Homeopathic “medicines” Will Have to Be Held Accountable for Being Nonsense
Homeopathic “cures” are a ton of meaningless claims , but for a long time they had a little more leeway in labeling than dietary supplements . The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) recently mandated packaging of over-the-counter homeopathic “medicines” to include warnings that they were, in fact, full of crap.
The new policy is an attempt by the FTC to ensure that advertisements and marketing of homeopathic products meet the same standards as other medicines. To be clear, homeopathy is not the same as herbal medicine. Homeopathy is based on this archaic philosophy of “like cures like”, where diseases are “treated” with a diluted drug containing an undetectable amount of a substance that can cause similar symptoms of the disease. If this sounds crazy and is not supported by science, it is because it is. Here are some quotes from the FTC:
In general, claims about homeopathic products are not based on modern scientific methods and are not accepted by modern medical experts, but nonetheless, homeopathy has many adherents.
Accordingly, unconditional claims of disease made in relation to homeopathic medicines must be supported by competent and reliable scientific evidence. However, truthful, non-misleading, effective disclosure of the grounds for a claim of effectiveness may be possible.
In short, this is pseudoscience, which is in principle no better than an expensive placebo. If the manufacturers of a homeopathic “medicine” cannot provide evidence that their product works, they should have a disclaimer “not based on scientific evidence” on the packaging, as well as a statement of which (outdated and unproven) theories are based on those claims. … on . This is a first positive step for consumer protection, but the FTC also acknowledges that most consumers probably don’t even understand homeopathy, stating:
… that such a claim, in itself, could properly alert consumers to the fact that claims of product effectiveness are not supported by scientific evidence, and, in fact, could increase the alleged credibility of the claim.
However, the goal of the FTC here is to provide you with as much accurate information as possible before you make a purchase. But trying something in the hope that it “might work” because of the placebo effect is still a terrible strategy , not to mention a waste of hard-earned money.
OTC Homeopathic Medicine Marketing Statement Policy Statement | Federal Trade Commission