While some argue against it, others swear by its great power and effectiveness.

00:00:06,550 --> 00:00:11,100 有些人極力反對；有些人則認為其真的具有治療作用

How does homeopathy work?

那麼，同種療法到底是如何作用的呢？

How did it become what it is today, and what can modern medicine learn from it?

它是如何演變至今的，還有現代的藥物可以從中學習到什麼呢？

The first principle of homeopathy is "like cures like."

00:00:29,700 --> 00:00:33,140 同種療法的第一個原則就是：「以同治同」

Remedies use ingredients that cause the symptoms you want to cure.

藉由產生病症的來源作為原料製成藥劑

In practice, that means that remedies against fever could, for example, be made from belladonna, which also causes fever.

舉例來說，以顛茄為原料製成的藥劑可以用來對抗發燒的症狀

A mixture based from bee venom is used to treat itchy swellings, and so on.

因為顛茄會引發發燒的症狀；而混合蜜蜂毒液的藥水，可以治療被蜜蜂叮後得發癢和紅腫的現象。

The second principle is the special method of preparation called potentization.

第二個原則則是：「潛力化」

The idea is that diluting and agitating the ingredients activates their curative powers and enhances their effect.

這個想法是，藉由將原料稀釋並攪拌後，強化其中的治療功效

To do this, the ingredient is dissolved in alcohol or distilled water.

為了做到這點，會將原料溶入酒精或蒸餾水中

Homeopaths take one part of the solution and mix it with nine parts of water,

然後從中取一份溶液混合九份的水

diluting it down to one tenth of its original concentration, and shaking it.

稀釋到原本十分之一的濃度，然後搖晃混合新的溶液

What you have now is a 1X potency:

就能得到由大部分為水和少部分原料混合而成，具有「1X」效力的混合溶液。其中的 X 為羅馬數字，代表 10

one-part ingredient and nine parts solvent,

若將這個步驟再重複一次，取一份的混合溶液再和九份的水混合。就能得到「2X 」

named after the Roman numeral X, for 10.

不斷的重複這個動作，直到得到需要的「等級」。最後的產品就能作為藥物，有時候直接口服使用

Now, this process is repeated.

或者製成藥丸，包裝後往各地銷售

Take one part, mix it with nine parts of pure water and shake it vigorously. Now you have 2X.

一個「20X」等級的產物，相當於在大西洋中丟入一顆阿斯匹靈藥丸的濃度

You do this again and again until you reach the desired grade of potency.

更往上的等級則更為極端，像是「30C」

The finished remedy is then taken orally, or sometimes

C 代表一份原料與九十九份的水混合

it's applied as little sugar pellets that are sold as globuli.

以此推斷，「30C」所代表的就是一份原料

A 20X potency, for example, is like dissolving one aspirin pill in the water volume of the whole Atlantic.

和一百萬億億億億億億的水混和

But many are much more extreme, like 30C, for example.

如果將一份原料比擬成一顆珍珠，那麼這顆「30C」的藥丸將會有

C means that the mixture has one part ingredient and 99 parts water.

與地球跟太陽間距離長的直徑

So the commonly sold 30C mixture means one part ingredient and

也就是 1億5000萬公里。如此巨大的藥丸，會因為本身極大的重力而崩塌成黑洞。

one million billion billion billion billion billion BILLION parts of water.

也就是這個「等級」的觀點成為同種療法最大的爭議

If we wanted a globuli pill with a single atom of the original ingredient,

理論上，稀釋越多的藥品，等級越高，因此應該具有更佳的療效。但以科學的觀點來看，這並不合理

then our pill would be the diameter of the distance between the Earth and the Sun.

大部分的同種療法藥品，都已經稀釋到其中連一個原子的原料都不剩了

150,000,000 kilometers

若要解釋為何這樣還會具有療效，就要接受當每次稀釋混合時

A pill so massive, that it would collapse into a black hole under its own mass.

原料的「特性」被水分子的「記住」了的說法。

Because of this, potentization is one of the biggest criticisms of homeopathy.

但如果這是真的

The extreme dilution is supposed to make the ingredients more potent,

那麼任何曾經跟水混和的物質，都會被記住。然後當被拿來飲用後

but on a physical level, this doesn't really make sense.

會造成一些意想不到的副作用

Most homeopathic remedies are diluted so much

考慮到所有曾經在海洋中生活的生命和漂流的物品的話，整個海洋就會成了一個巨大的「同種雞尾酒」

that not a single atom of the active ingredient is left in them.

