The European Agriculture Committee wants to spend 2 million euros (approx 2.8 million dollars) to test homeopathy as a treatment for sick cows. Antibiotic resistance is a growing problem and the European Parliament called for a reduction in antibiotic use in livestock. Skeptics question whether homeopathy deserves consideration, especially at such a cost in difficult economic times.
Homeopathy (a.k.a. homeopathic medicine) is a spurious approach to medicine which some call quackery. (Yes, yes, in this case we could call it moo-ery.) The idea is to stimulate the body’s ability to heal itself by giving greatly diluted doses of a substance which causes illness in healthy people. Ultimately the patient is given what, in the eyes of science, is plain water or a sugar pill. Theoretically the “potenized” dilutions transmit some kind of “information” or energy from the substance to the body.
Treatments are individualized according to a variety of factors such as health history, emotional and mental states and body type. I don’t know how you go about figuring these things out in cows, except for body type. Is that why the study costs so much?
Brussels propose spending millions on homeopathy for cows
Richard Ashworth, Conservative MEP for the South East and spokesman on agriculture and rural affairs, labelled the scheme outrageous and an insult to taxpayers.
“Spending such a huge sum of public money on something so marginal and left-field would be bad at the best of times. “When we are in the middle of an economic crisis, when governments everywhere are taking severe austerity measures just to balance the books, to waste millions on highly questionable new-age remedies for cows and sheep is sheer madness,” he said.
The reason it costs so much is that governments have a sickness—spenditis—that requires large doses of money for any cow-jumped-over-the-moon idea that comes to mind.
UPDATE: In case you would like to know more about homeopathy:
Homeopathy: Cure or Con? Part 1 of 2
Homeopathy: Cure or Con? Part 2 of 2
After seeing the recent O’Reilly Factor video of Ann and Laura trashing Palin, I was very disappointed in both of them. My suspicion was conformed that these two are devout repubs no matter what. I knew Laura was part of the R-machine, but Ann confirmed that she is too. Too bad because I was a big fan of Ann, much less now…
Homeopathy seems to be based on the same bodily-response mechanism that makes vaccines so effective in many areas of immune-system research involving viral and other microbial threats. In a way, I wonder why homeopathic medicine hasn’t shown a whole lot of (publicized) success outside of the traditional vaccination applications. If it has I haven’t heard much about it.
I suspect even poisonous snake handlers who’ve been repeatedly bitten and have grown “immune” to the snake’s venom are showing an aspect of this homeopathic response.
Homeopathy calls for millions of dilutions. The final dose has nothing in it. The theory is the water has retained the memory of the substance originally introduced. It is not at all like a vaccine.
Well I’ll be darned, that doesn’t make much sense at all then. I thought the homeopathic rationale was akin to vaccinations as we know them, but it looks like it’s more in the realm of the take-it-on-faith metaphysical perspective. Thanks for the clarification Pat.
Perhaps they should also invest in bovine psychotherapy. MOO-D enhancement studies.