OK, this is UK-based at the moment, but you can still help a good cause! If you haven’t already, please consider signing the open letter to major UK brand Boots who admit that homeopathic remedies are garbage but choose to sell them anyway. Following info taken directly from my blog:
The 10:23 Campaign has finally begun and skeptics can now do their bit to help combat the joke that is homeopathy.
Homeopathic remedies either do nothing, or sometimes have non-specific effects. This is a demonstrable fact. But large pharmacy brands such as Boots (UK) happily stock homeopathic products, while admitting that they know they don’t work. Boots has admitted that they only stock homeopathy products because the “customers believe it works”.
The 10:23 Campaign has made Boots their first target, and you can get involved too. The first action of the campaign is to provide an open letter demanding Boots take the homeopathy products off their shelves. You can get involved and do your bit by signing this open letter which can be found by clicking here.
If you share this post, please add “10:23″ at the end. If you tweet it, please use “ten23″ as a hashtag. If you are curious what these numbers mean, take a look here.
It has gone pretty viral, and it’s is popping up all over Twitter and Facebook. I’ll be in Edinburgh campaigning it in person as well. Let’s hope it makes a difference.
I’m going to be performing a special homeopathy-themed magic performance this month to help promote the campaign. I’ll also be getting street footage of the homeopathy magic and will post some videos here.
I’m going to be performing a special homeopathy-themed magic performance this month to help promote the campaign.
I have once performed homeopathy-themed “magic” after I heard about it from Randi. While discussing homeopathy at a dinner party, I excused myself to leave to buy cigarettes, and came back with tree bottles of some homeopathic “medicine.” I then chugged them all down in front of my “nemesis” to demonstrate that they are really no side effects (and therefore no effects) to water. Strangely, I still didn’t win the argument.
I’m going to be performing a special homeopathy-themed magic performance this month to help promote the campaign.
I have once performed homeopathy-themed “magic” after I heard about it from Randi. While discussing homeopathy at a dinner party, I excused myself to leave to buy cigarettes, and came back with tree bottles of some homeopathic “medicine.” I then chugged them all down in front of my “nemesis” to demonstrate that they are really no side effects (and therefore no effects) to water. Strangely, I still didn’t win the argument.
Didn’t Billy Joel’s daughter get rushed to the hospital recently, after attempting suicide by downing homeopathic remedy? When I read that I laughed (which is sort of mean of me) because it’s not a very effective way of doing… anything at all. I suppose if you drank enough you could get water intoxication.
Another news report stated she swallowed a large amount of an HERBAL rememedy, which I believe might kill someone, depending on the plants involved and concentrations of course. But if it was truly homeopathic medicine, it would not have done anything except had a drink of water.
For her sake I hope the first news channel was correct, and it was a homeopathic suicide attempt which did not physically harm her, and prompted her to seek mental counseling. If the second news channel was correct, I hope she didn’t do much physical harm with the herbal pills, and again hope she gets the counseling she needs.
Yep, I believe Randi starts some of his talks by swallowing a whole bottle of homeopathic sleeping pills ... which, if effective, would probably kill him.
Yep, I believe Randi starts some of his talks by swallowing a whole bottle of homeopathic sleeping pills ... which, if effective, would probably kill him.
Yep, I believe Randi starts some of his talks by swallowing a whole bottle of homeopathic sleeping pills ... which, if effective, would probably kill him.
Oye.. we can only fantasise…
Dunno, scepticeye, I’m fantasizing that Randi never dies!
Yep, I believe Randi starts some of his talks by swallowing a whole bottle of homeopathic sleeping pills ... which, if effective, would probably kill him.
Oye.. we can only fantasise…
Dunno, scepticeye, I’m fantasizing that Randi never dies!
OK, this is UK-based at the moment, but you can still help a good cause! If you haven’t already, please consider signing the open letter to major UK brand Boots who admit that homeopathic remedies are garbage but choose to sell them anyway.
Aren’t Boots doing the right thing? They are honest about the fact they are selling rubbish but as people want rubbish, giving the option to buy it.
It reminds me of Reginald Perrin’s “Grot” shops, for anyone who hasn’t seen it, it’s brillaint comedy. Of course it’s not the same, as he was deliberately advertising the stuff as rubbish.
I have the same situation in the bicycle business. Most people want bad bikes. I don’t sell them, too much hassle but the big chains do and sell a lot more bikes as a result.
Boots are telling us skeptics that they are aware that homeopathy is nonsense. But in the stores, the customers are reading the labels on these products which lists ingredients that aren’t really in there. The other problem is a lot more serious that I think you understand. The big bike chains are making a lot of money from the crap bikes. And why shouldn’t they? They are a business and they aim to make good profits. Boots are a business too. I see what you are saying. However, you buy a bike for all sorts of different reasons. You only buy medicine for one reason. People don’t buy homeopathic remedies for fun. Customers only spend money on medicine if they (or a loved one, friend etc) are ill. When Boots sells homeopathic remedies to people, they are choosing sugar pills and pure water over real medicine. Homeopathy kills. There have plenty of stories of people taking homeopathic remedies instead of real medicine and dying.
This movement by trusted pharmacies also has negative effects on the public perception of science, skepticism and critical thinking. Scientists are saying the stuff doesn’t work. Boots says it does. “Trust Boots” is their slogan! People really think that if it did nothing, it wouldn’t be sold by such a big brand, and by so many others. Therefore the conclusion is that scientists don’t know what they are talking about. They are also moaning about homeopathy, and climate change, and evolution, but they must not know what they are talking about.
Honestly, I’ve heard this type of argument plenty of times.
I agree that a bad bike could of course be dangerous. But the really big stores, wanting to protect themselves, would make sure the bikes are safe enough… they just aren’t very good. They are cheaper to make and easier to sell. But the situation with homeopathy is completely different. Having a medical condition that requires some treatment, and using homeopathy to cure it (e.g. sugar pills), is like requiring a medicine and purchasing a bike instead.
