See, now we’re even, we’ve both said a thing.

We could leave it there, but ideally the next step would be to start bringing some evidence that what we’re saying actually means anything or should be taken seriously at all by anyone. You got any of that? No?

what about the test of your claim that I proposed on Think Humanism? You said you would return to take part, but we’ve not seen you for months. Instead of posting your nonsensical statements, why don’t you follow through on the test?

Let’s see what this bloger says…
“To suggest that molecules of dihydrogen monoxide can maintain some sort of internal arrangement, which “remembers” the chemical properties of stuff that’s been diluted out of it, is to laugh in the face of every law of physics we understand. And if you do that, the laws of physics will laugh back, louder, and harder, and then punch you in the neck, because they’re bigger than you, and they’ve been around a lot longer than you have, and you’re an idiot.”

Wow, those “laws” of physics are not only going to laugh, they are going to “punch in the neck” anyone who dares espouse the possibility that Homeopathy has a scientific basis. Wow!!! Only (one envisions a wise 1930’s Charlie Chan appearing), CONTRADICTION PLEASE. Angry anti-Homeopathy fanatic spend much time on tirade, even mention Benveniste fiasco but not bother look for confirming research. Thanks Charlie. Because if our Rubik blogger here had bothered to look up the research of pharmaceutical researcher M. Ennis, he would have encountered, pretty quickly, her paper in Inflammation Research, vol 53, p181 in which she demonstrates a high dilution solution in which all the molecules of a stimulant have been diluted away which was still able to cause a biological effect, as though the molecules of the stimulant were still there.

Now this is not a proof of Homeopathy, but it sure is indicative of the necessity for more research. She said so herself and admitted there was no known explanation. The experiment has been repeated by others, with the same results. And, the delightful part is that Ennis is a Homeopathy skeptic and had designed the experiment, modeled after that of a French researcher, to put to rest once and for all the “water memory” theory. Ooops.

In addition to Ennis, there is Dr. Rustum Roy, a really wild scientist but, hey, well credentialed and the author of an internationally famous textbook on Crystalline Chemistry. He’s a professor emeritus of material science and this guy knows his stuff. He states no opinion on that Homeopathy works or not but does say unequivocally that those who claim it’s “just water” are wrong. Roy says that it is structure, not just molecular composition that determines the properties of a substance and he’s right. Diamond and graphite – one very hard the other soft, but, hey, it’s just Carbon. No laws of physics being violated at all there, huh?

But the typical bloggers such as this one, still hypnotized by their 1930’s ball and stick models of molecules and preconceived notions of what is an what is not within the realm of valid physics, in addition manage to overlook the huge body of clinical research, case studies and perfectly sound MD’s descriptions of their utilization of Homeopathy in their practices – this is the real evidence behind standard medicine as well as Homeopathic, and most certainly not laboratory science, important though that may be.

Seen any double blinded randomized placebo controlled studies done for heart surgeries, chemotherapy or gall bladder surgeries lately? Of course not, and it would be unethical to do them. So what is the “evidence” base of standard medicine? It is exactly the same kind of information as constitutes the evidence base of Homeopathy as mentioned above.

None of this proves the validity of Homeopathy – that is the task of the researchers. But it does indicate the lopsided, anti-scientific innuendo used against it, which poses a genuine threat to real scientists and researchers because it pays lip service to scientific research while undermining it with innuendo, ridicule, misrepresentations and omissions – a very irrational sort of politicization or attempt to make Homeopathy politically incorrect while denying, in advance, that any scientific basis might be possible. Such an attitude, now being applied selectively, might be used to shut down all scientific research and therein lies the danger of this particular subversion.

Coincidentally, Skepticat blogged about homeopathy and Helios (a purveyor of homeopathic potions yesterday): Homeopathy is still crap http://skepticat.wordpress.com/2009/07/19/homeopathy-2/