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Despite the claims of many, Homeopathy does have an overall positive evidence base, taking into account research methodology. But that research reveals some interesting characteristics.Here for instance is a newer research paper on this phenomenon, testing Apis, a homeopathic medicine on gene expression (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4710123/). While the research is positive, the researchers are puzzled that an s shaped dose response curve is not visible.
 
Many have suggested that #Homeopathy, if correct, should display an s shaped dose response curve. This is a reasonable Dose_response_antagonist-1expectation, as most pharmacological (ie crude) substances when placed into a biological system show this kind of response.For an example of an s shaped dose response curve, see the diagram to the right:
 
Homeopathy however, while it has been demonstrated in multiple trials (such as the one below) in biological models it tends to show responses in a bell curve manner. Lower potencies cause a lower response of a given effect, medium 120px-Standard_deviation_diagram.svgpotencies cause a larger effect, and higher potencies cause no effect.For an example of a dose response curve, see the left:
This effect has been found across several experimental models (for another using basophils, please see http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19945674) , and is consistent with clinical practice. Patients wont respond to too low potencies of a remedy, will respond to just the right potency and will aggravate or not respond to too high potencies. This trick is of course what is too high, too low and just right varies from patient to patient.
 

This phenomenon of bell curve responses seems to be a characteristic of Homeopathy in general. Homeopathy, if it works at all, does not work via traditional pharmacological models of the body. It is quite fascinating to me that those looking for evidence on Homeopathy’s efficacy seem to insist it fit into another model of biological activity that they have accepted, rather than exploring the laboratory evidence available which indicates another model of responsiveness entirely.

Image credits: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Standard_deviation_diagram.svg
Image credits: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Dose_response_antagonist.jpg

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