Protesting homeopathy

Homeopathy is a pseudoscience that claims to be able to cure illnesses. I don’t want to give it any undue credibility by calling it a form of medicine, because this often implies that it is backed by science, studies, peer review and FDA-proven efficacy.

Homeopathic remedies have been shown time and time again in double-blind scientific studies to be no more effective than the placebo effect. That is essentially what they are: placebos. These pills are then sold to the uninformed as real, effective medicine at exorbitant prices.

The University of Minnesota supports homeopathy in that it will refer students to its Center for Spirituality and Healing, which then in turn suggest homeopathic remedies to students, which while not directly harmful do not do what they claim.

Any positive effect is only because of the mental state of the individual taking the remedy, not a direct effect of the actual substance. Besides wasting their money, students who take homeopathic remedies may not seek out conventional medicine that they actually need.

Tomorrow, the Campus Atheists, Skeptics, and Humanists at the University and other campuses around the country will be participating in a protest of homeopathy. The protest at the University will focus on the University’s support of homeopathy and will take place at noon on Northrop Mall.