Homeopathy Protests Outside Boots
It would appear that today there are to be protests outside Boots because of their stocking of homeopathic remedies. I like the fact that the protest is being organised by the Merseyside Skeptics Society.
The protest will take the form of a mass overdose on homeopathic remedies. As they contain nothing but sugar and water, the only result might be a small amount of weight gain.
Clare Balding on Radio 5 then talked about arnica to a jockey. Now arnica is not a homeopathic remedy but a natural one. I have given it to horses in the past and it helps stop bruising during castration. But it is only diluted to the same sort of levels as a cough syrup, not to the parts per billion billions that you get with homeopathy. As I said in an e-mail to Clare.
Arnica, of which the active ingredient is helenalin, is a natural remedy, which is partially understood scientifically. Aspirin and many other drugs, have similar natural roots. These have absolutely nothing to do with homeopathy. Natural remedies are valid treatments and work, the others are beloved of snake-oil salesmen and are just to relieve fools of their money.
One has to question Boots decision to sell these quack cures, especially as they admitted to the House of Commons that there is no evidence that they work.
But anybody who has investigated them properly knows that too. But think how many snake-oil salesmen would be put out of business, if this was the general belief.
The Anonymous Widower 
[…] in Medical Research Whilst thinking about homeopathy in the last post, the story of Andrew Wakefield was also in the news. If you type “Andrew Wakefield […]
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I’m not a supporter of homeopathy but this protest is stupid and irrational. If homeopaths say their “medicines” do no harm wat does overdosing prove? An overdose of something that will not harm you. Are they aware tht drinking too much water can cause kindney failure. Or that their constand rubbishing of homeopathy gives it a lot of free publicity.
As so often the people who claim to be sceptics are found wanting in critical analysis.
Massive Overdose Protest
Comment by boggartblog | January 30, 2010 |
I suspect that knowing Liverpool well, that the Merseyside Skeptics Society enjoy themselves quite a bit and they are laughing like a drain about the publicity they have got. They may have recruited a few more members, which may have been a subsidiary objective.
Comment by AnonW | January 30, 2010 |