Here's a challenge one can make to believers in homeopathy etc. :
When you have a homeopathy remedy, make up a remedy that looks and tastes exactly similar. Label it in some way that can't casually be seen.
Then randomize. Take one of the remedies; guess whether you've gotten the homeopathy remedy or the placebo. The guess could be an educated guess, based on lab tests or whatever. Write down the guess. Then look at the label, and write down what it really is.
For example, a liquid remedy could be put into a cup that's labelled on the underside, placebo into an identical cup; put the cups into the microwave on low power, or on a turntable. Or if the remedy is a little pill, get an identical little pill that's a homeopathic remedy for something totally irrelevant; put the little pills into plastic baggies, labelled some way that can't easily be seen. Put the baggies into the dryer on air dry for a while.
If people do this repeatedly and they don't cheat on randomizing, they could quickly test their belief that homeopathy is more than placebo. At least for homeopathic remedies that are supposed to have obvious and quick effects, like homeopathic sleeping pills.
They could analyze the results statistically, counting right and wrong guesses. It's like establishing that a coin is a fair coin, i.e. that there's 50% probability you'll guess right as to whether you got the placebo or the homeopathic remedy.
Of course, one could do a more conventional double-blind test by gathering data and seeing, for example, if oscillococcinum shortens the length of a cold. But this is harder to analyze statistically.
Point is, people can test homeopathy at home. They don't have to rely on anecdotes or research. It would expose to them the extent to which they psych themselves into having the results they want from homeopathic remedies.
It's interesting that there are no homeopathic recreational drugs
Laura
When you have a homeopathy remedy, make up a remedy that looks and tastes exactly similar. Label it in some way that can't casually be seen.
Then randomize. Take one of the remedies; guess whether you've gotten the homeopathy remedy or the placebo. The guess could be an educated guess, based on lab tests or whatever. Write down the guess. Then look at the label, and write down what it really is.
For example, a liquid remedy could be put into a cup that's labelled on the underside, placebo into an identical cup; put the cups into the microwave on low power, or on a turntable. Or if the remedy is a little pill, get an identical little pill that's a homeopathic remedy for something totally irrelevant; put the little pills into plastic baggies, labelled some way that can't easily be seen. Put the baggies into the dryer on air dry for a while.
If people do this repeatedly and they don't cheat on randomizing, they could quickly test their belief that homeopathy is more than placebo. At least for homeopathic remedies that are supposed to have obvious and quick effects, like homeopathic sleeping pills.
They could analyze the results statistically, counting right and wrong guesses. It's like establishing that a coin is a fair coin, i.e. that there's 50% probability you'll guess right as to whether you got the placebo or the homeopathic remedy.
Of course, one could do a more conventional double-blind test by gathering data and seeing, for example, if oscillococcinum shortens the length of a cold. But this is harder to analyze statistically.
Point is, people can test homeopathy at home. They don't have to rely on anecdotes or research. It would expose to them the extent to which they psych themselves into having the results they want from homeopathic remedies.
It's interesting that there are no homeopathic recreational drugs
Laura
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