Critter Talk: Say NO to Homeopathy
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Early in January the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) will be considering a resolution, submitted by the Connecticut VMA, to discourage veterinarians from treating their patients with homeopathic “remedies.”
The proposed resolution reads:
Homeopathy Has Been Identified as an Ineffective Practice and Its Use Is Discouraged
RESOLVED, that the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) affirms that —
1. Safety and efficacy of veterinary therapies should be determined by scientific investigation.
2. When sound and widely accepted scientific evidence demonstrates a given practice as ineffective or that it poses risks greater than its possible benefits, such ineffective or unsafe philosophies and therapies should be discarded.
3. In keeping with AVMA policy on Complementary and Alternative Veterinary Medicine, AVMA discourages the use of therapies identified as unsafe or ineffective, and encourages the use of the therapies based upon sound, accepted principles of science and veterinary medicine.
4. Homeopathy has been conclusively demonstrated to be ineffective.
The “logic” behind homeopathy is appealing, but the devil (as always) is in the details. Simply put, homeopathy is based on the “Law of Similars.” The idea is that “like cures like,” or that we can cure disease by giving patients substances that produces symptoms similar to those of the disease from which they suffer. But there is danger in this approach. For instance, do we really want to give a dog or cat suffering from severe diarrhea a substance that could worsen their dehydration and biochemical imbalances? Homeopaths “solve” this problem by diluting their solutions, usually to the point where the active ingredients are no longer detectable. Somehow, the preparations are supposed to “remember” what used to be present and still be effective.
I’m sure you can gather by my tone (and my overuse of quotation marks) that I’m fairly skeptical of homeopathy. To be fair, I don’t think homeopathy is ineffective, I just don’t think it is more effective than any placebo would be. We’ve talked before about how powerful the placebo effect is, so when human patients want to try a homeopathic remedy for chronic, non-life threatening conditions, they have my blessings. In veterinary medicine, however, placebos primarily affect an owner’s impression of how a pet is faring, rather than actually providing any relief from the patient’s condition. We do animals a disservice when we pick homeopathic treatments over scientifically-validated and patient-appropriate therapeutic protocols.
I’ve heard the stories of miraculous “cures” associated with the use of homeopathic remedies, but we must remember that association does not equal causation. The unexpected does happen in veterinary medicine, primarily because the body has remarkable abilities to heal itself, often despite rather than because of what we do.
For a detailed review of the shortcomings of homeopathy, take a look at the Connecticut VMA’s white paper in support of their proposed resolution entitled The Case Against Homeopathy.
Dr. Jennifer Coates writing for PetMD
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Homeopathy works as beautifully for animals as it does for people. I’ve had wonderful success in treating mammary conditions, infections, boils, cuts and itchy flea bites in my animals. As well as being effective, it’s also safe, non-toxic, causes no sides effects, is inexpensive and very green.
Anyone interested in animal studies will find some of them at:
(outbound link removed as per comment policy)
How interesting that your “proof” is from homeopathy sites. That’s akin to using statistics from tobacco companies to prove smoking isn’t harmful.
You use two questionable sources to justify something that has been debunked by hundreds, if not thousands, of reputable medical and scientific organizations.
When you can produce peer-reviewed studies from even one reliable, respected medical researcher, you will have at least a tiny bit of credibility. No one will hold their breath waiting for that.
“How interesting that your ‘proof’ is from homeopathy sites.”
The studies were done by knowledgeable, skilled and objective third party researchers. The results are simply being reported by homeopathy journals and on homeopathy sites. Would you expect conventional medicine to be performing and reporting on studies of homeopathy? I doubt they would considering that they don’t sell homeopathics.
You surely are aware of the fact that studies of conventional drugs are conducted by the very same drug companies that developed and wish to sell those drugs. Further, those studies are reported on in journals that are financially supported by drug companies.
