Magic Pills
Toronto, Canada | Film Feature
Documentary, Science
We hit our goal, but we're not finished! We are extending our goal to $20 000. By supporting the completion of this film you help educate and raise awareness of homeopathy as a real and viable healthcare option.
Magic Pills
Toronto, Canada | Film Feature
Documentary, Science
1 Campaigns | Ontario, Canada
Green Light
This campaign raised $16,075 for post-production. Follow the filmmaker to receive future updates on this project.
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We hit our goal, but we're not finished! We are extending our goal to $20 000. By supporting the completion of this film you help educate and raise awareness of homeopathy as a real and viable healthcare option.
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About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
The Story
After more than 4 years working on this film, we're almost there. We need finishing funds to get it from our hard drives on to the big screen.
WHY THIS FILM?
Our current medical system is broken. It focuses on profits and disease, rather than people and wellness. It has few answers for chronic illness, and many of the treatments have side effects that can be worse than the original ill they’re meant to treat.
Homeopathy may be one of the most affordable and effective forms of medicine available.
It’s been used to treat everything from Cancer to AIDS and even prevent disease with very compelling results. There is an increasing body of evidence in the scientific literature to support the 200 years of clinical homeopathic experience, but this evidence is concealed and falsely ridiculed by a system afraid of alternatives.
We are making this film to shine a light on the scientists, doctors, and health practitioners who’s work has been hidden from the public, wrongfully discredited and silenced in the name of skepticism and public protection.
THE STORY
The 200‐year‐old history of homeopathy is one of high drama and intrigue. Fraught with controversy, could this medical system hold the answer to many of the world’s deadliest diseases? Is it attacked and suppressed by a highly organized and well-funded medical consortium? Or is it simply an elaborate placebo that has conned millions and endangered lives? There are billions of dollars at stake in this conflict that is escalating as homeopathy gains popularity around the world.
Homeopathy may be one of the most affordable and effective forms of medicine available. It has been credited with effectively preventing many communicable diseases, such as cholera and Japanese Encephalitis and all manner of childhood diseases in countries like Cuba, Brazil, India, and even Europe. People are using homeopathy as an adjunct to medical treatments like chemotherapy and radiation where it appears to reduce associated side effects, or when antiretroviral medicines fail to treat people with AIDS. And yes, it is also being used as an alternative treatment for everything from mental illness to colds. There is an increasing body of evidence in the scientific literature to support the 200 years of clinical experience of homeopaths and their patients. For example, out of 7 meta-analyses on the subject, 5 report a positive outcome for homeopathy, 1 is inconclusive and 1 is negative. These last 2 have been widely criticized in scientific circles for their poor methodology.
Herein lies the crux; many homeopathic medicines are so diluted that according to fundamental principles of chemistry there is nothing left of the original substance in homeopathic medicine. This is where homeopathy courts controversy. If there’s nothing in the medicine then how can it possibly work?
Magic Pills begins in Toronto where we meet Ananda, a homeopath struggling with the public portrayal of homeopathy. Recently her colleagues have been publicly humiliated, university courses cancelled because teachers dared to speak positively about the topic, and scientists widely criticized for having the gall to engage in well-designed randomized controlled homeopathic trials. She herself been misrepresented in the media and her data misconstrued. Her own workplace has been investigated with hidden cameras, and accused of wrong doing by journalists trying to fish up a story.
Ananda wants to understand why there has been such a strong backlash against homeopathy. Is the body of evidence really scientifically compelling and if so why isn’t it getting the attention it deserves? Or has she, along with millions of others, innocently deluded herself into believing that diluted water can heal?
Before setting off on an investigative journey, Ananda consults with leading scientists.
Adamant skeptics like Dr. Steven Novella, neurologist and assistant professor at Yale Medical School and Dr. Joe Schwarcz, chemistry prof at McGill University explain that homeopathic studies are flawed, evidence is circumstantial, weak and statistically insignificant. They work tirelessly to discredit homeopathy, stating homeopaths are scientifically bankrupt. But what is at stake for the medical industry if homeopathy is proven effective? In 2005 a pivotal economic report commissioned by Prince Charles concluded that if only 4% of doctors in the UK incorporated homeopathy into their practice, savings of £170 000.00 in drug costs would ensue. This is when the medical industry really took notice and the recent aggressive attack on homeopathy in the media and scientific circles really escalated.
