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NHS Should Stop Funding Homeopathy, Says Parliamentary Committee

An anonymous reader writes "Homeopathic remedies work no better than placebos, and so should no longer be paid for by the UK National Health Service, a committee of British members of parliament has concluded. In preparing its report, the committee, which scrutinizes the evidence behind government policies, took evidence from scientists and homeopaths, and reviewed numerous reports and scientific investigations into homeopathy. It found no evidence that such treatments work beyond providing a placebo effect." Updated 201025 19:40 GMT by timothy: This recommendation has some people up in arms.

25 of 507 comments (clear)

  1. Re:First AGW, Now Homeopathy by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    Why the hell isn't this rated 5, funny?!??!?

  2. this makes it more powerful by goombah99 · · Score: 5, Funny

    As everyone knows the more you dilute a Homeopatheic reagent the more powerful it becomes. Diluting their funding will only make them stronger.

    --
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  3. Re:Heomeopathy = Placebo by Hatta · · Score: 5, Funny

    They should continue funding homeopathy. Just dilute the funding until there's less than a fraction of a penny per bill. According to homeopathy, this should be even better than receiving the full amount.

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  4. Re:Here's a less harsh solution: by myowntrueself · · Score: 3, Funny

    Oh, that's right -- since diluting homeopathic remedies makes them stronger, they'd be putting everyone at risk of overdose. Never mind, then.

    The latest terror threat; credible reports have been received by British Intelligence that terrorists plan to drop small quantities of homeopathic remedies into the nations reservoirs. The resulting homeopathic overdoses could bring the nation to its knees.

    Police are on high alert and pharmacies are advised to report any suspicious individuals purchasing homeopathic remedies, particularly individuals who purchase ONLY SMALL QUANTITIES at a time.

    --
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  5. Re:Eh... no. by FooAtWFU · · Score: 3, Funny

    I don't think that's true; I believe there's a small portion of gelatin, as well.

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  6. Hard to fathom by NEDHead · · Score: 2, Funny

    I don't understand why people can't just be allowed to love one another regardless of gender without all the yelling and fingerpointing...What? Oh, sorry. Must get new glasses...

  7. Re:Eh... no. by Low+Ranked+Craig · · Score: 4, Funny

    don't forget the "succussion". shaking is VERY IMPORTANT!!!

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  8. Loophole by edraven · · Score: 2, Funny

    Even if the government stops paying for homeopathic medicine, you can just take your last subsidized dosage and add it to a gallon of distilled water. Not only do you now have more of it, it's now phenomenally more powerful! And when you're almost out, you can do it again! And it only gets better!
    Seriously, why ever pay for this stuff more than once?

  9. Re:Eh... no. by jameskojiro · · Score: 3, Funny

    >> 99.999% of homeopathy is either water or sugar.

    But ( 1.0 x -10^24 ) isn't.

    --
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  10. Re:Heomeopathy = Placebo by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    Pfft. Here's a youtube video that explains homeopathy. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMGIbOGu8q0

  11. Re:Heomeopathy = Placebo by jameskojiro · · Score: 2, Funny

    Saganite is a miracle element that can cure billions and billions of different diseases!

    --
    Tsukasa: All I really want, is to be left alone...
  12. Tim Minchin - Storm by froon · · Score: 2, Funny
  13. I Can See You All Feel Strongly About This.... by flyneye · · Score: 1, Funny

    Perhaps too strongly, maybe you should take a pill.

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  14. Re:There's a difference by jameskojiro · · Score: 3, Funny

    >> D) But that's supposedly OK, because water somehow has "memory" and cures every symptom like a substance it ever encountered. (So I guess since a lot of water is more or less recycled, and so many people wank in the shower, tap water should be a bulletproof contraceptive.)

    That explains the fertility crisis many developed countries have!!! Damn you Homeopathy!!!

    --
    Tsukasa: All I really want, is to be left alone...
  15. Re:Heomeopathy = Placebo by Lunix+Nutcase · · Score: 2, Funny

    You would be quite wrong in your claims. The term "homeopathy" was coined and first appeared in print in 1807 in the works by Samuel Hahnemann who founded homeopathy to begin with.

    Your education is tuition free.

    I would hope so since what you're saying is absolutely rubbish and wrong.

  16. Re:There's a difference by digitig · · Score: 4, Funny
    Good description, except:

    (So I guess since a lot of water is more or less recycled, and so many people wank in the shower, tap water should be a bulletproof contraceptive.)

    You're missing the fact that the vessel containing the water has to be hit firmly against a suitable object ten times in order for it to magically remember what it's supposed to do. The object is traditionally a leather cusion stuffed with horsehair. Now, I don't know what you get up to in the shower...

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  17. Re:Heomeopathy = Placebo by niiler · · Score: 3, Funny

    Patient: Help me! I've overdosed.
    Homeopathist: What did you take?
    Patient: Nothing.

    badum bum...
    (Well somebody had to say it.)

  18. Re:Heomeopathy = Placebo by tnk1 · · Score: 2, Funny

    You laugh, but water poisoning is a very real, and very fatal condition... if you drink 20 gallons a day for about a year.

    On the other hand, these people *are* drinking a whole lot of it.

  19. Re:Heomeopathy = Placebo by dgatwood · · Score: 2, Funny

    Add a little bit of proof that some herbs, etc have beneficial qualities and viola

    I see what you did there.

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  20. Re:Heomeopathy = Placebo by friedo · · Score: 3, Funny

    Well if you were using Emacs you could have just done a M-x fight-infection and your thumb would have been better yesterday.

  21. Homeopathy does work. by arthurpaliden · · Score: 2, Funny

    The only reason that established science is not able to get homeopathy to work is because when they create their test samples they do not use un-tritiated water. As a result, when the tritium atom decays the released neutron disturbs the water memory via collisions rendering the sample useless.

  22. A homeopath recently overdosed. by Beelzebud · · Score: 3, Funny

    He forgot to take his medication.

  23. Re:There's a difference by c6gunner · · Score: 2, Funny

    I seriously believe that if I spent an hour bashing my face into a brick wall, this would make perfect sense.

    No, you have to dilute the bricks first.

  24. Re:Heomeopathy = Placebo by JosKarith · · Score: 2, Funny

    So - your "cure" for someone who's had most of their bones broken in a car crash is repeated light to moderate beatings? Nice.

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