ALCHEMY NOT QUACKERY

Does homeopathy work? 

Practitioners and patients on benefits of the alternative therapy and when you should consider it

Homeopathy, an alternative medical practice developed in the late 1700s, uses very dilute amounts of natural substances to treat ailments

Patients use it to treat problems such as irritable bowel syndrome, skin issues, allergies and nausea


Kate Whitehead Published:9 Apr, 2020

Homeopathy is a natural form of medicine that has been around since the late 1700s, and is recommended as an alternative therapy by some doctors to their patients. Photo: AFP via Getty Images

When Elkey Liu’s daughter was a toddler she suffered from a nasal allergy. She sneezed, had a runny nose and, when it was severe, her eyes became swollen. The allergens triggered eczema, so the doctor prescribed antihistamines as well as hydrocortisone cream for her body.

“I didn’t want my daughter to have too much Western medicine in her body because she was so little. I’d read about homeopathy and friends recommended a homeopath, Dr Sonal, so I took her,” says Liu.

Sonal Hattangdi-Haridas, who practices at the Maya Health Institute in Hong Kong’s Central business district, gave homeopathic drops to reduce the child’s response to the allergens and also recommended cutting down on dairy and gluten. Within three months her issues had cleared up – so when Liu’s son was born and had eczema, she took the homeopathic route again.

“I think homeopathy is good for kids and babies. It’s not good for them to have too much strong, Western medicine,” says Liu.

Sonal Hattangdi-Haridas practises at the Maya Health Institute in Central.
THE LEGACY OF PARACELSUS AKA DR. BOMBASTUS 

Homeopathy is an alternative medical practice that was developed in the late 1700s in Germany in which extremely dilute amounts of certain natural substances are used to treat various ailments. It is based on rigorous dilutions and mixing, called successions.

“Homeopathic medicine is based on the belief that ‘like cures like’,” says Sonal, who has a doctorate in Homeopathy from The British Institute of Homeopathy in London as well as a master’s in nutritional medicine.

In other words, something that brings on symptoms in a healthy person can – in a very small dose – treat an illness with similar symptoms. This is meant to trigger the body’s natural defences.

“It’s an energetic medicine – the original molecules [of the remedy] exist, in a minute dose, and go through a series of dilutions in double-distilled water,” says homeopathic doctor Manisha Khiani, who is registered under India’s Maharashtra Council of Homeopathy and practises at a clinic in Central. “It’s the energy of the water which carries the expression of the medicine.”

(TODAY IT IS ALSO KNOWN AS SPAGYRIC CHEMISTRY, GOOGLE FRATER ALBERTUS )

Sonal’s youngest client was just three weeks old (treated for a rash) and her oldest patients are in their late 80s. She has found homeopathy to be especially effective for treating functional diseases, such as irritable bowel syndrome, skin issues and allergies, as well as
anxiety.

Manisha Khiani is registered under Maharashtra Council 

of Homeopathy and practices at a clinic in Central

Sonal recommends that patients seek advice as soon as something feels amiss, rather than waiting for it to become “a raging fire”.

“Conventional medicine has its place, but it works on the basis of diagnosis; if there is no diagnosis it can’t do anything for you. But if something is bothering you – say, silent reflux or fluid in the middle ear which is making you feel dizzy but not bad – then homeopathy can help,” she says, adding that she has found it effective for women with pre-menopausal symptoms.

A consultation with a homeopath usually takes longer than with a doctor. They will usually ask you about any specific health conditions and also about your general well-being, emotional state, lifestyle and diet. Sonal says the first session with a client generally takes about 40 minutes; each appointment after that is usually no more than 20 to 25 minutes.

“I like to get a lot of background information. I want to build up a holistic picture,” she says.

I see more people coming to complementary systems of medicine here and more people wanting to try homeopathy Dr Manisha Khiani

Aromatherapist Emma Ross consulted her doctor just over a year ago for support with digestive issues – food intolerances and gut distress that gave her abdominal pain and almost constant nausea. Knowing that she was open to alternative therapies, her doctor recommended her to a homeopath.

“At the outset I was going once a week, and each time I went I got a different prescription of drops and [they] had me on a limited diet. It helped a lot with the nausea and the anxiety which I was feeling. I went from a place of being unwell to feeling normal,” says Ross.