所以，到底是什麼因素使同種療法得以成為除現代藥物的替代選擇呢？

The explanation of why the mixtures still work is that shaking the mixture after every dilution leaves behind a

在十八世紀時，治療疾病的方式跟現今差距極大。像是將病人的血放掉，反而造成更嚴重的後果

spirit-like essence of the ingredient.

所以，德國的一名醫師：moral Hanuman 首創了同種療法，想藉由這種不具侵入性的療法來改善過往的作法

Basically, the idea is that water remembers what was put into it.

而同種療法確實成功了，因為比起有害的療法，不做什麼還比較有效

But if this were true, then every substance that ever met a drop of water would leave an essence behind

Hahnemann 同時也對他的病人給予非常嚴厲的作息規定。首先，不能喝咖啡、茶和酒

and lead to unpredictable effects when it was accidentally ingested.

另外還有刺激性的食物、甜食、起司，洋蔥和肉也不行

Think of all the stuff that lives and floats in the oceans.

還有不能穿羊毛製的衣服；不能久坐；不能待在悶熱的地方；不能騎馬

Every sip of water would be a supercharged homeopathic cocktail.

不能玩遊戲

So how did homeopathy become the most successful alternative medicine?

不能手淫，當然也不能看色情刊物。這還只是一部分

In the 18th century, medicine was very different from today.

綜合這些種種的條件，他的同種療法當然會成功

Treatments like bloodletting left the patient worse off than before.

但是現代的同種療法早已把這些繁瑣的規定都遺忘了

So German physician Samuel Hahnemann wanted a non-invasive, natural way of healing and developed homeopathy.

藥物治療在過去 150 年已經改變許多

And, in fact, homeopathic hospitals were soon successful because doing no harm beats doing harm.

我們正處與人類歷史上最健康的巔峰

Hahnemann imposed very strict rules on his patients.

我們能活的以前更久，正是多虧那些新建立的治療方式

First you had to avoid coffee, tea, alcohol, spicy food, sweet food. No old cheese, no onions, no meat.

現代的診斷技術、雙盲研究和科學進展使我們能找出有效的治療方式

No clothes made from sheep's wool, but also no sedentary work, no sitting inside in stuffy air, no warm rooms, no riding horses,

多虧這些無數的研究和檢驗

no napping, no playing games,

我們知道了同種療法與安慰劑的作用沒什麼不同

no masturbation, and of course, no reading pornographic texts, and many more.

但如果它真的有效，誰在乎它是怎麼作用的呢？

Then, and only then, would his remedies work, according to the inventor of homeopathy.

也許你使用了後，確實舒服多了

Of course, all of these instructions are ignored and not talked about today.

也許某個人很嚴重的疾病，在使用同種療法後好多了

Medicine has changed a lot in the last 150 years.

也有許多的有關小孩與動物接受同種療法後成功改善病症的報導

Never before in human history have we enjoyed a comparable level of health.

對於這些經歷我們該如何解釋？ 安慰劑效應並不是假的，是確實存在的

Never have we lived as long, and this is largely due to the new tools we've developed.

不管你多聰明都沒有辦法對拒絕它。 如果人們相信某種東西可以使減緩他們的症狀

Modern diagnostics, double-blinded studies, and scientific evaluation to check and prove which stuff works.

他們的信念會達到所想要的效果 而也已經有研究證明安慰劑效應是可以傳遞的

Thanks to these tools, after countless studies and reviews,

兒童和寵物會受父母或照顧者的情緒影響

we know beyond a shadow of a doubt that homeopathy does not have any effect beyond placebo.

如果父母相信這種療法有效 那麼這就可以幫助他的孩子減緩病症並治療好疾病

But even so, who cares why it works if it helps people?

這種現象也在存在於 動物的飼養員對動物們展現的肢體語言

Maybe you tried it and felt better,

但同種療法會有效的最大原因是時間 我們的身體是善於生存的機器

or you know someone that got over a horrible disease while using homeopathic remedies,

通常感染的病症或在幾天內自癒

and there are plenty of reports of it working for children and animals.

如果你在使用同種療法後 發現病症開始漸漸減輕

What do we make of these experiences?

感覺就像同種療法真的成功奏效了 但實際上，就算沒有同種療法你的身體還是會自己恢復

The Placebo Effect is very real and not imaginary.

