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Thread: France: Reimbursing for Homeopathy to be Abolished

  1. #1

    Default France: Reimbursing for Homeopathy to be Abolished

    The French government has determined to gradually decrease into extinction the public funds dedicated to homeopathy. Essentially, by 2021 (according to the most optimist predictions), homeopathic treatment and medicine will not be covered by the state welfare system. The decision was taken, following the conclusions of the High Health Authority, which judged the alternative practice of homeopathy as completely ineffectual. Their observation are hardly controversial, since every test and experiment has shown homeopathy to be as beneficial to our health as the most rudimentary placebo. Unlike sugar pills, however, camel hair and platypus liver costs significantly higher and also promise miraculously quick and easy cures.

    Unfortunately, however, the government initiative is definitely going to cause an uproar, as alternative medicine with its various manifestation is extremely popular (an absolute majority views it positively), in a hypochondriac nation which generally justifies the stereotypes of Molière's Imaginary Invalid. Especially many radical environmentalists will take advantage of that measure, because their narrative, based on a reasonable suspicion towards the shady practices of the pharmaceutical industry, is basically the epitome of the appeal to nature fallacy.



    Personally, I'm no fan of Emmanuel Macron, but, in this case, I think that the proposed legislation should be praised, regardless of someone's political affiliation or orientation. Homeopathy is pretty much as valid as witchcraft, so, nowadays, where the pheonomenon of quackery grows in importance and actually manages to threaten public health (check the anti-vaccination movement, for instance), the crucial role of the fight against pseudo-science should not be neglected. After all, whoever insists on the contribution of homeopathy is free to opt for private insurance (guaranteed to cover the void, should the new law be implemented), without harming the state's treasury.

  2. #2

    Default Re: France: Reimbursing for Homeopathy to be Abolished

    Good riddance. I'm sure the French greens will be happy about this. They voted for Macron anyway.

  3. #3

    Default Re: France: Reimbursing for Homeopathy to be Abolished

    Drugs are killing us, man. We need to go all-natural in our health care. When Le Pen becomes president, she's taking French health care back to holistics - drilling holes. It's an ancient form of medicine. If you had a headache, people would run over to you and start drilling a hole in your head. If you had a heartburn, they'd drill a hole in your heart. If you practiced witchcraft, they'd drown you or burn you just to check. It worked for centuries.
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  4. #4
    alhoon's Avatar Comes Rei Militaris
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    Default Re: France: Reimbursing for Homeopathy to be Abolished

    To be fair Prodrome, I wouldn't complain about headaches if the cure would be drilling holes in my head without anesthesia or antibiotics.
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  5. #5

    Default Re: France: Reimbursing for Homeopathy to be Abolished

    I got a home remedy for that. You'll need a few ordinary household items (you can find them under the sink). Mix together, drink, problem solved. No bureaucracy.
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  6. #6
    HannibalExMachina's Avatar Just a sausage
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    Default Re: France: Reimbursing for Homeopathy to be Abolished

    ive nothing against homeopathy as long as it doesnt do harm, but treating it as equilvalent to actual medicine should be a crime for practioners, always. and oc, no waste of public money, so good call.

  7. #7
    conon394's Avatar hoi polloi
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    Default Re: France: Reimbursing for Homeopathy to be Abolished

    Seems like a good move. Even some of the best alternative stuff like willow bark tea when they are rigorously studied are generally only facing a placebo. In any case I thought you could buy supplemental insurance in France so get homeopathic policy.
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  8. #8

    Default Re: France: Reimbursing for Homeopathy to be Abolished

    Quote Originally Posted by Prodromos View Post
    Drugs are killing us, man. We need to go all-natural in our health care. When Le Pen becomes president, she's taking French health care back to holistics - drilling holes. It's an ancient form of medicine. If you had a headache, people would run over to you and start drilling a hole in your head. If you had a heartburn, they'd drill a hole in your heart. If you practiced witchcraft, they'd drown you or burn you just to check. It worked for centuries.
    On the downside you might die, on the upside dying ends all symptoms


  9. #9
    Miles
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    Default Re: France: Reimbursing for Homeopathy to be Abolished

    Good for them, as long as it decreases the risk of an epidemic happening and getting worse.
    Quote Originally Posted by alhoon View Post
    To be fair Prodrome, I wouldn't complain about headaches if the cure would be drilling holes in my head without anesthesia or antibiotics.
    Well there are some who seriously believe that a type of bleach can act as a panacea.

