Homeopathy Doesn’t Work! So… How Come It Works for Animals?
If you’ve been reading news for the homeopathic community from the mid of March, then you might have heard of the Australian report which says that homeopathy does not work for treating human conditions based on their review of the existing studies for homeopathy.
Yep, they did say that! If this is your first time to hear of this or just curious about what we have to say as a response to it, then read on!
Is Homeopathy for Quacks?
If you’re a true blue ‘scientific’ person, we understand the concern and doubt which might be going on in your mind right now, but please read the rest of the blog before deciding if homeopathy is indeed for quacks.
Here’s one important detail: The top medical Australian research body which published the report ONLY reviewed the existing studies.
You got that right.
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They did not conduct their own study but only reviewed old ones – and herein lies the reason why we’re raising our eyebrows in smart skepticism.
You see, what the current mainstream science says true or real now can be proven untrue later on. Take for instance the ‘theory’ which says the Earth is flat and not round or spherical. For thousands upon thousands of years, people from all over the globe believed that our planet is flat (that’s what the smartest folks of those times believed and published). They also believed that if you sail too far out to the sea, you can fall from the Earth’s edge. It might seem laughable now but that is the truth people believed back then.
For the past few hundred years, we’ve known and proven that the Earth is indeed spherical but prior to that, there has been a few thousand years when the few bright minds who understood the mathematical computations which proves that the Earth is round was ridiculed - very much like how homeopathy is viewed in our time.
Do you wonder why it took thousands of years before the western civilization was able to prove with undeniable evidence that the Earth is indeed spherical?
Well, it just so happens that during those times when the ‘acceptable science’ says that the Earth is flat, the ‘study’ which supports that the Earth is a sphere is considered flawed and not understood by many. Hence, it took such a long time to get the proper team together to go on the ‘crazy’ journey to circumnavigate the world and prove once and for all that the Earth is basically a ball.
Does this sound familiar to you? It sounds just like how homeopathy is viewed today and the struggle to prove that homeopathy is real.
If that can happen to other information which we know as facts today, couldn’t it happen to homeopathy as well?
What Are We Saying With This?
We are not saying that Australia’s National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) published paper regarding their stand regarding homeopathy is false or dubious.
Not at all!
We’re merely saying that there is a possibility that they could be making the same mistake which the best scientists in the world did when they believed that we have a flat planet- and it was later proven that we have a spherical one.
Here’s how the way things are:
Time and again, there’s always been scientific papers, reports, and studies which debunk homeopathy as nothing but a placebo treatment or something with no basis at all.
Time and again, homeopaths and homeopathy has made a triumphant comeback – and for a good reason! Homeopathy delivers people-proven observable results!
Let’s talk furthermore about the report, shall we?
A Background on the Australian Report
The basis for the statement released by Australia’s NHMRC is the review they did on existing homeopathy studies. To their credit, they did made it a point to screen the studies and to not include ones which do not meet their set criteria (it is called a systematic review after all). Once that is done, they were left with 225 homeopathy research papers which they then reviewed to be able to come up with the statement they released.
The way a systematic review works is that it reviews what it considers as high quality research evidence to draw out a statement or conclusion. While this does sound solid and good, there is the possibility that the parameters set to review existing studies may not be the best, hence it may also result to a compromised final result.
According to them, homeopathy does not work based on the studies they reviewed because there is no quantifiable evidence which says that it does. However, they also stated that plenty of the studies included in their review are flawed in design or that the number of participants in some is too small to give a real idea whether homeopathy works better than a sugar pill.
If that is the case (that they were reviewing flawed studies), couldn’t it mean that the data they reviewed is also askewed and should not be used as basis for a statement meant for public release?
That perhaps they cannot find a ‘real’ indicator which says that homeopathy works because a proper study has not been done in the first place yet?
Hmm, this brings up a lot of questions indeed.
We think that readers are too smart to fall to the hype of the ‘breaking news’ too.
Is The Report Truly Breaking News?
Hardly. The findings of the ‘new study’ is actually decades old.
In fact, 5 years ago, UK’s House of Commons issued a similar statement which resulted to the decline in homeopathy use by Englishmen; however, a decline in use is not a proof that something does not work.
Decline in use simply means that some people believed what was broadcasted to them. More so, a ‘decline’ simply means that a fraction of homeopathy users turned away from it or stopped using it.
How about all those English folks who kept using homeopathy to treat whatever ails them? Are they all gullible and just believing in something which isn’t ‘scientific’ supposedly?
Here’s what we think:
- We think that people are smarter these days.
