AW: [ RadSafe ] Letter: Homeopathy and Hormesis

Thu Feb 9 02:54:38 CST 2006

John:

Placebo 'effects' are curative outcomes in the absence of pharmacologically active substances like this indeed in many "high potency" homeopathic prescriptions is the case. Hormetic effects like those described most recently by Ina and Sakai are positive and dose-dependent outcomes in the presence of measurable agents like low dose-rate low LET radiation or the numerous 'toxins' compiled by Calabrese. 

Note the decisive difference: ABSENCE vs. PRESENCE!

Kind regards, Rainer

________________________________

Von: radsafe-bounces at radlab.nl im Auftrag von John Jacobus
Gesendet: Mi 08.02.2006 18:38
An: Muckerheide, James; Steven Dapra; RadiatSafety
Betreff: RE: [ RadSafe ] Letter: Homeopathy and Hormesis 

Jim,
<...>

I also suspect that many of the "benefits" seen with
the use of homeopathic treatments are due to a placebo
response.  This also applies to hormesis, whatever the
agent.

--- "Muckerheide, James" <jimm at WPI.EDU> wrote:

> Hi Steve,
>
> I suspect that you haven't been keeping up with the
> literature on
> dose-responses to low doses of all toxins.  :-) 
>
> I just sent the attached around today.  One of
> Calabrese's recent journal
> papers ran 207 pages with individual summaries of
> papers just addressing
> immune responses from very many different toxins,
> including some radiation.
>
> And I can't imagine anyone stupid enough to
> "confuse" hormesis and homeopathy
> if they know ANYTHING about them.  (I wonder how you
> would do 10-20 dilutions
> of radon :-)
>
> This really seems more like disinformation than just
> stupidity. :-)
>
> Regards, Jim
>
>
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: radsafe-bounces at radlab.nl
> [mailto:radsafe-bounces at radlab.nl] On
> > Behalf Of Steven Dapra
> > Sent: Tuesday, February 07, 2006 10:23 PM
> > To: radsafe at radlab.nl
> > Subject: Re: [ RadSafe ] Letter: Homeopathy and
> Hormesis
> >
> > Feb 7, 2006
> >
> > Dear Group
> >
> > Ran across this Letter to the Editor in the latest
> > edition of Skeptical Inquirer.
> >
> > Skeptical Inquirer - the magazine for science and
> > reason - Vol. 30, No. 1 Jan/Feb 2006 p.68
> >
> > Homeopathy and Hormesis:
> >
. . .
> > COMMENT:
> >
> >          There is some confused and dangerous
> reasoning at work here.  No
> > one is saying that low-dose exposure to every
> toxin (insult) has a
> > hormetic
> > effect (that it is healthful).  Furthermore, no
> one is using hormesis to
> > try and exonerate the chemical industry of
> anything, and I have never
> > heard
> > anyone claim that low doses of these chemical
> industry substances are
> > healthful.  At most, people would say in these
> cases that low-dose
> > exposure
> > is not harmful, but never that it is healthful.
> >
> >          We who accept the hormetic effect, or
> think there is some merit
> > to
> > the claim of hormesis, need to be careful to make
> a clear distinction
> > between a hormetic (healthful) effect at low
> levels of exposure, and no
> > effect at low levels of exposure.
> >
> > (end comment)
> >
. . .
> >
> > COMMENT:
> >
> >          No one is saying that stimulatory
> responses are always
> > beneficial.  This needs to be approached on a case
> by case basis.
> >
> >          Note that Huff refers readers to an
> article or a paper in
> > Environmental Health Perspectives.  I have raised
> objections to EHP papers
> > before on RADSAFE.  (Steve Wing's co-authored
> paper purporting to find a
> > higher death toll at Three Mile Island was
> published in EHP.)  About ten
> > years ago, one of the co-authors of this paper,
> Devra Davis, was active in
> > the drive to attribute breast cancer to chlorine.
> I heard her speak at an
> > anti-chlorine and anti-radiation seminar in
> Albuquerque in 1994.  I do not
> > know what Davis' present views are on chlorine and
> breast cancer.  (Wing
> > also spoke at this seminar.)  Should anyone have
> questions about this
> > seminar, please contact me by private e-mail.
> Please do not ask me on
> > RADSAFE.
> >
> > Steven Dapra
> > sjd at swcp.com
> >
> >
> >
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+++++++++++++++++++
"It is not the job of public-affairs officers to alter, filter or
adjust engineering or scientific material produced by NASA's technical
staff."
MICHAEL D. GRIFFIN, NASA administrator.

-- John
John Jacobus, MS
Certified Health Physicist
e-mail:  crispy_bird at yahoo.com

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