Kill or cure? Homeopathy.

I've written several times about the consequences of religious belief and what it can mean to children – especially sick children who do not receive medical attention, and instead their parents opt out for prayer and faith healing. Tragically and predictably, these children have died because these parents relied on magic, and not medicine.

The same is true of parents who rely on homeopathy and think it is a science-based form of medical treatment. Homeopathy is a pseudo-science which relies on magical thinking to cure diseases, infections, and aliments exactly like believers of faith healing and intercessory prayer. Really, homeopaths are treating diseases and infections with is water. Water. The dilutions that homeopaths concoct make whatever active ingredients so diluted as to be ineffective.

"The parents of a nine-month-old girl who died from septicemia were responsible for their baby's death because they shunned conventional medical treatment for her eczema in favour of homeopathic remedies, a court heard yesterday."

Septicemia is blood poisoning by bacteria – a complication of the eczema. It is a very painful way to die. Like the septicemia, malnutrition was another complication of the eczema. A simple antibiotic administered for a few weeks would have killed the infection.

"Instead Gloria Thomas, who was born in perfect health in July 2001, allegedly died with malnutrition and eczema so severe that her skin broke every time her parents removed her clothes and nappy."

They were informed by a medical nurse they should seek a skin specialist. The parents ignored this advice and decided to treat the child's eczema with homeopathy, and even went to other homeopaths and other "natural medicine practitioners" after their homeopathic magic repeatedly failed.

Yet the uncritical belief in homeopathy never wavered, even after they followed conventional, science-based medicine where Gloria would improve for a time. The father – the homeopath "doctor" who treated his daughter, kept returning back to homeopathy, eventually taking his daughters life.

When faith-healing and homeopathy eventually leads to death or disfigurement, the parents and practitioners must be held accountable.

They must be charged with murder.

(Source)