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20th Century Musical Geniuses Who Loved Homeopathy

Posted: 01/03/10 10:51 AM ET

20th Century Musical Geniuses...

Sir Yehudi Menuhin (1916-1999) was a Jewish American-born violinist, violist, and conductor who spent most of his adult life in the United Kingdom. He began playing the violin at age three, and his first public performance, with the San Francisco Symphony, occurred when he was only seven. During World War II, he performed more than 500 concerts for the Armed Forces, which earned him the French Legion of Honor and Croix de Lorraine, the Belgium Order of the Crown and Order of Leopold, the Order of Merit from West Germany, and the Order of the Phoenix from Greece. He also received more than fifty additional honors, including an honorary knighthood from Queen Elizabeth II (England's highest honor for a non-British subject).

Due to ailments he experienced from the strain of performing and traveling, he began practicing yoga and meditation and using homeopathic medicines. He became the honorary president of the Hahnemann Society, a leading British homeopathic organization.

In early 1988, I sent him a copy of a book I had written on homeopathy. He responded:

Homeopathy attracted me because it is so subtle, so discreet and so effective in approach to the whole human being, and I have certainly met some remarkable people who practice it. For me it is a personal preference as I try to steer clear of all doctors, as few have this commitment, and it is because I find that the world deals these days so much in terms of size and mass and volume and is always striving for bigger mass and bigger volume. The mentality that seems to dominate is meeting one mass with a greater one in order to overcome the lesser. This is, of course, nonsense, as any thinking human being knows, for it does not apply to human life. Many people close to me have benefited from homeopathy. (July 5, 1988)

More publicly, he asserted with great succinctness: "Homeopathy is one of the rare medical approaches which carries no penalties--only benefits." Sir Yehudi further acknowledged that homeopathy's survival has not been easy as it has had to "withstand the assaults of established medical practice for over 100 years" (Kindred Spirits, 1989).

Dizzy Gillespie (1917-1993) was an American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, singer, and composer. Along with Charlie Parker, Gillespie was a major figure in the development of bebop and modern jazz, and played a major role in defining Afro-Cuban jazz. After being introduced to homeopathic medicine by his protégé, Jon Faddis, Dizzy had such remarkable experiences that he once told Faddis: "I've had two revelations in my life. The first was bebop; the second was homeopathy."

Ravi Shankar (1920-) is a Bengali-Indian master musician of the sitar. He played a seminal role in the introduction of classical Indian music to Western culture. Ravi Shankar was another appreciator of homeopathy who not only sought homeopathic treatment wherever he lived but also on the road doing concerts. One Boston homeopath who treated him after a concert remarked how open he was with all around him about his strong preference for homeopathic treatment over all other forms of medicine.

Tina Turner (1939-), often called the queen of rock & roll, is an American pop, rock, and soul singer who has won seven Grammies. She has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

It is hard to imagine, but during the early 1970s this powerful woman was literally brought to her knees by a diagnosis of tuberculosis. She initially sought conventional medical treatment, but continued to suffer, until she sought care from Chandra Sharma, MD, a homeopathic doctor in England. Tina considered him her doctor and her friend. He passed away in 1986, and she wrote in her autobiography: "I miss him more than I can say." Tina also noted: "Fortunately, his son, Rajandra, was his protege and is carrying on his work" (Turner, 1986, 156).

In 1985, Vogue magazine reported on Tina's longtime interest in homeopathy and Buddhism: "Tina Turner looks about thirty-six, and her skin is flawless. She does not deprive herself. She sips wine at dinner, does not diet, does not take vitamins. If she's feeling particularly stressed, she consults a homeopathic doctor" (Orth, 1985).

In her autobiography, she wrote: "Life in the fast lane wore me down, changes in my diet and homeopathy saved me. Thanks to my Homeopathic physician, for bringing me back to health and always being available for me" (Turner, 1986).

Paul McCartney (1942-), formally known as Sir James Paul McCartney, MBE, is best known as a member of the Beatles, and later, as leader of Wings. He is a British singer, musician, and songwriter who the Guiness Book of World Records lists as the most successful composer in popular music history. He has written or co-written more than fifty top-ten hits, and innumerable other music artists and orchestras have recorded his songs.

Paul's first wife, Linda Eastman (1941-1998), introduced her husband to vegetarianism in 1975, and she authored several best-selling vegetarian cookbooks. In a 1992 interview, Linda McCartney asserted: "We never go anywhere without our homeopathic remedies. We often make use of them--and that goes for Paul too" (Glew, 1992).

Linda's interest in homeopathy began when a friend broke her arm, and Linda was duly impressed at how fast the injury healed with homeopathic treatment. But it wasn't until she had her own case of tonsillitis that she actually tried homeopathy herself. She was prescribed a round of antibiotics that worked but only temporarily. She then went to a homeopathic doctor. Not only did her symptoms go away rapidly, they never returned. She said, "We couldn't cope without homeopathy."

