Quick questions on Homeopathy and alternative medicine: HSC Investigating Science Module 7

1. Similia similibus curentur (like cures like). A substance that causes symptoms in healthy people will cure those same symptoms in sick people. For example, since onions cause runny eyes, an onion-derived remedy is used for hay fever.

Avogadro's number is approximately 6 × 10^23 molecules per mole. A typical homeopathic dilution of 30C (a 1:100 dilution applied 30 times) leaves a final dilution of 1 in 10^60. The probability that even a single molecule of the original substance remains in the bottle is essentially zero.

Defenders of homeopathy claim that water retains a "memory" of the substance it once contained. The original claim came from a 1988 paper by Jacques Benveniste in _Nature_. The paper was published with an unusual editor's note expressing scepticism. A team led by James Randi independently tested the claim and failed to replicate it.

In 2015 the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council conducted the most comprehensive evidence review of homeopathy to date.

Internationally, the UK NHS ceased funding homeopathy in 2018, France phased out reimbursement by 2021, and several other European systems have followed.

Placebo effect. The placebo response is real and measurable. Patients given any treatment with confidence often report subjective improvement. This is particularly strong for pain and conditions with significant emotional or stress components.

Homeopathy is not entirely harmless.

Homeopathy is a textbook case study because:

A substance that causes symptoms in healthy people will cure those same symptoms in sick people. For example, since onions cause runny eyes, an onion-derived remedy is used for hay fever.

Diluting a remedy makes it more potent. The standard homeopathic dilution is 30C (1 part in 100, repeated 30 times). The final concentration is 1 in 10^60.

Each dilution step must be followed by vigorous shaking against a leather pad to "potentise" the remedy.

Over 1,800 published studies across 68 medical conditions.

Studies were graded for quality, with priority given to randomised controlled trials and systematic reviews.

"Based on the assessment of the evidence of effectiveness of homeopathy, NHMRC concludes that there are no health conditions for which there is reliable evidence that homeopathy is effective. Homeopathy should not be used to treat health conditions that are chronic, serious, or could become serious."

The placebo response is real and measurable. Patients given any treatment with confidence often report subjective improvement. This is particularly strong for pain and conditions with significant emotional or stress components.