For as long as modern medicine has existed, there have been people looking beyond it. Sometimes it is a grandmother's remedy passed down through generations. Sometimes it is Ayurveda, acupuncture, naturopathy, or homeopathy. And sometimes, it is a patient who has spent years moving from one doctor's office to another, trying treatment after treatment without finding the relief they were hoping for.That is one reason homeopathy continues to command a loyal following despite decades of scientific criticism. Walk into any Indian neighbourhood and chances are you'll find a homeopathy clinic tucked between a pharmacy and a grocery store. Families swear by tiny white pills for allergies, migraines, digestive troubles, skin conditions, and recurring
infections. Whether science agrees with those experiences or not, belief in the system remains remarkably strong.
The Homeopathy Controversy: Where It All Began
Now, that belief has found itself at the centre of a fresh social media storm involving actor Anushka Sharma, Shark Tank India judge Namita Thapar, celebrated homeopath Dr. Rajan Sankaran, and one of India's most outspoken doctors, Dr. Cyriac Abby Philips, better known online as The Liver Doc.The controversy began after Anushka Sharma shared her support for homeopathy and spoke about the role it has played in her life. The actor later appeared in a discussion alongside Namita Thapar and Dr. Rajan Sankaran, a globally recognised figure in the field. During the conversation, the panel spoke about why homeopathy continues to attract patients across the world and discussed its approach to treatment, which focuses heavily on understanding an individual's physical and emotional state rather than simply targeting symptoms.For supporters of homeopathy, there was little unusual about the discussion. They saw it as a conversation about a form of healthcare that millions already use. ''Whether it is a celebrity or a regular person, if they have made a choice of seeking homeopathic treatment based on an understanding of available information, this should be respected," Dr. Kushal Banerjee, M.D. (Hom.) MSc (Oxon.) wrote.For critics, it was something else entirely. One of the first strong reactions came from commentator Amit Kilhor, who questioned why homeopathy was being promoted in the first place. In a tweet that quickly circulated online, he argued that Ayurveda would have been a more defensible alternative. While acknowledging that Ayurveda also faces scientific scrutiny, Kilhor claimed it is at least rooted in natural products and traditional practices. Homeopathy, he wrote, was essentially "German pseudoscience" based on diluted water and sugar pills.
While critics maintain that homeopathy has failed to demonstrate effectiveness beyond placebo in rigorous studies, homeopathy practitioners strongly disagree. As Dr. Banerjee notes, ''There is a body of evidence including peer reviewed literature that is constantly being added to which continues to demonstrate the efficacy of homeopathic interventions in various clinical conditions."
What The Liver Doc Had To Say About It
Never one to soften his opinions, the hepatologist published a lengthy Instagram post that turned an already active discussion into a full-blown online battle. Referring to Anushka Sharma, Namita Thapar and Dr. Rajan Sankaran, he described them as a 'triangle of shame.' He called homeopathy 'witchcraft' and accused those associated with it of misleading the public. His criticism went beyond the medical system itself. He referred to one participant as a 'wellness fraud,' another as a 'healthcare fraud,' and dismissed celebrity endorsements of homeopathy as promotion without critical thinking.The exchange has also reignited conversations about how healthcare debates are conducted online. Dr. Banerjee argues that "scientific or unscientific labels assigned to any system of medicine by groups or individuals who are demonstrating a closed mind and a complete absence of scientific equipoise should be examined very closely."
The post exploded across social media. Some users applauded him for saying what many doctors have been arguing for years. Others accused him of crossing the line from criticism into personal attacks. The comment section soon became a battleground of its own, with homeopathy supporters and critics arguing over science, personal experiences, medical evidence, and the role celebrities should play in health conversations.The irony is that none of this is new. The Liver Doc has spent years challenging alternative medicine claims online. He has repeatedly argued that homeopathy fails when tested through rigorous scientific methods and has often accused public figures of giving legitimacy to treatments that lack evidence. His blunt style has earned him a devoted following, but it has also made him one of the most controversial voices in India's healthcare space.
The Argument Against Homeopathy
The system was developed in Germany more than 200 years ago by physician Dr. Christian Friedrich Samuel Hahnemann. Its central idea is that a substance capable of causing symptoms in a healthy person can, in an extremely diluted form, help treat similar symptoms in someone who is ill. Remedies are diluted repeatedly, often to the point where scientists argue that no measurable amount of the original substance remains.That is where the phrase 'sugar pills and water' comes from. Many homeopathic medicines are delivered through sugar pellets infused with these highly diluted preparations. Critics argue that without an active ingredient, there is no biological mechanism capable of producing the claimed effects.
This has led many researchers to conclude that any benefits patients experience may be linked to the placebo effect. A placebo does not directly treat a disease, but belief in a treatment can sometimes influence how a person feels, particularly when it comes to symptoms such as pain, stress, anxiety, fatigue, and overall wellbeing.Homeopathy supporters reject the idea that placebo alone explains its popularity. They point to generations of patients who insist they have benefited from treatment and argue that conventional medicine does not yet have answers for everything. However, "cherry picking sensational nuggets of data from questionable research to further an agenda should be avoided on both sides of the aisle." says Dr. Kushal Banerjee. That divide, between personal experience and scientific evidence, is exactly why the debate refuses to go away. The latest clash involving Anushka Sharma and The Liver Doc may dominate headlines today, but it is really part of a much older argument, one that has been playing out for decades and shows no sign of ending anytime soon.
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