Yup, I'm getting quite tired of these bad repetitive arguments from "Dr Nancy Malik". The web is littered with her stupid posts. Just
google her name and see for yourself. I've been quite patient up to this point, but I don't see the discussion getting anywhere. And it's not even related to SA at all. So until you have some groundbreaking new evidence or arguments, Nancy, I will move your posts to somewhere more appropriate.
The newscientist.com link she posted is not even related to her argument. It's about the dangers of illegal fake medication. She is either not able to grasp the difference or she didn't bother to read her own link. For reference, the JAMA paper she mentioned can be read here:
http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/full/279/15/1200?ijkey=F8guE.zA8WYTs and the wikipedia article has the full story on the withdrawn medication
Vioxx It's simple. Modern medicine is a complex field and because it affects the body in substantial ways, it can be dangerous if not completely understood. If used properly, the benefit far outweighs the negative though, and that is why people still use it.
Homeopathy on the other hand (I'm talking about properly diluted homeopathic preparations), is nothing but sugar pills and water. It is therefore no surprise that it can't adversely affect people. That is not disputed. But it won't cure any serious illness either. Yet homeopaths prescribe these preparations to patients with serious illnesses.
To answer the topic's question: "Why do some patients prefer homeopathy over real medicine?" Because they don't know any better. And on the surface homeopaths present themselves as real doctors, so theres little reason to doubt their claims.
In it's over 200 year history, there has been no significant progress, no repeatable studies to show that it works and no proper theory as to how it is supposed to work. The only people still clinging on are people like Nancy Malik that obviously have little understanding of the basics of chemistry and it's effect on the human body.