- We think that people can find out for themselves whether something works or not, and not simply rely on what a government or scientific institution says.
After all, there was a time when mainstream science believed that being exposed to cold can give you a cold. We now know that colds are caused by viruses; again, something which’ existence was questioned just like how homeopathy is met with a raised eyebrow today.
Another angle wherein the use of homeopathy was thought to be just a placebo effect is that people who report on feeling better or being cured are aware that they are being treated with homeopathic products.
While that can be true for humans, how true is it for animals?
Can Animals Fake It?
If you’re one of our clients or simply someone who used homeopathic products in the care of your pets and animals, you might be wondering about the validity of the ‘report’ which says that the ‘claim’ about people getting better or being cured is just because of placebo effect.
We fully understand you. We also do not understand as well how an animal can fake getting better or can simply be experiencing a placebo effect.
For the record, animals experiencing a placebo effect is just a theory. It isn’t even proven as well, so using this reasoning to nullify another is not fully valid at all.
This brings to light the glaring question:
Does Homeopathy Truly Work on Animals?
Of course there are numerous ‘studies’ which says that homeopathy does not work on animals because the animals are ‘conditioned’ to respond in a certain way. Some say that homeopathy works as placebo for animals and that the owner is simply misinterpreting results. Some also say that the placebo effect doesn’t really affect animals, and hence, can mean that homeopathic results for animals are very real. While some support that, some counter it with the idea that animals tend to get better after their owners gave them homeopathic products because they are responding to the owner’s body language and belief that they will get better.
So many possibilities but not all of them can be true, right?
We can’t give you the answer for the question above but just like earlier, all we can do is give you something to think about, such as:
- How do we explain the countless cases wherein an animal was treated with traditional veterinary medications and therapies to no avail but got better as soon a homeopathic product was administered?
- How do we explain the raving testimonials left by people who’ve used homeopathic products with their pets?
In our practice, we’ve seen many cases where animals saw no relief from their illness after receiving ‘modern’ medical treatment but recovered after being treated with homeopathic products. Please note that we’re not merely saying this because well, this is a homeopathic site.
Supporters of ‘modern’ veterinary medicine will keep wrongfully labeling positive results from homeopathic products as just conditioned responses from animals and say perhaps that animals are just reacting based on what the owners are expecting. If these are correct, how come there are lots of cases when animals are treated with a very expensive ‘conventional’ drug which the owner have high hopes for, but it still does not work? Is the placebo effect theory only applicable to homeopathy and alternative medicine or is ‘science’ merely turning a blind eye?
Are we going to keep believing what modern medicine says about homeopathic products only working because of coincidence?
Surely a lot of things to ponder.
Can ‘Science’ Fail?
With this report, are we witnessing a mainstream scientific institution making the same mistake done by science in the past? Everyone who knows a bit of history is aware that mainstream science isn’t always right!
What do you think?
Yes, we’re asking you!
Forget the flat and spherical Earth theory, would you believe that there was a time when smoking is considered to be good for your health? A few centuries ago, tobacco use is considered to be a very ‘healthy’ act, and that tobacco leaves were even hailed as ‘God’s Remedy’ or the ‘holy herb’. We now view tobacco as the number one killer herb/plant which causes millions of annual deaths worldwide.
Okay, enough about the distant past, let’s move to the near-present: There’s a 2010 study saying intermittent smoking is good for you plus there’s also a case wherein a doctor was hired by a tobacco company to say that nicotine makes humans think better in 2013. What can we infer from this? It is either mainstream science is wrong or it is true that small amounts of toxins can make someone feel better (isn’t that homeopathy in a nutshell?).
There are so many instances when the ‘hottest’ or ‘best’ of science failed or had less than positive effect from what people have observed and experienced. There’s the autism and vaccines controversy which is still being debated to this day. There are also medications which have very low success rate yet are still being used and peddled by big pharma companies (which we will not mention here due to possible legal concerns).
Just so many questionable things which ‘modern’ medicine supports. People are starting to ask questions and we can’t blame them.
Remember when scientists thought that the atom is the smallest particle there is? How that was proved wrong a few decades ago?
Maybe it is time to learn something from science’s history.
Take the case of aspirin, the best drug ever for headaches back in the day but now is seldom prescribed for headaches. Why? Because there are better options now, some of which are medication-free.
If something such as a ‘miracle cure’ during its heyday is now considered as just one of the few things which someone may have at a basic medicine cabinet, how can we say that science understands everything?
