Spurred by recent activity on a post on the Young Australian Skeptics site about the ingredients in homeopathy, I decided I would search my house for any homeopathic products my parents were sneakily keeping hidden from me. Not long after searching, I found this:
It’s a cream manufactured by a company called ‘Brauer Natural Medicines’, and claims to be a topical cream for the “temporary relief of strains, sprains, bruising and sore, aching muscles”, with a homeopathic active ingredient: 1X Arnica montana. This product struck me as a bit odd, and it would have to you already too, if you’ve ever had any experience researching the purported mechanisms of homeopathy.
The oddity comes from the fact that it claims to be homeopathic, yet has an active ingredient with a 1X dilution. People who know nothing about homeopathy are going to be rather confused at this point, so I’ll back off and explain where the disconnect begins.
Homeopathy is an alternative medicine modality developed in 1796 by a German chap named Samuel Hahnemann, based on the principles of the ‘Law of Similars’ (ie. like cures like) and the general philosophy of “dilutions make the treatment stronger” by “imprinting the substance onto the water’s structure”. An example of a homeopathic treatment to cure swelling would be to find something that caused the same symptoms, like a bee sting, grind it up, then dilute it continuously in water, one part substance, nine parts water, each time shaking the container in all three dimensions (called succussing) until the desired level of potency was reached. Homeopathic treatments for almost any illness or ailment can be easily conceived of, so long as you have a substance on hand that causes the same symptoms as the ones you want to treat.
There is something glaringly wrong with homeopathy’s method of action, and it’s evident when you take a look at the actual level of dilution most homeopathic practitioners are talking about.
Homeopathic treatments are usually ranked by a scale of dilution, either the X scale or the C scale, so for example, you could have a 4X dilution or a 7C dilution. Most “effective” dilutions, as proposed by Hahnemann himself, were to be around 30C (or 60X – the ratio between the two is 1C:2X). So, what does 30C entail?
The number before the ‘C’ on the C scale refers to the negative power of one hundred that the substance is diluted to. So, 1C is 100^-1 (or 1/100), 2C is 100^-2 (or 1/10,000) and so on and so forth. The X scale is different, and uses negative powers of ten instead of one hundred: 1X is 10^-1 (1/10), 2X is 10^-2 (1/100), etc.
This means that a 30C dilution is one gram of substance per 100^30 (or 10^60) grams of water, or a one with sixty zeros after it. This is insanely dilute, and the average 30C homeopathic product statistically contains no molecules of the “active” diluted ingredient. Homeopathy of 12C or higher is basically pure water.
So how does this apply to the Arnica cream I have in my hand? Remember that this cream is a 1X homeopathic product, and 1X refers to a dilution of one part substance to nine parts water. This cream is one tenth Arnica montana, a pathetically weak treatment by any homeopathic standard of dilution potency. How the hell is this a homeopathic product? If it were, it should be almost uselessly ineffective.
But, here’s where it gets more interesting. Arnica products have been used traditionally as folk remedies for hundreds of years, and various clinical trials have shown that for some applications various species can be used as anti-inflammatory agents, such as the Arnica montana found in this cream. As such, when I apply this cream to a sore muscle I have, what I’m really doing is letting the pharmacological effects of the chemicals in the Arnica montana do their stuff, not healing my body through the “imprint of the Arnica on the water”. Plus, Arnica montana does not produce the symptoms that it is trying to treat, so the ‘Law of Similars’ that underlines all homeopathy does not apply in this case.
This cream is not homeopathic, no matter what the packaging is trying to say. I suspect it is a cheap trick to get a treatment that actually works branded as homeopathy so that the public will get to know the general modality by its successes, which are really the pharmacological effects of some real drugs, as compared to the magical mechanisms of real homeopathy. It’s amazing what some people will do try and get their alternative medicine sold.
So it's not even real homeopathy? Damn.
