![]() ![]() "Active preparations" were made by repeated dilutions of the original extract. The smaller the dose, the more effective the substance would be in stimulating the body's "vital force" in warding off the disease. He theorized that his medications would work by The Law of Infinitesimals. Was homeopathy therefore dangerous? Not at all. Such "provings" led him to conclude that belladonna, for example, could be used to treat sore throats, because it caused throat constriction in healthy subjects. Hahnemann went further and began to systematically test the effects of a large variety of natural substances on healthy people. A substance that causes symptoms in a healthy person will cure like symptoms in a sick person when given at a smaller dose. At that epic moment homeopathy was born! Hahnemann derived the term from the Greek "homoios" meaning "like," and "pathos" meaning suffering. He was surprised to find that at a high dose he developed symptoms much like the ones he witnessed in his malaria patients. Hahnemann, interested in the maximum amount his patients could tolerate, became his own guinea pig and began to take increasing doses of cinchona bark. But lacking standardized preparations, there was a problem with finding the right dose. One remedy that did work was an extract of the bark of the South American cinchona tree used to treat malaria. It seemed to Hahnemann that these did more harm than good. Homeopathy is a specific practice conceived in the early nineteenth century by Samuel Hahnemann, a conventionally trained German physician, who became disillusioned with bloodletting, leeches, suction cups, purges and arsenic powders, all standard treatments at the time. The use of herbal medications or acupuncture or reflexology has nothing to do with homeopathy. It is not an umbrella term for alternative or complementary practices. Let’s begin by explaining what homeopathy is not. Hopefully, the publicity the current lawsuit will generate should help people understand the true nature of homeopathy. As an educator, I am also troubled by the promotion of a practice that is based on principles that cannot be supported by the established laws of chemistry, biology or physics. ![]() In the case of homeopathy, misinformation can have consequences ranging from a needless waste of money to foregoing more effective treatments. But I do have a desire to ensure that whatever choice consumers make is based on scientifically informed opinion. I have absolutely no desire to limit anyone’s freedom of choice when it comes to choosing health care products, or any company’s right to sell items that the public wants to buy, as long as these are safe. So why then do I and my colleagues at the McGill Office for Science and Society support a class action lawsuit launched against Boiron Laboratories and Shoppers Drug Mart for marketing Oscillococcinum, a homeopathic medication advertised as a remedy for colds and the flu? Furthermore, their label features the term “DIN-HM,” designating approval by Health Canada. ![]() Homeopathic products. They are safe enough, no doubt about that. Millions of people around the world swear by them. ![]()
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