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| | | From: Rene (Original Message) | Sent: 1/31/2006 9:53 PM |
Materia Medica-Thirty-Four Homeopathic Remedies
It is important to find a remedy that suits the symptoms of your particular ailment. The better the remedy matches the symptoms, the more effective your choice will be, although not every symptom must match. Listed below are thirty-four of the most commonly used short-term homeopathic remedies
Aconite Aconite is helpful in the first stages of infection when symptoms appear with suddenness and intensity. Being chilled by a cold wind often causes the symptoms. If pain is present, it is quite severe, and the person’s state of mind is anxious and restless. The typical cough is dry. If fever is present, it is sudden and high, with hot, dry skin. Chills can alternate with the fever, and a thirst for cold drinks prevails. Besides acute conditions like fevers and severe pain, Aconite is very useful for fears or panic attacks following a shock or fright. Antimonium tartaricum Antimonium tartaricum helps expel mucus for people with loose, rattling coughs. The person looks pale, very tired, and may be wheezing. There is thirst for cold water. Use Antimonium tartaricum if symptoms worsen when lying down at night, from warm dampness or in the cold. Use if symptoms improve with sitting up or in fresh air. Apis Apis is made from the honey bee, and is appropriate for strong swelling, stinging pains, redness and heat. It is useful for injuries, bee stings and signs of inflammation when heat is intolerable and cold applications provide relief. Typically, the person affected has no thirst. Use this remedy if symptoms worsen with any form of heat, with touch, pressure on the right side, or after sleep. Use if symptoms improve with fresh air, cold applications or uncovering. Arnica This remedy is well known for its excellent effects on injuries; it is the first remedy to consider immediately following any injury. Arnica is good for bruising and soreness which become worse with use and better with rest. Head injuries which cause dullness or shock, and muscle aches and strains from overexertion are often remedied with Arnica. Consider using it for jet lag, sleeplessness and overtiredness. Use Arnica if symptoms worsen with use of the injured part, with the slightest touch, from motion or in the cold and damp.
Arsenicum album
Arsenicum album is useful for many different types of ailments including colds, sore throats, stomach pain and diarrhea. The person needing Arsenicum is chilly, exhausted, and plagued by an anxious restlessness. These are often associated with burning pains which warmth relieves. Arsenicum helps flus and diarrheas that are worse at night and that cause a nervous, restless anxiety. In chronic conditions, a clue that suggests Arsenicum is the person’s need for order and precision. Use this remedy if symptoms worsen in the cold and damp at night. Use if symptoms improve with warmth and warm drinks.
Belladonna
Belladonna is useful for sudden, high fevers. People who are sensitive to light or feel very hot with flushed cheeks but cold hands and feet will be helped by Belladonna. Although the mouth is dry, there is usually no thirst. Belladonna is most useful in the beginning stages of a flu, earache, sunstroke, or any inflammation. It is also helpful for sudden, intense pain due to colics, menstrual cramps, and headaches. Throbbing and pulsating are typical characteristics. Use this remedy if symptoms worsen with touch, jarring or noise, and if symptoms improve with warmth or from sitting up.
Bryonia
Bryonia is appropriate for the pain experienced from the slightest movement–hence its use for injuries. It is also useful for chest colds with a dry, hacking cough that causes chest pains. Breathing is painful. Moving into a warm room often brings on a coughing spell. Fevers are slow to develop and the mucous membranes are dry. The person becomes markedly grumpy because of the illness. This remedy is helpful if symptoms worsen with warmth, or the slightest movement. Use if symptoms improve with rest, pressure or cold.
Cantharis
This remedy is useful for inflammations that burn intensely, especially painful bladder infections with relentless urging. Urination is frequent, but it usually passes in drops. Painful burns, scalds and sunburns are also helped by Cantharis. Use this remedy if symptoms worsen with movement or with drinking cold water, but improve with warmth or gentle massage.
Carbo vegetabilis
This remedy is appropriate for weakness and sluggishness. It is useful for fainting spells and persons near collapse with a craving to breathe oxygen deeply and to feel wind and air. Carbo vegetabilis should also be considered for indigestion or slowed digestion where gas is a problem and where belching brings relief. Rich foods high in saturated fat need to be eliminated from the diet. Circulation is poor and lying down tends to aggravate the condition, while sitting up helps. Use this remedy if symptoms worsen at night, with fatty foods, or in warm damp air. Use if symptoms improve in open air, with drafts, carbonated beverages, or belching.