Unfortunately not. If it were real homeopathy it wouldn't cause severe gastroenteritis if ingested.
I think there is a common trend, where people don't actually know what homeopathy is, and they think homeopathy means any natural plant-based medicine.
It hence becomes harder and harder to explain to people that "real homeopathy" is nonsense, because plant-based-medicine is clearly plausible and can be effective.
And that's obviously what the manufacturers are taking advantage of.
Mmm, it's annoying, because you get people claiming that they experienced some positive benefit due to homeopathy they used, but when you actually look at the product it turns out to be something that isn't homeopathy and really does have a physiological effect. And it all just bolsters homeopathy's undeserving credibility.
It is also common that you get a few percent of a stronger drug, so the math illiterate don't think this is much different. You might get as low as half a percent with some topical drugs that actually work. [...runs off to medicine cabinet] My hydrocortisone is a whopping 1 percent.
Your point is well taken, that even that is a lot compared to common homeopathic drugs that are diluted orders of magnitude beyond reasonable amounts. You can hardly call the active ingredient of these "drugs" to be more than the level of drugs that are common in most municipal drinking water! Yes! Because so many people take so many drugs, not even the water treatment plants can keep trace amounts of drugs out of the rivers and the water supply. Tapwater is MUCH more likely to have "some drug" in it that will help you more than something containing, maybe a molecule of the stuff.
Homeopathy is pure something… pure hokum!
Yeah, this happens all the time. Lotions and treatments often tout exotic botanicals, when in fact, there is only one active very un-exotic ingredient. Sometimes it could something as mundane as mineral oil or even alcohol. But the packaging with talk about aloe, acai berries, green tea, silk extract, etc.
All that homoeopathic filler is biologically-inactive filler. In fact, at extreme homeopathic dilutions, they wouldn't even be fillers since no molecules of substance will exist anymore. Homeopaths, of course, will claim that the property is in the water's "memory."
'Allopathy' (Samuel Hanehmann's term) produces the opposite response to the person's symptoms. For example, loose motions are treated with anti-diarrhoeal drugs, allergies with anti-histamines, or viral infections with anti-biotics (for secondary bacterial infetions) or with Anti-Retro-Virals (ARVs). This approach aims at supplying the body with what it is lacking, hence, it "fills a gap", which is needed or even vital in many emergency situations, but it tends to "suppress" the symptoms, while the actual situation is still there (for instance, painkillers for arthritis) and further the body is prevented from producing its own 'auto-corrective response', and hence its immune system is suppressed. There is life-long dependency of the body chemistry on the supplied drugs. But homeopathy heals at the root, it takes down carefully all the symptoms and with the drug eliminates the cause of the ailment and thereby its symptoms.The 'potentised' drug gains a dynamic curative energy, it is able to heal the disease. The effects of the 'provings' of the drugs are recorded in the Homeopathic Materia Medica. It is a boon for health care.
I'm unsure at to whether or not this is an automated/spam comment from a bot, as it does not address any points in the post or in the comment it replied to. So, I'll give the author the chance to respond. If they don't, this comment will be deleted, as it doesn't serve any purpose in the discussion.
I'm really sorry but your description makes next to no sense. First you start off taking a pot shot at the cream for being homeopathic, then diverge into this rant about concentrations in which you disprove your own point by saying that the concentration is actually quite high, and then conclude with saying that the product was, in the end, a viable treatment and not the homeopathic rubbish you first claimed. What is the point of this article?
Wrong. He does not "disprove" himself. His point is that the homeopathic portion is INACTIVE. The ACTIVE ingredient, Arnica montana, is 1X — which is not a homeopathic dilution. Read the 3rd paragraph carefully: "The oddity comes from the fact that it claims to be homeopathic, yet has an active ingredient with a 1X dilution."
Now read the second to last paragraph carefully: "Arnica products have been used traditionally as folk remedies for hundreds of years, and various clinical trials have shown that for some applications various species can be used as anti-inflammatory agents." So yes, it works — but only because it's used in full concentration and not after homeopathic dilutions.
