Ben GoldacreHomeopathy pills are, after all, empty little sugar pills which seem to work, and so they embody [..] how we can be misled into thinking that any intervention is more effective than it really is.
About This Quote
People who take homeopathic pills (which are essentially sugar pills), report feeling better after taking the pill. The reason why they feel better is because homeopathy is completely ineffective. It is nothing but a placebo. People do not feel better after taking homeopathic pills because the pills contain any active ingredients.
The pills are simply placebos, which make people think they are getting relief. The key part of this quote is “seem to work.” The term “homeopathy” was coined by a man named Samuel Hahnemann in the late 1700s, and it means “like cures like,” or “like cures disease.” In other words, if a sick person takes a small dose of a substance that causes a similar disease in healthy people, many people will get better from taking that substance. This theory also explains why some people get better from taking chemotherapy even though it kills half of all patients who use it.
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More Quotes By Ben Goldacre
- You cannot reason people out of a position that they did not reason themselves into.
- You are a placebo responder. Your body plays tricks on your mind. You cannot be trusted.
- And if, by the end [of this book], you reckon you might still disagree with me, then I offer you this: you'll still be wrong, but you'll be wrong with a lot more panache and flair than you could possibly manage right now.
- I think you'll find it's a bit more complicated than that.
- Homeopathy pills are, after all, empty little sugar pills which seem to work, and so they embody [..] how we can be misled into thinking that any intervention is more effective than it really is.