Chapter 9 - Podcast

Linked below is a short podcast which summarizes these past few posts regarding homeopathy and its ethical concerns. Hopefully over the course of these blog posts you have gained a better understanding of homeopathy and more importantly I hope that this reinforces a sense of skepticism  and its importance in separating truth from fiction. Thank you for your implicit support and taking the time to read all this.


https://soundcloud.com/karaliusdarius/bio420-podcast

Chapter 8 - In Conclusion

Homeopathy is an incredibly silly idea that falls apart at the first sign of scrutiny, but the fact that homeopathy has managed to survive as an idea since 1794, despite all advances in science and medicine, represents a failure of scientific critical thinking and equally shows how powerful hope can be for someone with an illness. One of the main things that manages to convert once skeptical and rational people to the side of homeopathy is receiving traumatic news, such as being diagnosed with a terminal illness. The prospect of death is so terrifying, or treatment for a condition too painful to some that it can cause one to seek out help from anywhere. The danger of homeopathy is in the empty promises it makes regarding its efficacy. When a substance has been shown to be no more effective that a clinically administered placebo, then the substance is in fact a placebo. Homeopaths will often forgo traditional or even critical treatment in favor of homeopathic or 'natural' treatments even if they have nothing to do with the original condition.

Unfortunately, ignoring and marginalizing homeopathy won't make it go away. Fortunately education is the most effective method of highlighting homeopathy's faults. Homeopathy can only take hold on someone who is largely scientifically illiterate, as even the most fundamental laws of natural science contradict the principles of homeopathy. Steps should be taken to build critical thinking and scientific reasoning as early as possible in a child's life in order to minimize the dangers of such faulty scientific thinking so early on in life. Stricter applications of truth in advertising could equally help the issue of homeopathic remedies being sold and marketed as nearly identical copies of actual proper medications, but ultimately the key is education.

In conclusion, I've included a link to a poem by the incredibly talented Tim Minchin regarding homeopathy and the personal implications it can have, not to mention that this is the only situation in which homeopathy can be made funny.

Chapter 7 - Article Critique

In an article published on BoingBoing in July of 2015 by Cory Doctorow, The University of Toronto is criticized for offering a course taught by a homeopath that actively denies vaccination and promotes ideas such "quantum healing". The homeopath in question, a Ms. Beth Landau-Halpern, is in fact married to the dean of the college. The class was equally criticized for screening a documentary that defends the actions of Andrew Wakefield, the ex-doctor who famously and fraudulently tried to link vaccines with autism.
     The fact that a class containing so little scientifically peer-reviewed material can be offered by an establishment with the credibility of U of T is incredibly damaging not only to the reputation of the college, but damaging to the critical thinking skills of each and every one of the students that take that course. Even should the critical thinking skills of the students remain intact by the end of the class, U of T's flirtation with pseudoscience, i.e. conducting a homeopathic study of ADHD treatments, incorporating traditional Chinese medicine into modern day medical and pharmacy training, etc., the reputation of the college may be so low as to make their degrees worth less than the paper they are printed on. If the largest university in Canada is willing to make such sacrifices in terms of scientific integrity, what does this say about the standards of scientific integrity of other universities around the world?

U of T has reported that the class will not be offered next semester.

Article: http://boingboing.net/2015/07/13/university-of-toronto-upholds.html

Chapter 6 - FAQ about Homeopathy

By what mechanism does homeopathy actually work?
Homeopathy "works" in the same manner as other similarly administered placebos. Placebos work by triggering a release of dopamine which can temporarily improve certain conditions. It is important to note that the treatment benefits of dopamine are short-lasted and notoriously difficult to produce consistently.

How can millions of accounts of the healing capabilities of homeopathy be wrong?
Millions of anecdotal accounts are meaningless compared to the multiple peer-reviewed and double-blind studies showing homeopathy's ineffectiveness when compared to actual medications.

If Homeopathy doesn’t work, why has it been accepted by the FDA?
The criteria by which the FDA decides on whether or not to allow a substance for sale is a matter of whether the substance causes harm as opposed to cures a condition. Because homeopathic remedies are made of starch, and thus biochemically inert, the FDA considers homeopathic remedies to pose no threat to the public.

Can homeopathic remedies be taken with conventional medicines?
Homeopathic remedies can safely be taken with conventional medications as there is currently no known mechanism by which homeopathic remedies could have an effect on conventional medications.

How long are homeopathic remedies taken for?
The length of a remedy varies based on the specific condition attempting to be cured. A crude approximation would dictate about one month of treatment for every year of illness.

Are there conditions homeopathy isn't prescribed for?
Homeopathy is never administered for serious conditions, such as stroke, or injuries, such as a compound fractured tibia. Homeopathy is most often prescribed for chronic conditions, such as headaches or other frequent pains.

How can I be sure the medication I've received is not a homeopathic remedy?
Medications with active ingredients are required by the FDA to disclose that ingredient somewhere on the packaging, while homeopathic remedies are not held to the same standard as they contain no active ingredients. Many homeopathic remedies can be found for sale directly next to their conventional medicine counterparts in chain pharmacy stores so an amount of consumer discretion is advised.

Image credit:
http://wellnesscounselingmilwaukee.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/homeopathic-medicine.jpg

Chapter 5 - Ethics of Homeopathy

When new doctors pledge the Hippocratic Oath, they famously swear to 'do no harm' in regards to patient treatment, but when certain treatment options, such as chemotherapy, have similar mortality ratings as the disease they treat, what actually constitutes harm can be confusing. Homeopathy represents an ethical dilemma between the patient and the practitioner.

