A leading toxicologist said it would be nearly impossible to overdose on the homeopathic medicine Traumeel.
Alexa Ray Joel, 23, was rushed to the hospital after taking several pills. Law enforcement sources said they were sleeping pills, but a source close to Joel said it was Traumeel, a medication used to treat minor aches and pains associated with repetitive sports injuries.
"Nothing would happen because there's nothing in it," said Dr. Lewis Nelson, a toxicologist at NYU Medical Center. "There's no active ingredient. There's nothing in these pills."
Traumeel contains 12 biological ingredients, including several plants that are known to be toxic, and two mineral substances, according to Traumeel.com.
But homeopathic medicines are so diluted, they often end up not even containing the original ingredients.
"So basically you'd be taking more of nothing," Nelson said, adding that he still recommends following the instructions on the bottle.
Traumeel is also used on horses, dogs and cats. In 1997, it became the first homeopathic medicine to be listed in the Physicians' Desk Reference.
theballinist on May 30th, 2017 at 00:36 UTC »
Billy Joel tried to commit suicide when he was 21 by drinking Old English furniture polish.
foofdawg on May 30th, 2017 at 00:24 UTC »
James Randi has on several occasions taken a whole bottle of homeopathic sleeping pills at the beginning of his talks.
pm-me-your-dead-cats on May 29th, 2017 at 23:53 UTC »
And they say homeopathic medicine doesn't work!