Sadly, Linda McCartney died in 1998 due to breast cancer.

Roger Daltrey (1944- ) is the lead singer for The Who. In May, 2008, Daltrey revealed to the Times of London that homeopathic medicine saved his infant son (Naith, 2008). Daltrey revealed, "I had a very, very dramatic experience with my son when he was nine months old. He had gastro difficulties, started throwing up, could not keep any food down and turned into skin and bone. At the hospital, they did every test to him, and in the end they just handed him back to me. My wife and I were in bits. My poor baby. The kid was dying. It was terrifying. I thought, there's got to be something. I'd heard of homeopathy, so I found a local guy in the Yellow Pages and took my boy there. He gave him some powders. Within two weeks he was putting weight on, keeping the food down. The trouble recurred periodically for a couple of years, but he's now 27, a fit and healthy young man."

Daltrey further explained that he has seen other miraculous results from homeopathic treatment, "The bizarre thing is that I've got a chiropractor friend in LA whose baby landed up in exactly the same state. He thought he was about to lose him. But I recommended homoeopathic remedies, and he recovered too. That's God's honest truth. Now I bet doctors would say, 'Oh they'd have got better anyway'. But I can't believe that."

Pete Townshend (1945-) is an influential English rock guitarist and songwriter who is best known as guitarist for The Who. Townshend has authored more than 100 songs, and the rock opera Tommy. Townshend suffers from partial deafness and tinnitus due to exposure to loud music during concerts and through the use of headphones. His condition is attributed in part to an infamous 1967 television appearance during which fellow Who musician, Keith Moon, set off a large amount of explosives inside his drums while Townshend was standing in front of them.

In 2000, Pete told a magazine reporter: "I've had some treatment for it. I found a homeopathic practitioner who has really helped reduce it tremendously" (Wilkerson, 2006, Chapter 18, note six).

Cher (1946-) is a total entertainer and has won a Grammy (1999), an Oscar (1989), three Golden Globe awards (1974, 1984, and 1989), and an Emmy (2003). In 1987 Cher was struck by a debilitating viral illness that manifested in chronic fatigue and bouts of pneumonia. She was disabled from working for two years: "I tried regular medicine and it just didn't work. Doctors said any illness was all in my head. People thought I was crazy."

Then she decided to do something different: "I turned to a Sikh homeopathic doctor, almost in desperation. He started doing homeopathic stuff with herbs and vitamin therapy. Many doctors didn't believe in all that back then. Within four months, he'd got me up and back on the road again."

In addition to seeking care from this unnamed Sikh doctor, Cher sought treatment from a French homeopathic doctor, Dr. Marcel Dinnet. According to famed gossip columnist Liz Smith, Dr. Dinnet is reported to have 10,000 devoted patients in Los Angeles, including Sarah Ferguson (the Duchess of York) and Elizabeth Taylor (Smith, 1988).

Cher pledged her support for the Glasgow Homeopathic Hospital after seeing a TV news report that the government was slashing the city's health budget by 58 million pounds (around $100 million). She intended her donation of $24,000 to encourage others to pledge cash to help keep the hospital open. The hospital treats 500 in-patients a year. The hospital's staff and patients have sharply criticized the budget reduction for both medical and economic reasons. They asserted that closing this important natural medicine hospital could lead to higher health care costs for the Greater Glasgow Health Board. Cher further asserted: "I'm not quite sure exactly what that will mean but I'd be prepared to do anything I can to help." (Sloan, 2004).


(NOTE: The purpose of the above article is not to discuss or provide details about the scientific evidence for homeopathy. For readers who want references to scientific research on homeopathy, I encourage you to visit my other blogs on clinical subjects (especially my blog on "Respiratory Allergies" and "Medical Child Abuse"). People with a serious interest in homeopathic clinical research will benefit from subscribing to my eBook, Homeopathic Family Medicine: Evidence Based Nanopharmacology, which provides reference to and description of almost 200 clinical trials. People who want references to and descriptions of several hundred basic science studies (including research on plants, animals, in vitro, and physics and chemistry studies), go to: http://avilian.co.uk/. Clearly, people who assume that there is "no research that confirms the biological activity or the clinical efficacy of homeopathic medicines" are simply showing their ignorance of the body of scientific evidence.)


