New minister for science 'supports homeopathy'
The huffington post have posted this interesting piece. Do you think Greg Clark is a suitable minister for science? What are your views on homoeopathy?
If they're going to have government ministers who are not the most suitable for their role, why don't they just go full retard and have some truly ridiculous people as ministers? I'd love to see a 9/11 conspiracy theorist as foreign secretary.
Can't see why they got rid of David Willetts myself, everybody in the science sector seemed to rate him highly?
Fair enough move out ministers that are not performing or uninspiring but Willetts has been ditched and not even given another job when he was rated as one of the more capable government ministers.
To me this has a suspicion of Willetts face didn't fit with the No.10 hierachy.
Maybe he was spending too much time, you know, actually doing his job, instead of playing politics and brownnosing with the right people.
Fair enough move out ministers that are not performing or uninspiring but Willetts has been ditched and not even given another job when he was rated as one of the more capable government ministers.
To me this has a suspicion of Willetts face didn't fit with the No.10 hierachy.
Maybe he was spending too much time, you know, actually doing his job, instead of playing politics and brownnosing with the right people.
If he's supportive of homoeopathic medicine then I'm in favour of him receiving a homoeopathic salary. A penny in a glass of water ought to do the trick.
Original post by Quady
It does work. I don't think there are many people out there that says homeopathy doesn't have a positive effect on patients.
If it doesn't you're arging the placebo effect doesn't exist, and there's tons of evidence to demonstrate it does.
If it doesn't you're arging the placebo effect doesn't exist, and there's tons of evidence to demonstrate it does.
Sugar pills work in exactly the same way as homeopathy. They also produce the same beneficial results. So no homeopathy does not work, the placebo effect does work though.
Original post by Harvey Dent
If he's supportive of homoeopathic medicine then I'm in favour of him receiving a homoeopathic salary. A penny in a glass of water ought to do the trick.
Could well be argued that does does.
He's the head of UK universities, on £107k.
The Vice-Chancellor of UWE is on £314k
And his ministerial portfolio also covers Science (CEO of Astrazeneca £1.1m)...
...and cities (Chief Executive of Cardiff City Council is on £220k)
Original post by Quady
It does work. I don't think there are many people out there that says homeopathy doesn't have a positive effect on patients.
If it doesn't you're arging the placebo effect doesn't exist, and there's tons of evidence to demonstrate it does.
If it doesn't you're arging the placebo effect doesn't exist, and there's tons of evidence to demonstrate it does.
All real and fake medicine can produce the placebo effect. The placebo effect is not a result of the treatment per se but a reaction to the process of being given it and expectation of positive effects. Medicine that works has positive effects on top of the placebo effect. The classification "no different from placebo" means something does not work. Homeopathy does not work.
Original post by MrEFeynman
Sugar pills work in exactly the same way as homeopathy. They also produce the same beneficial results. So no homeopathy does not work, the placebo effect does work though.
Water is cheaper than sugar.
You can't go around giving people 'the placebo effect', a quick google would make the treatment ineffective.
Original post by betaglucowhat
All real and fake medicine can produce the placebo effect. The placebo effect is not a result of the treatment per se but a reaction to the process of being given it and expectation of positive effects. Medicine that works has positive effects on top of the placebo effect. The classification "no different from placebo" means something does not work. Homeopathy does not work.
Sure.
Which is why homeopathy works.
It'll give better medical outcomes than doing nothing. Where there is no treatment or the treatment is highly risky, homeopathy could be the best treatment available.
Original post by Quady
Water is cheaper than sugar.
You can't go around giving people 'the placebo effect', a quick google would make the treatment ineffective.
You can't go around giving people 'the placebo effect', a quick google would make the treatment ineffective.
Homeopathic remedies are usually absorbed in sugar pills and administered orally. The difference between them and regular sugar pills is to make it homeopathic you do a magic shake first and then mark up the price a few thousand percent.
Also, you can experience the placebo effect even if you know a treatment is fake.
Original post by Quady
Water is cheaper than sugar.
You can't go around giving people 'the placebo effect', a quick google would make the treatment ineffective.
You can't go around giving people 'the placebo effect', a quick google would make the treatment ineffective.
Yes you can. Just inform them of the research that shows how effective placebos are. Build up its prestige, and hey presto.
Original post by Quady
Sure.
Which is why homeopathy works.
It'll give better medical outcomes than doing nothing. Where there is no treatment or the treatment is highly risky, homeopathy could be the best treatment available.
Which is why homeopathy works.
It'll give better medical outcomes than doing nothing. Where there is no treatment or the treatment is highly risky, homeopathy could be the best treatment available.
Your definition of 'works' includes literally every treatment and is utterly useless in any clinical or research context. There is no medicine that could possibly not work by your definition.
Homeopathy is no better or worse than any other fake placebo treatment, including giving patients a sugar pill and telling them it's a placebo. There is no reason to spend the money funding a homeopathic infrastructure with public money when it is wholly unnecessary.
A debate on whether doctors should prescribe placebos is completely separate from whether the NHS should fund homeopathy. If placebos are fine then doctors can keep a box of sugar pills around for a fraction of the cost.
Original post by betaglucowhat
Your definition of 'works' includes literally every treatment and is utterly useless in any clinical or research context. There is no medicine that could possibly not work by your definition.
I wouldn't say the treatment of syphilis by the use of mercury worked...
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