Delicious LiveJournal Links for 2-23-2010

[andrewducker]

• How Does Homeopathy Work? A simple explanation.
  (tags: healthcare homeopathy skepticism)
• Microsoft release their new "Choose what browser you want to run" page.
  I like the way that the options change order randomly each time.
  (tags: browsers microsoft windows)

Comments

[princealbert.livejournal.com]

No.
For a start in a peer reviewed test you would have to compare it to the results from a placebo.

Then you have the problem that by legitimising a placebo as a drug, you can't actually prescribe a placebo when its really needed. (Rare - but physicians do have to prove that someone isn't just reacting with a short-term placebo effect with every treatment given, and obviously by the numbers of people taking these commercial placebos this does happen.)

And then there's the issue of millions of pounds of NHS/tax being spent on charlatans, quacks, water and sugar pills every year. Nevermind the fact if homeopathy finally gets discredited then academia could stop wasting time proving it still doesn't work and we may actually get some medicine research done in those man hours.

[andrewducker]

*agrees on all points*

[missedith01.livejournal.com]

Oh sure, it would not survive the rigours of evidence-based medicine. If that's what we mean by "works" it certainly does not.

I'm against NHS money being spent on it as well, apart from anything else it involves conniving and deception, also we have limited resources and should spend them more wisely.