References

Albrecht, T. Letters to Beethoven and Other Correspondence. Vol. 3: 1824-1828. Lincoln: University of Nebraska, 1996.
Beethoven, L. van. Briefwechsel Gesamtausgabe, Band 6, 1825-1827. Munchen: G. Henle, 1996.
Beethoven, L. van. Ludwig van Beethovens Konversationshefte, Band 8, Heft 91-103. Leipzig: VEB Deutscher four Musik, 1981.
Collins, S. The man who wants to make Tina Turner live until she's 120, Sunday Mirror, November 7, 1999.
Glew, J. "We couldn't cope without homeopathy," Health and Homoeopathy, Summer 1992, 6-7.
Hayden, D. Pox: Genius, Madness, and the Mysteries of Syphilis. New York: Basic Books, 2003.
Hellenbroich, A. In Celebration of Ludwig van Beethoven's 225th Birthday, Fidelio, Winter 1995.
In Style, November 2004.
Kindred Spirits, Daily Telegraph, August 12, 1989.
Mai, F. Diagnosing Genius: The Life and Death of Beethoven. Montreal: McGill-Queen's University, 2007.
Maretzki, T. W., and Seidler, E. Biomedicine and naturopathic healing in West Germany: a historical and ethnomedical view of a stormy relationship. Culture, Medicine and Psychiatry, December 1985, 9,4:383-421.
Naish, J. Homeopathy Saved My Son. The Times. May 1, 2008. http://women.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/women/celebrity/article3857464.ece
Orth, M. Tina, Vogue, May 1985, p. 318.
Schweisheimer, W. Beethoven's Physicians, Musical Quarter, 1945, 31:289-298.
Sloan, B. Cher's Ward Rage: Exclusive Star's Fury Over Bid to Close Scots Homeopathic Hospital, Sunday Mail, May 16, 2004.
Takacs. 2007. http://ums.org/assets/programbooks/Takacs_Programbook.pdf
Turner, T. I, Tina. New York: Avon, 1986.
Ullman, D. Homeopathic Family Medicine. Berkeley: Homeopathic Educational Services, 2009. (This is a comprehensive and regularly updated review and description of clinical research in homeopathy. Available as a one-time download or as a subscription from www.homeopathic.com.)
Ullman, D. The Homeopathic Revolution: Why Famous People and Cultural Heroes Choose Homeopathy. Berkeley: North Atlantic, 2007.
Ullman, D. The Curious Case of Charles Darwin and Homeopathy.
Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2009 Oct 29.
Wagner, R. My Life, Volume I. New York: Dodd, Mead and Company, 1911.
Watson, D. Richard Wagner: A Biography. New York: McGraw Hill, 1979.
Wilkerson, M. Amazing Journey: The Life of Pete Townshend. Lulu Press, 2006. (This specific story was told to Q Magazine's David Cavanaugh in January 2000.)


Dana Ullman, MPH, is America's leading spokesperson for homeopathy and is the founder of www.homeopathic.com. He is the author of 10 books, including his bestseller, Everybody's Guide to Homeopathic Medicines. His most recent book is, The Homeopathic Revolution: Why Famous People and Cultural Heroes Choose Homeopathy. Dana lives, practices, and writes from Berkeley, California.

 
 
 

Follow Dana Ullman on Twitter: www.twitter.com/HomeopathicDana

20th Century Musical Geniuses... Sir Yehudi Menuhin (1916-1999) was a Jewish American-born violinist, violist, and conductor who spent most of his adult life in the United Kingdom. He began playing t...
20th Century Musical Geniuses... Sir Yehudi Menuhin (1916-1999) was a Jewish American-born violinist, violist, and conductor who spent most of his adult life in the United Kingdom. He began playing t...
 
 
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Sheldon101
sheldon101blog.blogspot.com Wakefield transcripts
10:31 PM on 01/17/2010
Vawter v. Federal Government - The Whole Bizarre Story
---------------------------------------------
Tim Vawter never got an injunction from a New Jersey Federal District Court to prevent mandatory vaccination of any kind, including H1N1. I don't think he ever tried to mislead anyone himself. But neither did he seem to do anything to correct the error of others.

A look at the actual documents makes obvious how much confirmation bias was needed for anyone to believe that an injunction had been filed, issued or even breathed near.

In fact, during the time when the anti-vaccination community latched on to the story in Natural News and www.naturalnews.com until after it was retracted on August 11, 2009, there wasn't even a law suit issued from the District Court.

You can read the whole sad and bizarre story, including the court docket and documents and the retraction by naturalnews.com including a possible attempt to bribe a judge starting from http://vaccineswork.blogspot.com/2010/01/no-new-jersey-district-court-injunction.html
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Sheldon101
sheldon101blog.blogspot.com Wakefield transcripts
10:11 PM on 01/13/2010
Vawter versus Federal Government
Null versus FDA
----------------------------
I've read the court docket and the documents from Vawter. It is bizarre. I'll put them up on the web with some redactions to provide some privacy for Mr. Vawter. Vawter's It was dismissed.

I've read the court docket, the complaint and the reasons for judgment in the Gary Null case. This was put forward by lawyers. I'll put these documents up on the web. It too is bizarre. There was a hearing and it was dismissed on the grounds that the issues it was concerned with had become moot by the time of the hearing. If the issues hadn't become moot, the judge speculated that he just couldn't understand why this complaint was being made in federal court and against Federal agencies. I agree.

