Warning.
Please don't read this blog if you want to avoid reading bad language and extreme abuse!
Many people, indeed a growing number of people, do not want to take pharmaceutical drugs. Although they are not being informed by those who should be informing them - the government, the NHS, GP's, the mainstream Media - there is a growing realisation that Conventional, Drug-based Medicine, does not work, and that worse still it is dangerous. Many have already moved to CAM (Complementary and Alternative Medicine), and Homeopathy in particular. Many, many more are just 'uneasy' about the treatment they are being offered.
The Big Pharma industry is under pressure, and it is worried. It has every right to be. They are still sufficiently powerful to ensure that Regulators don't, or can't regulate their drugs effectively, and thereby protect patients - which should be their primary objective. They still hold a virtual monopoly within the NHS. And most serious of all, the mainstream media is unwilling to question an industry that are their major advertisers. But BigPharma's older drugs are either out of patent, under severe restriction, withdrawn or banned. Their newer drugs are doing no better, and probably much worse. Confidence in them is waining, and they are desperately trying to maintain their profits.
Big Pharma is also well organised. Over recent years have sought to attack CAM, and Homeopathy has borne the brunt of this assault. One part of their campaign are a number of 'denialists' who like to call themselves 'Skeptics'. These people can be found responding to this, and other blogs, and they are active on Social Media platforms, such as Twitter.
Just Pure Denial.
So what do these 'homeopathy denialists' have to say? I don't usually engage with them (see some of the language below to understand why) but I have spent some time looking at some of their recent responses to my Tweets (follow me at @stevescrutton). Usually it is just pure denial; 'homeopathy just cannot work'; yet in support of this statement Denialist's offer no evidence. It is just pure denial.
Scott Hansen "How homeopathy is a complete scam perpetrated by quacks on the vulnerable and gullible alike. A clear statement, Scott. Any evidence that homeopathy does not work? Perhaps you explain this to the millions of people throughout the world who, for over 200 years, have been successfully treated by Homeopathy?
Ahh! But of course. Is this the explanation, from Peter Vintner? "Homeopathy survives in India because of corruption and ignorance. And parasites taking advantage of the poor". So anyone who says that 'Homeopathy Heals' is just wrong, Peter knows best! Denialists actually believe anyone who says that Homeopathy has helped them is either 'corrupt and ignorant'. And actually, Peter, homeopathy in India is not 'surviving' - it is flourishing!
Yet Peter Vintner has more useful insights too. "Homeopaths come in basically 2 types. Deluded or dishonest. Both are vain and self-important". So the patients are wrong, and so are the Homeopaths! Only the evidence (not to mention the credibility) is missing.
4tis. "Homeopathy is incapable of generating resistance because it doesn't affect malaria. Simple really". So having made a statement we are just to believe what 4tis says! Simple really.
Edzard Ernst. "Healthier way to treat depression. Another bogus claim". Any evidence for that Edzard?
Homeopathy just can't work!
Denialists will always repeat, ad nausea, the argument cannot work because there is no 'active' substance in homeopathic remedies.
This comment is typical when Denialists talk about Homeopathy "...and completely useless. It is just water after all".
David James makes this comment. "Homeopathy is water with water in it".
David James makes this comment. "Homeopathy is water with water in it".
Guy Chapman, again. "Homeopathy is irrelevant to the treatment of infertility. The 'remedies' are completely inert". Again, just a statement, even though Homeopaths have been using these 'inert' remedies for over 200 years with considerable success.
"A celebrity who used homeopathy for her arthritis - effect due to consultation, not remedy". This is another reason used by Denialist's seeking to maintain their position that Homeopathy cannot work - it is not the remedy that works - it is the consultation! I wish Homeopathy was that easy! And I wonder why, if this is so, why GP's don't learn from the techniques.
Take this more specific example, Some of my tweets have highlighted the recent Swiss Government- backed research on Homeopathy, probably the most intensive and comprehensive look into Homeopathy that has ever been attempted.
