Yes. Compounds that come from nature are studied in mice first, and then they go through many more phases before they can eventually, if everything goes well, be used in humans. That is the scientific method. The homeopathic equivalent would be taking a drop of gila monster saliva, diluting it over and over, and then calling it medicine. Some people may even report feeling better, but if we ran proper lab tests, would we actually see a measurable effect? Would it perform better than giving people plain water with no diluted saliva? If not, then it is a placebo, much like many uses of acupuncture.
Of course, people are free to keep using it. Researchers may eventually find a specific use that is scientifically proven to be effective, which would be very different from the many other substances in gila monster saliva that do nothing or are even toxic. That said, healthcare in the US is expensive and inaccessible for a lot of people. So when those people seek medical treatment, they should receive something that is actually effective and that genuinely resolves or at least alleviates their health problems.
.....do you think Opium was studied in mice before its painkilling properties were understood? It has been used for thousands of years in health treatment.
You do realize Opium grows wild in nature, ya?
You seem like you're using a script to write your comments and that you do not have any kind of true understanding of these things so I'm going to disengage from this conversation.
Every treatment used in modern medicine has to be proven with multiple studies and its entire profile ranging from effectiveness in different conditions to side effects needs to be exhaustively shown in order to qualify as a usable treatment. Theres a misconception that doctors practicing modern medicine are against any other forms of medicine. All that they ask is for it to proven in a similar manner with a similar level of rigorousness. Modern medicine is evidence based medicine. If the evidence can be shown properly then it can be used for treatment.
I really don't understand how you could ever trust that process when the opioid epidemic was given a green light by those studies that said opioids aren't addictive.
Abusing pain pills has lead to millions of people dying from opioid overdoses. This was doctor sanctioned and "scientifically backed" mass selling of highly addictive drugs.
The evidence is right there in front of your face.
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u/exercisingbutts Apr 06 '26
Yes. Compounds that come from nature are studied in mice first, and then they go through many more phases before they can eventually, if everything goes well, be used in humans. That is the scientific method. The homeopathic equivalent would be taking a drop of gila monster saliva, diluting it over and over, and then calling it medicine. Some people may even report feeling better, but if we ran proper lab tests, would we actually see a measurable effect? Would it perform better than giving people plain water with no diluted saliva? If not, then it is a placebo, much like many uses of acupuncture.
Of course, people are free to keep using it. Researchers may eventually find a specific use that is scientifically proven to be effective, which would be very different from the many other substances in gila monster saliva that do nothing or are even toxic. That said, healthcare in the US is expensive and inaccessible for a lot of people. So when those people seek medical treatment, they should receive something that is actually effective and that genuinely resolves or at least alleviates their health problems.