Both cases were bizarre. Both cases were dismissed.
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cable1977
Against logic there is no armor like ignorance
03:41 PM on 01/09/2010
Christy,

Can you respond to the information I posted below, I am reposting it:

http://www.safetylawsuits.com/index.html

The safetylawsuits website is run by Tim Vawter, the person seeking the injunction. I will quote, in his own words:

"A message from Tim; On Oct 2, 2009 the judge ruled against the Injunction to prevent forced flu vaccinations. I am now amending the Injunction, adding in more evidence, and refiling it in a better form. I am appealing everything possible."

If the filer of the injunction is stating that it was, in fact, rejected and ruled against, how can you possibly continue to post the same misinformation. Continuing to reject the facts of this situation will not help your case any further whatsoever.
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Sheldon101
sheldon101blog.blogspot.com Wakefield transcripts
04:29 PM on 01/09/2010
Plaintiff writes suggested text for preliminary injunction
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thanks cable1977 for the link to http://www.safetylawsuits.com/index.html. It explains the mistake.

Judges are busy. They want the lawyers to do a lot of the work. So lawyers file materials that make it easier for the judges to finish a case.

The rules of the court determine what the lawyers should file. If you read the link, Vawter filed the text of a suggested preliminary injunction. Vawter probably included in materials he handed out to his sycophants.

Quote:
"Preliminary Injunction ( the Injunction is readied for the judge to sign, however, the judge denied this Injunction on Oct 2, 2009)."
Unquote

The author of the naturalnews.com story that started the nonsense didn't understand that this was a suggested text --- not an unnatural mistake under the circumstances for a writer at naturalnews.com.

Natural news retracted the erroneous article very quickly. They failed to cover the denial of the injunction on October 2nd assuming that date is correct. That's wrong.

Once again, the actual proof that the injunction was denied can be easily found by someone who (typically a lawyer) has a PACER account. But the information I supplied plus a sanity check was sufficient.

I do find it hilarious but sad that ChristyRed and others on the woo-woo side can't admit that they're wrong. My advice to those advocate who reason and science is to always quickly admit an error and move on.
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cable1977
Against logic there is no armor like ignorance
05:48 PM on 01/09/2010
Correct. Lawyers file injunctions all the time, but they are not valid until signed and approved by a judge, usually following a hearing of some sort.

You are also correct that it is sad that individuals are unable to admit mistakes even when the evidence is overwhelmingly against them, even to the point of accusing the opposing side of having confirmation bias on the issue, when all, not just some, of the data points to their arguments being entirely incorrect.

Its a good example of why you should corroborate sources and get different sources of information. And by different sources I mean independent verification, not simply the same story referenced over and over by multiple websites. As I was searching for the actual outcome of the cases, there were numerable sites that had the original naturalnews article verbatim and I"m sure those sites did not change their websites once the retraction was issued.

Having an open internet is very important, however, it also requires vigorous fact-checking and corroboration of any information found, especially on very random websites.
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Sheldon101
sheldon101blog.blogspot.com Wakefield transcripts
11:51 PM on 01/09/2010
By the way, there is a kicker to all this discussion about getting a Federal injunction against H1N1 vaccination by an action in a Federal Court in New Jersey. But I'll leave that as an assignment for those who want extra marks.
HUFFPOST SUPER USER
ChristyRed
06:28 PM on 01/09/2010
The newspaper report clearly states that the preliminary injunction was approved by the US District Court. I live in New Jersey. To the best of my knowledge no one has been advised that the flu vaccines are mandatory. I don't know of anyone who has been told they or their children are required to have these shots. I certainly have not been told they are mandatory. My personal physician has not told his patients they are mandatory. That is what I know on making the flu vacs mandatory.
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Sheldon101
sheldon101blog.blogspot.com Wakefield transcripts
08:02 PM on 01/09/2010
ChristyRed: May I suggest that you carefully research any facts or before you post them on the internet as you seem unable to retract or correct any facts once you have posted them.

This will be uncomfortable as suggest research will require you to read opinions, facts and a world view that you disagree with.

Just a suggestion to cut down on your cognitive dissonance.
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cable1977
Against logic there is no armor like ignorance
08:56 PM on 01/09/2010
What newspaper report? You did not post a link to any newspaper report, only to that ireport on CNN which is not a verified or edited story.

No one ever said flu vaccinations were mandatory for the general population, so I would not expect that you would hear of anyone saying that they were mandated to get a flu shot. The only people who they were ever mandatory for in any state were healthcare workers. The only people claiming they were mandatory for the general population or would be made mandatory for the general population are the anti-vaccine folks.

Even in the face of being totally wrong about what you posted, several times over I might add, you cannot admit that you were wrong about this particular story and instead continue to spin the truth. Obviously your comments have softened a bit so it seems that you may be understanding that your initial statements were wrong.