Chamomilla
Chamomilla is often helpful for intense pains that are matched by irritability. The rather strong pains bring out restlessness and extreme fussiness. Children benefit from this remedy during teething, colics and stomach aches. One cheek may appear red, the other pale. Menstrual cramps and intense labor pains are also helped by this remedy. Use Chamomilla if symptoms worsen at night, with heat or after anger. Use if the child’s symptoms improve with being carried or rocked, or with cold wraps.
China
China is helpful in cases of irritability, weakness and exhaustion from loss of blood or diarrhea. There may be night sweats, dizziness, anemia, ear-ringing or throbbing headaches. China helps indigestion when there is marked bloating and stomach rumbling that belching does not relieve. There is typically a noticeable sensitivity to light touch, but pressure relieves symptoms. Use this remedy if symptoms worsen at night, with a draft or a chill. Use if symptoms improve with warmth, bending or hard pressure.
Colocynthis
This remedy is good for severe colicky pains that cause doubling up, with a desire to press something hard against the belly. Headaches, neuralgic pains and sciaticas may also be helped by Colocynthis, when firm pressure relieves pain. The pain is sharp, and can recur often. Anger or excitement sometimes brings on the complaint. Use this remedy if symptoms worsen with anger or excitement. Use if symptoms improve by bending over, with hard pressure or warmth.
Ferrum phosphoricum
Ferrum phosphoricum should be given for colds, earaches and fevers in the initial stages, when Aconite or Belladonna are not indicated. The person appears alert and well despite being ill. Ferrum phosphoricum helps pale, anemic and weak persons who easily become flushed with physical activity and have a tendency for nosebleeds. Use this remedy if symptoms worsen with jarring or at night. Use if symptoms improve with cold wraps, gentle motion or walking.
Gelsemium
This remedy should be given for general weakness, where the body feels heavy, tired and exhausted. Achiness and chilliness are common ailments this remedy can help. Gelsemium is also helpful for stage fright, when the knees feel weak and the mere thought of facing any problem seems unbearable. Use this remedy if symptoms worsen with anticipation or bad news. Use if symptoms improve in open air.
Hepar sulphuris
This remedy is given for splinter-like pains and hypersensitivity to drafts and cold. The problem is often an abscess, a cold or an infected injury. The sore throat feels like there is a splinter inside. Swallowing is painful and can cause ear pain. The cough is dry and accompanied by some hoarseness. Keeping warmly wrapped helps. Use this remedy if symptoms worsen with the least draft, cold or touch, and if the person is very irritated.
Hypericum
Hypericum is very useful in healing injuries to the roots of teeth, fingertips and toes, all of which have an abundance of nerve endings. Consider Hypericum for tailbone or spinal injuries and concussions, especially when the pains shoot up and down the spine. Consider it with Ledum for puncture wounds and animal bites. Hypericum is good for sharp, darting neuralgic pains with tingling, numbness and crawling sensations in the skin. Use this remedy if symptoms worsen in the damp cold or with touch. Use if symptoms improve when tilting the head back.
Ignatia
Ignatia is a very useful remedy for acute grief and disappointment. Often, stifling emotional grief is the source of the problem and the nerves are taut. A constant lump in the throat is common. Although quickly moved to tears or emotional outbursts, the person prefers to be left alone. Often the person feels hurt by the least criticism, though they are highly critical of themselves and tend to be perfectionists. Insomnia, lack of appetite, sore throats, and tension headaches are a few of the many problems remedied with Ignatia. Use this remedy if symptoms worsen with sympathy and consolation, from tobacco, or in the morning. Use if symptoms improve while eating or changing positions.
Ipecacuanha
Persistent nausea during migraines, coughs or motion sickness is a strong indication for this remedy. The constant nausea is not relieved by anything, not even by vomiting. Coughs tend to rattle with mucus. Use this remedy if symptoms worsen while lying down.
Kalium bichromicum
Kalium bichromicum is a remedy for sinus or chest infections, where the mucus is particularly thick and difficult to bring out. It is also good for headaches that are centered on one small spot, that shift quickly and are triggered by very warm weather. Use this remedy if symptoms worsen in the morning or in the cold, and improve with warmth.