Emma Ross consulted her GP just over a year ago, who recommended her to a homeopath. Photo: Edward Wong

Khiani’s response to those who see homeopathy as a pseudoscience is straightforward: “I say try it and see the results for yourself. The fact that it has been around for 200 years and is going strong speaks for itself.”

The World Health Organisation has acknowledged the role of homeopathy in health care. Last year, it issued a report on traditional and complementary medicine that highlighted the widespread use of homeopathy around the world and the increasing number of insurances policies that cover this alternative medicine.

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In Hong Kong, it is possible for a homeopath to practice even if they have no qualifications or experience, so choose your homeopath wisely. Sonal recommends choosing one who is medically aware.

“Homeopathic training is very different in different countries. In certain situations you can do an online course. There are three countries in the world where you need medical training to become a homeopath: India, France and Germany,” she says.

Although homeopathy is still fairly niche in Hong Kong, Khiani sees that slowly changing.

“I see more people coming to complementary systems of medicine here and more people wanting to try homeopathy. It’s about creating a greater awareness,” she says.

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Here Be Homeopathic Chameleons

Pharmacies in Quebec started in 2019 to inform customers that homeopathy was not scientific. Where are we now, two years later?

Jonathan Jarry M.Sc. | 27 Nov 2021
Health and Nutrition
Pseudoscience


In the fight against pseudoscience, the idea that simply providing more information works every time has been questioned these last decades. The thinking used to be simplistic: when non-experts disagree with scientists, it must be because they lack the correct information. But as we have seen in the growing struggle against the anti-vaccination movement, feelings don’t care about facts. When your identity is shaped by pseudoscientific beliefs, you have made your brain more or less impervious to facts. But there is at least one pseudoscience where better information is still a powerful remedy: homeopathy.



FIGURE 1. Typical display of homeopathic products in the vitamins and supplements section of a Montreal pharmacy

Homeopathy is a chameleon in pharmacies. It has taken the look and shape of genuine medication and will easily fool the casual shopper. Multiple episodes of the consumer advocacy show CBC Marketplace have provided evidence that the average person cannot distinguish homeopathic cold and flu products from medicated ones when presented with a table spread. Even when asked point-blank to define homeopathy, the near-totality of polled Canadians can’t do it. In 2016, Health Canada conducted an online survey on consumer health products in 2,502 Canadians. Nearly half confused homeopathy with herbal products. Only 5% of respondents showed at least a partial understanding of homeopathy. Information can play a crucial role in changing people’s minds here.

When you go to the zoo, there is a sign announcing that the glass-fronted case in front of you contains chameleons. You can be on the lookout for them. Two years ago, the Province of Quebec got its own signs in pharmacy, warning people about the presence of these homeopathic chameleons. I had to wonder: were the signs still there?



FIGURE 2. Close-up of the optional sign by the ABCPQ, informing pharmacy consumers that homeopathy is not based on scientific evidence
Air guitars on aisle six

The running gag about homeopathy is that it is the air guitar of alternative medicine. At its core, it’s a retread of the Danish folktale, “The Emperor’s New Clothes,” in which a monarch, various officials and soon an entire town play along with a couple of swindlers’ claim that they are making the most sumptuous of imperial clothes which just so happen to be invisible.

In a nutshell, homeopathy was born out of dissatisfaction and coincidences. Two hundred years ago, when actual medicine was more likely to kill than heal you, a German doctor and translator by the name of Samuel Hahnemann predated infomercials by thinking that there had to be a better way. When he ingested a natural antimalarial agent and randomly developed a fever—one of the symptoms of malaria—he made an ill-judged inference that is still with us today: that if an ingredient causes the symptoms of a disease in a healthy person, they must be the cure to the disease itself. This is how coffee entered homeopathy’s hallowed halls as a potent treatment for insomnia.

Of course, Hahnemann was not completely off his rocker. He understood that the negative effects of these natural ingredients—the agitation, the vomiting, the intoxication—were not desirable: they had to be diluted down. So he added water or alcohol to them to dissolve and dilute them, repeatedly, over and over again, until the ingredient itself had often, unbeknownst to him, completely disappeared. For homeopaths, this dilution makes the solution more powerful because the solvent somehow (and defying everything we know about physical chemistry) retains the vitalistic essence of this ingredient. The final dilution can now be dropped onto a sugar pill and voilà! A harmless, noneffective homeopathic remedy is created that can be dressed up in the garbs of actual pharmaceutical products and sold to the masses. (“Harmless,” I should point out, only when the dilution is properly done. When it isn’t, you could be giving a dangerous product to your infant.)

