Casey: Part II: Homeopathy: Treatment by wishful thinking

Sales of homeopathic products have grown dramatically in recent years. However, few consumers likely understand exactly what they’re buying.

Zicam Intense Sinus Relief and Zicam Allergy Relief are sold side by side in most pharmacies. Both products claim to treat nasal congestion, both are similarly packaged and both sell for between $11 and $12.

Zicam Intense Sinus Relief contains oxymetazoline, a popular and effective decongestant available in generic form for less than $5. However, Zicam Allergy Relief is a homeopathic remedy, which by definition means that it probably contains no active ingredients at all.

Homeopathy was invented by a German physician in the 18th century, when bloodletting was standard medical practice and the germ theory of disease was a fantasy. It is based on the belief that the ingestion of very small quantities of substances known to produce symptoms similar to a particular disease somehow cures that disease.

The application of this “law of similars” supposedly balances the body’s “vital force” to effect a cure. A basic tenet of homeopathy is the counter-intuitive premise that a substance’s curative powers increase as it becomes more dilute.

Homeopathic treatments are prepared by diluting one part of a substance into ten or 100 parts of water. After the dilution is shaken vigorously, one part of the diluted mixture is again diluted and the process is repeated.

Roman numerals indicate the number of dilutions for various homeopathic remedies. For example, 1X is a single 1/10th dilution while a 6X preparation is a 1/10th dilution repeated six times, producing the equivalent of one part of the original substance per million. A 12C dilution is a 1/100th solution diluted 12 times; according to the laws of physics, not even a single molecule of the original substance would remain at this level of dilution.

Oscillococcinum, also known as Oscillo, is marketed as the top selling “natural” flu product in the U.S. To manufacture Oscillo, bits of a duck’s heart and liver are mixed with its pancreatic juice and left in a bottle for 40 days until it liquefies. The putrid concoction is absurdly diluted to 200C, meaning that there is one part of duck goo diluted into a number followed by 400 zeroes. By comparison, the number of atoms estimated to be in the known universe is a one followed by 80 zeroes.

Not a single atom of the original substance remains in the final product — which in this case is probably a good thing. While it remains unclear why duck innards would relieve flu symptoms, Oscillo’s manufacturer can produce an entire year’s stock with a single duck.

At CVS.com, a package of three Oscillo pills sells for $7.99, the equivalent of $1,065 per pound.

Proponents of homeopathy acknowledge the lack of active ingredients, but claim that water has a unique “memory” that captures a substance’s “essence” and provides a “healing charge.” According to holisticonline.com, “homeopathic remedies are believed to work in the spiritual plane.”

Several debunkers have attempted “homeopathic suicide” by downing dozens of homeopathic sleeping pills. None overdosed — most didn’t even yawn. In 2005, the Lancet, a prestigious British medical journal, conducted an analysis of several studies and found that homeopathic treatments were no more effective than a placebo.

Not surprisingly, the U.S. National Institutes of Health has found that “systematic reviews have not found homeopathy to be a definitively proven treatment for any medical condition.” Regardless, homeopathic products annually generate hundreds of millions of dollars from consumers who are likely unaware that they are buying inert filler and distilled water.

The FDA is hamstrung by a 1938 statute passed by a practicing homeopathic senator that mandates the recognition of all existing treatments listed in the Homeopathic Pharmacopeia. Today, the FDA does not test for efficacy and is largley limited to enforcing labeling requirements.

Manufacturers of homeopathic treatments regularly boast that their products are completely safe: they can be taken without fear of side effects, drowsiness or dangerous interactions with other drugs. Just like water.

But safe doesn’t mean harmless. Consumers are spending millions of dollars on unproven products expecting them to work. There have been reports that parents are skipping standard childhood vaccinations in favor of homeopathic concoctions. Authorities in the UK had to warn travelers not to use homeopathic remedies instead of proven malaria medication before traveling abroad.

Our health care system fosters frustration due to its expense and lack of access, but that doesn’t mean we should jump at any alternative within reach that promises results. We should be free to use any treatment at our disposal if it is proven to be safe and effective. Thus far, homeopathy appears most effective at separating unsuspecting consumers from their money.

Matthew Casey is a Medford, Mass., resident.