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Homeopathy: How It Really Works Paperback – January 1, 2004

by Jay W. Shelton (Author)
3.4 3.4 out of 5 stars 14 ratings
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The popularity of homeopathy has been increasing dramatically both in America and worldwide. Annual world sales of homeopathic remedies are approaching two billion dollars. In this thorough examination of homeopathy, physicist Jay W. Shelton analyzes the history, the remedies, the logical inconsistencies, and the effectiveness of this popular alternative medicine.

Invented by German physician Samuel Hahnemann (1755-1843), homeopathy is based on two key principles: (1) the law of similars—symptoms induced in healthy volunteers after ingestion of a substance are the same symptoms in sick people that this substance will cure; and (2) the concept of "potentization"—the most diluted remedies have the greatest curative power. Shelton clearly shows that although these principles may have had the ring of science in the early 19th century, they are not well supported by today's science.

And yet, most patients who visit homeopaths are better afterwards. Homeopaths assume the remedies are the cause. Shelton finds explanations based on known science to be better supported by the evidence. Unassisted natural healing, changes in lifestyle urged by the homeopath, the placebo effect, and cessation of harmful treatments are more probable causes of improved health.
This being the case, he pursues the question why so many people continue to believe that the remedies themselves are responsible. Among the contributing factors Shelton notes: the plausible-sounding explanations of homeopathic theory, a fundamental misunderstanding among homeopaths of science and its methods, and, ultimately, the poor quality of education in critical thinking and science.

This reasoned, balanced, and in-depth assessment will interest both homeopaths and conventional medical practitioners, as well as consumers curious about a well-known and much-publicized alternative medicine.
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  1. Print length
    318 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Prometheus
  4. Publication date
    January 1, 2004
  5. Dimensions
    6 x 0.5 x 9 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    159102109X
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1591021094
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"...a thoughtful and balanced account of the subject in which the counter-arguments are given fair play..." -- Anthony Campbell's Book Reviews (online)

"This is probably the single best reference on homeopathy around..." -- About.com Agnosticism/Atheism site

About the Author

Jay W. Shelton, Ph.D. (Santa Fe, NM), is a Harvard-educated physicist, a teacher of physics and physical sciences at Santa Fe Preparatory School, and president of Shelton Research.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Prometheus (January 1, 2004)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 318 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 159102109X
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1591021094
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 15.3 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 0.5 x 9 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    3.4 3.4 out of 5 stars 14 ratings

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Top reviews from the United States

  • Amazon Customer
    4.0 out of 5 stars Four Stars
    Reviewed in the United States on September 12, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    Book looks good and arrived in a short amount of time.
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  • Tim Shannon
    1.0 out of 5 stars An entirely dismissive and theoritical explanation of homeopathy
    Reviewed in the United States on September 10, 2005
    Firstly, I am a homeopathic physician, thus my bias is clear. At first read of this book, it appears that the author is really trying to give homeopathy a fair look. But his thesis as to what really happens in homeopathy is entirely conjecture. What I mean is there is essentially one chapter that could be argued is "scientific" - the one where he discusses the studies about homeopathy. However, there are now hundreds of scientific studies, many of which are well done and positive for homeopathy. His review of the scientific literature about homeopathy is way too brief and superficial to be taken seriously.

    Don't get me wrong, I don't understand how homeopathy works myself. But this is also true for many common drugs on the market. What I see in the clinic day in and day out can't be explained by this author's nicely packaged ideas. I and many homeopaths could cite cure after cure of infants, animals, and chronic intractable diseases. Of course anything can be explained away, but when you see something and experience it on a daily basis it becomes impossible to explain away with such simplistic theories.

    The thrust of the book is that 100% of all homeopathic outcomes are due to everything BUT the homeopathic medicines. He offers up the placebo theory or that chronic diseases go away on their own. He is being sloppy here, because many of his theoretical explanations apply to all forms of medicine. He never approaches how homeopathy really exists in the clinic, but how he assumes it does. What I mean is he never explains how homeopathic vets get the results they do. Or how long term cures of chronic diseases happen on a regular basis in a homeopathic clinic.