And getting these homeopathic sugar pills and water syrups approved for sale is incredibly easy. Marketplace did it by sending Health Canada photocopies of an old book trumpeting how brilliant certain ingredients were to reduce fever in children. No clinical trial, no safety studies: just assurance by long-dead homeopaths that these natural ingredients, diluted out of existence, really did work. Health Canada got egg on its face and introduced a new labeling rule. To sell a child’s cough, cold and flu homeopathic product, the packaging must clearly state that “this claim is based on traditional homeopathic references and not modern scientific evidence.” But a Marketplace segment released last week shows parents inspecting homeopathic cough syrups for children and failing to see the notice until it is pointed out to them. Would a sign next to the homeopathic products on a pharmacy’s store shelf help?

In Quebec, this became reality two years ago.

Homeopathic chameleons with legs

To make a long story short, I called 150 pharmacies in Montreal in early 2019 to find out that at least two thirds of them carried a particularly egregious homeopathic flu remedy called Oscillococcinum (consisting of duck heart and liver diluted one part in one hundred… two hundred times in a row). A local journalist, Philippe Mercure, writing for La Presse, then visited 20 pharmacies in our city, and in the 19 that carried Oscillococcinum, asked the pharmacist if his bedridden friend with muscle aches and fever should take this homeopathic product. Seven said no, six were ambiguous, and six more recommended it. The Quebec Order of Pharmacists reminded its members that they could not endorse a pseudoscientific product like this without putting themselves in a precarious position regarding their professional ethics. Meanwhile, our association of pharmacy chains (ABCPQ) made signs explaining that “the effectiveness of homeopathic products is generally not supported by scientific evidence based data” and to “consult your pharmacist for details.” They were shipped to pharmacies across the province, who had the option to post them next to the sugar pills. (The whole story can be read here: parts one, two, and three.)

Last week’s Marketplace segment conducted a similar investigation to Mercure’s, visiting a total of ten pharmacists practicing in four major chains in Ontario. Six out of those ten recommended the homeopathic product the journalist questioned them about. The Ontario College of Pharmacists told Marketplace that they could not determine if rules were broken without their own investigation. Ontario could certainly use our signs, with maybe a few propped up behind the pharmacy counter to help the people in the white coats remember their science-based training.

But are the signs still there in Quebec? Pessimism got the better of me when the sign at the pharmacy I regularly go to disappeared during the pandemic. So in late October of this year, I visited 14 pharmacies that sell homeopathic products in four different parts of the island of Montreal (for the natives, I focused on the areas near Jean-Talon, Berri-UQAM, Guy-Concordia and Papineau metro stations). The pharmacies belonged to the chains Jean-Coutu, Proxim, and Pharmaprix (known as Shoppers Drug Mart outside of Quebec). And I was pleasantly surprised to see many of the little signs that could.



FIGURE 3. Signs seen at two different Montreal pharmacies in October 2021

In total, six of the 14 pharmacies I visited (43%) had at least one of these signs. I say “at least” because those little chameleons pretending to be medication have legs. Homeopathy can generally be found in up to three different sections of a pharmacy. There’s the section filled with vitamins and supplements. There’s the adult cold and flu aisle. And sometimes, there is a separate section for children’s cold and flu remedies. Some pharmacies posted the sign in one or two of these sections, but none had signs next to every homeopathic section. Occasionally, the sign was in the wrong section, presumably because homeopathy used to be stocked there and when they moved it, they forgot to move the sign.



FIGURE 4. Can you spot the homeopathic children’s products hiding next to actual medication? We highlighted the homeopathy with bright yellow marker.

To show what a real hodgepodge the situation is in Montreal, one pharmacy stocked homeopathic products in two sections: one had no sign in sight while the other was adorned with a stunning five signs!



FIGURE 5. Inconsistent signage at the same pharmacy. A) No sign next to the homeopathic products in the supplements section. B) Five signs in a separate homeopathic section of the same store.]

The future of homeopathy in pharmacies

The situations in Quebec described by our office and by La Presse and in Ontario revealed by CBC Marketplace make a few recommendations abundantly clear.

