Homeopathy - The Undiluted Facts: Including a Comprehensive A-Z Lexicon

153 Pages·2016·3.02 MB·English

by  Edzard Ernst (auth.)

Homeopathy
The Undiluted
Facts
Including a
Comprehensive
A–Z Lexicon
Homeopathy
The Undiluted Facts
Edzard Ernst
Homeopathy
The Undiluted Facts
Including a Comprehensive A-Z Lexicon
123
Edzard Ernst
Orford
UK
ISBN978-3-319-43590-9 ISBN978-3-319-43592-3 (eBook)
DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-43592-3
LibraryofCongressControlNumber:2016947397
©SpringerInternationalPublishingSwitzerland2016
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TO DANIELLE
Foreword
Since you are reading this foreword, I assume you have some interest in home-
opathy.Hence,mytaskistohelpyoudecidewhethertoreadtherestofthisbook.
Before proceeding though, you should know two things about me. First, much of
my professional life has involved writing and teaching about “evidence-based
medicine”andthebetterevaluationoftreatments,particularlytheuseofcontrolled
clinical trials. Second, I chaired the recent Australian NHMRC’s review of the
evidenceon homeopathy referred tointhis book.I nowdearlywishIhadhad this
book to read—it would have made a wonderful background and road map.
The book you have in your hands is written by the ideal author. Many texts on
homeopathy or complementary medicines are polarized and biased—strongly for
(by practitioners of homeopathy) or against (by scientists who have little or no
experience of homeopathy). But Ernst is both and more. As he describes:
AsayoungstergrowingupinGermany,Iwasregularlytreatedbyourfamilydoctorwho
wasanationallyfamoushomeopath.AsajuniordoctorIworkedinahomeopathichospital,
practisedhomeopathy,andwasimpressedwithitsresults.
Then later, as a professor of complementary medicine at the University of
Exeter, he did many studies of homeopathy (as well as many other areas of med-
icine).Ican’timagineabetterbackgroundfromwhichtowritewithexperienceand
objectivityabouthomeopathy.Aninsightfulandenjoyableexampleofhisbalanced
discussions is the section in Chap. 10 on Spurious Arguments by Proponents of
Homeopathy,followedbySpuriousArgumentbyOpponentsofHomeopathy.Both
proponentsandopponentswoulddowelltoreadtheseeightpithypagesofwisdom.
It is worth looking at two of those arguments. Proponents argue that “only
homeopaths understand homeopathy well enough,” which Ernst points out as a
perfect circular argument: We should only listen to expert homeopaths, but of
course they do not doubt homeopathy or they would no longer practice. Ernst
himself haspracticed, which helps toovercome this (circular)objection.However,
the opponents often say that “there is no credible evidence at all that supports
homeopathy,” but he points out that there are several well-conducted clinical
studies of homeopathy which have had positive results. Indeed, the NHMRC
vii
viii Foreword
reviewlookedat57systematicreviews(on68medicalconditions)whichincluded
176 individual controlled trials and concluded from these that there “was no dis-
cernible convincing effects beyond placebo.” But there were some “positive”
studies:Asmightbeexpectedfrom176trials,afewwere“statisticallysignificant”
(p-valueless5%,whichisa1in20chance);however,justbychance1/20of176
would mean about 9 which luck would class as “statistically significant.”
Untangling the complexities of such evidence requires solid knowledge of both
research and homeopathy. And Ernst has both.
Sowhoshouldreadthisbook?Iwouldsuggestanyonewantingsimple,factual,
andreliablematerialonhomeopathyandrelatedissues.Whileitiswrittenprimarily
forlaypeople—andavoidsjargonandtakingsides—itisdelightfulandinformative
read for both laypeople and professionals in health care of all types. Read, enjoy,
and be better informed.
May 2016 Paul Glasziou
Director, Centre for Research in Evidence-Based Practice
Bond University, Australia
Contents
Part I The Facts of the Matter
1 Introduction... .... .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 3
2 Definition and Main Principles of Homeopathy ... .... ..... .... 7
2.1 Like Cures Like ... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 9
2.2 Less Is More.. .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 10
2.3 Miasm Theory of Disease. .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 11
3 Myths About Homeopathy .... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 13
4 Current Popularity, Acceptance, and Regulation
of Homeopathy .... .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 17
5 History of Homeopathy.. ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 21
5.1 The Life of Hahnemann.. .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 21
5.2 Heroic Medicine... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 27
5.3 International Success and Early Homeopaths .. .... ..... .... 29
6 Different Types of Homeopathy and Homeopaths.. .... ..... .... 35
6.1 Variations of Homeopathy in Use Today . .... .... ..... .... 36
6.2 Popular Derivatives of Homeopathy. .... .... .... ..... .... 36
6.3 Different Attitudes of Practitioners .. .... .... .... ..... .... 37
7 The Patients of Homeopaths... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 39
7.1 Who Is Likely to Try Homeopathy?. .... .... .... ..... .... 39
7.2 What Attracts Consumers to Homeopathy?.... .... ..... .... 40
7.3 What Diseases Do Users of Homeopathy Suffer From? ... .... 40
8 Homeopathy as a Criticism of Conventional Medicine.. ..... .... 43
8.1 The Therapeutic Relationship.. .... .... .... .... ..... .... 44
8.2 Ineffective Drugs .. ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 45
8.3 Risks of Modern Medicine.... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 45
ix
x Contents
9 Scientific Evidence.. .... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 47
9.1 What Is Evidence and What Is Not?. .... .... .... ..... .... 47
9.2 The Scientific Evidence for or Against Homeopathy ..... .... 49
10 Spurious Arguments for and Counter-Arguments
Against Homeopathy.... ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 55
10.1 Spurious Arguments by Proponents of Homeopathy. ..... .... 55
10.2 Spurious Arguments by Opponents of Homeopathy. ..... .... 61
Part II Lexicon of Homeopathy
11 Lexicon of Homeopathy . ..... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 67
References and Further Reading... .... .... .... .... .... ..... .... 147
Part I
The Facts of the Matter