Homeopaths Admit Expensive Concoctions Just Water

A public mass overdose of homeopathic remedies has forced the New
Zealand Council of Homeopaths to admit openly that their products do
not contain any "material substances". Council spokeswoman Mary
Glaisyer admitted publicly that "there´s not one molecule of the
original substance remaining" in the diluted remedies that form the
basis of this multi-million-dollar industry.

The NZ Skeptics, in conjunction with 10:23, Skeptics in the Pub and
other groups nationally and around the world, held the mass overdose
in Christchurch on Saturday to highlight the fact that homeopathic
products are simply very expensive water drops or sugar/lactose
pills. A further aim was to question the ethical issues of
pharmacies, in particular, stocking and promoting sham products and
services.

"You´re paying $10 for a teaspoon of water that even the homeopaths
say has no material substance in it," says Skeptics Chair Vicki Hyde.
"Yet a recent survey showed that 94% of New Zealanders using
homeopathic products aren´t aware of this basic fact - their
homeopath or health professional hasn´t disclosed this. The customers
believe they are paying for the substances listed on the box, but
those were only in the water once upon a time before the massive
dilution process began - along with everything else that the water
once had in it -- the chlorine, the beer, the urine...."

Hyde notes that one of the homeopathic products downed by the 40 or
so people in the mass overdose had a label saying it contained
chamomilia, humulus lupulus, ignatia, kali brom, nux vomica and zinc
val. But those substances were actually in homeopathic dilutions,
meaning that the kali brom, for example, was present in a proportion
comparable to 1 pinch of sugar in the Atlantic Ocean - that is, not
actually present at all.

"People don´t know that they are paying through the nose for just
water - they believe the label implies there are active ingredients
in there, just like you´d expect from a reputable health product. And
you have to ask, at what point does it shift from being an issue of
informed consent to become an issue of fraud?"

The UK-based 1023 campaign is concerned about the ethical issue of
pharmacies - touted as "the health professional you see most often" -
supporting these products and giving them a spurious and unwarranted
credibility.

"Does this mean pharmacists don't know that homeopathic products are
just water, or they do know and don't care because people will buy it
not realising the massive mark-up? Either way, that should be a big
concern for the health consumer. Here´s a huge industry with
virtually no regulatory oversight or consumer protection or come-
back, and even its keen customers aren´t aware of the highly dubious
practices involved."

The alternative health industry has built a multi-million-dollar
business exploiting the natural healing powers of the human body, as
many conditions will get better within two to three days regardless
of whether conventional or alternative treatments are used, or even
if nothing is done at all. Independent testing has shown that
homeopathic preparations take full advantage of this and homeopaths
quickly take the credit for any improvement in their clients.

The Christchurch "overdose" included an "underdose" - homeopaths
believe that the more dilute things are, the more potent they become,
so the skeptics were careful to try that approach. There are also
claims by product manufacturers that, in fact, dosage doesn´t matter
at all - whether you take 1 pill or 100 - but the important thing is
the frequency of dosage, and the skeptics covered that base too. No
ill effects were reported, apart from a distinct drop in the level of
cash in various wallets. For the demonstration, Hyde reluctantly
purchased two small boxes of tablets and a 25ml spray from a Unichem
pharmacy, costing $51.95.

"That´s a lot to pay for less than 2 tablespoons of water and not
much more than that in lactose milk sugar."

Homeopaths claim all sorts of amazing results, from treating the 1918
influenza to AIDS. More dangerously, at least one New Zealand
pharmacy has been known to push homeopathic water labelled as
"vaccines" for meningitis and Hepatitis B. Perhaps not surprisingly,
the most supportive test results are those which come out of the
homeopathic industry, product manufacturers and other vested
interests. Any completely independent evaluation, such as the highly
respected Cochrane Collaboration, tends to find the results much more
underwhelming, citing no convincing evidence in many claimed areas of
effectiveness.

"We´d recommend that if your local pharmacy stocks homeopathic
products, take your business somewhere more ethical."

FOR MORE INFORMATION

1023: Homeopathy, there´s nothing in it (UK-based campaign)
http://www.1023.org.uk/

NZ Skeptics Homeopathy flyer:
http://skeptics.org.nz/download/flyhomeop.pdf

Plea for pharmacists to ditch stock
Christchurch Press: Jan 30
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/3277310/Plea-for-pharmacists-to-d...

Survey of homeopathy customers reveals they don´t know it´s just
water
Pharmacy Today (26 May 2009):
http://www.pharmacytoday.co.nz/news-details?objId=16F087C0-1C0C-4DAC-96F...

More than 90% of people who use homoeopathic remedies think the
products work according to a survey published in the latest edition
of the New Zealand Medical Journal. But only 6% of those surveyed
knew that homoeopathic remedies did not contain any active ingredient
and most thought that homoeopathic remedies were either moderately or
very concentrated.

---

Additional:
Press Release from Mary Galisyer of the New Zealand Council of Homeopaths
http://maryglaisyer.com/2010/01/press-release-mass-overdose/