Proponents like Dr. Iris Bell, Medical Doctor and Professor Emeritus at the University of Arizona and Dr. Jayesh Bellare, a chemical engineer, and expert in nano-medicine, claim that homeopathy has been proven effective, and they may have discovered significant clues into the mechanism of the impossible – however they find themselves deliberately blocked from publishing their research.
Ananda hops on a plane to see for herself what is really happening on the ground in the world of homeopathic clinical practice and research.
Visiting Cuba and India, Ananda learns of homeopathic interventions of epic proportions. In Cuba homeopathy was dispensed to 2.5 million people, while In Hyderabad, India, homeopathy was given to 20 million children annually. Scientists and government officials credit these homeopathic campaigns with ending lethal epidemics
When the lead scientists on the Cuban homeopathic intervention, 2 world-renowned immunologists, tried to publish their results - no medical journal would touch them. These scientists found themselves blacklisted and facing death threats. Meanwhile in Canada homeopathic remedies must carry labels asserting that homeopathy is not an alternative to vaccines, and a witchhunt is underway to publicly humiliate those offering prophylactic homeopathy.
In Calcutta, the cultural capital of India, throngs of people camp overnight, every night, desperate to be seen for free at the legendary Banerji clinic. Thousands claim the Banerji protocols have cured their cancer. What makes the Banerjis unique is that they meticulously collect their data digitally. Their data shows that they cure a larger percentage of cases than orthodox medicine.
The Banerjis explain how their work has been stifled. American hospitals have offered to collaborate on research only to later pull out, mainstream journals refuse to publish their research and promised research funds never materialize.
In Tanzania Homeopathy for Health in Africa provides free homeopathic treatment to victims of the AIDS pandemic, from hospitals to remote Masai villages. Their early study results are startling and of particular significance for AIDS widows – sick women ostracized by their communities, left to fend for themselves and their children. They describe how they have been followed and harassed by foreign media attempting to dig up dirt.
Skeptics say that the homeopaths have been welcomed in Africa because government officials there are gullible and unenlightened.
Ananda returns home with a deeper awareness of the extent of corruption of big pharma and their influence on government, media, education and the direction of scientific enquiry. This is a call to action – the need for more research and more outcry from the general public to defend their right to choose the medical system that is right for them.
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Animation
Costs $5,000
Animation can make science friendlier and easier to understand. We want to illustrate tricky concepts. And overall it's just way more fun!
Original Music Composition
Costs $3,000
Without beautiful music the world would be a very sad place. Music changes everything.
Sound mix
Costs $1,000
It just has to sound good, otherwise everyone will think we made this in our basement!
Color Correction
Costs $1,000
Color correction is about taking our beautiful footage and making it stunning!
Legal Fees
Costs $2,000
It's boring but it's true. We're working in such a controversial area we need to protect the project as much as possible.
Share this update!
About This Team
Ananda More Director, Producer, Writer
Ananda is a first-time filmmaker but no stranger to storytelling. With a degree in drama from the University of Alberta, in a former life Ananda worked with such theatre companies as One Yellow Rabbit and SunoLoka. She has performed almost every job in theatre; directing, writing, acting, choreographing and even stage-managing.
Ananda began her professional homeopathic practice in 2005. Almost 11 years later she has become a respected member of the homeopathic community in Canada specializing in autism, vaccine injury and immunity. As an owner of Riverdale Homeopathy, a homeopathic dispensary, bookstore, and clinic, she is intrinsically connected with the homeopathic community. She was featured last year in The Walrus Magazine and Toronto Life Magazine, and is eager to expose what these publications refused to discuss.
Igal Hecht: Cinematographer,
Throughout his twenty-year career, Igal Hecht has been involved in the production of over fifty documentary films, and over 20 television series.
Igal’s work includes editing and producing "The Story of Furious Pete" which had its sold out world premiere at the 2010 Hot Docs Film Festival. He produced and directed "The Hilltops" which premiered at the 2011 Hot Docs Film Festival. In 2013 he directed and edited the award-winning documentary "A Universal Language," a film that pushed the limits by bringing comedy to the Middle East. Igal’s newest film ‘The Sheik,’ premiered in 2014 at Hot Docs.
Igal recently wrapped up the eighth and final season of the show “Muzika”, which airs weekly in Canada and the United States. He also finished creating and filming “Women of the Bible”, a 6-part mini-series, co-produced by Canadian, German and Australian partners. He is the program’s director, producer and head editor.
