Od Hahnemanna do Zięby. Wpływ autorytetu na postrzeganie medycyny - homeopatia, efekt placebo, propaganda antyszczepionkowa

It is estimated that medicine doubles its knowledge within 10 years. We have more and better methods of diagnosis and treatment, but they are less understandable to people without medical education and can therefore be perceived as a threat to the average patient. Authority in every field is paramount importance, especially in appliction of medical therapies. In my article I would like to point out the dangers associated with excessive belief in patients in homeopathy, shamanism, or religion. Every field of alternative medicine has it own representative who has strongly influenced by the perception of the methods they propagate. This „guru” attracted a large crowd of people supporting his views. Father of homeopathy is Christian Hahnemann, who convinced people to believe that only microscopic doses of the substance can cure diseases that themselves cause it at higher doses. Another character I would like to present is Jerzy Zięba who is recently famous. A figure without any medical education that can be associated with medicine, and who persuaded hundreds of people to use his therapy. The next character who really change medicine for some people is Andrew Wakefield - the author of the work about the harmfulness of the MMR vaccine. Although his research was considered as false and his right to practice was being revoked, more and more people believe that vaccines cause autism, which he described in his article. By analyzing the above examples, I am looking for the proof does a placebo effect can partially explain the effectiveness of some methods. Undoubtedly, the most important is the person who is the authority in a particular view and also different religions which have a great influence on health behavior.