In other words, the concentration is only "actually quite high" in the NON-HOMEOPATHIC ingredient. So yes, it works — but not because of homeopathy. You can remove all the homeopathic ingredients, which are inactive, and the cream would work just as well because of the 1x Arnica montana.
Does it make sense now? Try reading more carefully next time.
No you are missing my point entirely…. the product does not even claim to be homeopathic so the whole dicussion is moot. The label clearly says 'NATURAL MEDICINE', which in my view at least can not automatically be taken to be a claim of homeopathy. Nowhere does NaoTio actually give any evidence that the cream is claiming to be homeopathic, except that it has an ingredient which he SAYS is homeopathic but at the concentration specified probably actually has some benefit. The only reason that he even posted it is so that he could voice his beliefs on homeopathy – which I happen to agree with – but attacking a product which actually works is not very produtive.
Does it make sense now? Try reading more carefully next time.
Basically the only reason you responded to my comment is that you took me to be some idiotic homeopathy nut who was defending my stupid beliefs. I would like to take this opportunity to reinforce that this is not the case.
Sorry if I didn't make it clear, Bob. I value your comments, and glad you took the time to voice your opinion.
I did mention that fact that it is a claimed to be a homeopathic medicine in the article, but you're right, there's no way of verifying it from the photo. Unfortunately, as a mistake on my part, I took a photo of the Arnica cream tube that leaves out the very top of the tube, where it says "Homeopathic Product". You can faintly see it on the bottom of the product photo on this page (http://www.brauer.com.au/product_results.asp?getT... and more clearly on this one, even though it's a slightly different product (http://www.brauer.com.au/product_results.asp?getP...
Clearly, this cream is being marketed as a homeopathic product (which makes sense given that it says "1X" on the back, and the X-scale is used when talking about homeopathic dilutions). My problem with it is the fact that it is decidedly NOT a homeopathic product, and may even work. While this may sound stupid at first, remember that if this product works, it gives legitimacy to other homeopathic products, like 200C duck's liver (ie. Oscillococcinum) used to "treat" the flu. It's the credit it gives the "real" homeopathy that I'm concerned about.
Plus, I think I have reason to be annoyed, or at least slightly amused, at a homeopathic product that has an active ingredient, when the principles of homeopathy are basically counter to having any active ingredient at all. But that's just my take.
Yeah, wow, it must be absurdly weak to be a 1X dissolution. I mean, that's only 1 part ingredient to 10 parts water! If you want to make it stronger, you need way, way more water than that.
If it's not supposed to be homeopathic what could the 1X possibly be intended to mean?
The X scale was a Hering invention (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constantine_Hering). Strangely, Hanhemann only came up with the C scale. Weird.
Actually, no, Samusa didn't miss your point. Read your own post, which Samusa quoted in part. You said that NaoTiotami made "next to no sense." Samusa explained why it made sense, using quotes, no less. Then you claimed that he "disprove"d himself and Samusa showed why there was no contradiction. I'd say that he got your point clearly and it was the same point I got. If you claim that your point was missed, then you should have clarified it in your original post.
For example, you now claim that the product doesn't even claim to be homeopathic. Where exactly was that point made in your original post? In fact, none of the points you made in your second post were stated NOR IMPLIED in your original post. So if we missed those points "entirely," it's because you didn't make them.
agree completely with Samusa that your original post missed NaonTiotami's most salient point: that the active ingredient has nothing to do with homeopathy.
As for your claim that the product doesn't even claim to be homeopathic, why would they specify "1x" in ingredients if it wasn't? Do you know of another medical modality that does that? What "proof" do you want NaoTiotami to provide rather than his words? I'm a longtime subscriber to Consumer Reports, America's leading consumer advocacy magazine. Naontiotami's post is in line with their articles. They rarely show photos of labels close up, and merely state their point the article.
