# Nurse recommended homeopathic remedy - wtf? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 13, 2010, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nurse-recommended-homeopathic-remedy-wtf/556944 "2010-10-13T01:16:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![Captain\_Lance\_Murdoch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/47e85d/32.png) [@Captain\_Lance\_Murdoch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Lance_Murdoch)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2010, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nurse-recommended-homeopathic-remedy-wtf/556944/101 "2010-10-19T20:51:21Z")
The University of Minnesota (where I work) has a department called the Center for Spirituality and Healing that is part of the Acadmic Health Center and employs numerous doctors and RNs. They teach every kind of woo you can think of. Homeopathy, rolfing, thereputic touch, you name it. They have spent countless millions of dollars on this crap and they give it the appearence of legitimacy due to their University association. I wrote a scathing letter to the U concerning this massive waste of resources, but I got no reply at all. The U of M should be ashamed of itself for this. ---
**Author:** ![Contrapuntal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2010, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nurse-recommended-homeopathic-remedy-wtf/556944/102 "2010-10-19T21:04:14Z")
> [@hotflungwok](#): > > Your penis of course. Directly? ---
**Author:** ![Contrapuntal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2010, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nurse-recommended-homeopathic-remedy-wtf/556944/103 "2010-10-19T21:37:03Z")
[James Randi explains homeopathy](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BWE1tH93G9U). A 15 minute video, but worth it. ---
**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:** [October 20, 2010, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nurse-recommended-homeopathic-remedy-wtf/556944/104 "2010-10-20T01:42:59Z")
> [@SenorBeef](#): > > James Randi takes entire bottles of homeopathic sleeping pills at a time to demonstrate the silliness. Even better was the celebrated [homeopathic mass suicide](http://www.csicop.org/si/show/belgium_skeptics_commit_mass_suicide/). ---
**Author:** ![Cheshire\_Human](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Cheshire\_Human](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheshire_Human)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2010, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nurse-recommended-homeopathic-remedy-wtf/556944/105 "2010-10-20T13:15:27Z")
> [@storyguide3](#): > > Alternately, pour glass of gin and show it a picture of Antonio Carpano. šŸ™‚ No, still too much. Pour the gin, and hold up one of those alphabet flash cards from elementary school. The gin will pick out the individual letters for the vermouth. ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2010, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nurse-recommended-homeopathic-remedy-wtf/556944/106 "2010-10-20T15:28:24Z")
> [@LunaticFringette](#): > > I wasnā€™t referring to anything being stated on a message board. I was referring to her/his practice of nursingā€¦ Iā€™m not pulling this outta my arse.. itā€™s the freakin law. I understand the legal issue of what occurred in the room and if the nurse was providing recommendations of her own, or passing along what the doctor typically recommends. It seemed to me your comments were more aimed at what was being said on this board than on what occurred in the room. > [@spark240](#): > > Butā€¦ how canā€¦ šŸ˜• > [@Ximenean](#): > > šŸ˜ƒ Yeah, I was also wondering how it is possible for someone to knowingly take a placebo. Seems to be self-contradictory, unless you want to venture deep into the philosophy of knowledge itself. Perhaps this person believes in homeopathy but uses a ā€œplaceboā€ explanation to get pesky rational people off his case. I was puzzled by it, too. I think it is a bit of the latter - ā€œshut up and let me believeā€ kinda thing. Heā€™s got lots of weird beliefs, weā€™ve had some discussion, but in the end it just tires me out. Itā€™s so frustrating when he manipulates words to mean what he wants them to. ---
**Author:** ![calgreg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f0a364/32.png) [@calgreg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/calgreg)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2010, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nurse-recommended-homeopathic-remedy-wtf/556944/107 "2010-10-20T23:38:05Z")
I think MDs kill more people than homeopaths do even as a percentage of seen patientsā€¦ Just my observation. ---
**Author:** ![falcotron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3ab097/32.png) [@falcotron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/falcotron)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2010, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nurse-recommended-homeopathic-remedy-wtf/556944/108 "2010-10-21T00:57:44Z")
> [@calgreg](#): > > I think MDs kill more people than homeopaths do even as a percentage of seen patients.. > > Just my observation. Considering that thereā€™s a much higher chance of fatal complications from, e.g., cancer surgery than from administering a glass of tap water, this is probably literally true. Homeopaths never directly killed anyone. On the other hand, MDs also cure a lot of people, while homeopaths cure none. So, itā€™s a tradeoff. If you attach no value at all to the possibility of being cured, the cost/benefit analysis falls pretty firmly in favor of the homeopaths. ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2010, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nurse-recommended-homeopathic-remedy-wtf/556944/109 "2010-10-21T19:05:32Z")
> [@calgreg](#): > > I think MDs kill more people than homeopaths do even as a percentage of seen patients. I am certain that every homepath who has attempted to treat a ruptured appendix or broken arm with tap water has thoroughly failed. Not once has a vitamin deficiency, electrolyte imbalance, or anaphalactic shock been cured by homeopathy. Homeopathy canā€™t stop bleeding, or get an erraticly beating heart back in rhythm. In other words, a homepath canā€™t do the things the lowliest army medic or EMT can do to save a life. Homeopaths donā€™t _heal_ any patients except those who would get better on their own without any treatment. Thatā€™s almost definitional. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nurse-recommended-homeopathic-remedy-wtf/556944.md?page=5)