Why doesn't homeopathy work on poisons?

[Donn]

I would also be nervous because my confidence that they use uncontaminated ingredients is very low, and the I would also fear that some homoeopaths would "spice" up their remedies by adding a little real medicine, if they can get it cheap enough.

Exactly. These boxes and bottles are already the products of fraud, imho, and there's no control over their contents.

Have there been any cases of harm/death from pharmacy/chemist (sold in stores) homeopathy? Allergic reactions, at the least, seem likely.

 

[xtifr]

Homeopathic "remedies", like herbal "remedies"* are classified in the US as dietary supplements. As such, they are subject to very few regulations, but they are required to list ingredients. So, if you want to down a whole bottle of homeopathic pills to demonstrate their lack of effect, you can check the label to make sure there's no other crap in there that might have unpleasant side effects. (And this is an excellent idea, because many of them do contain other crap.)

Unfortunately, the guys who make these pills don't seem to be very careful about labeling the actual ingredients. There have been several cases recently where both herbal and homeopathic remedies have been found to contain things--often significant active ingredients--that aren't on the label. And yes, I believe there have been unfortunate side-effects. So I'd hesitate to try the trick without getting some independent verification of what the label says.

* In fact, I suspect that most US consumers of homeopathy have no idea what the term means, and think it's some specialized type of herbal or "natural" remedy.

 

[Trebuchet]

Have there been any cases of harm/death from pharmacy/chemist (sold in stores) homeopathy? Allergic reactions, at the least, seem likely.

Yes. "Zicam" products are labeled Homeopathic to avoid regulation but contain potentially harmful percentages of zinc. It's labeled as "zincum acetium 2x, zincum gluconium 1x". That's 10% zinc acetate and 1% zinc gluconate. That also means it's not truly homeopathic, just labeled that way. You'll find it in virtually every pharmacy in the US. Their nasal sprays were pulled from the market a few years ago after causing permanent loss of the sense of smell in multiple people.

 

[Monza]

It's a popular idea that taking minuscule doses of poison over a long period of time allows you to build up immunity.
Maybe that only works for Iocane Powder.

Inconceivable!

 

[Rincewind]

It's a popular idea that taking minuscule doses of poison over a long period of time allows you to build up immunity.
Maybe that only works for Iocane Powder.

Didn't King Mithridates of Pontus (celebrated adversary of Sulla and Pompey) build up a resistance to poison using that method?

I recall reading that he had to get his bodyguard to kill him at the end, because poison didn't work.

 

[Soapy Sam]

Homoeopathy does of course work for poisons.
Very, very slightly.

 

[Red Baron Farms]

Homoeopathy does of course work for poisons.
Very, very slightly.

NO. Not homeopathy. Homeopathy works on nothing. It is a pure unadulterated fraud. A scam. The only thing homeopathy works on is fools, by removing said fools' money from their pocket. That said money removal from fools' pockets is the ONLY verifiable use of homeopathy.

I believe you are being confused by the real effect low doses of substances can actually have benefit. That's not homeopathy though. The problem is that homeopathy dilutes beyond the point where even a single molecule is likely to be present. Thus it is diluted beyond any possible therapeutic use. It's just water.

 

[ehcks]

It's just water.

Most of the time it's not even water. It's an ordinary sugar pill. They have a higher profit margin.

 

[Darwin123]

Or does it? Does anyone know? I know little about homeopathy, but recalling seeing that man in the video chugging down the contents of a rack's worth of homeopathy vials to prove they won't overdose him got me curious.

Cpl Ferro

Have you heard about the patient who refused to take a homeopathic remedy?
He died of an overdose!

 

[Mudcat]

Homeopathy works just as well on poisons as it does anything else, which is to say not at all. Hope that helps.

 

[Psi Baba]

NO. Not homeopathy. Homeopathy works on nothing. It is a pure unadulterated fraud. A scam. The only thing homeopathy works on is fools, by removing said fools' money from their pocket. That said money removal from fools' pockets is the ONLY verifiable use of homeopathy.

I believe you are being confused by the real effect low doses of substances can actually have benefit. That's not homeopathy though. The problem is that homeopathy dilutes beyond the point where even a single molecule is likely to be present. Thus it is diluted beyond any possible therapeutic use. It's just water.

Whooosh! (which means that your sense of humor may be homeopathic. Soapy Sam was going for a laugh).

 

[Red Baron Farms]

Whooosh! (which means that your sense of humor may be homeopathic. Soapy Sam was going for a laugh).

I can live with that. Apparently his humor was so diluted it caused an overdose. I always did have a low tolerance.

 

[fuelair]

Or does it? Does anyone know? I know little about homeopathy, but recalling seeing that man in the video chugging down the contents of a rack's worth of homeopathy vials to prove they won't overdose him got me curious.

Cpl Ferro

Works just as well on/with poisons as it does with everything else!!!!!

 

[fishbob]

My meaning was: what is the homeopathic theory regarding poisons?

Cpl Ferro

The same as for all the other homeopathic cures: There is a sucker born every minute so separation of the population from some of its money is easily achieved.

 

[Aepervius]

Or does it? Does anyone know? I know little about homeopathy, but recalling seeing that man in the video chugging down the contents of a rack's worth of homeopathy vials to prove they won't overdose him got me curious.

Cpl Ferro

Homeopathy does not work on anything. With most little problem homeopathy pretend to heal , but in reality can our body deal with on its own, so people think they were healed by the homeopathic stuff but in reality were not.

For poison and real emergency, you don't hear people praising homeopathy because if they relied on homeopathy they are dead.

 

[I Ratant]

Is there a homeopathic saint sufferers can pray to for relief, as well as taking the medications?
Double their chances for a cure!

 

[McHrozni]

Most of the time it's not even water. It's an ordinary sugar pill. They have a higher profit margin.

Hm. How come? Water is cheaper than sugar, surely?

McHrozni

 

[a_unique_person]

Or does it? Does anyone know? I know little about homeopathy, but recalling seeing that man in the video chugging down the contents of a rack's worth of homeopathy vials to prove they won't overdose him got me curious.

Cpl Ferro

I'm glad you asked me that question.

 

[Filippo Lippi]

I'm sceptical that someone could have hung around this forum for nearly a decade and still not know the prevailing sceptical view on homeopathy.

 

[Darwin123]

Hm. How come? Water is cheaper than sugar, surely?

McHrozni

Homeopaths usually prefer lactose to sucrose or glucose. Most of those sugar pills are actually lactose.

I am not completely sure why they prefer lactose. I conjecture that it is because lactose is not as soluble in water as sucrose or lactose. So the pills keep longer.

Homeopathic pills may cause problems for the lactose intolerant !-)

Hey, how about a homeopathic remedy for lactose intolerance !-) Highly dilute tinter of lactose. Or a homeopathic remedy for hangovers! Lactose with highly dilute alcohol!