Finally, you assumed that readers take you to be some "homeopathy nut." That wasn't my case nor did it seem to be the case with Samusa. I object to your original post based on your own words and the hyperbolic arrogant tone, not because I assumed you to be a homeopath.
Fair enough. Sorry about that.
Hi Bob, since the issue appears to be resolved I don't want to beat the point to death. i do want to point out, however, that the cream does claim to be homoeopathic. Brauer's website states, ""Brauer Natural Medicines are based on Homeopathic remedies, which work with your body to deal with the cause of the problem so that we no longer need to have symptoms." In fact, its site is filled with info on homeopathy." Furthermore, I emailed Brauer and one of the reps, Robert, stated that the Arnica cream is indeed "a homeopathic product."
And no, I did not take you to be a homeopathic nut. Merely someone who may have misunderstood Jac
NaoTiotami, we've been a fan of your YouTube videos for a long time and missed you during your absence. Just wanted you to know that both my boyfriend and I (and his sister) think your sexy as hell. The blond hair and puppy eyes put you over the top! More importantly, you're intelligent which makes you even sexier. We also love the Aussie voice. Please consider doing a video in your bicycle shorts!
Also consider doing a personal video describing your life, i.e do you have a girlfriend or boyfriend? Would you consider dating a creationist? What do you plan to study in college? Would you consider moving to another country? Tell us about your family (did they influence your skepticism?).
btw, my boyfriend says you remind him of Terence Tao, his other Aussie crush and a 2007 finalist for Australian of the Year. Tao attended college at 14, and finished his bachelors and Masters by 17, and PhD by 20. Amazing guy. Sexy guy.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terence_Tao
Thank you so much for the praise! I'm sorry if I'm having a little trouble believing it, as I know that some of my friends at my school like to sometimes "prank comment" on this blog, posting comments not dissimilar to this one. But if this is legitimate, thanks again.
I might do a video like the one you request, but I'm not sure if people would want to hear about that stuff. Well, we'll see.
Oh, and don't compare me to Terence Tao, that guy is way smarter than me. ;p
Cheers,
Jack
*Jack's Mother On Twitter IS MOST ANNOYED!!!*
I'm sure she is, Kylie. But why hasn't she said anything to me directly?
*ahems, goes and PMs Dr Rachie*
Move along, nothing to see here. *glares suspiciously again at UA…*
I think the problem is the confusion of the term "naturopathic" and "homeopathic". As far as I can figure out, homeopathy is a bunch of crap (why spend a lot of money to purchase something that's so dilute it's just water, or milk sugar (ie. lactose)?). On the other hand, naturopathy is using 'natural' substances. Let's all remember that opium, marijhauna (I know, I can't spell!), digoxin, tobacco, aspirin, etc… are all 'natural' products. Natural products can be very strong indeed! People get lulled into the comforting thought that, because something is 'natural', it's safe (I worked at a pharmacy for years – I know how ignorant people can be!). So, naturopathic products CAN work very well and heal you of whatever ails you. The problem is the confusion between the terms "homeopathic" and "naturopathic". (cont…)
(cont. from last post….) Obviously whomever has labelled this cream has mis-labelled it as a homeopathic medication, when it should be properly referred to as a naturopathic. Perhaps because of the dilution factor (1X) – they think they can refer to it as a homeopathic. Even pharmaceutical medications are diluted. You're not getting pure digoxin, or pure morphine when you get a tablet from the pharmacy. You're getting a pill that contains some active ingredient, and a lot of filler – like lactose, talc, etc.. A good reason not to crush up your morphine pills (or whatever) and inject them – the fillers can be nasty to your veins… But that's another topic! Michelle P. (B.Sc. Pharmacology, MLIS).
Blah, blah, blah.
All we, the public, want to know is whether Arnica Creme, regardless of the manufacturing company, works?
The rest is blah, blah, blah.