We need better education in pharmacy schools. Pharmacists need to understand the foundational principles of homeopathy: that like is claimed to cure like, that dilutions are claimed to make ingredients more powerful, and that most homeopathic products do not contain a single atom of the original substance. It may feel like teaching chemists about alchemy, but homeopathy is being sold in pharmacies and pharmacists should know what it is so they can properly inform shoppers. If pharmacy students were aware that there is such a thing as homeopathic X-rays meant to treat “distressing pain,” they would better understand both the lunacy and potential danger of using homeopathy to treat anything.



FIGURE 6. Homeopathic X-ray granules for distressing pain.

Health Canada needs to do its part too. When their homeopathy approval process was shown to be laughable and they were embarrassed on national television, they took the smallest possible corrective step: a notice would need to be visible on the packaging, but only for children’s cough, cold and flu remedies. Are homeopathic claims on adult products based on modern scientific evidence? Why did they escape from the change in labeling? As Health Canada has been deliberating on further changes for years now, I can only hope they come to the correct decision very soon. All homeopathic products should clearly mention that they are not based on scientific evidence. Another suggestion: if the Latin names for the once-present ingredients were forced to be printed in English, it might clarify a few things. If you picked up pills for insomnia and noticed that the ingredient was “coffee,” you might walk over to the pharmacy counter for a few explanations.

We could also use more signs in pharmacies and a more consistent posting of these signs. Other provinces may want to take notice of what our association of pharmacy chains did, and skeptical organizations and science communication bodies in other countries may want to try and reproduce the chain of events that led to these signs existing in the first place.

What reassures me is that the information deficit model, which states that the gulf between scientists and other citizens on certain issues can be paved over by good information, can really work for homeopathy. Parents don’t want their children to suffer, so it makes sense that they would gravitate towards cough syrups and granules that are 100% natural and that promise a complete absence of side effects. But likewise, parents don’t want to be deceived by sugar granules with medical aspirations. Clearly and calmly explaining homeopathy to them can make a big difference.

As cold and flu season begins, be prepared to spot the chameleons hiding on pharmacy shelves. They look just like regular pharmaceutical products but if you squint, you’ll see the word “homeopathy” somewhere on the packaging.

And remember this: if the label says homeopathy, it’s not trustworthy.

Take-home message:
-Homeopathy is a fake medicine based on the principles that something that gives a symptom in a healthy person will cure it in someone who is ill; that the more you dilute something, the stronger it becomes; and that the solvent used for the dilution somehow remembers the original ingredient”
-In 2019, the Quebec association of pharmacy chains (ABCPQ) printed optional signs for pharmacies to post next to homeopathic products, informing consumers that homeopathy was not based on scientific evidence
-In late 2021, visits to 14 pharmacies in Montreal that sell homeopathy revealed that signs are posted in some pharmacies, but the signage is highly inconsistent, and no pharmacy visited had the sign next to every homeopathy display in their store

@CrackedScience

What is the lawsuit against CVS and Walmart? Chains targeted over homeopathic product sales

Bailey Schulz, USA TODAY
Mon, February 6, 2023

Looking for a cold remedy at your local pharmacy? Be careful what you choose: Experts warn that some options on the shelves may be no better than sugar pills.

CVS and Walmart are in the midst of a court battle for selling FDA-approved, over-the-counter medications alongside homeopathic products, a form of alternative medicine based on diluted ingredients.

The Center for Inquiry, the nonprofit that filed the lawsuits, argues that this sort of product placement is misleading and presents homeopathic products as equivalent alternatives to science-based medicines.

There is little evidence that shows homeopathic products are effective, according to the National Institutes of Health. And while experts say most are harmless, the Food and Drug Administration warns that it cannot ensure their safety or effectiveness.

“Over-the-counter medication has to have been proven safe and effective for the condition that it's purported to treat,” said Kelly Karpa, a former pharmacist and a professor in East Tennessee State University's department of medical education. “(Whereas homeopathic products) had their own set of conditions under which they can be marketed. They kind of bypassed all of that safety and efficacy.”

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What are homeopathic medicinal products?

Homeopathy is an alternative medical practice first developed in the late 1700s. Practitioners believe that a substance that causes symptoms in a healthy person can be used to treat symptoms and illnesses, according to the FDA.

For example: Since cutting onions can make eyes water, a homeopathic treatment for itching or watering eyes would be diluted red onion.

