Dilution Dilemma…

This is the big science news of the day, although some people may question why, in 2010, it is any sort of news at all.

A group called the Merseyside Skeptics Society started a campaign called 10²³ to raise awareness about homeopathy. Homeopathy is a widely used alternative medicine and it is seen by many as an effective and natural way to treat medical conditions.

“Homeopathy is a system of medicine which is based on treating the individual with highly diluted substances given in mainly tablet form, which triggers the body’s natural system of healing. Based on their experience of their symptoms, a homeopath will match the most appropriate medicine to the patient.” From the Society of Homeopaths website.

Although thought by many to be a form of herbal medicine, it is in fact quite different. It was created by Samuel Hahnemann in 1796 and is based on three ideas that seemed to make sense to him. The three laws of homeopathy are…

1. ‘Like cures like’ – a substance that causes a particular symptom can be used to treat a condition that has that symptom. Thus, caffeine, which keeps you awake, can be used to treat insomnia (which means being unable to sleep).
2. ‘The more diluted the remedy, the more potent it becomes’ – obviously it would be dangerous to give poisons to people, so they are watered down.
3. ‘Shaking during the dilution process (succussion) activates the vital energy of the solution’ – the water is imbued with the memory of the substance being diluted and it is the water itself that becomes the active ingredient in the remedy.

The problem that scientists have with homeopathy is that none of those three laws can be verified by science as it is currently understood. Although many people find that they get better when treated with homeopathy, it has not been possible to produce any solid scientific data to support the case that homeopathy really works.

Fans of alternative medicine will point out that, in comparison with conventional medicine, very little research has been done into homeopathy. Medical researchers will ask why they should research something that is not based on any recognisable science.

One of the big problems is the issue of dilution and the memory of water. Homeopathic remedies are diluted so much that there is very little chance of any molecules of the active ingredient still being present in the water. The water is then sprinkled on sugar pills and after evaporation there is probably none of the activated water present on the pills either. Whilst this is not an obstacle to those who are inclined to believe that there are mysterious forces at work in the world, it is difficult for the scientists who are expected to get funding for the research into homeopathic remedies. There is not enough evidence, other than anecdotal evidence from individuals who have had success with homeopathy, to warrant spending money pursuing the research.

12 grams of carbon contains 6 x 10²³ atoms of carbon – this is known as 1 mole. The mole is the standard unit in chemistry; if you dissolved one mole of sulphuric acid molecules in 1 litre of water then you have a 1 molar (1M) solution. Homeopathic remedies are diluted beyond 6 x 10²³ so there is often unlikely to be a single molecule of the active ingredient present in the treatment. This is why the campaign is called 10²³.

To advertise their concerns that people are being misled by the claims of homeopathy the 10²³ group organised a mass overdose of homeopathy pills at 10:23 on the 30^th of January 2010 (today!) This was to demonstrate, as their slogan puts it, that “there’s nothing in it”. (It would be very unwise for you to take any pills without direct medical advice!) Homeopaths have pointed out that since homeopathy is a highly individualised treatment, overdosing on a random remedy will not have any effect. The sceptics (skeptics is the American spelling) argue that since all homeopathic remedies are chemically identical, it is impossible to have individualised treatment.

If homeopathy can be demonstrated to have a genuine effect upon the body greater than placebo then it will have involved a branch of science currently unknown to man. There would be a Nobel Prize for its discoverer I am sure.

I appreciate that this is not a comprehensive guide to the topic but there is a great deal of information on the Internet from both sceptics and enthusiasts alike, so look at the links above to find out a little bit more for yourself.

Questions…

1. In a solution,
   • what word describes the substance being dissolved?
   • what word describes the liquid part of the solution?
2. Homeopaths need pure water to prepare their remedies. What technique would you use to produce pure water?
3. What is Avogadro’s Constant and why is it relevant to this article?