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Medicine Science

Homeopathic Remedies Recalled For Containing Real Medicine 173

ananyo (2519492) writes "The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has recalled homeopathic remedies made by a company called Terra-Medica because they may contain actual medicine — possibly penicillin or derivatives of the antibiotic." Diluted enough times with pure water, though, maybe these traces would be even more powerful.
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Homeopathic Remedies Recalled For Containing Real Medicine

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  • Sarcasm (Score:5, Insightful)

    by ZombieBraintrust ( 1685608 ) on Thursday March 27, 2014 @09:26AM (#46592043)
    I think many people are going to miss the sarcasm in the summary.
  • Re:Sarcasm (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Anonymous Coward on Thursday March 27, 2014 @09:37AM (#46592155)

    Except that the sarcasm gets it wrong. The idea of homeopathy (as its name indicates) is to cause the body to fight against the effects of the diluted substances. So diluted penicillin would make the body fight antibiotics rather than bacterial infections.

    If you believe in homeopathy, traces of antibiotics are a really bad idea to have in homeopathic medication. And if you don't believe in homeopathy, there is no point in buying the medication in the first place.

    So yes, it makes complete sense to withdraw the medication that is contaminated with penicilline. Depending on the dosage, it can actually be dangerous or counterproductive to people with penicilline allergies. But even if we are talking about homeopathic traces, you don't want them in there if homeopathy is supposed to make sense.

  • Re:Homeopothy ... (Score:5, Insightful)

    by MiniMike ( 234881 ) on Thursday March 27, 2014 @10:22AM (#46592485)

    And yet, for some strange reason, it doesn't remember the fact that it used to contain bovine fecal matter

    This condition is transferred to the homeopathic practitioner.

    I've met a few, and the transfer is very effective.

  • Re:Sarcasm (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Bill, Shooter of Bul ( 629286 ) on Thursday March 27, 2014 @10:36AM (#46592581) Journal

    Within the insane homeopathic industry, that's correct. However, penicillin isn't always a helpful ingredient to everyone. Some are deathly allergic. So for those people it would "help" according to people who lack any cognitive function measurable by modern science.

    Also relevant:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?... [youtube.com]

  • Re:Homeopothy ... (Score:4, Insightful)

    by cyborg_zx ( 893396 ) on Thursday March 27, 2014 @10:50AM (#46592725)

    How come the homeopathic practitioners don't just row out into the sea and throw their goose livers in there? They could cure all diseases overnight. They must be mean capitalists if they're not doing things like that.

    Where's the little glass bottles? Where's the shaking? Where's the successive titrations? You're not applying the true principles here, just a ludicrous caricature! That's why what you propse won't work. Not because it's a fundamentally incorrect Victorian era disease hypothesis.

  • Re:Sarcasm (Score:4, Insightful)

    by Bacon Bits ( 926911 ) on Thursday March 27, 2014 @12:43PM (#46593775)

    Should diluting a helpful ingredient be considered harmful then?

    "Helpful" is not necessarily true. It's possible to have a life-threatening allergy to penicillin.

    Additionally, all antibiotics intended for human medical use are legally available only with a prescription in the US.

  • Re:Sarcasm (Score:3, Insightful)

    by Anonymous Coward on Thursday March 27, 2014 @04:10PM (#46595745)

    Citation needed on your claim that smell is magic.

  • Re:Sarcasm (Score:4, Insightful)

    by Mr2cents ( 323101 ) on Thursday March 27, 2014 @05:51PM (#46597003)

    Of course! Quantum effects!

    Every quack claims "quantum effects" for justifying their quackery these days. Nothing new. Me is not impressed.

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