Why label a whole discipline as ‘not working’ when the mechanisms explaining how it works is simply beyond the reach of science FOR NOW?
Current science isn’t always right. What considered as breaking news today is merely based on what smart men can currently understand. Just because something can’t be easily explained doesn’t mean it doesn’t work.
A Case of Double Standards?
With homeopathy constantly being placed in the hot seat every few years, some questions which arises from our thoughts are the following:
Just as we tackled earlier:
Why is it that we don’t often hear about a medical treatment’s/ medication’s results which is attributed to mere placebo effect?
Why is it that when something is homeopathic in origin, or complementary, or alternative medicine, there is always the stigma of the effect not being real and are just from placebo?
Why are we labeling something as ‘not effective’ when what we should be doing is asking ourselves to prove how it is possible?
More Questions, So Few Answers
How time flies! Just a few years ago, the cutting edge science and technology we have now are considered to be science fiction, the work of an over active imagination, or for the lack of a better term ‘magic’.
Just about a hundred and fifty years ago, bacteria and viruses weren’t even recognized as real. To even mention that microorganisms like that can cause diseases is worse than saying you believe caramel can cure AIDs today.
If someone told you back in let’s say 1967 that it is possible to communicate with people and send letters which can get to the recipient in 5 seconds or less, would you believe it? Email folks. EMAIL.
If someone told you in 1983 that tiny robots can perform ‘bloodless’ operations inside you, you’d probably think that person has pet unicorns…and yet here we are just a few decades later with nano-technology doing magical things like that.
If someone told you back in 1991 that you can take notes, send mail, take photos, edit videos, and listen to music using an electronic device which is smaller and thinner than a checkbook, would you believe it? And yet even first graders today have iPhones…
If all these things are possible, why is it so hard to believe or at least be open to the possibility that homeopathy works?
We say: let’s give homeopathy a few more years or a few decades. Maybe after some time, science can finally catch up and be able to fully decipher the truth about it.
As for now, perhaps we can all agree that there are simply things which are beyond the reach of current science, and that homeopathy may be one of them?
Okay, maybe you are not ready to answer that, but:
The Real Question Is: Does Homeopathy HELP?
Yes, oh yes! Just a quick look at our website and available forums online will show you tons of testimonials from people who found that homeopathic products are helpful and that it truly works for them.
In fact, you can browse the right side bar or the button for homeopathic products testimonials in our website RIGHT NOW and see what our clients from all over the world has to say regarding how much homeopathic products helped them.
Just a warning, the real-life results are staggering! Even skeptics were awed by how great our products worked for their pets and animal friends.
Results do speak for themselves.
No need for hearsay reports or information derived from someone else’s reports. Statistics and numbers are only good to a point because guess what, not everything can be measured by numbers unless you know the exact formula.
Maybe It Is Time for Us to Be Smart Skeptics
You see, there is a huge difference between simply being skeptic, and being a smart skeptic.
A simple skeptic uses whatever is popular to gauge and question everything else, discounting the fact that popular knowledge may not be the truth but merely just popular opinion or belief. On the other hand, a smart skeptic questions everything and uses his or her own mind and observational skills to ascertain which to believe and which to further test out.
Which one are you?
Our aim is not to debunk what the Australian report says but rather to take a deeper look at what it really means. Zumalka exists to truly help out, not just to peddle homeopathic products. Why do you think we focus so much on informative pet and animal related articles in our blogs? We aim to truly make the world a better place by helping our animal friends and their owners. We’re sure you can see the truth behind this with our stellar customer service and superb efforts to educate people regarding numerous issues which affects animals today, such as pet adoption and responsible pet ownership.
We are not here to tell you what works and what doesn’t. We only hope that you’d be discerning enough to go by your real individual observation and/or experiences if you’ve used homeopathy before.
Have you used homeopathy on your pets and animals? If so, do you think it is effective for treating certain conditions? Would you try homeopathy if conventional medicine doesn’t work? Or are you a firm believer in homeopathic products?
For further information on some of the facts mentioned in this article, please click the hyperlinks dispersed all throughout the text.
Be informed. Be smart. Think. Read. Act.
About the author
Thank you Amelia for your great comment… We really appreciate it but we appreciate people like you even more ;)
I have kept and loved many cats over many years. In my experience To my deep sorrow I have had the heartbreak of ‘putting down’ a few cats at the urging/\recommendation of a vet. Until i discovered homeopathy for pets…and humans . Ear HEMATOMA …cured, wart..cured. HOMEOANIMAL IS THE SITE I TURN TO FIRST,
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