Other readers here should know that there are 600 basic science studies and clinical trials showing homeopathy has biological effects and produces significant and sometimes substantial health benefits. The trials are published in 102 respected, national and international peer-reviewed journals like Cancer, Phlebology, Rheumatology, International Journal of Oncology, British Medical Journal, Pediatrics and Allergologie.
Some of them, along with the animals studies, can be seen at:
Outbound links removed in keeping with comment policy.
How interesting that you completely ignore the fact and my statement that homeopathy has been proved by many respected medical researchers to be of no value at all.
Instead you try to change the focus to big pharm conducting their own research. You conveniently ignore that the same research is also peer-reviewed and backed up by independent studies.
The facts is homeopathy is a scam. Chalk pills as used in the past as placebos are every bit as effective.
You can believe what you like. That does not change the acts. Many people believed the sun revolved around the earth, too. That did not make it true.
The public should know that many of the 600 basic science studies and clinical trials I noted above can be seen at the web sites of the National Center for Homeopathy, extraordinary medicine and Avilian. There are also numerous videos posted to You Tube by the Homeopathy Action Trust, people like Dana Ullman and personal testimonies (search “Homeopathy Works for Me”)outlining what homeopathy can accomplish.
As far as those “respected medical researchers” who have supposedly proven that homeopathy doesn’t work, it should be kept in mind that the majority of studies conducted over the past 40 years have shown exactly the opposite. That is just what the Swiss Health Technology Assessment found when it analyzed ALL of the homeopathic literature. It recommended that homeopathy be offered on the Swiss national health insurance program because it is as effective as con med and vastly safer as well as 15.4% less expensive.
You don’t name any names of those researchers who found homeopathy doesn’t work, and you don’t mention any studies conducted by these unnamed researchers so I have to guess you’re referring to the infamous Shang analysis. As is well known at this point, that study was discredited and disavowed by the journal it was published in because out of 119 trials appropriate for inclusion Shang chose only 8 and refused to name those 8 trials making it impossible to replicate his findings. There are some trials that have been performed by people with no knowledge of homeopathy. They were bound to fail, and they did. Well conducted trials show what was found by the Swiss HTA.
Let’s be up front here. Homeopathy is bullshit.
You claim 600 “studies”but name none. Let’s see some scientifically conducted double blind tests that show homeopathy is better than placebos.
If it were 1/10th as effective as you claim, most doctors all over the world would be enthusiastically recommended it to their patients. Or do you want to state that most doctors are i the thrall of big pharm and don;t really care about their patients?
No, I don;t name the researches who have proven (not claim) homeopathy doesn’t work. There are too many to claim. Only the deliberately blind would believe in that nonsense.
You waste your time as you please. I’m not wasting any more of mine on an person who is either sadly deluded or has a personal and financial interest in promoting bullshit.
One more point regarding studies of homeopathy: There are now four large meta-analyses plus the Swiss Health Technology Assessment showing homeopathy produces significant and sometimes substantial health benefits. People interested in them can find more information at the web site of extraordinarymedicine.
Homeopathie works. Even for animals. Thats my experience.
SO does placebos, although I doubt for animals except in the eyes of the owners. Doing nothing also works many times as a lot of medicine involves keeping the patient comfortable while the body heals itself.
Of course, I am sure you can produce verifiable evidence from reputable sources to prove homeopathy works. Anecdotal experience is not evidence, as I am certain you are aware.
OTOH, I can produce much evidence that it does not work and is a complete scam. After you, sir.
The first thing that occurs to e is that veterinarians are trained medical professionals. As such, would expect they would be far more critical of medical scams like homeopathy than the general population.
Generally, it seems that most people believe what they want to believe. “Feel good” beliefs are nearly impossible to shake with little things like facts. IN my experience, when facts are presented the most common reaction is, “I don’t want to talk about it.” They believe that dislike and disbelief are more important than truth.
As an animal lover and dog trainer I agree completely James.