h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I'm trying to think of a subject for a talk at Toastmasters, and it occurred to me that homoeopathy is an interesting subject. And I could do an interesting opening, grabbing people's attention by overdosing on something or other. (James Randi overdosed on homoeopathic sleeping pills at his TED talk.)

But I've heard that some "homoeopathic" pills actually contain detectable amounts of real medicines. I don't want a real overdose. What should I look for on the label to ensure that it's an unfortified homoeopathic pill, and doesn't have anything in it that could conceivably have any effect?

TRiG.

Remembered ingredients?

Can't you just cheat and overdose on imperial mints instead? No point worrying yourself over it. Randi's a magician after all.

You could drink some tap water which has a tincture of human urine. If your water supplier is Thames water, you can only get larger amounts of tincture the closer you live to London

Make sure there isn't too much alcohol!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZO9J7dDLU4

(Homeopathic vodka)

Actually according to homeopathic theory it is possible to OD on homeopathic remedies (remedies are at different 'strengths' and higher potency remedies are considered potentially dangerous (you can't buy them over the counter).

But I assume you are taking the piss TRiG, so I'd suggest it doesn't matter. If you did OD, presumably you wouldn't attribute any effects to the remedy anyway, so what is the point?

"But I've heard that some "homoeopathic" pills actually contain detectable amounts of real medicines."

Well, that depends.
Truly homeopathic pills/potions won't, they're just sugar/water.
However, there are some who jump on the band wagon and label stuff as homeopathic when it is actually herbal. There is a confusion in some circles (both critical of and believing of homeopathy) that conflates herbal remedies with homeopathic remedies since both are seen as 'alt-med'. And there are some who mix the two.

Proper homeopathic stuff will have the dilution on it. Herbal stuff will have active ingredients.

It should be (in)appropriately labeled. I'd suggest that if you want such stuff you get it from a chemists since they're more likely to worry about it being what it says on the tin and being sued if it did have an active ingredient that could actually affect someone.

Homeopathy makes no sense to me. But a former girlfriend during a band trip to Germany had a bladder infection. A homeopathic remedy was the first thing prescribed and cured her.

I tried Rescue remedy to no avail though on any ocassion.

(kea this is not to take the pss. Why would the Germans still be using it otherwise? I just can't get my head around how it works.

But I'm staying open minded. )

>>A homeopathic remedy was the first thing prescribed and cured her.<<

You're making the fallacy of post hoc ergo proper hoc: after therefore because of. Homeopathy has never been shown to work, it is simple fraud and your ex got better because the human body is pretty good at clearing up infections.

Presumably you only run the risk of overdosing on a homeopathic remedy if you dilute it first.

B

Oh right so you're not open minded HI...

I just gave the facts and that a modern western European country routinely prescribes homeopathic remedies for certain conditions.

I don't think it's a case of not being open-minded. It's a case of being receptive to proper peer-reviewed neutral scientific opinion.

Read Ben Goldacre. He's a bit of a die-hard, but he makes the point adequately.

B

>>Oh right so you're not open minded HI...<<

I'm perfectly open-minded. The word you're looking for is 'gullible' and no, I'm not that.

Show me the slightest bit of evidence that homeopathy works and I'll consider it. Until then it remains in the same place as religion, ghosts and UFOs: the bin.

Sometimes the Germans do things that make no sense. For example, pedestrians waiting to cross a street at a red light even though there is not a single moving vehicle in sight or within earshot.

Although it does rub off. My brother always pokes fun at me when I do that in France now

So what does he say about the reason for it still to be used in Germany?

And Dogster has much to say about peer review.

As a Biology graduate I'm well aware of that structure of knowledge.

I just think its good to leave your mind *open* to other ways of understanding.

As I said it makes no sense to me.

"Presumably you only run the risk of overdosing on a homeopathic remedy if you dilute it first."

Currently, there's a real problem with us not filtering out anti-depressants from urine. It's doing weird things to fish.

It's a reasonable assumption that our filters don't wash out homeopathic medicines.

Homeopathic medicines get stronger the more diluted they are, therefore when you take a tablet, excrete it, flush it, mix it in with first the water in the sewage, then at the treatment plant, then in the sea, you should get something incredibly diluted and unimaginably potent. Toxically so, in fact.

The way I see it, homeopathy can't work because fish still exist.

On a purely philosophical sense, leaving my mind 'open to other ways of understanding' makes no sense to me. I have a desire to understand things, or have them explained to me in a manner whereby I can understand them.

Being 'open to other ways of understanding' sounds to me like 'having other people, whom I may or may not trust, do the understanding for me', which I'm not happy with. If I go to the doctor, I want them to explain what's wrong with me in language I understand, not operate in medical jargon which is opaque to me.

B

Interesting I think I'd rather be treated by people who specialise in diagnosing medical conditions rather than translating them into words of one syllable.

Yes but you're a man

I'm enjoying starting to think differently.

Yes I maybe deluded.

I'm trying it out for a bit...and see what happens.

Mine @ Mu Beta