasonable treatment (if you are otherwise young and hale), assuming her diagnosis is correct or at least reasonable. However, based on your report of her responses, she is probably both muddled and overly credible about alternative therapies. I suspect she has lots of enthusiastic takers of these “gentler” remedies, and that she gets more warm fuzzies than challenges from recommending them. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2015, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/met-my-primary-care-provider-for-the-1st-time-she-recommends-homeopathy-should-i-trust-her/737161/31 "2015-11-10T19:58:27Z")
> [@Reply](#): > > They were her words, not mine. I was surprised, too. She’s not a MD but a FNP (Family Nurse Practitioner?) She struck me as intelligent and otherwise very reasonable, which is why I was surprised when she mentioned homeopathy completely out of the blue. She didn’t try to sell me anything. Not to be elitist, but how come they stuck you with a FNP as a primary care provider? BTW I knew your location would say California before I looked. 😛 > [@](#): > > I struggle with this because it seems like this at least deserves the benefit of the doubt, but well, it’s received plenty of doubt and the scientific consensus seems to be that it’s just useless in test after statistical test. It had the benefit of the doubt. It lost. Ask her what she thinks about vaccines. If she starts talking about the risks and stuff you can feel fully justified in walking. My PCP is a great guy and a real doctor with excellent diagnostic skills. You can do better. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2015, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/met-my-primary-care-provider-for-the-1st-time-she-recommends-homeopathy-should-i-trust-her/737161/32 "2015-11-10T20:03:31Z")
Homeopathy is junk, hogwash, and poppycock. If an actual doctor recommended homeopathy to me, I’d never see him or her again. There is literally nothing to their medicine, you can prove that it doesn’t have even a molecule of active ingredient. ---
**Author:** ![ashtayk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e68b1a/32.png) [@ashtayk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ashtayk)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2015, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/met-my-primary-care-provider-for-the-1st-time-she-recommends-homeopathy-should-i-trust-her/737161/33 "2015-11-10T20:10:02Z")
> [@Reply](#): > > Her: “…probably just a stomach flu. I believe in homeopathy, and I recommend you take some echinacea with goldenseal”. This is a bit of a pet peeve of mine. There is really nothing called “stomach flu.” Influenza symptoms rarely include anything to do with the stomach. However there may be other viruses responsible for stomach issue such as diarrhea and vomiting, but not the Flu virus. Its fine if lay people use the term stomach flu, but a medical practitioner using it gets my goat a little bit. Apart from all the homeopathy talk of course. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2015, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/met-my-primary-care-provider-for-the-1st-time-she-recommends-homeopathy-should-i-trust-her/737161/34 "2015-11-10T20:17:36Z")
Whether or not she said “homeopathy”, what she recommended was a popular herbal remedy which might possibly help, is very unlikely to hurt, and probably packs a decent placebo effect. That’s much less of a red flag than if she suggested actual homeopathy, which has been pretty thoroughly debunked. I’d probably shop for another PCP, but my prior PCP once recommended a treatment which I thought was probably bunk (I forget the name right now) and I asked her if it hadn’t failed to be found effective in studies, and she said it might just be the placebo effect, but she felt it had helped her. Then she talked a bit about the value of placebos – and that’s NOT bunk. So I stuck with her until she retired, and I don’t regret it. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2015, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/met-my-primary-care-provider-for-the-1st-time-she-recommends-homeopathy-should-i-trust-her/737161/35 "2015-11-10T20:33:26Z")
I would not be a patient to any practitioner who seriously recommended homeopathic treatment. I’ve already got my own witch doctor, thank you. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2015, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/met-my-primary-care-provider-for-the-1st-time-she-recommends-homeopathy-should-i-trust-her/737161/36 "2015-11-10T21:34:44Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > I would not be a patient to any practitioner who seriously recommended homeopathic treatment. I’ve already got my own witch doctor, thank you. What’s your take on herbal remedies like echinacea with goldenseal? ---
**Author:** ![Fretful\_Porpentine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fretful_porpentine/32/2873_2.png) [@Fretful\_Porpentine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fretful_Porpentine)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2015, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/met-my-primary-care-provider-for-the-1st-time-she-recommends-homeopathy-should-i-trust-her/737161/37 "2015-11-10T21:56:43Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > Whether or not she said “homeopathy”, what she recommended was a popular herbal remedy which might possibly help, is very unlikely to hurt, and probably packs a decent placebo effect. That’s much less of a red flag than if she suggested actual homeopathy, which has been pretty thoroughly debunked. Yeah, it sounds to me like she just doesn’t know what “homeopathy” means, and thinks it’s a synonym for “herbal medicine” or something. It would probably bother me, because I think people should know what words mean if they’re going to use them in a professional context, but it’s less dodgy than recommending actual homeopathy. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2015, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/met-my-primary-care-provider-for-the-1st-time-she-recommends-homeopathy-should-i-trust-her/737161/38 "2015-11-10T21:58:03Z")
Ditch her, & send a letter to the State Board. ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2015, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/met-my-primary-care-provider-for-the-1st-time-she-recommends-homeopathy-should-i-trust-her/737161/39 "2015-11-10T22:01:59Z")
Run. Run far, run fast. ---
**Author:** ![Fretful\_Porpentine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fretful_porpentine/32/2873_2.png) [@Fretful\_Porpentine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fretful_Porpentine)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2015, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/met-my-primary-care-provider-for-the-1st-time-she-recommends-homeopathy-should-i-trust-her/737161/40 "2015-11-10T22:06:14Z")
> [@Fretful\_Porpentine](#): > > Yeah, it sounds to me like she just doesn’t know what “homeopathy” means, and thinks it’s a synonym for “herbal medicine” or something. It would probably bother me, because I think people should know what words mean if they’re going to use them in a professional context, but it’s less dodgy than recommending actual homeopathy. On further thought (and I teach freshman comp, so I’m pretty well acquainted with the whole range of ways people tend to be dumb about words), I’d be willing to bet good money that the “home” part is what’s confusing her, and she’s under the impression that “homeopathy” is a fancier, more impressive way to say “home remedy.” Not necessarily a _good_ sign in a medical professional – I’d expect most of them to know their Latin roots a little better – but at least understandable. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/met-my-primary-care-provider-for-the-1st-time-she-recommends-homeopathy-should-i-trust-her/737161.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/met-my-primary-care-provider-for-the-1st-time-she-recommends-homeopathy-should-i-trust-her/737161.md?page=3)