Homeopathy is a system of alternative medicine created by Samuel Hahnemann in 1796. It’s defined by the idea that a “like cures like,” meaning the cause of symptoms in healthy people will actually cure them in sick people. It’s long been unclear whether homeopathic remedies were effective, but a large analysis of studies has found that the system is ineffective for nearly everything it’s been used to treat.

According to The Guardian, “By diluting these substances in water or alcohol, homeopaths claim the resulting mixture retains a ‘memory’ of the original substance that triggers a healing response in the body.”

But an extensive analysis of 225 controlled studies and 1,800 papers has answered the long running question about homeopathy: does it actually work? The report, done by Australia’s National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC), found that, no, actually, it doesn’t work. Researchers said the studies that found homeopathy to be effective were flawed.

“There will be a trail of people who won’t respond to this report, and who will say it’s all a conspiracy of the establishment,” Chair of the NHMRC Homeopathy Working Committee, Professor Paul Glasziou, said to IFL Science!. “But we hope there will be a lot of reasonable people out there who will reconsider selling, using or subsiding these substances.”

Researchers are hoping that private insurers that cover homeopathy will cease to do so. Additionally, many private colleges were offering classes on the system and the hope is that after this report, students will reconsider taking the classes.

“I have no problems with private colleges wanting to run courses on crystal-ball gazing, iridology and homeopathy, and if people are crazy enough to pay for it, it’s their decision,” Dr Ken Harvey, a medicinal drug policy expert and health consumer advocate said to The Guardian. “But if those courses are approved by a commonwealth body, that’s a different story and a real problem.”

In an effort to prove that homeopathy is nothing short of witchcraft, one scientist swallowed 50 homeopathic sleeping tablets at once and said that she didn’t feel drowsy at all.

According to Daily Mail, “[n]inety minutes later, she reported feeling no different – and says this proves thousands of people the world over are being misled.”

Homeopathic remedies can be applied to the skin to treat conditions like common cold, flu, asthma, eye infections, diarrhea, and the list goes on. As of 2003, sales of homeopathic products were between $300 and 450 million in the U.S. For the most part, medical experts in the U.S. have found it’s not beneficial, but not harmful either since it has little or no active ingredient. But just to be safe, it’s not recommended for pregnant or breastfeeding women.

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Veterinary medicine has come a long way from the shoot-“˜em-when-they’re-sick days. Now, when your dog or cat is ill, you can visit veterinary specialists like oncologists, dermatologists, and even dentists. In addition to these advances, there are alternative treatments available for your furry friend.

Jessica Vogelsang, DVM (otherwise known as Dr. V) is a 2002 graduate from the University of California, Davis School of Veterinary Medicine. In 2006, she completed a training course in veterinary acupuncture through the International Veterinary Acupuncture Society. Dr. Vogelsang works in San Diego, CA, and she writes about life and veterinary medicine daily at Pawcurious. “Alternative medicine is playing an ever-increasing role in veterinary medicine,” she said.

In this first of two posts on alternative medicine for pets, we’re going to take a look at therapies that should be avoided. These are the treatments that are unscientific and unproven – and that, usually, cost a pretty penny. Tomorrow we’ll look at therapies that are worth the investment.

Homeopathy

The idea behind homeopathy is that like cures like. In other words, an allergic reaction to a bee sting can be treated with diluted bee venom. The idea is that this will stimulate the body’s natural responses to fight off the sting. Dr. V hasn’t had tremendous experience with homeopathy. “I think even a lot of practitioners that are open to alternative modalities are a little hesitant to advocate this type of treatment because so few of us have experience with it,” she said. “It is not something I recommend, though if someone wants to find a trained veterinarian they could consult the American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association.”

Homeopathic treatment hasn’t been proven effective – in people or animals. For one thing, the homeopathic remedies are highly diluted so only an imprint of the remedy remains. In addition, clinical trails have demonstrated homeopathic treatments to show no improvement greater than the placebo effect, and no large-scale clinical trails have been conducted on animals.

Reiki

Reiki practitioners place their hands on different spots throughout the body to stimulate healing or relaxation. In a 2008 study, scientists in the UK compiled all the published data on the effectiveness of reiki. The study authors evaluated published clinical trails and determined that, “the evidence is insufficient to suggest that reiki is an effective treatment for any condition.” While reiki’s success stories are anecdotal, there is evidence that physical contact – through play, patting, rubbing, etc., – releases stress in companion animals. Try giving your pet a massage at home (for free!) to experience the stress-reducing benefits of physical contact.

Animal Communication

Animal communicators claim to speak with your animal via telepathy. According to practitioners, your animal can communicate freely, usually in pictures, or you can seek answers to specific questions like, “Why do you keep peeing in my bedroom?” or “Does your leg hurt?” The communicators – who charge an average of $50 for 30 minutes – relay the answer to you. “That’s not my thing,” said Dr. V. “I think a lot of these animal “˜communicators’ go into it with their heart in the right place, but I’ve also seen some pretty kooky stuff going on. Animals are indeed good communicators, but an observant behavior specialist is often better at figuring out what the pet is trying to say than any pet telepathist.”

Images: theogeo, anomalous4

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