Ledum
Ledum is the first remedy to consider for puncture wounds and insect bites (see also Apis and Hypericum). Cold wraps usually feel good, even if the affected part already feels cold to the touch. Ledum also is helpful for black eyes. Use this remedy if symptoms worsen with warmth or at night. Use if symptoms improve with cold.
Lycopodium
This remedy is used for sluggish digestion which causes bloating, gas or heartburn. Lycopodium helps colds and sore throats that are better with warmth and warm drinks and that have a right-sided tendency, even if they later move to the left. It helps emotional concerns like anticipatory fears, lack of self-confidence and irritability. Use this remedy if symptoms worsen between four and eight o’clock in the evening, or in a warm room. Use if symptoms improve with warm wraps, warm food and drink, motion, consolation and sympathy, or after midnight.
Magnesia phosphorica
This is the key remedy for colics, cramps, and spasms of pain. The person may double over in pain (as with Colocynthis) but there is a greater need for warmth than pressure. Walking about and rubbing help. Toothaches, cramps in the hands or legs, and spastic neuralgic pains are also helped by this remedy. Use this remedy if symptoms worsen with cold, drafts, or on the right side. Use if symptoms improve with rubbing.
Mercurous solubilis
Mercurous solubilis is very helpful for colds, sore throats, and earaches where excessive sweats and bad breath are present. A marked sensitivity to temperature causes the person to feel too hot or too cold. Drooling on the pillow is noticeable during the night and a head cold often causes weakness and trembling. The gums feel sore and swollen during a cold, and mouth ulcers can develop. Diarrhea is also helped by this remedy when accompanied by other Mercurous symptoms. Use this remedy if symptoms worsen with changes in temperature or at night. Use if symptoms improve with rest.
Natrum muriaticum
This remedy is used for chronic problems and also for acute conditions like colds, headaches and cold sores. Colds tend to begin with a constantly runny nose of clear, watery mucus and frequent sneezing. The skin is particularly dry and the lips cracked. Smell and taste are often lost, and salt cravings are typical. The person is chilly and in low spirits, brooding over problems long passed and choosing solitude even when experiencing loneliness. In chronic complaints, a long-term grief is often the trigger for problems and worries. Use this remedy if symptoms worsen with sun, noise, consolation and sympathy. Use if symptoms improve in the open air or with fasting.
Nux vomica
This remedy has a very wide application, but it is particularly useful for ambitious persons who become ill from doing too much. Nux vomica can help indigestion from eating too much rich food, cramping, colicky pains from anger, or overacidity from stress. Warmth and warm drinks are soothing. Nux vomica also helps the typical symptoms of a hangover as well as tension headaches with great sensitivity to noise, smells and light. Irritability and impatience are often present. Nux vomica helps when sleeplessness occurs because of thinking about work. Other uses include bladder infections and constipation, and where urging is relentless but only small amounts are passed. Nux vomica may also be useful if the person has a cold, chilliness predominates, sore throats feel rough and coughs are short, dry, and irritating. Use this remedy if symptoms worsen in the morning, with cold or eating. Use if symptoms improve with warmth or warm drinks.
Phosphorus
This remedy can be considered in cases of diarrhea, stomach pains and bronchitis, or when burning pains, a tremendous thirst for cold drinks and debilitating weakness are present. Phosphorus is useful when stamina is poor, or when overexcitement gives way to exhaustion and weakness. It can also be used if a person has a cold, is hoarse, chilly and has a painful cough. Bleeding, if it is profuse and bright red, will be alleviated with Phosphorus. Use this remedy if symptoms worsen with overexertion, in the evening, from touch, warm food or drink. Use if symptoms improve in the open air, after sleep or with rubbing.
Pulsatilla
Pulsatilla is indicated for all kinds of infection, when the person’s disposition is mild, affectionate and craving sympathy. Children become clingy, teary and indecisive when ill. It is useful in the later stages of head colds with the development of yellow-green mucus or for coughs that are loose in the morning, but dry in the evening. There is usually no thirst, even during a fever. Typically, there is a strong desire for cool, open air. The person must avoid rich, fatty foods. Pulsatilla is a common remedy for problems during menopause, menstruation and pregnancy, whether they be shifting pains, hot flushes or changeable moods. Use this remedy if symptoms worsen with heat, rich food or in a warm room. Use if symptoms improve with open air and gentle motion.
