Saturday, September 30, 2006

Steven R. Olsen - Lou finally believes me!

` Lou Ryan had said - in the past - that there was all kinds of scientific evidence of homeopathy, but the government was suppressing it.
` Well, today he was highly interested in my quotations from the James Randi interview below, and the videos of him exposing fraudsters below that, so on and so forth. So, at the last moment I read to him the part where James Randi was trying to convince the government (American and the E.U.) that homeopathy was fake, and was subsequently ignored!
` Lou said, "Well, there might be scientific evidence in his favor for all the other stuff he says isn't true, but why isn't there any for homeopathy?" I took that very golden opportunity to read to him the scientific study section of this post, (which had I put up last August!)
` He was very patient and listened to all of it. Then, to my great surprise, he said; "Okay, I'm convinced."
` I just kind of stared, like... 'Whaaaa?'
` He said; "I guess that's enough evidence for me to see that homeopathy apparently helps people with the placebo effect."
` I told him that this was what I had intended for him to read last August, but he apparently had only read the last (most optimistic) article.
` Well, then! I knew he was more reasonable than that!
` And then, he said; "So, do you want to stop going to the homeopath?"
` And I said; "Yes, please!"
` So, yesterday was my last visit, and screw Qr. Olsen!!!

5 comments:

Monado said...

Good for you--and Lou. It's wonderful to find friends who will change their minds based on evidence--and also admit it. I think that the other positive effect associated with homeopathic doctors has nothing to do with medicine: they listen to lonely, frightened people pour out their troubles and offer comfort. Said people leave feeling better and more hopeful, less stressed. Maybe their immune system perks up. Doctors, who in Canada are scheduled for 10 minutes per patient, can no longer spare the time for this ancient function of theirs, offering comfort and telling patients what to expect from their condition.

My father is in the hospital. I've discovered that hospital staff avoid the term "cancer"--instead it's "C.A."

We're having lots of rain here this month. Perhaps Sleet-homish has pushed Rain-homish east?

Spoony Quine said...

` He agrees with that as well. He says that the placebo effect may not explain it all, though such psychotherapy and similar things may be a very significant factor.

The Leonard Files said...

My friends dad has recently been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, its never been in his family and he doesn't drink or smoke or have any physical bad habits. He has however suffered huge amounts of stress over the last few years with work, bankruptcy etc.

Maybe stress is linked with many more disorders than we think and homeopathic doctors can give some patients the confidence and attention they need. From a purely scientific point of view though - surely only the epidemiology studies on the patients who believe could prove it worthy, as the pure biochemical evidence would say its not??

Nice post, I am also a scientist - but I admit, I haven't read much on this subject.

Spoony Quine said...

` Indeed. Feeling helpless tends to make people sick, and feeling as if you have control over something can keep you healthy, or improve your health. Sometimes, people who lose a spouse and are not in the best of health to begin with, lose hope and their condition worsens, and sometimes they even die when they could have lived longer.

Anonymous said...

Victory!!! Belated congratulations!!!