Homeopathy Awareness Week, 14 – 21st June 2009
Are you a journalist or presenter looking for someone to discuss Homeopathy Awareness Week? Then please get in touch.
The Society of Homeopaths are promoting “Homeopathy – a natural approach for the symptoms of hay fever”
Did you know there is no convincing evidence that homeopathy can help with hayfever, or for any other condition?
Did you know that homeopaths do not just treat mild self-limiting conditions such as hayfever, but they believe that they can treat serious diseases around the world such as malaria and HIV?
Did you know that the charity Sense About Science has recently called on the World Health Organisation to condemn the use of homeopathy in the developing world for life threatening disease?
In a letter to the World Health Organisation today, early career medics and researchers are calling for the body to issue a clear international communication about the inappropriate use of homeopathy for five serious diseases. They say they are frustrated with the continued promotion of homeopathy as a preventative or treatment for HIV, TB, malaria, influenza and infant diarrhoea. The Voice of Young Science network has joined with other early career medics and researchers working in developing countries to send the letter, in advance of a ‘Homeopathy for Developing Countries’ conference in the Netherlands on 6th June.
http://www.senseaboutscience.org.uk/index.php/site/project/331/
Did you know that Founder Members, current or former Directors, Fellows and other senior figures within the Society of Homeopaths have been actively engaged in promoting or using homeopathic sugar pills to treat or prevent malaria and HIV in Africa and other developing areas?
Did you know that homeopathy organisations fail to condemn dangerous uses of homeopathy for children and serious illnesses even when terrible harm is done?
http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,27574,25613668-5006009,00.html
Here is a sensible factsheet about Homeopathy, its principles and the evidence base for it.
I can put you in contact with researchers, medics and campaigners who care that the public is fully aware of what homeopathy is and what its limitations are. Let’s have the debate.
Related posts:
- Self-Awareness in Homeopathy Awareness Week Originally posted for World Homeopathy Awareness Week, I thought this would be worth bumping up for Homeopathy Awareness Week 2007 (14-21st June), organised by the Society of Homeopaths. So much...
- The Faculty of Homeopathy are a Shambles and a Bad Joke I have recently criticised the Society of Homeopaths for producing a cherry picked review of the evidence for homeopathy when they tried to counter the World Health Organisation’s statement...
- Tony Blair and Homeopathy One thing always puzzled me about Tony Blair (well in fact, many things) was when he rather suddenly came out in defence of homeopathy. Out of the blue, he told...
- The Future of Homeopathy in the UK After several decades of increasing popularity, the homeopathic community is finding itself under growing pressure. There is an increasing level of criticism of the practice coming from many quarters, including...
- Homeopathic Thought in the 21st Century Some of you around here may have noticed that homeopaths are feeling a little threatened at the moment. Some have responded to the perceived threats with rather impolite and aggressive...
To enhance efficacy, surely HAW should last less than a second? And other similar jokes.
Homeopathy – a natural approach for the symptoms of hay fever
Natural? How is repeated dilution and succession "natural"? Unless they mean "lacking in artificially produced molecules".
You're right that the more awareness people have of how homeopathy is supposed to work, the more they realize what a load of old nonsense it must be. Homeopaths are happier when people think it's just some sort of natural, herbal gubbins and the stuff about dilution and succussion isn't mentioned.
HAW indeed. Haw haw more likely – and he was hung.
If you pronounce it as a word you get close to what the practitioners do and their job description.
@John H: "HAW indeed. Haw haw more likely – and he was hung."
Lucky old Haw-Haw!
Or do you mean "hanged"?
Homeopathy gets a whole friggin week and AIDS gets a day.
Id like to see Science appreciation month or something.
Bullshit debunking month! That would be a nice topic for schools and colledges. Find an example of bullshit in your neighbourhood and produce an presentation showing just how rubbish it is.
I am totally ready for this debate!
I think a campaign of simply stating the principals clearly and concisely will dispel much of the myth that homeopathy makes any sense at all.
Mojo
I suppose I did mean hanged (although I would argue that hung is grammatically correct for someone who was suspended by the neck until dead. However, I agree that hanged is probably better usage).
Try as I might I can find no reference online to the size of Haw Haw's wedding tackle.
It is possible that like Goebbels he had none at all.
It is a grey area but I agree with your comment on the other posting above regarding the use of the title Doctor by backcrackers with a Ph.D.
There is a good discussion about the use of Doctor in the medical world at:
http://scienceblogs.com/insolence/2009/02/the_most_ridiculous_kerfuffle_ever.php
Interestingly this eventually goes seriously off topic and turns into a prolonged slugging match between a real doctor and a backcrackquack. Guess who won ?
I wonder if this is going to result in the same debacle that has Chiroquactic Awareness Weak? (sic)
Homeopatheticness is totally and utterly BOGUS! (very sic)
I've posted my take on the evidence.
The Australian Journal of Pharmacy (vol 90 June 2009) published an article "Does Homoeopathy work?"
It was written by one Robert Medhurst, who just happens to be a manager for Brauer, a major provider of homoeopathic products into the Australian market.
The only cogent evidence the article provided was that lots of people buy homoeopathic products so it must work
Hello Le Canard!
You and other Bad Science bloggers (especially with the coverage of Jeremy Sherr) inspired me to write and perform this song with my band The Captains: Its called The Homeopathy Song, and to celebrate [sic] "Homeopathy Awareness Week", we have knocked together a rough cut and released it on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OyuzUghQDGQ
Hope you enjoy it!
The Captains
I have not been aware of either HAW or HAW HAW week- Journalists and editors are more interested in MPs expenses and Jordan/Victoria Beckham it seems.
To stir up the masses (well a few thousand sceptics now since the Chiroprators inadvertantly helped with the recruitment drive ) I would suggest 'The Captains' rework a trad campaign song. I will offer the first verse.
Imagine theres no homeopathy
Its easy if you try
No need for bogus treatments
Deliberate deception not implied
Hello!
Cheers 'Givescepticsachance', we haven't reworked that song, but a friend of ours has reworked The Homeopathy Song for us, and created The Diluted Mix, a vast improvement on the original!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b0-8dQF6TOQ
Cheers,
The Captains