Rhus toxicodendron
Rhus toxicodendron is very helpful for injuries to muscles and tendons-if when stiffness sets in, the first motion is terribly painful; but once moving about, the pain lessens. Consider Rhus toxicodendron for overexertion, strains, and arthritis that comes on in cold, wet weather and improves with warmth and gentle motion. Rhus toxicodendron is also useful for a rash that is intensely itchy, especially at night. It is a very common remedy for chickenpox. Use this remedy if symptoms worsen with cold and wet weather, rest or at night. Use if symptoms improve with warmth, changing positions or continued motion.
Ruta
Ruta is helpful for sprains and ligament injuries when the initial swelling and pain have passed. It is often used after Arnica when injuries still feel bruised and lame. Consider Ruta for eyestrain from doing detailed work and for injuries to the connective tissue of the bones, as in a shin injury. Use this remedy if symptoms worsen during wet, cold weather and symptoms get better with movement.
Sepia
This remedy is indicated for chronic conditions where vitality is low. It is often useful when a hormonal imbalance is evident or when irritability, sadness and even indifference to work and family exist. The person dislikes company, yet dreads being alone. Sepia is often indicated for problems around the menstrual period, pregnancy and menopause, such as lower-back pain and nausea. Eating helps, but the person is turned off by the least smell of food. Chilliness predominates and strong physical activity improves overall symptoms. Use this remedy if symptoms worsen in damp, cold air, or on the left side. Use if symptoms improve with vigorous exercise, warmth, pressure or food.
Silica
Homeopathic Silica (sometimes referred to in texts as Silicea) is well known for its ability to promote healing by bringing infections to the surface. Silica is also useful when the body lacks the vigor and strength to heal, or when recovery is delayed. Silica is useful when overall stamina is poor, and there is a disposition for frequent colds, chilliness and chronic tiredness. Lack of self-confidence is often evident. Children have a tendency for poor weight gain, spinal curvatures, constipation and swollen glands. Silica is also useful for chronic, recurring headaches where wrapping the head warmly helps, for sinus and throat infections that persist, and for ill-effects from vaccinations. Use this remedy if symptoms worsen in the morning or with cold. Use if symptoms improve with warmth.
Sulphur
Homeopathic Sulphur is used for a large number of complaints. It is most widely used for red, itchy skin problems that are worsened by heat and bathing. Sulphur helps persons with a strong-minded, independent temperament who have a rather weak physique. Children are curious and open, though they can get bossy and demanding. They have a tendency to be messy. Burning pains are helped by Sulphur, including burning feet, head, stomach pains or hemorrhoids. Cool, open air is invigorating, except as a draft. Cravings for fat and spicy foods are often apparent, and milk causes problems. Sulphur also helps early morning diarrhea, mid-morning hunger and chest pains. Use this remedy if symptoms worsen in a warm bed, with wool, standing or bathing. Use if symptoms improve in the open air, with warmth or warm drinks.
Veratrum album
Veratrum album is particularly useful for acute, intense, watery diarrhea accompanied by cold sweats and weakness. Vomiting and diarrhea often occur simultaneously, and cramping pains occur in the abdomen and legs. Although there is thirst for cold water and cold things, they are difficult to keep down. Use this remedy if symptoms worsen at night, with wet and cold. Use if symptoms improve with walking and warmth.
