The US Government is Finally Telling People that Homeopathy is a Sham (vox.com)

Not a good news for people who trust homeopathic drugs. The Federal Trade Commission has issued an enforcement policy statement that requires over-the-counter (OTC) homeopathic drugs and products makers to disclose in their advertisement and labeling that there is no evidence that Homeopathic products are effective and also mention that modern medical experts don't recognize any claims of effectiveness only based on homeopathic theories. From a report on Vox: This FTC ruling is definitely a step in the right direction of raising awareness about the lack of evidence behind homeopathy. "This is a real victory for reason, science, and the health of the American people," said Michael De Dora, public policy director for the Center for Inquiry, a science-based advocacy and education group that's been pushing for more homeopathy oversight. "The FTC has made the right decision to hold manufacturers accountable for the absolutely baseless assertions they make about homeopathic products." But it doesn't mean these "medicines" will disappear from store shelves. The FTC only has the right to crack down on misleading marketing claims, and if the makers of homeopathic remedies clearly state that their products are based on no science, they can still sell them.

Comments

Thanks for catching up!!

[HumanWiki]

To the rest of us.. Years ago..

Re:Thanks for catching up!!

[The-Ixian]

Next thing you know, the govmint will require news sources to fact check!

Re:Thanks for catching up!!

[Hope Thelps]

Next thing you know, the govmint will require news sources to fact check!

Hell no, from there it's a short slippery slope to requiring them to spellcheck and where would that leave Slashdot?

Re:Thanks for catching up!!

[rtb61]

The reality is, yes, homoeopathy does work but it only works as a placebo. Convince people they will recover and some who were on that borderline of naturally recovering will be more likely to recover and some others will die. Provide proper cures and convince them they will recover, and the benefit of the real cure will be reinforced by the placebo affect. Placebo affect simply exploits feast or famine internal systems. When stressed you go into famine mode, attempting to conserve resources until it is safe to use them in feast mode and you need to get your body into feast mode in order for it to recover properly. Those products of course have no place in the market but it is a reminded that proper medical products should come with assurances of efficacy as well as psychological treatment, as it will promote recovery.

Re:Thanks for catching up!!

[Shinobi]

Actually, in the largest study done so far, which lead to the Australian crackdown on homeopathy, it was shown that homeopathy had worse efficacy than even prayers, which in turn performed worse than placebos.

Not surprised

[slazzy]

I've known a lot of people who try homeopathic treatments, some of them work but they always seem like a scam. We did a homeopathic wart treatment for my son. It worked great, but the $200 'tincture' was basically just alcohol with some herbs and shit in it. The next time he had a wart on the other foot, we did the same thing but instead bought a 99 cent bottle of alcohol to put on the bandaid and it worked just as well.

Re:Not surprised

[Dorianny]

The FTC only has the right to crack down on misleading marketing claims, and if the makers of homeopathic remedies clearly state that their products are based on no science, they can still sell them..

I can see it now; "Anecdotal evidence from scientific studies indicates the potential effectiveness of our remedy"

The homeopathic crowd is largely the Big pharma Conspiracy theory types. The snake-oil salesman are going to offer the fact that the FTC is after them as proof that their stuff works and Government is trying to shut them down to protect the pharmaceutical industry

great news

[gravewax]

how the fuck is it "Not good news for people who trust homeopathic drugs."? so telling people the truth because it goes against their misguided beliefs is bad news? personally I will take a dose of truth over being continually deceived any day.

oh no

[fyngyrz]

Thanks for catching up!! To the rest of us.. Years ago..

No. There is a huge proportion of US society that is hoodwinked by these fake nostrums. The bloody veterinarian here in town sells that crap FFS. They're the only vet within 50 miles, too. There a store here, a "healthfood store" that sells all manner of that shite.

It's everywhere. I'm glad you're smart enough to know better, and yes, a lot of others are too, but that still leaves a huge proportion of the population. The government is very late to this party, and huge harm has been done because of that, but join the party they should -- it's important.

Re: oh no

[plover]

It's also more dangerous in that it could placate the patient for a while, delaying them from actively seeking actual treatment.

Re:oh no

[cellocgw]

Never heard of it, never had anyone recommend it to me, don't know anyone who ever used it.

Well, then, according to the homeopathic theory applied to knowledge, you were an expert all along!

Re:It's a shame except for vaccines...

[HBI]

Vaccines are not like homeopathic preparations. The good stuff isn't dissolved into insignificance in them.

Lets Define Homeopathy.

[wjcofkc]

Contrary to what many in this thread are assuming, homeopathic "remedies" do not contain anything but water. Homeopathy is based on the crackpot idea that you can take something, potentially poisonous, dilute it, then dilute it again. and again until nothing is left other than pure water that happens to retain the "molecular memory" of only medicinal properties. It makes no sense. At least with "herbs and shit" you have actual chemical components that humans have been screwing around with for thousands of years. This does not change the fact that many so called homeopathic remedies are marketed as such while containing something other than water. Typically it is pure grain alcohol. I worked at a few GNC stores back in the 90's. On one day my boss and I got drunk off of a few drops of some flu "remedy". I made like $700 in commision that day.

Re:Lets Define Homeopathy.

[hey!]

Contrary to what many in this thread are assuming, homeopathic "remedies" do not contain anything but water. Homeopathy is based on the crackpot idea that you can take something, potentially poisonous, dilute it, then dilute it again. and again until nothing is left other than pure water that happens to retain the "molecular memory" of only medicinal properties. It makes no sense.

Well, if you'd ever read Frazer's seminal anthropology-of-religion book, The Golden Bough, you'd recognize this nonsense as sympathetic magic -- in particular what he calls the "Law of Contact or Contagion". There's also an element of the law of similarity; in this case rather than like causing like (the pounding of a rain dance causing rain), you have like cures like.

In a European context people are reluctant to call homeopathy magic because it's practiced by supposedly educated white people, but in principle the theory isn't that different from something you'd hear from a shaman; although if the witch doctor practices folk herbalism he probably has a better chance of curing you. Of course an actual homeopathic remedy is less likely to make you sicker.

Re:You realize that homeopathic treatments are wat

[sconeu]

My current GF (who is, of all things, an orthodontist) is into this shit. She's trying to get me off of my meds and onto "red rice yeast".

You'd think that someone who went to three major dental schools would know better.

everything I say is a lie

[Pseudonymous Powers]

But it doesn't mean these "medicines" will disappear from store shelves. The FTC only has the right to crack down on misleading marketing claims, and if the makers of homeopathic remedies clearly state that their products are based on no science, they can still sell them.

So essentially, you can still sell your homeopathic remedies as long you're willing to water down your claims as to their efficacy until those claims can no longer be detected.

But if watered-down homeopathy actually turns out to be the cure for homeopathy, won't that mean they were right all along?

Sadly, I had a friend who used homeopathy.

[tlambert]

Sadly, I had a friend who used homeopathy.

He forgot to take it one day, and OD'ed.

Re:Trump & Homepathy overlap?

[Macdude]

When you go to the extreme left and the extreme right they tend to join up together. It turns out the political continuum is not a line, but a circle.

Re:Homeopathy may work

[thePowerOfGrayskull]

So you're saying that homeopathy is like.. Tinkerbell?