Regardless of what you know about making flu vaccines mandatory, you posted a link and made comments suggesting that a court had ruled in favor of an injunction when it clearly has not made any such ruling whatsoever. Obviously your comments have softened a bit so it seems that you may be understanding that your initial statements were wrong.
HUFFPOST SUPER USER
ChristyRed
07:55 AM on 01/09/2010
To clear up sheldon's confusion about the US District Court NJ ruling re mandatory flu vaccinations in New Jersey:

"A preliminary injunction to stop mandatory vaccinations has been issued in the US District Court of New Jersey." "US court issues an injunction to stop it AND TO HOLD THE GOVERNMENT AND DRUG COMPANIES RESPONSIBLE FOR REACTIONS." This is as of 9/29/09 as reported at:

www.ireport.com/docs/DOC-335421?ref=feeds/latest-also

This report also notes that the flu vacs were tested on homeless people in the UK and that 21 of them died as a result.

Also see www.blissplan.com/wellness-fitness/vaccinations-risks/

Sorry, sheldon, but it doesn't get much clearer than that. No matter how you try to manipulate the words of the case and the order, these are the facts. Like it or not.
HUFFPOST SUPER USER
ChristyRed
08:35 AM on 01/09/2010
If sheldon were to actually read the reports of this injunction, he would see that it includes the swine flu vac and refers to WHO declaring a Phase 6 Pandemic without adequate figures or information.
09:45 AM on 01/09/2010
Sheldon & company are not here to read anything we send, Christy, because they already know homeopathy works.

It's the same with their stance against truth concerning vaccinations. They choose to ignore all the evidence which includes the many people who have seen first hand the truth about homeopathy working & vaccination damage.

Most of these naysayers are not skeptics, at all, when it come to homeopathy. Not the ones who post repeatedly here aren't. Homeopathy is a threat to big pharma & they're here to benefit them, not "We The People"

They work for the corporate big boys, evidently, who want "US" to remain their peasants & under their control. There's no other explanation because these people are not stupid.

They're not crazy either as some have called them because they know exactly what they're doing.

They know what truth is & what's not & it's their mission to confuse & deceive as many as possible.

The dis-service they do to their fellow man is an atrocity & someday, each will pay for the evil stance they have taken against the health & well being of mankind.

These people have no shame & whether they believe in Karma or not, it will get them all eventually.

What goes around does come around & we who have hearts & care about our people can count on that.
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StThomas
Not until I see the holes of the nails....
09:22 AM on 01/09/2010
Christy, your link goes to a page that says in part: "Oops! This is distressing. It appears we are unable to find anything that would meet your expectations. "
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Sheldon101
sheldon101blog.blogspot.com Wakefield transcripts
12:27 AM on 01/09/2010
Confirmation Bias
------------------------
One of the problems with responding to homeopathic believers is that they have such a fixed world view that the facts just slide right by them.

For example, I've explained to ChristyRed that no US Federal Court in New Jersy ever granted an injunction against H1N1 vaccination, backed it up with some logic and some links, including one that apparently copied an apology from naturalnews.com.

To which I get the following reply.

ChristyRed writes:
"What a ridiculous bunch of nonsense! The US District Court certainly did find that the vacs weren't thoroughly investigated for safety. As a result they are NOT mandatory in NJ and, even further, this decision affects the legality of making them mandatory across the entire US."

You would think that someone would read the linked articles before giving such a positive response -- especially to me, because I'm pretty careful about what I write.

In the absence of an active PACER account to look at the court docket http://www.rense.com/general87/mislead.htm , let's do a site search at naturalnews.com. Google site:naturalnews.com new jersey injunction vaccine OR vaccination

Wow, there is an apology from naturalnews.com.

So that's the August story. The absence of a newer story means that either an injunction wasn't granted or it was granted and naturalnews.com someone missed the story. Guess which I'd bet my life on.

Such unbelievable confirmation bias isn't limited to ChristyRed.
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Sheldon101
sheldon101blog.blogspot.com Wakefield transcripts
12:49 AM on 01/09/2010
Huff-Po adds the extra com - remove it before doing the search.
HUFFPOST SUPER USER
ChristyRed
08:38 AM on 01/09/2010
The Three D's of Skepticism

----------------------------------------------------

Denial of the facts, distortion of the facts and attempts to discredit anyone speaking for homeopathy and attempts to discredit the facts evidencing for homeopathic success. Yes, sheldon, you could add your own special brand of confirmation bias to this mix.
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StThomas
Not until I see the holes of the nails....
09:23 AM on 01/09/2010
Refuting purported facts is not the same as denying real facts
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cable1977
Against logic there is no armor like ignorance
03:24 PM on 01/09/2010
How do you respond to the link I posted above:

http://www.safetylawsuits.com/index.html

The safetylawsuits website is run by Tim Vawter, the person seeking the injunction. I will quote, in his own words:

"A message from Tim; On Oct 2, 2009 the judge ruled against the Injunction to prevent forced flu vaccinations. I am now amending the Injunction, adding in more evidence, and refiling it in a better form. I am appealing everything possible."