    His explanations of how homeopathy works is limited to whatever he could reason, or figure out in his head, or explain away. But it is all cerebral and theoretical. It is like trying to understand how something works without every really experiencing it or interviewing anyone who has. It's not hard to make up explanations when you have no actual experience - you can make up whatever you want. This author has gone to great lengths to devise all kinds of interesting theories - but they are just that, theories.

    I see many patients who have been chronically ill for decades. They've been through all the best that modern medicine has to offer - often with minimal results, no results at all, or they only got worse from modern medicine. Yet homeopathy has helped them again and again and again. This is not true of all my cases - of course I also have many disappointing failures.

    Yet, I've seen patients with severe PTSD who have had insomnia for decades begin to sleep within weeks of the beginning of treatment. Patients with bulimia for eight or more years abruptly stop bingeing and purging within a month or two of the beginning of treatment. I've seen children with Asperger's syndrome with very unfortunate symptoms resolve most of their severe symptoms and limitations. I've seen patients with severe daily panic disorder who've had complete resolution of all their symptoms - the same exact results with severe clinical depression. Adolescents who've been cutting on themselves or punching themselves - completely stopped. I could go on and on.

    All the results above were patients I treated for years, the results held for many years and became self sustaining. The author would say all the above were because I changed their diet or lifestyle - But I don't do any diet or lifestyle counseling - only homeopathy. He would theorize that all results were due to placebo. But if this was true, how come patients didn't get any placebo results from conventional medicine - despite years of taking the drugs? Most of the above patients were true believers in the conventional approach. Obviously the drugs failed, but how come they didn't get a placebo response from conventional treatment in all those years?

    In addition, many of my patients were very skeptical of homeopathy. They were only coming because everything they tried before failed. The authors next theory would be that they'd been sick so long, that finally the disease simply burned itself out and self resolved. He would say my counseling skills made these diseases and disorders resolve and not return. However, I do almost no counseling with my patients. I mostly only listen and ask some questions about their fears, where the pain is located, etc. Besides, can counseling make 20 years of insomnia go away, reverse hypothyroidism, chronic hypertension or migraines?

    If he or modern medicine would take the time to actually sit down in a few busy homeopathic clinics and really watch what was occurring, then they'd be very hard pressed to explain everything so simplistically. But this is highly unlikely, as it is much easier to simply assume something you don't understand is false, and then explain it away from an intellectual standpoint.

    Of course this is not unique, I do this, we all do this. Where this gets us into trouble is when we close our minds about something as important as healing, then there can be unfortunate consequences. In addition, if we hide our close-mindedness under the cloak of "science" it tends to make people lazy - they assume it is real and stop thinking for themselves. This does far more damage.

    To recap, if this author had taken the time to sit in on several homeopaths sessions and see for himself what REALLY happens in a homeopathic practice, he would have come to very different conclusions. Unfortunately, the author decided that homeopathy can't possibly work, then he devised theories to justify his belief. That is essentially what this book offers.
    35 people found this helpful
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  • Book Fan
    5.0 out of 5 stars An Excellent Book
    Reviewed in the United States on September 18, 2007
    Verified Purchase
    Helpful, insightful, and well thought out. I highly recommend it for anyone interested in learning about what Homeopathy is really all about.
    12 people found this helpful
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  • Sandra A Hermann-Courtney
    1.0 out of 5 stars Biased view of homeopathy by yet another skeptic.
    Reviewed in the United States on August 20, 2013
    This book is recommended reading by all the skeptics who oppose homeopathy. I am therefore not surprised that it is a biased view against it. Personally, I always recommend the book "Homeopathic Remedies" by Asa Hershoff which is also available here on Amazon. That said, I am a firm believer in alternative medicine as a part of my health care options, especially homeopathy.

    Homeopathic Sulphur cured two cases of conventionally treated mange in a dog of my husband's aunt and another dog belonging to one of my friends.

