Homeopathy

G.21 Practioners of the branch of alternative medicine known as homeopathy claim that very dilute solutions of substances can have an effect. Is the claim plausible To explore this question, suppose that you prepare a solution of a supposedly active substance, X, with a molarity of 0.10 mol-L. Then you dilute 10. mL of that solution by doubling the volume, doubling it again, and so on, for 90 doublings in all. How many molecules of X will be present in 10. mL of the final solution Comment on the possible health benefits of the solution. 

Elia, V, Napoli, E. and Germano, R. (2007) The Memory of Water an almost deciphered enigma. Dissipative structures in extremely dilute aqueous solutions. Homeopathy, 96, 163-169. 

Sambucus is frequently given in 6x doses. The best way to determine the correct remedy and dosage is to consult with a health practitioner well-versed in homeopathy. 

Whitmont, Edward C. Alchemy, homeopathy and the treatment of borderline cases. J Anal Psychol 41, no. 3 (Jul 1996) 369-386. 

Albertus, Frater], What is wrong with homeopathy. Alchem Lab Bulls, no. 37 (Q4 1968). rhttp //www.spagyria.com/alb.zip1. 

Hardy, Mary and Dotty Nonman. The alchemist s handbook to homeopathy with contributions from Marcy Foley. Allegin (MI) Delta K Trust, 1994. 288p. ISBN 0-9631452-2-3... 

Maybe. "After reading this book, you will understand homeopathy like never before, the mystery will be taken away so you can empower yourself with these newly re-emerging alchemical tools for your own healing"... 

Cockren, Archibald. Whither medicine Occult Rev 71, no. 3 (Jul 1944) 75-77. the advantages of homeopathy, and its founders inspiration from Paracelsus. Suggests that alchemical and radiesthetic methods could be combined. Photocopy transcription held... 

Danciger, Elizabeth. The emergence of homeopathy alchemy into medicine. London Century, 1987. 109p. 

Danciger, Elizabeth. The emergence of homeopathy alchemy into medicine. Rochester (VT) [New York] Healing Arts Distributed by Harper and Row, 1988. 108p. ISBN 0892812907... 

Danciger, Elizabeth. Homeopathy from alchemy to medicine. Rochester (VT) Healing Arts P. 118p. ISBN 0-89281-290-7... 

The author traces the development of homeopathy, showing that Hahnemann s discoveries can only be understood in the context of earlier developments, including the ground-breaking work of Paracelsus" Contents 1. Hahnemann and Homeopathy 2. Paracelsus 3. The Iatrochemists and the Scientific Revolution 4. The Rosicrucian Element 5. Medicine and the Enlightenment 6. Hahnemann... 

Medicine, of course, was never monolithic, and well into our own century renewed challenges to reductive orthodoxy have appeared, even within mainstream conventional medicine constitutionalism, psychosomatic medicine, neo-Hippocratic medicine, neo-humoralism, social medicine, Catholic humanism, and, in Europe, homeopathy and naturopathy (Lawrence... 

Hektoen, L., Larsen, S., Odegaard, S.A. and Loken, T. (2004), Comparison of homeopathy, placebo and antibiotic treatment of clinical mastitis in dairy cows - methodological issues and results from a randomized-clinical trial. Journal of Veterinary Medicine A Physiology, Pathology and Clinical Medicine, 51, 439-446. 

Klocke, P., Ivemeyer, S., Walkenhorst, M., Maeschli, A. and Heil, F. (2006), Handling the dry-off problem in organic dairy herds by teat sealing or homeopathy compared to therapy omission in Organic Joint Congress, Odense (DK), May 30-31, FiBL, Frick, Switzerland. 

MacLeod, G. (1997), The Treatment of Cattle by Homeopathy, Beekman Books, Wappingers Falls, NY. 

The few homeopathic products which were tested against GIN in sheep and cattle were based on plants and were not associated with a decrease in the worm burdens or faecal egg counts. However, considering the basic principles of homeopathy, it is likely that this approach reacts via modulation of the host s immune system (Cabaret et al., 2002). The use of non-classical parameters for assessing an antiparasitic effect should therefore be considered in future studies of homeopathy. 

Complementary and alternative medicine, which includes a range of practices outside of conventional medicine such as herbs, homeopathy, massage therapy, yoga, and acupuncture, hold increasing appeal for Americans. In fact, according to one estimate, 42% of Americans have used alternative therapies. In all age groups, the use of unconventional healthcare practices has steadily increased in the last 30 years, and the trend is likely to continue, although people born before 1945 are the least likely to turn to these therapies. 

In 1995, Prescrire International, a French journal that evaluates pharmaceutical products, published a review that concluded "As homeopathic treatments are generally used in conditions with variable outcome or showing spontaneous recovery (hence their placebo responsiveness), these treatments are widely considered to have an effect in some patients. However, despite the large number of comparative trials carried out to date there is no evidence that homeopathy is any more effective fhan placebo therapy given in identical conditions." ... 

Other reviewers, while asserting that the clinical effects reported in 89 randomized, controlled trials were greater than expected from placebo, acknowledged that homeopathy has not been proven effective for any single, clinical condition. But even if resulfs could be consistently produced, most of the study of a single remedy for a single disease could prove is that the remedy is effective against that disease. It would not validate homeopathy s basic theories or prove that homeopathic treatment is useful for other diseases. 

Linde, K. et al.. Are the clinical effects of homeopathy placebo effects A meta-analysis of placebo-controlled trials. Lancet, 350, 834,1997. 

Pinco, R.G., Status of Homeopathy in the United States Important Ominous Developments, Memo to Williard Eldredge, President, American Association of Homeopathic Pharmacists, January 17, 1985, Available at www.quackwatch.org/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/homeopetition/ pinco.html... 

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