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Homeopathy - Are Placebos Effective in Children and Animals?
The placebo effect
Placebo, in the narrow sense of the term, is a dummy treatment that contains no active ingredients but nevertheless triggers a reaction and initiates a healing process. These reactions are detectable in controlled measuring methods.
Are homeopathic pills for children a placebo or a magical ritual? (Mediteraneo / fotolia.com) Self-suggestion works
Brain research shows that the belief in a cure has a direct effect on the neurotransmitters and hormones, for example, on the body's own painkillers, which behave quite similar to the medically active substances in tested drugs. The decisive factor is therefore the meaning that a patient gives to the pill or (in the case of homeopathy) the globules called sugar globules - but not a non-existent pharmacological effect.
donation
But the placebo effect can also mean attention, according to the homeopathic critic Natalie Grams. For example, when a child cries because it has cut, and the mother sticks the proverbial consolation to it, the "deadly" child soon stops screaming and is happy again. The patch rarely has a blood-letting, but a symbolic meaning.
Children of homeopathy supporters
Natalie Grams writes: "Homeopathy is now particularly adept at using these two mechanisms. On the one hand, it administers drug-free tablets and it often combines this with a ritual of affection, empathy and the power of good experiences. The globuli thus carry the meaning "I will give you help, dear child" and without that this is necessarily put into words. "
The child learns help
According to this, the child first of all learns that the mother is taking care of his problem. The mother also feels that she has done the "right thing", and so does Grams, mother and child well.
Intuitive connection
High sensitivity as the intuitive connection between mothers and their children is very strong. An infant and a toddler must recognize subtle signals from the mother and respond to them in a conspicuous manner that the mother immediately notices.
The medicine effect
Mothers sooth children with multiple rituals, but, according to Grams, "Homeopathic medicine's explicit medical focus enhances the 'I can and will help you' effect very positively. You do not do something, but something that makes (supposedly) medically sense. "
The globules trigger placebo effect
According to Grams, both mother and child expect the globules to work and hope that something positive changes and the placebo effect works: it really changes.
Diseases or illusions?
Norbert Aust, who is also skeptical of homeopathy, also doubts that the complaints against which convinced parents give their children globules really are diseases.
He says, "Children seem to work like clockworks, and according to this, the daily routine is structured by taking globules. To the delight of the homeopathic industry, they see "illnesses" and "disorders" that no responsible conventional physician would view as a treatable disease. "
Globuli for every occasion?
According to Grams, the Globuli-believing parents give other globules if the first ones do not "work". If the disease then heals on its own, the symptoms disappeared spontaneously, and both mother and child are convinced of the effect of the globules, and the next cold suffers the same game.
Intuitively find globules?
Homeopathy fans attach great importance to the fact that each person must find his globules individually. "The times when the globuli did not help, they excuse with" Since we just did not find the right remedy in time, "writes Grams. According to her, it is a typical confirmation error, or, it should be added, a perpetual validity that is always self-confirming, even if the opposite of what is expected arrives.
Placebo and "information"
According to Hahnemann, however, homeopathy disciples do not make the placebo effect, magical thinking or the common ritual responsible for real or supposed effects, but rather "information" contained in the globules..
Is there the information of the globules?
According to Grams my homeopaths with information an unexplainable information that could neither be found, nor can be found in the future. It is dangerous that the children would be calmed, but at the same time believe in the real non-existent effect of the globules.
Magic ritual
The children would also, according to Aust, dependent on a magical ritual: "They learn that there is nothing that just goes back and no special attention and treatment needs."
What is the danger??
The danger, according to Grams, is that those believers also believe that they can treat heavy illnesses with globules. These illnesses could have serious consequences and would be more bearable - but not healed - by rituals, beliefs and placebo.
Animals and globules
Dogs and cats are the same as children, says Grams. They also have very fine antennae for the feelings of their owners - for example, dogs might feel "master's" epileptic seizure before he even notices something.
Dogs smell fears and other moods and also react intensively when someone takes care of them. "Suffering" cats can be calmed by stroking, and rituals are very important to them.
In addition, animals can not talk, and since homeopathy supporters primarily give their pets globules, they are convinced of the positive effects and interpret the behavior of the animal accordingly. Whether Fiffi is really sad or happy, put it there.
In addition, animals have excellent self-healing powers, and the owner actually sees only a natural process when the symptoms subsided. (Dr. Utz Anhalt)