Waaaay offtopic

[cbbrowne-HInyCGIudOg at public.gmane.org]

> 
> > One person I'd never believe is a naturopathic "doctor". Naturopathy 
> > is based on a bogus belief that a tiny amount of something that causes 
> > the same symptoms as a disease will cure or prevent it.  The problem 
> > is, that the doses generally prescribed are physically impossible.  
> > For example a common dilution of the "medicine" is 10X or divided with 
> > water or alcohol 10:1, 10 times.  The problem with this amount of 
> > dilution, is that the number of molecules gets in the way.  In order 
> > to consume one molecule of the substance, you'd have to drink several 
> > thousand gallons of water.  They also have another dilution of 100C, 
> > which is 100:1 100 times, which is even more impossible.
> >
> > You might want to read "Voodoo Science" by Dr. Robert Park or "A Demon 
> > Haunted World", by Carl Sagan for further info.
> 
> I think the practice you are slagging is actually "homeopathy".
> Yes, microdoses sound downright improbable, but I have to say that I 
> have seen it used successfully countless times over the last 30 years.
> Just because we don't understand something doesn't always mean it's bogus.

"Countless" I am sure.

The _real_ effect may be that patients that drink a bunch of water do
better than those that are allowed to remain dehydrated.

What we know is that the reasons for efficacity claimed by homeopaths
are at odds with any notion of common sense, particularly at the high
dilution levels.  After a "100C"-like dilution, there are only a few
reasonable choices:

 - The water being added in contains some unidentified-by-practitioner
   medicative agent;

 - Dehydration is the symptom being treated;

 - They are engaging in some form of "faith healing" where the
   'medicine' is merely the substrate to strengthen the recipient's
   faith that something is happening to them.
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