For those that don't know, last week was homeopathy awareness week In honor of that, I'm going to post some information on the topic of homeopathy as well as some other info about current pseudoscience existing in the wider world.
The first is a link to a TED talk by Michael Specter, a science journalist and author. His latest book is called Denialism: How Irrational Thinking Hinders Scientific Progress, Harms the Planet, and Threatens Our Lives and is the basic premise of his talk. Basically, his main point is to highlight the dangers of science denial and uses vaccination, alternative remedies like homeopathy and genetically modified food as current examples. It's thought provoking and has some good information about the three topics. I'm interested in what people on here think.
This next one is by magician-turned-activist, James Randi. It's a brief explanation of what homeopathy is and why it shouldn't be considered science or able to treat anything. There is a word of cursing at the very end in reference to Penn and Teller's Showtime program that investigates things like this.
I have no problem with people who are sick trying different "self made medicines" or "alternative treatments"
But there is a real danger when people who are actually ill - are told to distrust the actual community and get swindled into junk like this. Then the illness gets worse and people end up dead.
I also have a problem with this attitude that "alternative medicine can't be tested by science" and scientific studies of it's inefficacy aren't relevant because it's on an individual basis. That's a dangerous thought process.
sidenote: the TED talks are amazing...i've watched a dozen or so of them over the last few weeks.
Last edited by Lyuokdea; 04/17/1006:57 PM.
"When a foreigner resides among you in your land, do not mistreat them. The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt. I am the LORD your God." Leviticus 19:33-34
The idea that "water has a memory" that allows a medicine to work despite the fact that it contains none of the original medicine....is junk.
That doesn't mean all alternative medicine is junk....some of it passes rigorous double blind experiments, and then it becomes medicine.
But many people have this conception that "alternative medicine can't be disproven by the scientific method" and that is .... also junk
"When a foreigner resides among you in your land, do not mistreat them. The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt. I am the LORD your God." Leviticus 19:33-34
In honor of that, I'm going to post some information on the topic of homeopathy as well as some other info about current pseudoscience existing in the wider world.
