I spent much of my early career working in
stores that sold natural health products, including supplements and medicinal
herbs. Among our top-selling products were always homeopathic remedies, and
none were sold at a higher volume than teething tablets for cranky babies. Hyland's
Teething Tablets, in particular, seemed to be the favorite of every exhausted
parent. They would grab a bottle and, rubbing their eyes, proclaim, "I
don't know how they work, but they do."
I never told any of these customers that
they were essentially paying big bucks for a placebo. Study after study after study has
confirmed that homeopathic remedies (which should not be confused with herbal
supplements) are no more effective than a placebo for treating any disease or
condition. These little concoctions, which are sold in the form of lactose or
sucrose "sugar pills," admittedly contain no active ingredients, just
the metaphysical "essence" of natural compounds. It is biologically
and physically impossible for a homeopathic remedy like teething tablets to
work more effectively than a placebo.
Of course, there's no way to convince
parents of that, when they've witnessed firsthand how quickly homeopathic
teething tablets work for their children. Many a parent has given a homeopathic
teething tablet to a colicky or teething baby and immediately seen the baby
stop crying and fall peacefully asleep. It's no secret that a three-month-old
baby knows nothing about medicine and has no expectations, so of course we
can't attribute the apparent success to the placebo effect. So just how do
homeopathic teething tablets work?
The secret, in this case, is in the placebo
itself. Homeopathic teething tablets are made in a sweet-tasting base of
lactose or sucrose, which makes them palatable and also enables them to
dissolve instantly on contact with a baby's saliva. In general, we consider
placebos, and "sugar pills" in particular, to be completely inert,
but sugar is actually a very powerful medicine for little babies.
Sugar is one of the most potent pain relievers
for babies under one year of age, especially in the sensitive newborn stage.
Many hospitals use sugar, with strong evidence that it works, to
help ease the pain of circumcision, newborn injections, injuries, and other
discomforts experienced by babies in hospital settings. You may have heard your
own parents or grandparents recommend honey (which is off-limits because of
botulism!) or even soda as a home remedy for colic or teething. Babies given
sugar quickly feel calmed and experience much less pain than they feel without
it.
So, ultimately, homeopathic teething
tablets do work, but they don't work in the way that many parents assume. They
work to the same degree that a tiny amount of sugar would work, by using
sweetness to help a baby feel calm and at ease. They don't contain any
medicinally active compounds that could work in any way beyond sugary tablets
themselves.
Save yourself the money (and avoid falling
for a scam) by using tiny amounts of sugar-water in lieu of homeopathic
teething tablets as your own home remedy for colic or teething pain. Although
it's not a good idea to give your baby sugar, especially in large amounts,
there's no harm in giving tiny, occasional dose of safe, sterilized sugar with
your doctor's approval, when all medicine-free and sugar-free treatments have
failed. Of course, always check with your baby's pediatrician before using any
home remedy to treat colic or teething. A little expert advice can go a very
long way and might help you get a good night's sleep without needing to resort
to sweet flavors.
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