"And it is helping me" why so many people continue to believe in homeopathy

Scientists have proven - homeopathy is safe. The prosecutor's office confirmed RussiaProsecutor General: the use of homeopathy does not contradict the legislation of the Russian FederationThat the use of homeopathic remedies is completely legal. Results VTsIOM polls showIndex "Boiron": Russians' attitude to homeopathyThat 65% of Russians treated with homeopathy, it is considered effective.

Alternative healing practices, there are many: the treatment of anything else soda, of charged water, fasting, imposition of hands and so on. But none of them failed because a firm foothold in the mass consciousness of Russians, like homeopathy. Unsinkable brand comes from the XVIII century.

But if you think that we have decided to talk about the benefits of homeopathic pills, then you are wrong. Homeopathy still has no evidence of effectiveness. Read more about this you can read in the Memorandum Memorandum number 2 RAN Commission to Combat Pseudoscience and Falsification of Scientific Research "About pseudoscientific homeopathy»

Number 2 of the Commission to Combat Pseudoscience RAS.

Where does faith in homeopathy

So why do people continue to stubbornly believe in the efficacy of homeopathic treatment? The fact that homeopathy offers conditional consumer is very attractive from a marketing point of view of the product.

After all, what we want, when faced with the disease? Recover. How do we want? Fast, safe, and desirable, cheap. And homeopathy, as a skilled magician, well it creates the illusion of such drugs.

The centuries-old tradition, the doctors' recommendations, the presence of drugs in all pharmacies, lack of side effects, many friendly consultation with a qualified homeopath and, most importantly, the immense trust personal experience without the ability of its analyze. Any of these items is enough to ordinary people thought that homeopathy is worthy of attention. And here it connects a whole heap of bugs in our thinking, each of which only strengthens the patient's belief in the miraculous this method of treatment.

Often use homeopathy people start on the advice of friends. The thing is, "natural filters" in our head, which helpfully suggests that one is unlikely to be deceiving. But to the information received from other sources, we unconsciously treat more skeptical.

If the gray-haired professor from the TV screen says that "homeopathy - pseudoscience", but others argue that "helped him", that they will believe more other. After all, why would he lie, right?

Especially homeopathy more and no side effects. And this fact can also tip the scales in favor of useless sugar balls.

Let us examine an example: you are not a doctor, before you are two packages of drugs from the same disease. You say, if you choose the first, of course, the disease will take place, but only a list of side effects, there is a two-page (head ache is hair - fall, indigestion and even in the bargain). But if you will take the second medication, and cure, and no adverse effects do not get. And if you do not have any additional information, the second option would be a reasonable and rational decision.

Trading in fact alternative medicine, homeopathic pharmaceutical companies successfully earn and those who in the case of sickness used to go to the drugstore and buy "anything from the common cold." Such a person may be difficult to apply to village healers and treatment of laying on of hands, but to buy homeopathic pills can easily.

The fact that pharmacies do not have a separate stand for homeopathy. And apparently distinguish phony from the pack with conventional drugs extremely difficult. Many do not even know that buying another drug they receive homeopathy (especially since some manufacturers are now even stopped writing on the package "homeopathic remedy").

And by and large people, as a rule, I do not care. For them there is no difference, what to take: dietary supplements, homeopathy, vitamins or aspirin.

If there is a pharmacy, then medicine. If the medicine, so effectively, because it otherwise the pharmacy got something?

Others believe homeopathy something like herbal medicine and refer to it as a "natural remedies" treatment. And still others do not include homeopathy among the alternative practices. After about its effectiveness say "doctors with many years of experience," and at some universities have even courses for homoeopaths.

Why homeopathy "helps"

"Well, - says our invisible supporter of homeopathy. - Let all true. But how do you then explain that homeopathy help? "This is perhaps the most interesting question. The short answer is this: homeopathy does not work. But to explain why people believe that homeopathy helped them, perhaps, it is.

In general, the argument "A helping me!" - is the alpha and omega of any supporter of alternative medicine.

A recent opinion poll showedHomeopathy, and a healthy lifestyle, conflict or harmony?That, despite all the educational work of scientists and popularizers of science, the confidence index of homeopathy among Russians has increased from 49% to 58% over the last year.

Homeopaths often love to flaunt such research in response to the claims of scientists, that scientific experiments homeopathy repeatedly demonstrated complete ineffectiveness. They seem to hint: "Bullshit, this is your the science! People say it helps them, then it is so! "

What a mistake here? From the viewpoint of science, the phrase "people believe that homeopathy helps" means that people really believe that homeopathy helps them. And from the point of view of supporters of homeopathy, this phrase means "Homeopathy really helps." You see the difference?

Let's be clear. How often have you heard the story of what your friend / his friend / grandmother's friend of a friend had a serious illness, the doctors have given up, but last month they were treated with homeopathy and the disease has passed? How to explain this?

1. We overestimate personal experience

It is worth noting that in such cases we are always dealing with the memories. BUT memory - it is not reality, but an interpretation of reality. Most likely, such a narrator conveys only his version of events (even if you swear on a holy book, that's how it all really was).

In cases where these stories manage to ensure that all means is that the illness was not so serious, and patients use homeopathy alongside conventional treatment. Or he did died a month after he "felt better".

Saying "lying as a witness" was not born in a vacuum. No wonder in science personal experience is not considered proof of all. In the popular consciousness everything is exactly the opposite.

2. We see a causal relationship where it does not exist

"After" does not mean "because." If a native dance and then it started to rain, then it does not mean that the dance is rain. It seems to be commonplace, but in practice, people are always forget about this simple rule. If you think you can on the eye to distinguish between unrelated events from related, remember: the natives think so too.

3. We do not consider the placebo effect

Placebo effect It occurs when the patient is given a pacifier instead of the real drug, and he begins to assert that started to feel much better. But do not believe in the healing power of auto-suggestion. The placebo effect is observed only on self-reports. This means that, according to a person, it gets better. However, if you take his analysis, we find that in fact the disease has gone nowhere. Learn more about how the placebo can be found in the lectures of the chemist and science popularizer Sergei Belkova.

How to avoid becoming a victim of self-deception

Keep in mind that each of us has a certain "border adequacy", followed by the approval we begin to seem silly and absurd. For example, now, few people seriously believe that corn can be cured snot, toothache - a rusty nail, and sore throat - a frog with milk. But at the time all this was considered normal methods of treatment (yes, these are real recipes Traditional medicine). Why do people believe in such ridiculous money, you ask? Because "help"!

Think about it: if all you can say in defense of his favorite drug, is "And I help! ", remember that just" helps "Urinotherapy and conspiracy women from the village of Nura Red Bast.

And even if homeopathy is much safer to most alternative medical practices, it still does not fulfill the main task of medicine - it does not cure.