  10. #10

    Default Re: France: Reimbursing for Homeopathy to be Abolished

    Seems like a good idea to me--public funds shouldn't be wasted on quackery.

  11. #11

    Default Re: France: Reimbursing for Homeopathy to be Abolished

    The mudpit converging on a consensus, a day to rejoice indeed.


  12. #12
    Daruwind's Avatar Citizen
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    Default Re: France: Reimbursing for Homeopathy to be Abolished

    I don´t know guys. Well I will tell you my story. I´m nuclear physicist..so I know homeopathy is not working. It is just water and sugar. But strangely for my alergy it is the best working cure, i tried dozens of things, truest me. It is not working for anything else, but alergy. So it is probably psychosomatic...placebo effect. But it is working. Of course I would not try to cure anything serious in such way. But let me ask different question. Majority of pills are pretty darn chemicals, might have serious side effects especially for older people especially if you take multiple medicaments.. My mother is owning apothecary and has high school for it so I know thing or two. Anyway, if we have cure that is helping maybe 10-15% pacients and has basically no side effects. Is it bad? Because normal pills or any medicaments also are not 100% working on everyone,everything.

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  13. #13

    Default Re: France: Reimbursing for Homeopathy to be Abolished

    I believe you, man. You don't need drugs for most things and hardly for anything. It's like my homeopathic doctor always tells me, "diabetes is a lie." And he's in great shape, 'cause he hops around on one leg a lot.
    Last edited by Prodromos; July 10, 2019 at 04:10 PM.
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    conon394's Avatar hoi polloi
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    Default Re: France: Reimbursing for Homeopathy to be Abolished

    Quote Originally Posted by Daruwind View Post
    I don´t know guys. Well I will tell you my story. I´m nuclear physicist..so I know homeopathy is not working. It is just water and sugar. But strangely for my alergy it is the best working cure, i tried dozens of things, truest me. It is not working for anything else, but alergy. So it is probably psychosomatic...placebo effect. But it is working. Of course I would not try to cure anything serious in such way. But let me ask different question. Majority of pills are pretty darn chemicals, might have serious side effects especially for older people especially if you take multiple medicaments.. My mother is owning apothecary and has high school for it so I know thing or two. Anyway, if we have cure that is helping maybe 10-15% pacients and has basically no side effects. Is it bad? Because normal pills or any medicaments also are not 100% working on everyone,everything.

    Yes well the issue is I think if the remedies can pass a real trial of efficacy that beats a generic placebo and somebody is looking to the potential side effects then they are fine but by in large at least in the US there no such testing.

    might have serious side effects
    True but the rigorous testing of the drugs and follow up reporting provides an ideal of what those problems might be. Take myself 6 weeks hiking in Africa with my with check in points and a hire guide. The french hikers we ran into only got quinine as a malaria prophylactic. My wife and I got Mafloquine. Difference is if you are in a small fraction of people your adverse reaction is LDS like night terrors and hallucinations. That would be me but wife had read the whole warning label before we left so when she noticed me not sleeping all night and or screaming in terror she make the correct call dump the pills and worry about malaria later. Some concoction of Chinese remedy does not have the fine print so can pin a side effect on it.
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    Genava's Avatar Senator
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    Default Re: France: Reimbursing for Homeopathy to be Abolished

    Quote Originally Posted by Daruwind View Post
    I don´t know guys. Well I will tell you my story. I´m nuclear physicist..so I know homeopathy is not working. It is just water and sugar. But strangely for my alergy it is the best working cure, i tried dozens of things, truest me. It is not working for anything else, but alergy. So it is probably psychosomatic...placebo effect. But it is working. Of course I would not try to cure anything serious in such way. But let me ask different question. Majority of pills are pretty darn chemicals, might have serious side effects especially for older people especially if you take multiple medicaments.. My mother is owning apothecary and has high school for it so I know thing or two. Anyway, if we have cure that is helping maybe 10-15% pacients and has basically no side effects. Is it bad? Because normal pills or any medicaments also are not 100% working on everyone,everything.