How is it distorting the facts when the litigant himself says that the injunction was denied? You are either intentionally misleading people or simply do not know the true facts of this situation. In the face of such evidence, how can you possibly continue to claim that the injunction was approved?
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Ergon
Man From Atlan
This user has chosen to opt out of the Badges program
04:35 AM on 01/09/2010
all i can say is about those links is dangerous, deadly and down right stupid.

peter chappell the bloke who thinks he can cure almost anything including HIV with sound, pure quackery indeed.

an abstract from a conference and i am guessing its unpublished research. i wonder how many of the 61 people are still alive?

jeremey sherr the man who has disappeared after re-editing his blog and i hope he never reappears. http://www.layscience.net/node/470

finally a presentation from one of those sites where everyone gets a pat on the back everytime they post something.. i am guessing yet another unpublished piece of rambling including statements like "its difficult to make a conclusion" and then making conclusions.
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Ergon
Man From Atlan
09:22 PM on 01/09/2010
"i am guessing" "i wonder how many" then "i am guessing" again.
Well, nobbler, if you're not sure, whyn't you say so?
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Sheldon101
sheldon101blog.blogspot.com Wakefield transcripts
09:33 PM on 01/09/2010
I followed the link to http://www.naturalnews.com/025447.html and followed the link found there http://jeremysjournalfromafrica.blogspot.com/.

I don't know if Jeremy got swallowed by a tiger, but he hasn't made a post about his adventures in Africa fighting AIDS with magicked water since February 22, 2009.

I just wish that those who support homeopathy would do the rest of us a favor and check out the sources they post. I realize that may leave them with nothing to say, but that is the risk they take.
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Ergon
Man From Atlan
09:53 PM on 01/07/2010
I am for some reason unable to reply to a question about Edzart Ernst the so called 'critical homeopath' below, so here's a critique: http://homeopathy4health.wordpress.com/2008/06/04/edzard-ernsts-uncritical-endorsement-for-ebm-is-empirical-quackery/
"“Alternative medicine, the focus of a new critique titled Trick or Treatment? by the science writer Simon Singh and Edzard Ernst, ‘the world’s first professor of complementary medicine’, has become another target of the radical backlash. Following the spectacular success of a series of works promoting militant secularism, a spate of books and blogs now signals a new crusade against alternative medicine.”

“it is light on references”

“My reservations about Trick or Treatment? concern its uncritical endorsement of what the health policy expert Rudolph Klein has characterised as the ‘new scientism’ of ‘evidence-based medicine’ (1), its incoherent advice to doctors on telling the truth and its curiously paternalistic approach towards patients."
04:48 AM on 01/08/2010
Light on FACTS!

Do yourself a favor and do a google search on the term "what's the harm?".
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Ergon
Man From Atlan
07:16 AM on 01/08/2010
You google to see what might benefit you, and I'll google to see what might benefit me, and those people open to the idea of homoeopathy.
HUFFPOST SUPER USER
ChristyRed
10:02 AM on 01/08/2010
"what's the harm"??????? Are you serious? Speaking of confirmation bias........ It's a listing of a handful of cases in which someone thinks the patient might have lived if they had used conventional medicine or more of it! It's filled with ANECDOTAL EVIDENCE from friends and family members and even includes President Harding (undoubtedly because he used homeopathy). His body was not autopsied so no one can say with certainty what he died of -- it certainly wasn't the medicine he used, something which could never be said for conv med which claims upwards of 784,000 lives per year.
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cable1977
Against logic there is no armor like ignorance
09:36 AM on 01/08/2010
So to summarize your comment, a supporter of alternative medicine wrote a review critical of a book that was critical of alternative medicine. Hardly the most unbiased source for a review. Do you have any unbiased opinions about the book, say from a layperson without an obvious pro or anti homeopathy stance?

Ernst is a professor of Complementary and Alternative medicine, so is he not in a unique position to have experience to comment on such matters? As someone who has done research for many years into alternative medicine, is his interpretation of the facts not worth listening to and considering?
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Sheldon101
sheldon101blog.blogspot.com Wakefield transcripts
02:09 AM on 01/09/2010
Actually, the review is by someone with views similar to Ernst and Singh as far as homeopathy and most other fantasies of alternative medicine are concerned. The criticisms are on other matters.

http://www.spiked-online.com/index.php/site/reviewofbooks_article/5209/
08:01 PM on 01/07/2010
Hey Dana!

You should wear as a badge of honor the fact your articles have come to constitute a need for "all" these same naysayers to gather together to try to disrupt & clog your threads so regularly & consistently.

We, who are paying attention, know their goal is to see to it that fair discussion has no chance. I think any new people looking in should know this & I think it's up to us to remind them now & again so there's a decent chance for truth in this matter to have a serious say.

This is only fair.

The matter of Homeopathy is such a threat, they have to resort to great length to congest & discourage people from commenting. If there are new people commenting, they work very hard to see to it those comments get buried real quick in their repetitive, deceptive & incessant same rhetoric so further discussion is lost.