Unlike pharmacology, which follows the idea that a higher dosage usually leads to a greater response, homeopathy believes that the more diluted a substance, the more potent it is.

The concern some medical professionals have is that homeopathy products may contain toxic substances that are not diluted enough.

"The good thing about most of the products is that most of them are safe because they're so diluted," said Adriane Fugh-Berman, a professor in the department of pharmacology and physiology at Georgetown University Medical Center. But if it fails to weaken a toxic substance enough, "that could be an issue."

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Is homeopathic medicine effective?

A 2015 paper from Australia’s National Health and Medical Research Council based on 176 individual studies found “no health conditions for which there was reliable evidence that homeopathy was effective."

“Homeopathy had never had any hardcore data behind it that was consistent with what we currently recognize as a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial that clearly indicates efficacy,” Karpa said.

Fugh-Berman notes that most homeopathic products are harmless and may even provide a placebo effect, but she has issues with them being sold on store shelves alongside FDA-approved medications.

“Homeopathic preparations should be available for those who know what they are and want to use them, but no one should inadvertently buy sugar pills,” she said.

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Are homeopathic products FDA approved?

Homeopathic products are typically labeled as homeopathic and have ingredients listed in terms of dilution, such as 1x or 2c.

The FDA warns that there are currently no products labeled as homeopathic that are FDA-approved, and says the agency cannot ensure these drugs meet standards for safety, effectiveness, and quality. Nevertheless, sales have increased in recent years.

The agency in December said it intends to prioritize enforcement and regulatory actions for certain homeopathic products that "potentially pose a higher risk to public health."

There have been safety issues with homeopathic products in the past. In 2017, the FDA sent out a note that it had found elevated levels of the toxic substance belladonna in certain homeopathic teething tablets.

The following year, the agency alerted consumers to a recall of certain homeopathic products for humans and pets because of microbial contamination.

“I used to look at homeopathic products as: It probably won't hurt you. Even if it's just a placebo, it might help you,” Karpa said. But “there's also a risk of delaying appropriate treatment. And I think that in and of itself can be harmful.”

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What’s the status of CFI’s lawsuits?

Last month, the District of Columbia Court of Appeals denied requests for a rehearing from CVS and Walmart.

“We disagree with the ruling,” reads a statement from Marci Burks, director of corporate affairs for Walmart. “We take allegations like these seriously and look forward to defending this case in the Superior Court.”

CVS did not respond to a request for comment.

Nick Little, vice president and general counsel for the Center for Inquiry (CFI), says if the case does go to trial, that likely won't occur until late this year or early 2024.

"The individual stores are responsible for how they market (these products), how they represent them to customers," Little said. "We want to see all the major chains make this change."

You can follow USA TODAY reporter Bailey Schulz on Twitter @bailey_schulz and subscribe to our free Daily Money newsletter here for personal finance tips and business news every Monday through Friday.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: CVS, Walmart sued over homeopathic products. What are they?

PARACELSUSIAN HOMEOPATHY

Review supports introducing small amounts of food allergens during early childhood

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A review in Clinical & Experimental Allergy concludes that exposing young children to small amounts of foods that they’re allergic to is safer than avoiding the foods altogether, which could be very dangerous if accidental exposure occurs.

The review notes that exposing preschool-aged children to small amounts of food allergens—called oral immunotherapy—can lessen the severity of a reaction following an accidental exposure. Also, delaying exposure until a later age misses the window of opportunity when oral immunotherapy is safest, and it prolongs unnecessary dietary restrictions. Also, after early childhood avoidance, some people who outgrow their allergy will not reincorporate the food into their diet due to fear and anxiety, thus potentially increasing their chance of redeveloping the allergy.

A growing body of evidence indicates that oral immunotherapy is safe and effective in preschoolers, but additional research is needed to clarify its impact on children’s health and quality of life.

“This research highlights a critical shift in how we approach food allergies—moving from strict avoidance to controlled exposure in early childhood, which not only reduces the risk of severe reactions but also helps prevent long-term negative consequences of living with food allergies,” said corresponding author Lianne Soller, PhD, of the University of British Columbia, in Canada.

URL upon publication: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/cea.70013

 

Additional Information
NOTE: The information contained in this release is protected by copyright. Please include journal attribution in all coverage. For more information or to obtain a PDF of any study, please contact: Sara Henning-Stout, newsroom@wiley.com.