    You have a clearly balanced and pragmatic view. Indeed, homeopathy is harmless and the placebo effect can be really strong. The only problem with homeopathy is the anti-big-pharma message that often comes with its promotion. A video did an interesting overview of the issue:
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  16. #16
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    Default Re: France: Reimbursing for Homeopathy to be Abolished

    Homeopathists need to undertake one trial and then I will believe their crap. Get bitten by a rabid dog, contract rabies, and then cure it with homeopathy. "Big Pharma/the Medical establishment/ZOG" have their cure and it mostly works, not sure anyone believes in Homeopathic quackery to die in agony for it.

    Quote Originally Posted by Daruwind View Post
    I don´t know guys. Well I will tell you my story. I´m nuclear physicist..so I know homeopathy is not working. It is just water and sugar. But strangely for my alergy it is the best working cure, i tried dozens of things, truest me. It is not working for anything else, but alergy. So it is probably psychosomatic...placebo effect. But it is working. Of course I would not try to cure anything serious in such way. But let me ask different question. Majority of pills are pretty darn chemicals, might have serious side effects especially for older people especially if you take multiple medicaments.. My mother is owning apothecary and has high school for it so I know thing or two. Anyway, if we have cure that is helping maybe 10-15% pacients and has basically no side effects. Is it bad? Because normal pills or any medicaments also are not 100% working on everyone,everything.

    The theory is quackery, and attempting to make a "science" out of them will kill people. real scientific and medical cures have enough of a failure rate already, we don't need ooga booga magicians killing people too.

    If there are elements of the praxis that are efficacious let them be repeated and tested to identify what works, according to the scientific method.

    Anecdotal evidence is worth investigating, but you don't know if you have had your symptoms ameliorated by her "magic" or by a friendly fungus spore growing in your mother's toilet or just the placebo effect. I mean if magic is real then maybe it was Satan, coz he has plans for you.

    "Ooga-booga like cures like haha sympathetic magic ftw!" is a dumb answer to the question "why did my rash go away?" Its a stupid answer to any question. Just saying "well it didn't kill me" is no reason to accept "magic is real".
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  17. #17
    Morticia Iunia Bruti's Avatar Praeses
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    Default Re: France: Reimbursing for Homeopathy to be Abolished

    I don't believe in homeopathy. In fact i think, it devaluates real natural medicine like Hildegard of Bingen's herbal medicine, which she gained by experience, as esoteric mentalist show.

    So i have no objections against Macrons medical reform.
    Last edited by Morticia Iunia Bruti; July 10, 2019 at 05:36 PM.
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  18. #18

    Default Re: France: Reimbursing for Homeopathy to be Abolished

    The one thing that interests me the most about this doesn't seem to have come up yet, but I think it's the most important question (at least for the less privileged among us) - if health insurance companies stop refunding quackery, will their rates get cheaper? I'd be very relieved if my monthly "contributions" went down as an effect, even if it's just a few €.

  19. #19
    Mithradates's Avatar Domesticus
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    Default Re: France: Reimbursing for Homeopathy to be Abolished

    Quote Originally Posted by Daruwind View Post
    I know homeopathy is not working. It is just water and sugar. But strangely for my alergy it is the best working cure
    No, you dont "know", or else you wouldnt believe in it and the placebo wouldnt work.
    Its the same as "I know Santa isnt real... but strangely he brings me gifts!"
    You know that other people say that Santa/homeopathy isnt real, yet you still believe in it.

  20. #20

    Default Re: France: Reimbursing for Homeopathy to be Abolished

    Quote Originally Posted by Genava View Post
    Indeed, homeopathy is harmless. The only problem with homeopathy is the anti-big-pharma message that often comes with its promotion. A video did an interesting overview of the issue:
    Homeopathy can have detrimental repercussions, depending on the ingredients of the prescription, the patient's health and the dosage of the "medecine". You are correct that in the majority of cases, homeopathic treatment is not poisonous, but the most serious issue is that homeopathy, like any other form of quackery, is often viewed as an alternative and not as a supplementary to scentific treatment. As a result, many patient's often ignore their doctor's advice and therefore allow a certain disease to undermine their quality of life unopposed, without the placebo effect being able to solve the issue. This is why I believe that the state, usually perceived as a prestigious and reliable authority, openly attacking the legitimacy of homeopathy could lead to very positive consequences.

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