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Homeopathic Remedies Recalled For Containing Real Medicine

Posted by timothy on from the fake-fake-vs-real-fake dept.

ananyo (2519492) writes "The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has recalled homeopathic remedies made by a company called Terra-Medica because they may contain actual medicine — possibly penicillin or derivatives of the antibiotic." Diluted enough times with pure water, though, maybe these traces would be even more powerful.

8 of 173 comments (clear)

  1. Sarcasm by ZombieBraintrust · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I think many people are going to miss the sarcasm in the summary.

    1. Re:Sarcasm by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Except that the sarcasm gets it wrong. The idea of homeopathy (as its name indicates) is to cause the body to fight against the effects of the diluted substances. So diluted penicillin would make the body fight antibiotics rather than bacterial infections.

      If you believe in homeopathy, traces of antibiotics are a really bad idea to have in homeopathic medication. And if you don't believe in homeopathy, there is no point in buying the medication in the first place.

      So yes, it makes complete sense to withdraw the medication that is contaminated with penicilline. Depending on the dosage, it can actually be dangerous or counterproductive to people with penicilline allergies. But even if we are talking about homeopathic traces, you don't want them in there if homeopathy is supposed to make sense.

    2. Re:Sarcasm by Bill,+Shooter+of+Bul · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Within the insane homeopathic industry, that's correct. However, penicillin isn't always a helpful ingredient to everyone. Some are deathly allergic. So for those people it would "help" according to people who lack any cognitive function measurable by modern science.

      Also relevant:

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?...

      --
      Well.. maybe. Or Maybe not. But Definitely not sort of.
    3. Re:Sarcasm by Bacon+Bits · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Should diluting a helpful ingredient be considered harmful then?

      "Helpful" is not necessarily true. It's possible to have a life-threatening allergy to penicillin.

      Additionally, all antibiotics intended for human medical use are legally available only with a prescription in the US.

      --
      The road to tyranny has always been paved with claims of necessity.
    4. Re:Sarcasm by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Citation needed on your claim that smell is magic.

    5. Re:Sarcasm by Mr2cents · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Of course! Quantum effects!

      Every quack claims "quantum effects" for justifying their quackery these days. Nothing new. Me is not impressed.

      --
      "It's too bad that stupidity isn't painful." - Anton LaVey
  2. Re:Homeopothy ... by MiniMike · · Score: 5, Insightful

    And yet, for some strange reason, it doesn't remember the fact that it used to contain bovine fecal matter

    This condition is transferred to the homeopathic practitioner.

    I've met a few, and the transfer is very effective.

  3. Re:Homeopothy ... by cyborg_zx · · Score: 3, Insightful

    How come the homeopathic practitioners don't just row out into the sea and throw their goose livers in there? They could cure all diseases overnight. They must be mean capitalists if they're not doing things like that.

    Where's the little glass bottles? Where's the shaking? Where's the successive titrations? You're not applying the true principles here, just a ludicrous caricature! That's why what you propse won't work. Not because it's a fundamentally incorrect Victorian era disease hypothesis.