Igal edited the recently released film “A Woman's Story”, shot in Canada, Poland, Bangladesh, and Rwanda, for which Igal is the producer, editor and director of photography, and is currently working on “The Shtetl” which he directed, produced and shot and tells the story the Ukrainian Jewish community living under Soviet rule.
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
The Story
After more than 4 years working on this film, we're almost there. We need finishing funds to get it from our hard drives on to the big screen.
WHY THIS FILM?
Our current medical system is broken. It focuses on profits and disease, rather than people and wellness. It has few answers for chronic illness, and many of the treatments have side effects that can be worse than the original ill they’re meant to treat.
Homeopathy may be one of the most affordable and effective forms of medicine available.
It’s been used to treat everything from Cancer to AIDS and even prevent disease with very compelling results. There is an increasing body of evidence in the scientific literature to support the 200 years of clinical homeopathic experience, but this evidence is concealed and falsely ridiculed by a system afraid of alternatives.
We are making this film to shine a light on the scientists, doctors, and health practitioners who’s work has been hidden from the public, wrongfully discredited and silenced in the name of skepticism and public protection.
THE STORY
The 200‐year‐old history of homeopathy is one of high drama and intrigue. Fraught with controversy, could this medical system hold the answer to many of the world’s deadliest diseases? Is it attacked and suppressed by a highly organized and well-funded medical consortium? Or is it simply an elaborate placebo that has conned millions and endangered lives? There are billions of dollars at stake in this conflict that is escalating as homeopathy gains popularity around the world.
Homeopathy may be one of the most affordable and effective forms of medicine available. It has been credited with effectively preventing many communicable diseases, such as cholera and Japanese Encephalitis and all manner of childhood diseases in countries like Cuba, Brazil, India, and even Europe. People are using homeopathy as an adjunct to medical treatments like chemotherapy and radiation where it appears to reduce associated side effects, or when antiretroviral medicines fail to treat people with AIDS. And yes, it is also being used as an alternative treatment for everything from mental illness to colds. There is an increasing body of evidence in the scientific literature to support the 200 years of clinical experience of homeopaths and their patients. For example, out of 7 meta-analyses on the subject, 5 report a positive outcome for homeopathy, 1 is inconclusive and 1 is negative. These last 2 have been widely criticized in scientific circles for their poor methodology.
Herein lies the crux; many homeopathic medicines are so diluted that according to fundamental principles of chemistry there is nothing left of the original substance in homeopathic medicine. This is where homeopathy courts controversy. If there’s nothing in the medicine then how can it possibly work?
Magic Pills begins in Toronto where we meet Ananda, a homeopath struggling with the public portrayal of homeopathy. Recently her colleagues have been publicly humiliated, university courses cancelled because teachers dared to speak positively about the topic, and scientists widely criticized for having the gall to engage in well-designed randomized controlled homeopathic trials. She herself been misrepresented in the media and her data misconstrued. Her own workplace has been investigated with hidden cameras, and accused of wrong doing by journalists trying to fish up a story.
Ananda wants to understand why there has been such a strong backlash against homeopathy. Is the body of evidence really scientifically compelling and if so why isn’t it getting the attention it deserves? Or has she, along with millions of others, innocently deluded herself into believing that diluted water can heal?
Before setting off on an investigative journey, Ananda consults with leading scientists.
Adamant skeptics like Dr. Steven Novella, neurologist and assistant professor at Yale Medical School and Dr. Joe Schwarcz, chemistry prof at McGill University explain that homeopathic studies are flawed, evidence is circumstantial, weak and statistically insignificant. They work tirelessly to discredit homeopathy, stating homeopaths are scientifically bankrupt. But what is at stake for the medical industry if homeopathy is proven effective? In 2005 a pivotal economic report commissioned by Prince Charles concluded that if only 4% of doctors in the UK incorporated homeopathy into their practice, savings of £170 000.00 in drug costs would ensue. This is when the medical industry really took notice and the recent aggressive attack on homeopathy in the media and scientific circles really escalated.
Proponents like Dr. Iris Bell, Medical Doctor and Professor Emeritus at the University of Arizona and Dr. Jayesh Bellare, a chemical engineer, and expert in nano-medicine, claim that homeopathy has been proven effective, and they may have discovered significant clues into the mechanism of the impossible – however they find themselves deliberately blocked from publishing their research.
