What are the limitations of homeopathy?

Answer 1

Here is a variety of comments from different contributors:

• Yes, like any other system of medicine, homeopathy also has its limitations.

• A surgical problem which has progressed far beyond its initial stages might not respond to homoeopathy.

• Some sudden life threatening situations like heart attacks, paralytic strokes, diabetic comas etc. might have to be initially treated with conventional medicine, till the patient is out of danger.

• It is relatively slow acting as compared to steroids.

• The success rate is not 100% (neither is any other system of medicine, including allopathic/orthodox/conventional medicine)

• Alternative medicine can be very good (but no 'cure' is claimed) at helping to treat some drawn-out diseases and ailments, but not so good with emergency situations. In instances which involve severe injury like those which may be present after an automobile accident; there is no doubt that the person needs conventional medicine, and quickly.

"Homeopathy" as a term is often used to (erroneously) encompass a wide range of traditional medicines, therapies, and practices. This is incorrect; homeopathy is, strictly speaking, the sole practice of the use of highly diluted solutions as treatments wherein the exact pairing of the type of solution to the ailment uses the principle of "like for like".

In this context, homeopathy's primary limitation is that it has been shown to be no more effective than placebos, and, in some cases, significantly worse, particularly when using some improperly or misapplied solutions. There have never been scientifically valid studies (i.e. ones which follow strict scientific process, account for bias, properly randomized and controlled, etc.) which indicate that homeopathic treatments have any measurable positive effects which cannot be attributed to the placebo effect.

Homeopathy is much more akin to a religion than a science. In fact, the primary tenets of homeopathy contradict the current 300+ years of scientific understanding in the fields of Biology, chemistry, and physics. That is, it is not merely that homeopathy's effects cannot be shown to be effective, but that the rationalization of why homeopathic remedies should work is not possible under existing scientific though and theory.

Thus, while homeopathy can have some positive outcomes, it is no more likely to produce those positive outcomes than treatment with a placebo (e.g. sugar pill or saline solution). As such, it is NOT medicine, but faith healing, in that its supposed benefits come solely from a belief that the treatment works.