The placebo effect is a wonderful and fascinating effect of our minds. It gives us insight into the complexity of human powers of healing and the effect of our perceptions on our experience. That is not to suggest, however, that the placebo effect has no side effects. Some of the results are nothing if not dire.
Take homeopathy, for example. Besides one much disproved article in the scientific journal Nature[1] there is little credible research supporting the ideas of “like cures like” and water has memory, which are the central tenants of the system. These ideas lead to the practices of diluting something past the dilution limit (so that not even one molecule of the diluted substance remains in the solution) that in normal concentrations would provoke the symptoms the homoeopathist is attempting to cure. Blinded studies into homeopathy have determined that the benefits ascribed to the practice are indistinguishable from the placebo effect[2] (when patients see a benefit to a medicine with being unknowingly given an inert substitute). Homeopathy represents the most well-established brand of “natural” medicines, which purport to come from an earthy knowledge that has somehow been lost in our urban society. In the truest sense of the word pseudoscience, these claims borrow the trappings of science to promote a claim that has no backing in science that can as of yet be proven[3]. However, millions of people around the world turn to homeopathy to sooth their ailments, everything from aches to viruses to genetic disease. Many find relief from the practice, and stories about the miracles of homeopathy are not difficult to find. It is tempting, then, in the face of all this benefit, to write homeopathy off as something that might not be good science, but at least makes people feel better. However, this thinking suggests that there are no consequences to using a system that has no scientific backing. Besides the tendency to stretch the powers of homeopathy past the limits of the placebo effect (a sugar pill might cure a back ache, but it won’t cure sickle-cell anemia), there is a real danger of confusing science with pseudoscience. In a very apropos way for homeopathy, it dilutes the power of real scientific findings, while at the same time promoting a fear of science by billing itself as privy to a secret science is unable to grasp. This together makes people more vulnerable as they view medicine with suspicion and turn their backs on the breakthrough that, though far from perfect in many cases, might provide a solution to their problem. Permeating through our culture, this idea of scientific paranoia can lead to damning consequences such as the current movement towards anti-vaccination [1] Dayenas E, Beauvais F, Amara J, Oberbaum M, Robinzon B, Miadonna A, Tedeschit A, Pomeranz B, Fortner P, Belon P, Sainte-Laudy J, Poitevin B, Benveniste J (30 June 1988). "Human basophil degranulation triggered by very dilute antiserum against IgE"(PDF). Nature. 333 (6176): 816–818. [2] Linde, K; Scholz, M; Ramirez, G; Clausius, N; Melchart, D; Jonas, WB (1999), "Impact of study quality on outcome in placebo-controlled trials of homeopathy", Journal of Clinical Epidemiology, 52 (7): 631–6, [3] Khuda-Bukhsh, AR. (2003). “Towards understanding molecular mechanisms of action of homeopathic drugs: an overview”. Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry, 253(1-2):339-45.
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AuthorI am a student at the University of New Mexico working on a B.S. in Chemistry and a B.A. in Professional Writing. I am fascinated by why people believe weird things and how that impacts broader society. ArchivesCategories
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