This target you've become, Dana, to these people so repeatedly goes to show the importance of the matter in them having to all concentrate their efforts as a team to such an exaggerated degree as evidenced here.

Kudos to you & keep up the good work.

Someone has to keep these bad boys on their toes so they can earn their keep. ^smile^
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malzor
08:52 PM on 01/07/2010
no, general stupidity is a clear and present danger to the United States, period
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StThomas
Not until I see the holes of the nails....
03:21 AM on 01/08/2010
And everywhere else!
This user has chosen to opt out of the Badges program
06:10 AM on 01/08/2010
asserting and cheerleading. is that more evidence for homeopathy?
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Ergon
Man From Atlan
07:19 PM on 01/07/2010
Bless Chomsky for articulating a different way of looking at science: "A New Theory of Body"
"The Cartesian theory of 'body' quickly collapsed under the weight of Newtonian discoveries. We now no longer have a definite concept of the body. Rather the theory of body-or physics-is formulated in concepts of forces, waves, particles, etc."
"WE can no longer ask whether some phenomenon falls outside the range of "body". We can only ask whether our current concepts of body are adequate to account for some phenomena"
"If not, you must extend and modify your basic physics, just as (Newton) extended Cartesian Mechanics to account for the motion of the heavenly bodies"

Cool. The language-meister says that if we have a phenomenon (cancer, AIDS patients being cured through homoeopathy, for example) then we need to extend and modify our way of thinking to understand the phenomenon.
Works for me.
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StThomas
Not until I see the holes of the nails....
08:00 PM on 01/07/2010
It works for you and everyone else who believes Aids patients can be cured through homoeopathy. Name six, go on!
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Ergon
Man From Atlan
09:22 PM on 01/07/2010
Christy Red has already named the hospital where those patients were cured, so your question is at best, disingenuous. And as if allopathic studies 'name' patients, or do you think confidentilaity is only confined to allopaths? But still,
http://www.modernhomoeopathy.com/
http://www.modernhomoeopathy.com/studies_on_the_efficacy_of_homoe.htm
Just to whet your curiousity.
Or not.
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cable1977
Against logic there is no armor like ignorance
09:55 AM on 01/08/2010
"The language-meister says that if we have a phenomenon (cancer, AIDS patients being cured through homoeopathy, for example) then we need to extend and modify our way of thinking to understand the phenomenon."

That is what science does and has done for several centuries now. As new information becomes available, then current theories are modified. However, a phenomenon must be reproducible and consistent in order to be understood in order to change our understanding of the universe. As of yet, there has not been sufficient evidence of prove the existence of such phenomena (especially given that multiple reviews have stated that homeopathy is no better than placebo). If you want to discuss the evidence for homeopathy, you also must be willing to discuss and consider the evidence against it, especially in the light of publication bias (i.e. not publishing negative results). Only then can you make the conclusion that you have a novel and reproducible phenomena and that there is a necessity for modification of current scientific thought. There is certainly not an abundance, or even a preponderance, of evidence, whether in vitro, in vivo, or clinical supporting homeopathy and therefore is far too premature to consider changing scientific theories based on very small, methodologically poor studies.
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Ergon
Man From Atlan
06:15 PM on 01/07/2010
Since we hear so much about "double blind studies" from the usual suspects, here's one: http://arthritis.about.com/od/vioxx/a/vioxxstudies.htm
from the makers of Vioxx.
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StThomas
Not until I see the holes of the nails....
07:00 PM on 01/07/2010
This leads me to believe that you think an attack on real medicine (however justified) is a defence of homoeopathy.
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Ergon
Man From Atlan
08:57 PM on 01/07/2010
No. An attack on double blind studies. Just pointing to the narrow vision of a double blind study that proves that Vioxx remediates arthritis but ignores the fact that it kills cells (and people) And obviously your definition of real medicine differs from mine.
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cable1977
Against logic there is no armor like ignorance
07:08 PM on 01/07/2010
Every pharmaceutical ever made could have no efficacy and consistently do more harm than good (which they obviously don't), but that would not give even the slightest proof of homeopathic efficacy. It is the logical fallacy known as "the strawman". The efficacy of one has absolutely no bearing on the efficacy of the other.
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Ergon
Man From Atlan
09:10 PM on 01/07/2010
Strip mining terms like 'confirmation bias' and 'strawman' does not in itself prove or disprove homoeopathy either, but that seems to be YOUR rhetorical high horse. I was merely pointing out that the double-blind proof of efficacy of Vioxx in treating arthritis was a fallacy in itself, the patient was cured, but died.
But then you're arguing with a person (me) who if you say homeopathic efficacy was unproven, would reply that it wasn't disproven, or if you said "extraordinary claims require extraordinary proof" I'd say, "Carl Sagan was a twit whose expertise in astronomy did not qualify him to pontificate on Astrology or even to shine Immanuel Velikovsky's shoes" but then frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn.
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cable1977
Against logic there is no armor like ignorance
02:35 PM on 01/07/2010
For an excellent interview about the nature of scientific research as well as various aspects of homeopathy, look here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=grWfxsFWOFI&feature=SeriesPlayList&p=13C076E8CE7FCD4D

It is long, but well worth a listen.
03:26 PM on 01/07/2010
OMG
Thank you for that link, it's priceless! I have read Dawkins but very rarely get to see any of his interviews. I thought it was intelligent, polite and insightful. I only got thru 2 of 6 but had to comment. A very good point was made at around 8 min. into the second flick about what homeopaths could contribute to modern medicine. I'm going to go back and watch the other 4.