About the Journal
Clinical & Experimental Allergy is the official Journal of the British Society for Allergy & Clinical Immunology, publishing clinical and experimental observations in disease in all fields of medicine in which allergic hypersensitivity plays a part. Clinical & Experimental Allergy strikes an excellent balance between clinical and scientific articles and carries regular reviews and editorials written by leading authorities in their field.

About Wiley      
Wiley is one of the world’s largest publishers and a trusted leader in research and learning. Our industry-leading content, services, platforms, and knowledge networks are tailored to meet the evolving needs of our customers and partners, including researchers, students, instructors, professionals, institutions, and corporations. We empower knowledge-seekers to transform today’s biggest obstacles into tomorrow’s brightest opportunities. For more than two centuries, Wiley has been delivering on its timeless mission to unlock human potential. Visit us at Wiley.com. Follow us on Facebook, X, LinkedIn and Instagram.

---

Journal

Clinical & Experimental Allergy

DOI

10.1111/cea.70013 

Article Title

Oral immunotherapy should play a key role in preschool food allergy management

Article Publication Date

5-Mar-2025

Nih.govpmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC1297514/

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Rumors hampering fight against coronavirus in South Asia

By SHEIKH SAALIQ MARCH 28, 2020

In this Tuesday, March 24, 2020 photo, an Indian girl wearing a face mask as a precaution from coronavirus watches a video on the WhatsApp app in New Delhi, India. With the pandemic starting to gain a foothold in the region, social media are rife with bogus remedies, tales of magic cures and potentially hazardous medical advice. Experts are urging caution and say the “coronavirus infodemic” could have disastrous consequences. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

NEW DELHI (AP) — The message started with an outlandish claim: The coronavirus was retreating in India because of “cosmic-level sound waves” created by a collective cheer citizens had been asked to join.

Messages were pinging from phone to phone across this country of 1.3 billion saying the applause Prime Minister Narendra Modi had organized for health workers had been detected by a “bio-satellite” that confirmed the weakening of the virus.

Soon, Siddhart Sehgal’s family group chat on WhatsApp was buzzing with messages hailing Modi as India’s savior.

It of course wasn’t true.

In this Sunday, March 22, 2020, photo, Ringhuila Zimik, 26, smiles as she speaks about the rumor of medicine being sprayed from the sky to contain a new virus, in Shangshak village, in the northeastern Indian state of Manipur. "We all heard about it. I didn't know whether to believe it or not but stayed indoors anyway," she said. As India and other South Asian nations brace for the likely spread of the virus, they are facing another battle: reams of misinformation, misleading rumors and false claims. This battle has been hard to contain as social media continues to be rife with bogus remedies to tales of magic cure and potentially dangerous medical advice. (AP Photo/Yirmiyan Arthur)

As India and other South Asian nations work to stop the spread of the virus, they face another battle: reams of misinformation.

With the pandemic starting to gain a foothold in the region, social media sites are rife with bogus remedies, tales of magic cures and potentially hazardous medical advice. Experts are urging caution and warning that the “coronavirus infodemic” could have disastrous consequences.

Its a trend also seen elsewhere and governments around the world have been urging citizens not to listen to or spread rumors about the pandemic.

So far it hasn’t worked in South Asia, a region where online misinformation has in the past had deadly consequences such as lynchings, arson and communal riots where neighbors turn on one another.

On Tuesday, Indians were ordered to stay indoors for three weeks in the world’s biggest coronavirus lockdown. In announcing the move, Modi reiterated the danger of misinformation.

FILE - In this Sunday, March 22, 2020, file photo, families of roadside shopkeepers ring bell and clap to cheer health workers during 14-hour "people's curfew" called by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in order to stem the rising coronavirus caseload, in New Delhi, India. As India and other South Asian nations brace for the likely spread of the virus, they are facing another battle: reams of misinformation, misleading rumors and false claims. The WhatsApp messaging app was flooded with claims that “cosmic level sound waves” generated by a collective cheer Modi had asked the country of 1.3 billion to participate in last Sunday had weakened the virus in India. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup, File)

“I appeal to you to beware of any kind of rumors or superstitions,” the prime minister said.

Earlier appeals against virus rumors have yet to prove effective.

Poultry sales in India plunged following false claims that chickens were linked to the pandemic. Racial attacks against people from the country’s northeastern states increased after rumors spread that they carried the virus.