    Two family members with broken bones were facing surgery to repair. Homeopathic Symphytum cured the breaks without surgery. Before and after x-rays and ultrasound documented the healings in both cases. Homeopathic Silicea opened and helped drain a lipoma the size of a golf ball from our family dog's right shoulder. No veterinary intervention required. Even on an outpatient basis, the surgery, local anesthesia, bandaging and antibiotics would most likely have cost over $200.

    Our family homeopath prescribed a remedy that helped my husband avoid back surgery for two herniated discs at the L4 and L5 level. The herniated discs were documented by both x-ray and ultrasound. He had been in excruciating pain and for six months could only walk using a cane.

    Several years ago my cholesterol level was off the charts. After viewing the lab report, my homeopath prescribed a remedy and on repeated lab testing a month later, my cholesterol was within normal limits. It has remained normal since that time. I took no other medication and no dietary change was necessary.

    Living in Florida where fleas on pets is a huge problem, I have used homeopathic Ruta graveolens in all my dogs' water dishes for the past four years. The use of Ruta to deter fleas was mentioned in the book "Homoeopathy for Farm and Garden" by Kaviraj which I purchased on Amazon. Before I knew that this remedy could solve the problem safely and inexpensively, I had paid hundreds of dollars for flea shots, dips and whatever else I could get my hands on. None worked. I am so pleased to be able to use something this inexpensive and non-toxic for my dogs.
    10 people found this helpful
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  • RationalEyes
    5.0 out of 5 stars A must-read for anyone interested in understanding what homeopathy really is
    Reviewed in the United States on February 1, 2015
    A factual discussion of the history and science (or lack thereof) behind this pre-scientific belief system. I have yet to meet a colleague (I am a physician), friend, or relative, who actually knows what homeopathy is. And that includes many who use it. This is a fascinating must-read for anyone interested in the truth behind this most popular and now mainstream CAM modality. It should be required reading in medical school.
    6 people found this helpful
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  • Michelle M. Ress
    1.0 out of 5 stars A put down of homeopathy
    Reviewed in the United States on November 6, 2017
    I read about half this book before realizing it was a put down book; I wanted to learn about homeopathy because it works for me and I did not intend to read a book putting it down. I've never read a college thesis but that is what it appeared like to me. If your desire is to put down homeopathy then you might like the book however if you like homeopathy and it works for you then this book is no good.

    I had leg cramps so I got Zincum metallicum and that stopped the leg cramps. I don't need a book to tell me that's bogus.
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  • Jesús
    1.0 out of 5 stars The wortst book
    Reviewed in Mexico on July 2, 2019
    Verified Purchase
    After reading, Shelton argues that homeopathy is implausible. In fact, the arguments proposed by Pr. Shelton are not different since Holmes or Forbes, who put only adhominem attacks and zero data. In my view, the experimental, clinical and historical data available can be used to debunk the entire Shelton's book. It is time to rest the pseudoskeptical lobby through peer reviewed papers.
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  • ながぴい
    4.0 out of 5 stars ホメオパシーの真実
    Reviewed in Japan on February 23, 2011
    Verified Purchase
    2010年、ビタミンK不投与で乳児が死亡した事件が日本で発生し、民事裁判沙汰になった。
    結局、裁判は和解になったが、この際、乳児が代わりに飲まされていたのがホメオパシーの「薬」であるレメディだった。
    ホメオパシーはヨーロッパで人気の民間療法だが、「薄いほどよく効く」という現代物質科学の考えに反する原理に基づいている。
    そのため、原料分子が1つも残っていないほど高希釈した水溶液であっても「薬」と称して販売されている。
    ただの水や砂糖玉を薬だと言って売れば詐欺になることだってあるだろうに、なぜかホメオパシーではそれが許されているのだ。

    表紙があれなんで、勘違いして買う人もいるみたいだけど、これはそうしたホメオパシーに否定的な本。
    出版元が疑似科学やオカルトに批判的な本ばかり出版してるPrometheus Booksである。

    しかし、なんかやたら細かくて読みづらいので、残念ながらあまりお勧めできない。
    それでもへこたれない人はどうぞ。
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