Again Thanks
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cable1977
Against logic there is no armor like ignorance
03:40 PM on 01/07/2010
Yes, I found that point about spending more time with patients and discussing the patient's concerns with them to be an excellent point and something that could certainly improve the practice of medicine.

On one of the other segments Baum also discusses how simple and inexpensive it would be to set up some comprehensive controlled trials of individualized treatments (which is something I often see mentioned as to why RCT's don't work well for homeopathy).
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malzor
09:56 AM on 01/07/2010
To be fair, I found a detailed explanation of homeopathy from an expert lecture, I learned a lot. It explains the information about the healing energy only now being understood by cutting edge physics.

Malzor concedes after listening to the whole clip, she is very convincing.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LsOoXN5Oxdo
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cable1977
Against logic there is no armor like ignorance
10:39 AM on 01/07/2010
I much prefer this explanation of homeopathy:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIaV8swc-fo&feature=related

Best quote:

"Science knows it doesn't know everything. If it did, it would stop. But just because science doesn't know everything doesn't mean you get to fill in the gaps."
12:10 PM on 01/07/2010
A lot of idle speculation and no facts.
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malzor
08:55 PM on 01/07/2010
Locutus of Borg is correct. It's nonsense ramblings, I wouldn't trust that lady's perception of what is happening around her.
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DebbyBruck
Founder Homeopathy World Community
01:56 AM on 01/07/2010
Thank you Dana for introducing us to a few musicians who found homeopathy helpful in their lives. Homeopathy goes beyond simply healing during an acute ailment, but may actually assist and support an individual in their growth process.
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Sheldon101
sheldon101blog.blogspot.com Wakefield transcripts
02:05 PM on 01/07/2010
I say, homeopathic human growth hormone, how droll.
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cable1977
Against logic there is no armor like ignorance
11:20 PM on 01/06/2010
Having just seen the movie I think I have the perfect quote by the great Sherlock Holmes himself:

"It is a capital mistake to theorize before one has data. Insensibly one begins to twist facts to suit theories, instead of theories to suit facts."
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Dana Ullman
Evidence Based Homeopath
12:28 AM on 01/07/2010
Thank you so much for bringing up Sherlock Holmes...because Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was just one other person to advocate for homeopathy, even though Doyle himself was trained as a medical doctor. However, like so many other smart doctors, he could not practice medicine because it seems to do more harm than benefit (and he was such a great writer).

In particular, Doyle had a real appreciation for homeopathic ARNICA and did not think that there was anything better.

To learn about so many other "literary greats" who wrote about and/or advocate for homeopathy, see a sample chapter from my book, "The Homeopathic Revolution," at:
http://homeopathicrevolution.com/pages/excerpt.jsp
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PlayTOE
Morals evolved due to cooperative group living
12:41 AM on 01/07/2010
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle also believed in spiritualism and fortune telling.
Believing is different than having evidence.

Homeopathy is shown to NOT work in ALL properly done blind studies.
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cable1977
Against logic there is no armor like ignorance
12:43 AM on 01/07/2010
Since you are interested in what those trained in the medical field do when they cannot "practice medicine because it does more harm than benefit" what do you say about Drs like Edzard Ernst who was trained in a homeopathic hospital and no longer has good things to say about homeopathic efficacy. See this review and editorial by Dr. Ernst:

http://www.amjmed.com/article/PIIS0002934309005336/fulltext
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1874503/?tool=pubmed

To quote him:

"My plea is simply for honesty. Let people buy what they want, but tell them the truth about what they are buying. These treatments are biologically implausible and the clinical tests have shown they don't do anything at all in human beings. The argument that this information is not relevant or important for customers is quite simply ridiculous."
06:33 PM on 01/06/2010
If anything it's the pharma pills that benefit from the placebo effect rather than homeopathic remedies. And most of those pharma pills are derivitives of natural compounds that have been altered enough so that they can be patented. I believe in the power of herbs and using alternative remedies that usually have no bad side effects. And many fruits and vegetables have amazing compounds that work in concert with each other so that it's not as effective to distill, for example, garlic into an allicin pill rather than eating the raw garlic. In the future, medicine will be personalized and preventative to a much greater degree than it is now. And that will be in large part because of commonly found natural compounds that we will have integrated into the practice of medicine, whether or not those compounds can be patented or profited from.