On Sunday, people in a remote village in Manipur state locked themselves inside their homes because of rumors that fumigants were being sprayed from the sky to kill the virus.

The government has asked social media companies to launch awareness campaigns about virus misinformation. It also set up a government WhastApp channel where people can ask questions about the virus and vet claims they hear.

Still the falsehoods spread.

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On Monday, Amitabh Bachchan, a top Bollywood star who has more than 40 million Twitter followers, said clapping and blowing conch shells would “destroy virus potency.” He later deleted the tweet after facing criticism.

Elected representatives from Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party have also offered bizarre claims of cures for the virus, ranging from cow urine and cow dung to cloves “energized by mantras.”

Rumors have spawned concerns elsewhere in the region as well.

In Bangladesh, some clerics claimed Muslims would not be affected by the virus and exhorted tens of thousands of people to gather for a mass prayer last week despite concerns about the health risk.

One preacher claimed to have interviewed — in his dream — a man in Italy to obtain a cure for the virus.

When a journalist at a leading private television station reported about the misinformation, he received death threats.

“We are monitoring and doing our part, but it (misinformation) comes from various sources, one after another,” said Zakir Hossain, a spokesman for the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission. “This is a huge task.”

Pakistan too has had to fight against religious leaders urging the devout to attend prayers and promising their faith will protect them. A cleric in Lahore made a video saying it was impossible to catch the virus while praying and said he should be hanged if he were wrong. Police arrested him instead and he made another video urging people to take the pandemic seriously and wash their hands.

FILE - In this Sunday, March 22, 2020, file photo, people clap from balconies in a show of appreciation to health care workers during a 14-hour "people's curfew" called by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in order to stem the rising coronavirus caseload, at a Chawl in Mumbai, India. As India and other South Asian nations brace for the likely spread of the virus, they are facing another battle: reams of misinformation, misleading rumors and false claims. The WhatsApp messaging app was flooded with claims that “cosmic level sound waves” generated by a collective cheer Modi had asked the country of 1.3 billion to participate in last Sunday had weakened the virus in India. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)

On the outskirts of Islamabad the army was called in to shut down a mosque after its prayer leader despite exhibiting symptoms kept his mosque open.

In Sri Lanka, authorities warned that legal action will be taken against people who spread false information over social media. Several people have been arrested.

Pakistan has been the worst hit South Asian nation with some 1,200 virus cases reported. India has reported more than 725.

For most people, the virus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in a few weeks. But for some it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia and death.

There are concerns that if cases were to surge in South Asia, it would overwhelm already strained health systems.

Sumaiya Shaikh, an editor for fact-checking website ALT News, has been tracking misinformation on messaging apps in India since before the pandemic.

In January, when the virus was still largely limited to China, Shaikh said India experienced a deluge of false WhatsApp messages claiming that Chinese police were shooting people suspected of having the disease.

When India started having cases, rumors about cures began, Shaikh said.

“This misinformation has reached a critical mass and is jeopardizing public health,” she said.

The search for accurate virus information in India is complicated by advice issued by a parallel health ministry, the Ministry of AYUSH, created in 2014 by Modi to promote alternative therapies such as yoga and traditional Ayurveda medicine.

The ministry has recommended herbs and homeopathy as cures for the virus, along with frequent sipping of water boiled with basil leaves, crushed ginger and turmeric.

P.C. Joshi, a medical anthropologist at the University of Delhi, said that advice “falls into the category of misinformation which can be hazardous for public health.”

The ministry did not respond to requests for comment.

The messages spreading online, often shared among friends and relatives, have unnerved many Indians who don’t know whether to take them seriously.

When the messages claiming that the virus was retreating in India spread on WhatsApp, members of the Sehgal family wanted to leave their home and join others outside celebrating. But Siddhart stopped them.

“My family usually believes whatever they get on WhatsApp regarding the virus,” he said. “It’s hard to explain to them that most of it is fake.

FILE- In this Sunday, March 22, 2020, file photo, a woman walks her dog, as most people in this mountain village stayed indoors with fears of a rumor of medicine being sprayed from the sky to contain the new virus, in Shangshak village, in the northeastern Indian state of Manipur. As South Asian nations, including India, brace for the likely spread of the virus, they are facing another battle: reams of misinformation, misleading rumors and false claims. This battle has been hard to contain as social media continues to be rife with bogus remedies to tales of magic cure and potentially dangerous medical advice. (AP Photo/Yirmiyan Arthur)

Associated Press writers Julhas Alam in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Bharatha Mallawarachi in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Yirmiyan Arthur in Manipur, India, and Kathy Gannon and Munir Ahmed in Islamabad contributed to this report.

