Natalie Grams

Natalie Grams is a physician and former homeopathy practitioner in Germany. After surviving a contact with skeptics in the form of an interview[1] for a book,[2] her own dive into the literature to refute the authors led to a complete reversal of her views regarding homeopathy. Not only did she stop believing and close her practice, she became an outspoken critic, published a book on the subject[3] and now works for the German skeptics group Gesellschaft zur wissenschaftlichen Untersuchung von Parawissenschaften (GWUP) (English translation: Society for the Scientific Investigation of Parascience).[4]

This might be
Skepticism
But we're not sure
Who's asking?
v - t - e

As part of the interdisciplinary group of experts "Münsteraner Kreis", she supported "Münsteraner Memorandum Heilpraktiker",[5] a statement about the state-approved profession Heilpraktiker (i.e., naturopaths). This publication notes a gap of standard of quality in the medical sector when comparing the CAM-riddled Heilpraktiker and regular medical care. In its conclusion, it calls for either dissolving the profession or for a radical reform on the basis of competency.

Informationsnetzwerk Homöopathie
10/10 unicorns agree: homeopathy works better than placebo

In response to the massive popularity and normalisation of homeopathy, Natalie Grams, Norbert Aust and Amardeo Sarma and co-authored a stance against homeopathy: the "Freiburger Erklärung zur Homöopathie".[6][7]

  • Homeopathy is neither naturopathy nor medicine.
  • No special status for homeopathy should be allowed.
  • The practice of homeopathy requires and fosters self-deception of patient and therapist.
  • Medicine and science is the way forward.

This marked the beginning of the information network for homeopathy "Informationsnetzwerk Homöopathie" (INH), with Natalie Grams as head of the board. In its mission to inform about the scientific perspective on homeopathy, the INH maintains a web presence with a focus on consumers and medical facilities alike:

  • The INH website provides articles, news stories, answers to FAQs, downloadable resources and more
  • Homöopedia — a wiki project about all things homeopathy (and not a gay encyclopedia, unfortunately)
  • Susannchen braucht keine Globuli - a blog with a focus on informing parents

Big Pharma reacts

Big Pharma is, of course, totally opposed to homeopathy[note 1] - so naturally when Grams made the scientifically uncontroversial statement that homeopathy doesn't work any better than a placebo... pharmaceutical company Hevert sends a cease and desist letter.[8][9] What could possibly go wrong?

Grams ignored the request to sign away € 5,100 every time she repeats the statement. The German press was delighted to spread the story and a well-known German satire show had no problem "risking" € 76,500 by repeating Gram's statement and mocking homeopathy.[10]

gollark: You would probably have been beaten by fish-y people, who can seek and click golds in 0.001 seconds.
gollark: I should start scraping those or something. Drop analytics could be really interesting.
gollark: Alpine.
gollark: It was probably fish who caught it.
gollark: Obviously.

Notes
  1. at least if sugar pill proponents are to be believed

References
  1. https://web.archive.org/web/20170829074737/http://homoeopathie-neu-gedacht.blogspot.de/2015/11/fur-alle-homoopathen-die-meinen-meine.html
  2. Die Homöopathie-Lüge : so gefährlich ist die Lehre von den weißen Kügelchen / Christian Weymayr/Nicole Heißmann
  3. Homöopathie neu gedacht : was Patienten wirklich hilft / Natalie Grams
  4. https://www.gwup.org/who-is-who/1807-natalie-grams
  5. Münsteraner Kreis: Münsteraner Memorandum Heilpraktiker. 2017-08-21.
  6. https://www.gwup.org/inhalte/79-aktuelles/nachrichten/1754-freiburger-erklaerung
  7. http://edzardernst.com/2016/02/a-new-and-important-declaration-about-homeopathy/
  8. https://twitter.com/NatalieGrams/status/1131958510080733185
  9. https://www.spiegel.de/gesundheit/diagnose/homoeopathie-pharmahersteller-hevert-geht-juristisch-gegen-kritiker-vor-a-1270575.html
  10. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pU3sAYRl4-k
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