I bet you got put right back in your cheeky skeptical box by that reply. I can imagine the guy telling his alt.med buddies that he got a smartarse email from a young skeptic but smacked it down by pulling out all the quality control data from the kirlian photography unit and the water crystalisation stats for the last six months. BTW, is the water crystalisation study just freezing it ? Or do they look at the shape of the snowflakes it makes ?

I reckon you should reply asking for some description of how they do these tests, then we can send that list to another mob, and ask if they are up to speed with the incredible quality control at Brauer !

Real medicines are regularly run through chemical testing to ensure they are produced properly, but since chemistry cannot detect magic homeopathic concentrations, how can you be sure that the list of homeopathic ingredients is correct?

In 2003, I put this question to an official representative from Brauer Natural Medicine, one of the largest sellers of homeopathic products in Australia his response to me was:

[blockquote]
> The remedies are often not detectable using normal chemical tests
> because of the dilutions used, but they can be tested for using other
> methods such as infra-red and ultra violet analysis, thermoluminescence,
> biofield analysis, water crystalisation studies, X-ray analysis, Kirlian
> photography and kineseology. These types of studies are outside the
> capacities of most analytical labs and are not required when testing
> drugs, where large doses of drugs are present and they can be assayed
> easily by chemical means.
>
> I hope this helps to clarify things. Please let me know if I can assist
> with anything else.
>
> Regards
> Robert Medhurst
> Brauer Natural Medicine
[/blockquote]

I’m not sure about the more legit sounding tests but the following are infamous new age concepts: biofield analysis, water crystalisation studies, Kirlian photography and kineseology.

So, part of the way you can do quality control on homeopathic products is to look at its aura???

So it only has the expected result and no other?
If I accidentally mixed up two homeopathic bottles and took the wrong pills for my condition, would I notice an unwanted effect, or would the effect switch off because it was unneeded?

‘Homeopathy has no side-effects.’

So … it’s impossible to make homeopathic poison then?
For normal chemistry, you can concoct just as many substances that are bad for you as are beneficial for you … but somehow by divivne law or something, homeopathic preparations are only ever beneficial ?

Since homeopathists claim that diluting and succussing a substance many times gives it the opposite ability (coffee normally keeps you awake so it will now make you sleep), what happens if we make preparations of substances that are usually beneficial to life?

30C of Vitamin C ? Vitamin B?
30C of Calcium ?
Are these poisonous perhaps?

Alternative medical practices which are not constrained by reason and science do not have to adhere to the laws of the currently known universe if they don’t want to, but they should therefore not act surprised if serious-minded people don’t take them seriously.…

As NaonTiotami has asked, please point out where you find fault. Non-constructive criticism helps nobody. If your point is argued capably, with solid evidence, then I will of course alter my position to suit the true state of affairs.

Okay, so what is Homeopathy, to you? And how did Daniel get it so wrong? A little evidence to support any claims you make along the way would be good.

Great article, Daniel. Very well written.

Reason 9: ‘Homeopathy works. I already said that, but it bears repeating.’

Yeah, that’s how the FDA approves new medicines I believe.

“So does it work?“
“Totally.“
“Really?“
“Fo’ sho!“
“Approved!”