Tristin Hopper: Canadian pharmacies selling pseudoscientific cold remedies to desperate parents

Opinion by Tristin Hopper • Yesterday 2:59 p.m.

As Canada continues to deal with a critical shortage of children’s cold medicine, major retailers are steering desperate parents towards homeopathic cures — a form of pseudoscientific medicine whose ineffectiveness has been well-known ever since the 19th century.


Not only are homeopathic remedies ubiquitous on Canadian pharmacy shelves, but there are widespread reports of licensed Canadian pharmacists recommending the remedies to parents.© Provided by National Post

“Parent alert. Be aware that homeopathic remedies do not have to demonstrate that they are effective,” reads an online warning issued this week by Stan Kutcher, a veteran medical researcher and senator for Nova Scotia.

Kutcher posted an image of a display stand at a Shopper’s Drug Mart featuring Boiron-brand homeopathic children’s cold medicines. Retailing for between $14.50 and $16.99 per box, the products advertise themselves as treatments for pediatric colds, but contain no proven medicinal ingredients such as acetaminophen or diphenhydramine.

“Your child needs effective treatment, not pseudoscience,” added Kutcher.

Homeopathy is based on the premise that medicines are made more powerful through dilution. Homeopathic treatments will start with a seemingly random natural product (such as red onion or crushed bees ), and then dilute them to such low concentrations that only a few molecules of the initial substance make it into the final mixture.

Pioneered in the late 1700s, homeopathy gained traction in the early 19th century for the simple reason that its “cures” were so benign.

In an era of mercury pills and bloodletting, homeopathic remedies would at least avoid killing the patient through malpractice. But as early as the 1840s, controlled trials began to show that homeopathic remedies were exactly as effective as doing nothing.

One Boiron product advertising itself as a flu remedy, Oscillococcinum, contains duck liver and duck heart as its core ingredient. However, the final product is so highly diluted that it’s debatable whether any duck offal actually makes it into the final solution, which is mostly just sugar.

Unsurprisingly, when oscillococcinum has been subjected to clinical trials , it’s found to be no more effective than a placebo at fighting illness.

And yet, Boiron homeopathic cures can be found sharing the shelves with legitimate cold medicines everywhere from Shopper’s Drug Mart to Rexall to London Drugs.

Shopper’s Drug Mart sells more than a dozen homeopathic medicines, including several marketed specifically at children.

Coryzalia — a product manufactured by Boiron — is a $17.99 box at Shopper’s containing 30 1 ml doses of liquid purportedly for the treatment of “nasal congestion” and “sneezing” in children aged one month to 11 years.

“This claim is based on traditional homeopathic references and not modern scientific evidence,” reads a small disclaimer.

Nevertheless, Coryzalia can also be found in the pharmacy sections of Wal-Mart , Superstore and Rexall. As of press time, London Drugs is running a sale on the product , which is often one of the only items left on shelves that have been diligently picked over for legitimate children’s cold remedies.

Another widely stocked product is Homeocan-brand children’s day syrup, which touts itself as a remedy for “flu-like symptoms,” “mucus build up” and “fever,” in addition to its “great taste.” Consisting almost entirely of citric acid, sugar and purified water, the day syrup’s only medicinal ingredients are a few molecules of flowers, cacti, mosses and deadly nightshade, a plant that would be toxic if included in any measurable quantity. It retails at Rexall for $13.99 for a 100 ml bottle.

Not only are homeopathic remedies ubiquitous on Canadian pharmacy shelves, but there are widespread reports of licensed Canadian pharmacists recommending the remedies to parents.

“Stocking up on some rapid tests and overheard a pharmacist recommending that a dad buy HOMEOPATHIC cough syrup for his kid,” reads a recent Tweet out of British Columbia.

Last November, CBC Marketplace sent hidden cameras into several Toronto-area drugstores and found that a majority of pharmacists questioned would recommend homeopathic products to parents without alerting them that the item was essentially just sugar.

CBC journalists approached pharmacists with a homeopathic product and asked if it would be effective in treating a three-year-old child with cough and cold symptoms. Six out of 10 said “yes.”