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Comment by jelliclesfarm | Hacker News Reader

So many things said here.

https://advocacy.sba.gov/2020/01/27/homeopathy-industry-thre...

[..] According to the National Institute of Health, more than 6 million people in the United States use homeopathy to treat specific health conditions, and over 200 million people use homeopathy on regular basis worldwide.[..]

So yes, millions of people. If you really want to have a proper discussion, I can participate. I don’t want this to be a random slinging match. Let’s use the time we spend here wisely.

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Millions of people are being placebo'd by literally nothing except water. Homeopathic remedies are water, nothing more. Supporters claim there is some kind of special "structure" that water remembers. A phenomenon with no plausible basis whatsoever. A phenomenon which cannot be studied, observed, or falsified, yet one which can coincidentally be controlled to perfection by companies who make lots of money on their special bottled water.

Homeopathy is exactly equivalent to magic, which also works on millions of people! Tarot cards, psychic readings, crystal energy, aura repair, etc. All of these things are very successful in making millions of people FEEL better every year. The placebo effect is legitimate and powerful.

Sometimes not even water - I saw lozenges marketed as homeopathic. Maybe the water remembers (it doesn't), but we're supposed to believe that it then passes that memory to the sugar crystals in a way that's pharmaceutically useful and conveniently manufacturable? What an astonishing happenstance!

> Supporters claim there is some kind of special "structure" that water remembers.

Indeed.

> A phenomenon with no plausible basis whatsoever.

I haven't tried this:

https://www.google.com/search?q=the+rice+experiment&sxsrf=&s...

I have no opinion about it either.

Millions of people pray, eat meat and smoke. Doesn’t make it right or wrong.

Provide proof of any claim made by homeopathy and not only will you win this argument, you’ll be a very rich person.

It’s foolish to argue with someone that isn’t going to act in good faith and has actively ignored reason and facts.

Unless you can show me peer reviewed, academically robust evidence that your claims are true, there is no point continuing this conversation.

Tens of millions or more pray to each of several clearly distinct and purportedly unique dirties - millions must be wrong about something despite earnest belief.

... deities. No disrespect intended.

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