Pete Crowe. "...that should have read 'Swiss homeopaths have looked at homeopathy - and found it good"
4tis. "Amazing you still misrepresent the Swiss HTA. It's simple the CAM case for the defence. Of course it'd be pro homeopathy"
These 2 Denialists, amazingly, are asking us to believe that the Swiss Government established a Committee to look into Homeopathy - and loaded it with Homeopaths!
And in another, 4tis (denialists often don't use their real name) Tweet, he just added "Not" in front of the wording of the article I referred to. Obviously, a very powerful argument!
Alan Henness. "LOL! No, the Swiss Gov didn't decide homeopathy to be good". Back to pure denial, without, of course, evidence to support his assertion.
Peter Vintner then chips in with a statement, that I "know Swiss govt doesn't support homeopathy. Facts don't suit the business model of peddling medical fraud". However, the Swiss government now includes Homeopathy in its National Health Insurance scheme.
Patient Choice
Denialists don't like any mention of Patient Choice, or Medical Freedom. It means that people might be able to choose for themselves the medical therapy they wish to use for illness, and they seem to want us all to go on taking Pharmacuetical drugs - although they never admit this. When tweeting about 'Patient Choice' and "Medical Freedom', these comments have been made.
Guy Chapman. "The 'freedom you assert is the freedom to lie to people for profit. You have no right to this, quack". Such insults are often used by denialists - and it gets much worse than this, as does the language used!
It is always easy to tell when one side of an argument is losing - they revert to personal insults!
Peter Vintner. "Homeopathy has no place in primary care because it's not medicine. It has no intrinsic value either". So listen closely to Peter; and search in vain for any justification for what he states so dogmatically.
Whooping Cough Epidemics
When presented with evidence that Homeopathy has helped anyone, for any illness or disease, the insults always get worse - and the supporting arguments dwindle even more. Following several Tweets that have arisen from the recent Whooping Cough epidemics in the USA, it has become clear that the Pertussin vaccine is just not working. Worse still, for denialists, is the growing evidence that vaccinated children fare worse than the unvaccinated, and that the vaccinated who get the disease get it far worse. So what do the skeptics say?4tis. "Stupid and dangerous" and "Dangerous nonsense" - without him providing any indication why the results of research were any of these things. He tried a bit harder with "I wish I could say that I can't believe @stevescrutton said that, but it is too typical of his posts" but his incredulity about the facts presented to him (in the articles) is not particularly enlightening for anyone else!
Guy Chapman. "Utter bullshit. You are a merdering fucktard quack". Yes, both the spelling and the abuse does get worse! Much worse.
And so now, finally, on to just pure, foul-mouthed Abuse!
I will just repeat these comments here, without comment, as no comment is really necessary. These comments tell you all you really need to know about Homeopathy Denialists, and Skeptics.
Pete Crowe. "What a fucking asshole. Its like he wants children to die".
Guy Chapman. "It's pretty clear that @stevescrutton is a profiteering quack with no scruples whatsoever".
"Your mind is entirely closed to the mass of evidence that the scams you shill are dangerous quack".
"Malaria vaccines just make disease worse. Murdering, morally bankrupt fucktard quack
"Obviously @stevescrutton hasn't heard homeopathy not promoted for acute any more to avoid appearing like murdering quacks". Well, just one comment then. Homeopaths have always, and will always work with acute illnesses, as it works very well with them. This is just pure misinformation.
"Protect your child from dangers of shameless fuckwit quacks; don't go near @stevescrutton @health ranger and their ilk. Lying fuckers".
And finally, responding to the mounting evidence, case after case, that most mass shooting in the USA and elsewhere are perpetrated by people on anti-depressant drugs, came this remark
"Were Big Pharma drugs involved in Aurora killings? No. Now fuck off you ghoul".
And this blog is dedicated to providing information about health, and the treatment of ill-health, so that people can make up their own minds.
