The Health and/or Diet Thread

[Tank]

Such herbal and scientific medicines are complete bosh. Obviously, when your right leg breaks, you need only break the left.

Should that have been un-scientific?

There were medicines before the scientific method and plenty of folk-remedies have proven to be effective for centuries. Digitalis from Fox Gloves being just one example.

[Ali]

Look, I get what you're all saying.  I'm just saying, seeing is kind of believing.  Seeing a wailing 8 month old immediately calm down and doze off in my arms (which is exactly what my friend predicted would happen, based on her own experience with her own babies and stuff) made me think there might be something to this particular treatment (which sells itself as "homeopathic.")  It's like, who am I going to believe, you or my lying eyes?   

[Asmodean]

Look, I get what you're all saying.  I'm just saying, seeing is kind of believing.  Seeing a wailing 8 month old immediately calm down and doze off in my arms (which is exactly what my friend predicted would happen, based on her own experience with her own babies and stuff) made me think there might be something to this particular treatment (which sells itself as "homeopathic.")  It's like, who am I going to believe, you or my lying eyes?   

What was the active component?

[DeterminedJuliet]

If I have trouble falling asleep, I might try a homoepathic remedy just cuz. I drink chamomile tea, for instance, sometimes before bed. Am I certain that the scientific research backs up the usefulness of chamomile? Not really. I've never even looked at it.

Unless it's water with one molecule of whatever that tea is supposed to be made of per whatever value is higher than the Avogadro constant, it's herbalist and not homeopathic.

Ah, well. I've never really heard much of a distinction before. Makes sense, I suppose.

Edit: Am I crazy to have thought that "herbalism" has fallen under homeopathy, though? I kind of assumed that was the case. Maybe not? I've never really looked at the definitions, I've always just had a vague sense of the things.

[Tank]

If I have trouble falling asleep, I might try a homoepathic remedy just cuz. I drink chamomile tea, for instance, sometimes before bed. Am I certain that the scientific research backs up the usefulness of chamomile? Not really. I've never even looked at it.

Unless it's water with one molecule of whatever that tea is supposed to be made of per whatever value is higher than the Avogadro constant, it's herbalist and not homeopathic.

Ah, well. I've never really heard much of a distinction before. Makes sense, I suppose.

Edit: Am I crazy to have thought that "herbalism" has fallen under homeopathy, though? I kind of assumed that was the case. Maybe not? I've never really looked at the definitions, I've always just had a vague sense of the things.

I think homoeopathy got to be the term for natural/alternative medicine and now people know what homoeopathy really means there is a terminology realignment going on. 

[Crow]

Edit: Am I crazy to have thought that "herbalism" has fallen under homeopathy, though?

Yes

[Asmodean]

Edit: Am I crazy to have thought that "herbalism" has fallen under homeopathy, though?

Yes

Here is a slightly out-there distinction:

Homeopathy: Cure migrains? No problem! Let's dilute nitroglycerin (Induces migrains) in water at the rate of one drop to the ocean, then have you drink it and enjoy the placebo.

Herbalism: My opium-containing plant is from nature, so obviously it works better than your opium-containing pill. (And screw the fact that the pill may well be derived from the plant in the first place)

[DeterminedJuliet]

Edit: Am I crazy to have thought that "herbalism" has fallen under homeopathy, though?

Yes

Okay, just as long as we're clear.

[Anne D.]

Yeah, until a few years ago, when I heard a doctor on the radio explain exactly what "homeopathy" meant, I did not know that "homeopathy" does not equate to "alternative medicine." Not that I put much credence in most "alternative" treatments either. With all Western medicine's flaws, I'll still go with a drug or therapy that's been shown to be effective through double-blind studies over something that hasn't any day.

[Whitney]

Such herbal and scientific medicines are complete bosh. Obviously, when your right leg breaks, you need only break the left.

Should that have been un-scientific?

There were medicines before the scientific method and plenty of folk-remedies have proven to be effective for centuries. Digitalis from Fox Gloves being just one example.

Agreed.  Homeopathy is complete bullshit and at best a placebo.  But there are many herbal medicines that do work.  To emphasize how much they can work, there are some that can be used to induce miscarriage.

[Asmodean]

Agreed.  Homeopathy is complete bullshit and at best a placebo.  But there are many herbal medicines that do work.  To emphasize how much they can work, there are some that can be used to induce miscarriage.

Of course some work. Oh, there are plenty of herbal placebos out there too, but plants do can have the necessary active components to help with pain, nausea, unwanted pregnancy and a whole mess of issues.

[Crow]

Edit: Am I crazy to have thought that "herbalism" has fallen under homeopathy, though?

Yes

Okay, just as long as we're clear.

Sorry I intended to place the tongue smiley, but in all fairness quite a few people have mixed up herbal and homeopathy so maybe its a cultural thing on your side of the pond, maybe the homeopathy companies have purposely aligned themselves with herbal products to give credibility to their crock o' shit of a product.

[DeterminedJuliet]

No worries, as I said, it's not something I ever really examined closely. Good to know

[Amicale]

 

2001 BC    Here, eat this root.
1000 AD    That root is heathen. Here, say this prayer.
1850 AD    That prayer is superstition. Here, drink this potion.
1920 AD    That potion is snake oil. Here, swallow this pill.
1945 AD    That pill is ineffective. Here, take this penicillin.
1955 AD    Oops... bugs mutated. Here, take this tetracycline.
1960-1999 AD    39 more "oops"... Here, take this more powerful antibiotic.
2000 AD    The bugs have won! Here, eat this root.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1071639/

[Asmodean]

1960-1999 AD    39 more "oops"... Here, take this more powerful antibiotic.

Does it have to be more powerful? Why not just different?