Ananda hops on a plane to see for herself what is really happening on the ground in the world of homeopathic clinical practice and research.
Visiting Cuba and India, Ananda learns of homeopathic interventions of epic proportions. In Cuba homeopathy was dispensed to 2.5 million people, while In Hyderabad, India, homeopathy was given to 20 million children annually. Scientists and government officials credit these homeopathic campaigns with ending lethal epidemics
When the lead scientists on the Cuban homeopathic intervention, 2 world-renowned immunologists, tried to publish their results - no medical journal would touch them. These scientists found themselves blacklisted and facing death threats. Meanwhile in Canada homeopathic remedies must carry labels asserting that homeopathy is not an alternative to vaccines, and a witchhunt is underway to publicly humiliate those offering prophylactic homeopathy.
In Calcutta, the cultural capital of India, throngs of people camp overnight, every night, desperate to be seen for free at the legendary Banerji clinic. Thousands claim the Banerji protocols have cured their cancer. What makes the Banerjis unique is that they meticulously collect their data digitally. Their data shows that they cure a larger percentage of cases than orthodox medicine.
The Banerjis explain how their work has been stifled. American hospitals have offered to collaborate on research only to later pull out, mainstream journals refuse to publish their research and promised research funds never materialize.
In Tanzania Homeopathy for Health in Africa provides free homeopathic treatment to victims of the AIDS pandemic, from hospitals to remote Masai villages. Their early study results are startling and of particular significance for AIDS widows – sick women ostracized by their communities, left to fend for themselves and their children. They describe how they have been followed and harassed by foreign media attempting to dig up dirt.
Skeptics say that the homeopaths have been welcomed in Africa because government officials there are gullible and unenlightened.
Ananda returns home with a deeper awareness of the extent of corruption of big pharma and their influence on government, media, education and the direction of scientific enquiry. This is a call to action – the need for more research and more outcry from the general public to defend their right to choose the medical system that is right for them.
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Animation
Costs $5,000
Animation can make science friendlier and easier to understand. We want to illustrate tricky concepts. And overall it's just way more fun!
Original Music Composition
Costs $3,000
Without beautiful music the world would be a very sad place. Music changes everything.
Sound mix
Costs $1,000
It just has to sound good, otherwise everyone will think we made this in our basement!
Color Correction
Costs $1,000
Color correction is about taking our beautiful footage and making it stunning!
Legal Fees
Costs $2,000
It's boring but it's true. We're working in such a controversial area we need to protect the project as much as possible.
Share this update!
About This Team
Ananda More Director, Producer, Writer
Ananda is a first-time filmmaker but no stranger to storytelling. With a degree in drama from the University of Alberta, in a former life Ananda worked with such theatre companies as One Yellow Rabbit and SunoLoka. She has performed almost every job in theatre; directing, writing, acting, choreographing and even stage-managing.
Ananda began her professional homeopathic practice in 2005. Almost 11 years later she has become a respected member of the homeopathic community in Canada specializing in autism, vaccine injury and immunity. As an owner of Riverdale Homeopathy, a homeopathic dispensary, bookstore, and clinic, she is intrinsically connected with the homeopathic community. She was featured last year in The Walrus Magazine and Toronto Life Magazine, and is eager to expose what these publications refused to discuss.
Igal Hecht: Cinematographer,
Throughout his twenty-year career, Igal Hecht has been involved in the production of over fifty documentary films, and over 20 television series.
Igal’s work includes editing and producing "The Story of Furious Pete" which had its sold out world premiere at the 2010 Hot Docs Film Festival. He produced and directed "The Hilltops" which premiered at the 2011 Hot Docs Film Festival. In 2013 he directed and edited the award-winning documentary "A Universal Language," a film that pushed the limits by bringing comedy to the Middle East. Igal’s newest film ‘The Sheik,’ premiered in 2014 at Hot Docs.
Igal recently wrapped up the eighth and final season of the show “Muzika”, which airs weekly in Canada and the United States. He also finished creating and filming “Women of the Bible”, a 6-part mini-series, co-produced by Canadian, German and Australian partners. He is the program’s director, producer and head editor.
Igal edited the recently released film “A Woman's Story”, shot in Canada, Poland, Bangladesh, and Rwanda, for which Igal is the producer, editor and director of photography, and is currently working on “The Shtetl” which he directed, produced and shot and tells the story the Ukrainian Jewish community living under Soviet rule.