The Ethics of Homeopathy
A homeopathic photo of Homeopaths. ((Note to the Society of Homeopaths legal friends: The pixels containing photos of homeopaths have been been diluted and re-diluted into another photo, so that no detectable pixels from the original photo remains. Thus this is a much more potent photo of homeopaths than orthodox photography. You believe that right?)) Undiluted photo Ducking Hell (cc) Gaetan Lee.
I read an interesting article on Respectful Insolence yesterday. It was actually from the Quackometer, but you can’t see it on there at the moment. It’s a really good demonstration of one of the reasons why I don’t often blog on medicine.
If you don’t know about this story, here’s the condensed version. Put yourself in the place of an honest homeopathic consultant. You know that your patients are likely to be very vulnerable. They’re ill and they’re probably don’t feel that conventional treatment will help them. Maybe they’re beyond the help of scientific medicine. This makes your patients perfect targets for all sorts of con-artists and snake-oil merchants. This you feel, as a honest homeopathic consultant, is a danger. Therefore you’re likely to welcome a code of ethics which states what you cannot do or claim, to ensure the patient is treated with respect.
The Society of Homeopaths has such a Code of Ethics which you can download. Le Canard Noir (which I think is a pseudonym) at the Quackometer did this and found two interesting clauses:
48: Advertisements, stationery and name plates maintain a high standard of propriety and integrity to enhance the reputation of homeopathy. • Advertising shall not contain claims of superiority. • No advertising may be used which expressly or implicitly claims to cure named diseases. • Advertising shall not be false, fraudulent, misleading, deceptive, extravagant or sensational.
72: [Homeopaths are required] To avoid making claims (whether explicit or implied; orally or in writing) implying cure of any named disease.
His article he said that he just checked a random homeopath and found someone breaking both clauses, including claims of treating malaria, which explains why the article title was The Gentle Art of Homeopathic Killing. LCN suggested that the Society was not taking its own Code of Ethics seriously.
Up went the article. Presumably someone at the Society read it, because the hosting company for the Quackometer received a complaint from the Society’s legal representatives. The article had to be pulled because the UK’s libel laws are strict and the hosting company wanted no part of a legal battle.
Others are talking about the ethics of bullying critics through legal intimidation rather than questioning the facts. In contrast I thought I’d check the story. Is it really that easy to go from the Society of Homeopaths website to a site of someone breaking their code of ethics? My methodology was simple. Be lazy. I clicked on the Find a Homeopath link. Then I went to the find by region menu and picked Bath because it was at the top of the list. Which gets you this page [Google Cache] [PDF Print]. I opened up the first link, which is Susan Barker’s site
Susan Barker Homeopath This includes the quote on the homepage:
A friend recommended that I went to see a homeopath after I had been told by my GP that there was little she could do. The results of the homeopathic treatment were so amazing that I only wish I had tried it sooner! In fact I was so impressed that I left my job and went back to school to study homeopathy myself and I haven’t looked back since.
Now does this contravene clause 48? I’m going to argue no. It looks like it might contain claims of superiority, but I’m going to put a lot of emphasis on the bit “after I had been told by my GP that there was little she could do”. I can see that people are looking for a treatment which works if conventional medicine isn’t working, but she does mention trying the GP. Whether or not homeopathy actually works isn’t the issue.
If you click on What’s It About? then you can read this section:
What can Homeopathy treat? Homeopathy is a holistic treatment that can be used to treat any physical, mental and emotional condition, including: • Colds • Ear Infections • Digestive Problems • Eczema • Allergic Disorders • Anxiety • Menstrual Problems • Phobias • Depression • Coughs • Childhood Illnesses • Asthma
Does this break clause 72 implying cure of named diseases? Again I’ll say no. It could mean that treatment will alleviate the symptoms. It is possible she’s saying homeopathy won’t cure an ear infection but make sure it doesn’t hurt too much over the years that it continues. It doesn’t expressly say this though. I leave to the reader to decide if this maintains “a high standard of propriety and integrity to enhance the reputation of homeopathy.”.