同種治療的產業喜歡將自己裝扮成除了藥廠界外的另一個選擇。但實際上，他本身也是藥廠界的一員

No matter how smart you are, you're not immune to it.

他們從這巨大的獲利中賺進數十億美元

If people believe that something will help them feel better, their trust alone has the desired effect.

同種療法的產業有自己的遊說組織 對危害它利益的敵人進行強力的反擊 因為其中有太多的利益存在了

And it's been proven that the Placebo Effect can be transferred.

全球的市場預計在 2024 年 會達到 170 億美元的產值

Children and animals rely on their parents or keepers and are in tune to their emotions.

有些批評者則認為，同種療法對公共衛生的發展有害 因為它破壞了人們對一般藥品的信任

If a parent has a lot of trust in a treatment and eases up, this can help a child relax and help relieve symptoms.

同種療法的支持來源 與對疫苗持有懷疑態度的人們有關

This could also be observed with animals who react strongly to the body language cues of the people caring for them.

這可能會使人們在攸關自己或孩子的生命安危時，尋找正確的管道幫忙

But the most powerful tool of homeopathy is time.

但同種療法的成功模式仍有我們值得學習的地方

Our bodies are survival machines.

首先，同種療法的會診通常會花上數個小時

Infections pass on their own after a few days.

而這對於病人來說相當的重要 對於已經尋求多位醫生協助的病人而言

But if you take some remedy when you already feel sick, and then start getting better,

這種程度的關心可以對他們有巨大的影響 就算談話的內容與療程本身無關

it feels like it did indeed cure you, when actually, it would have happened anyway.

現代醫療具有相當良好的功效 全球每年依靠藥物拯救了上百萬條生命

The homeopathy industry likes to play the gentle alternative to Big Pharma.

但它同時也是一個嚴格規劃過的系統 有限的預算使醫師與護理人員必須獨自面對許多的病人

But the homeopathic industry IS Big Pharma.

長時間的對談會浪費許多時間

Billions of dollars are made with extreme profit margins.

而診斷可以使得省下許多時間

The homeopathy industry has its own lobby organizations and fights its enemies as hard as it can.

但同時也會使病人感受到無形的恐懼和被遺忘的感覺

A lot of money is on the line.

這正是現代醫學該向同種療法學習的地方 它正是人們所需要的

Globally, the market is expected to reach over 17 billion by 2024.

我們應該多花時間將病人看成人而非條碼

Some critics even argue that the homeopathic industry is bad for public health because it creates distrust in proven medicine.

但它仍然不能作為一個真正的療法

The belief in homeopathy correlates with skepticism about vaccinations.

信念可以移山 但糖水還是不能治癒癌症

This can discourage people to seek the help they need

在幾年的休息之後，Kurzgesagt 的德語版將要回來了

when their lives or the lives of their children are on the line.

多虧贊助，德語版的頻道每一至兩禮拜上傳一部新的影片

But there is actually a key to the success of homeopathy that we could, and should, copy.

除了重置最受喜愛的影片外

The first consultation with a homeopath can take hours and is very personal.

其他也會有需多英語外的影片 點開這個頻道看看

For a patient who's already been on a pilgrimage from doctor to doctor,

告訴我們你的想法

this level of attention and empathy can make a huge difference to their well-being,

然後訂閱和稍微觀看一下

even if the conversation was not the point of the therapy.

如果德國版的頻道迴響不錯 除了可以持續數年的時間外，我們可能會製作更多其他語言的頻道

Modern medicine is efficient. It saves millions of lives each year.

But it's also a strictly organized system.

Tight budgets force doctors and nurses to deal with lots of patients.

Consultations need to be time-efficient,

diagnoses made quickly, treatments fast,

which can leave patients feeling invisible, scared, and left behind.

This is what modern medicine can learn from homeopathy.

It meets a human need that has been left unfulfilled.

We need to make time for the individual again. See people, not numbers.

But as important as empathy is, it's not a substitute for actual treatment.

Faith can move mountains, but sugar water can't cure cancer.

After a short break of a few years, Kurzgesagt is back in German.

Thanks to the support of Funk, we have relaunched the German channel and are beginning to upload a video every 1-2 weeks.

Besides redoing our favorite videos,

there'll be a number of videos that will not exist in English for a while.

Check out the channel here, tell us what you think, and subscribe and watch a few.

If the channel goes well, the German videos might become a regular thing for years, and we might even do more languages.