Ask Dr Nerenberg | Health and Fitness

Why do people believe in homeopathy?

Scenario: I had cancer. Sometime during my illness, I drank diet coke. My cancer went into remission. Now, no rational person would immediately say, "Diet Coke should have cured cancer!" To make that assertion, rational people who want to control a battery of tests to see if diet coke really have an effect on cancer survival. However, many people believe in homeopathy. But the evidence for homeopathy is nothing more than people saying: "I had the disease X. I took this homeopathic remedy. Now I have disease X. The homeopathic remedy worked. "And every time that homeopathic remedies are tested under controlled conditions of the evidence shows that they are the best in ineffective and a waste of money and dangerous at worst. So why would a rational person believe otherwise in the arrangements for homeopathy and alternative?

People love a good story, and talk with a believer in homeopathy and no doubt will hear plenty of stories about various mysterious illnesses that doctors could not diagnose, even "cure" as soon as they began to take a homeopathic treatment. Look at the responses you've made, none of them cite the literature, personal stories just different … or more commonly, the second hand. The vast majority people are scientifically illiterate. No (a few days in this forum if you do not believe me!) Actually are to blame, the school system, especially in the U.S., not to teach science very well. Therefore, the scientific impossibility of homeopathy is not a problem for them … do not know about physics and chemistry and the law of Avogadro. Not quite understand the history of homeopathy or (basically invented by a mystical work in isolation from their peers) and usually do not even know what it really is (see answer Az R) Second, do not read the scientific literature and not know it is now overwhelmingly against homeopathy. This is not concerned at all. When subjected to large, randomized placebo-controlled double-blind trials …. homeopathy works no better than placebo for any condition studied. None of this matters to the believer .. ignore it with a brush and say, "I know it works for me and that's all that matters" Thirdly, the People are attracted to homeopathy and other forms of SCAM have a bias against science and medicine. I do not like doctors, who believe in conspiracy theories, and focus on all the damage has been caused by science and technology, and ignore the good. For them, homeopathy is more emotional than intellectual. Like all religious faithful … what they believe despite the evidence, and against all logic, because the evidence against him. They also tend to miss one more day simple, a less complicated and have an idealized myth of a lost golden age, where everyone was healthy, the disease did not exist and could be cured with plants and herbs. lah dah dah of the Finally, the media does a horrible job of presenting science. Every weekend my local newspaper has a supplement flattering detoxification, or healing crystals or some other nonsense. They report that a headline something new study that appears to be positive for acupuncture, although reading the study itself does nothing of the sort. Discovery Channel special in psychics, the Bermuda Triangle and Atlantis, just skeptical reason (for usually portrayed as grumpy cynics) comment. There are many sources of error and false attribution. Confirmation bias, the hindsight bias, regression to the mean …. these are things that are common to most "cures" claimed by the Alty. They are based in most diseases are self limited or psychosomatic in nature. They get into a lot of trouble when the actual treatment of disease on their own, so most of them are supporters AltMed to use as a "complement" to scientific medicine. Thus, patients actually get proper treatment, but may claim a credit Alty Co-… or, more commonly … all the credit. The best we can do as "atheists" in this strange world of believers, it is easy to point out the errors in their arguments, refer to other sources of information, and we hope to educate themselves. That's the main reason to spend time here, and put up with all the abuse I get.

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