Another reason for saying those claims don’t count as breaches is that a lot of the sites for Bath Homeopaths do the same thing and I’d be here for hours before getting to the worst case which definitely crosses over the line.
Andrew Ward Andrew Ward has an extensive site. On his Homeopathy page within the site he calls Homeopathy “A more natural approach and one which avoids the side effects so commonly seen with drug treatments.” Does this breach clause 48? He’s not actually saying it’s more effective is he? Moving further down, how does Homeopathy work?
Paradoxically it appears that when the substance is diluted and succussed in a serial way, its toxic properties gradually disappear and its energetic properties are released and enhanced. This means that every substance has a latent energy held within its physical structure, bound up in matter. This is evident when we think about the terrifying energy potential of an atomic bomb which is released from the simple act of splitting an atom of a radioactive substance. This energy cannot be seen or detected within a substance until it is released from its material bonds. This is the energy source that Homoeopathy taps into and uses – it operates at an atomic level. Laws at this level of existence do not operate in quite the same way as bio-chemistry and as a result Homoeopathic potencies appear to get more active ie stronger in their action the more they are diluted and potentised!
So side-effects, in the traditional sense, are eliminated. This is one of the great attractions of Homoeopathic medicine, as a huge percentage of illness these days is being caused by the treatments and chemical drugs we use. We only have to look at the deteriorating legacy of anti- biotics to see this – with more and more bacteria becoming immune and more and more problems from the cavalier over-prescribing of these once valuable drugs appearing in the population.
Ah right. Conventional treatments are causing illnesses while homeopathic remedies don’t. It’s only conventional pharmacists who over-prescribe? Is saying homeopathy works like an atomic bomb a sensational claim? James Randi has $1million if he’s right. Still, any chemist will tell you, atoms are natural. Ok, it’s enthusiastic but it worth being concerned about? Read on:
There are some cases of cancer and some cases of multiple sclerosis, especially if they are caught early, that may be cured with expert Homoeopathic treatment.
Cancer caught early.
I’d guess this would be early as in the same period of time conventional medics would be working out if they can treat it and what might be the best way. But as Andrew Ward has already pointed out conventional medicine makes you ill, which is the last thing you need when you’ve been diagnosed with cancer. I deeply and sincerely hope that he urges his patients to stick with conventional medicine as well as his treatment, but at best he’d be sending mixed messages. In some cases the Homeopath’s confidence in their own abilities can kill patients. Does Andrew Ward strike you as the kind of guy to be over-confident?
In any event as it stands surely Andrew Ward’s page [Google Cache] [PDF Print] explaining Homeopathy is clearly in breach of the Society of Homeopaths own Code of Ethics.
Is this a case just two rotten apples in the Society of Homeopaths? Umm no it’s at least three. Coracle at Science and Progress has found a homeopath who can cure inherited diseases. That’s homeopaths from Bath, Cambridgeshire and Leicestershire. If you’d like to pick a county and search for yourself here’s the link. The Quackometer is the host site for the next Sceptics Circle. Why not leave him a comment on his site or send him an email saying which county you’ve looked at?
The reasons I don’t med-blog are many. I’m not qualified in medicine. It’s a big responsibility because much as you’d say SEE YOUR DOCTOR FOR MEDICAL ADVICE there’d always be people who’d want to take your word as gospel. But the biggest reason is because I generally like to think that the alternative or fringe or New Age people are sincere and genuine in their beliefs. I’d still say most of them are, but when money gets involved you get some really slimy people coming in to exploit others. I’d like to think the Society of Homeopaths are sincere, but I can’t work out how that would be consistent with attempt at silencing a blogger who took their Code of Ethics seriously. If the Society’s legal friends wish to contact me then they can at alun.m.salt@gmail.com. Though they should know this because I’ve sent the Society an email.
To steal Dr Aust’s joke in the original article’s comments: I am Spartacus.
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