     Four possible states exist in the relationship between practitioner and homeopathic remedies.

1.) The practitioner does not know that homeopathic remedies do not work and does not prescribe them.

2.) The practitioner does know that homeopathic remedies do not work, and does prescribe them.

3.) The practitioner does not know that homeopathic remedies do not work and does prescribe them.

4.) The practitioner knows that homeopathic remedies don't work and doesn't prescribe them.

In the first situation, the practitioner, while blissfully ignorant of homeopathy's shortcomings, makes no ethical violations regarding patient treatment. The fourth situation equally represents an ideal situation in which the practitioner is more informed about the placebo effects of homeopathy. The second and third situations are where the ethical become apparent. In the second situation, the practitioner does not know that homeopathic remedies do not work, making them ignorant of all the medical literature that demonstrates its ineffectiveness, making the practitioner too incompetent to prescribe medications. In the third situation, the practitioner knows that homeopathic remedies do not work but prescribes them anyway, completely undermining the ethical concepts of doctor-patient trust, informed consent, and patient autonomy.

A terrible consequence of homeopathic medicine is how much it attempts to discredit evidence-based medicine. A study conducted in England (where homeopathy is considered medically mainstream) showed that over 50% of homeopathic practitioners advised against receiving basic vaccines in favor of homeopathic treatments for the resulting disease, working counter to the principle of preventable care, and ultimately furthering the spread of diseases treated by those vaccines.

References and Image Credits:

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-gZ-Ap6osbRc/U1ZtUIxXv4I/AAAAAAAAE8g/nMeVt_YAjZ8/w841-h569-no/26696538_m.jpg

http://blog.heartland.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Confused-Doctor.jpg

http://www.theguardian.com/science/2007/nov/16/sciencenews.g2

Chapter 4 - Grasping at Straws: A Journal Article

     The underlying molecular mechanism for how water is able to remember the substances that were dissolved in it and its subsequent transformation into a homeopathic remedy has yet to be discovered primarily due to the fact that it doesn't even remotely exist. This bit of information does not deter proponents of homeopathy from seeking some form of chemical mechanism. An article published by H. Walach in the 2003 volume of Research in Complementary Medicine, in its native German Forschende Komplementärmedizin, attempts to use the concept of quantum entanglement as a proposed solution to homeopathy's evidence problem.
     Quantum entanglement, in it's most simple form, is the idea that two particles interact in such a way that they can only be described as a quantum state, not independently. The result of this pairing is that any effect on one molecule is instantaneously transferred to the other molecule regardless of the distance between the two. H. Wallach's postulation that homeopathy involves not only a state of quantum entanglement in the remedy itself (between the water and the originating substance), but also undergoes a quantum entanglement reaction with the patient's body (between the individual symptoms of a patient and the general symptoms of the remedy) is an absolute scientific impossibility.

An explanation of quantum entanglement using photons

To get two particles in a quantum entangled state takes weeks of attempts, not to mention tremendous amounts of energy. Even under ideal conditions, physicists have trouble getting particles to entangle on a quantum level. The likelihood that homeopathy happens to be the interactions of two separate quantum entanglement systems is so infinitesimally small that it's no surprise that homeopaths see it as being incredibly likely.






References:
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/36/db/fe/36dbfe0432f8ec0dbfe90ce51f47ef7b.jpg
Forsch Komplementärmed Klass Naturheilkd 2003;10:192–200 (DOI:10.1159/000073475)
http://www.karger.com/Article/Abstract/73475

Chapter 3: Homeopathy in the News - An Article Critique

     In an article posted on the 17th of August, 2015 in The Huffington Post titled "The FDA and Homeopathy: Can the Agency Bring Medicine Out of the 1700s?", Ronald Lindsay illustrates how a lack of oversight by the FDA and unenforced regulations allow homeopathic drugs to market themselves as being as effective as other medications with little to no repercussions. It should be noted that unlike the majority of articles from mainstream media sources regarding homeopathy, the author does not shy away from the lack of evidence surrounding homeopathy. Most media sources would typically offer some type of vague anecdotal evidence in support of homeopathy so as not to alienate a percentage of its viewers as well as giving the false pretense of journalistic integrity by claiming to give both sides of an issue equal consideration.

     Initially, the concept of equal representation to both sides of an argument sounds like a fair and balanced manner with which to approach an idea as complicated as the efficacy of an alternative medical system, however, the problem with equal representation to both sides comes when one of the sides has been demonstrated time and time again to be false or comprised of an invalid argument. Placing a demonstrably false idea on an equal plane with a valid idea serves to reinforce faulty thinking and misconceptions which, especially regarding medical-oriented ideas, have the potential to cause serious harm. 

     While the article is factually correct in it's position regarding homeopathy, the overall tone of the article is dismissive and condescending. The tone may prevent the information in the article from reaching the audience that needs it most- those who take homeopathic drugs. When deeply-held beliefs are challenged, it is natural for people to become defensive and dismissive of all incoming arguments that do not conform with already held biases, which is why the most effective arguments are not only clear and concise but also informative, as opposed to aggressive in tone. While potentially true, statements such as, "The level of ignorance among Americans with respect to basic science is appalling" only hurts the overall persuasive components of the article. 

Original Article: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ronald-a-lindsay/homeopathy_b_7997876.html