Pregnancy
Homeopathic remedies are safe for pregnant women and the developing fetus. Homeopathic remedies have been used successfully to treat morning sickness and similar problems, and they are safer than most drugs on the market today. Source: Encyclopedia of Natural Healing by Siegfried Gursche and Zoltan Rona http://www.alive.com/2598a8a2.php
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| | | From: Rene | Sent: 2/6/2006 8:29 PM |
Homeopathy vs Conventional Treatment
An observational study of patients receiving homeopathic treatment M Van Wassenhoven and G Ives Background. Observational studies have recently contributed useful information to the debate about the utility of homeopathic treatment in everyday practice. Aim. To gather data about routine homeopathic general practice. Setting. Eighty general medical practices in Belgium where physicians were members of the Unio Homoeopathica Belgica. Methods. All patients and their physicians visiting the practices on a specified day completed a questionnaire. Results. A total of 782 patients presented with diseases of all major organ systems which were of sufficient severity to interfere with daily living in 78% of cases. Compared to previous conventional treatment, patients reported that consultations were much longer but costed less. One or more conventional drug treatments were discontinued in over half (52%) of the patients: CNS (including psychotropic) drugs (21%), drugs for respiratory conditions (16%) and antibiotics (16%). Conventional drugs were prescribed to about a quarter of patients (27%), mostly antibiotics and cardiovascular medication. The antibiotics were almost exclusively (95%) used to treat respiratory infections. Prescription costs (including conventional medicines) were onethird of the general practice average. Patients�?satisfaction with their homeopathic treatment was very high (95% fairly or very satisfied), and ratings of their previous treatment was much lower (20%). The great majority (89%) said that homeopathy had improved their physical condition; 8.5% said that it had made no difference, 2.4% said that homeopathy had worsened their condition. Physicians�?ratings of improvement were similar. Previous conventional treatment had improved 13% of patients, made no difference to 32%, and had worsened the condition of over half (55%). A similar pattern was seen for psychological symptoms. Conclusions: Patients were very satisfied with their homeopathic treatment, both they and their physicians recorded significant improvement. Costs of homeopathic treatment were significantly lower than conventional treatment, and many previously prescribed drugs were discontinued. Conclusions
In this study, a large group of unselected patients seeking homeopathic therapy in general medical practice reported that their treatment had been highly effective in resolving physical and psychological symptoms which, in 78% of cases, had been sufficiently severe to interfere with their lives. These findings were corroborated bytheir physicians. The patients�?satisfaction levels with their treatment were very high . In contrast, both satisfaction with and the reported outcome of previous orthodox treatment was poor and failure of previous treatment may account both for the selection of homeopathic therapybythe patients and the large contrast between ratings of the two. Over half were able to discontinue previouslyprescribed conventional drugs. Most medications which were continued were antibiotics and cardiovascular. The antibiotics were almost exclusivelyused to treat respiratory infections. Consultations were on average more than twice as long as for previous conventional treatment but cost the patients less. The largest cost savings were made by patients with the worst initial ratings of their physical condition. The lower level of conventional prescribing implied considerable savings to the state if homeopathic medicine were more widely adopted . The results show that useful data can be obtained from this type of observational study and point the way for future work of a similar type.
Homeopathy (2004) 93, 3�?1.
http://www.homeopathyoz.org/downloads/BJH2004-CostSavingsWithHom-Belgium.pdf
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| A growing number of professional athletes and weekend warriors are spelling relief H-O-M-E-O-P-A-T-H-Y. Although homeopathic medicines have a reputation of helping people who are suffering from chronic diseases, these natural medicines are wonderfully effective in treating common sports injuries. In fact, using homeopathic medicines for injuries is considerably easier than treating common diseases because treatment for injuries does not require a high degree of individualizing of remedies that is typical in treating diseases. When two people have sprained ankles, they each need a similar homeopathic remedy to heal them, while two people suffering from arthritis generally require different remedies which are individualized to their unique pattern of symptoms. Homeopathic medicine should be taken in conjunction with, not in replacement of, conventional first aid measures. The chart of this page summarizes key homeopathic medicines for common injuries. However, for greater detail and further information on the homeopathic treatment of sports injuries, see the three books listed at the bottom of the page.
Single Remedies and Formulas
Homeopathic medicines are available as single remedies or as formulas of two or more remedies mixed together. Formulas are a more user-friendly way to use homeopathic medicines since the indications for their use are extremely clear. The use of several remedies in a formulas provide a more broad spectrum effect not available in a single remedy. Because injuries sometimes involve muscle, nerve, and bone tissue, it sometimes makes sense to use formulas to help to heal the various tissues involved. Single remedies are more recommended for injuries when you know the correct medicine to give and when you wish to give a higher potency of a remedy than is available in formulas. Formula products usually contain remedies in the 3, 6, or 12th potencies, while people with severe pain may receive more rapid benefit from the 30th potency. The "x" after the potency number (as in 6x) refers to the number of times in which a medicine is diluted 1:10, while the "c" after the potency number (6c) is diluted 1:100 (it will be easy to remember the difference between "x" and "c" by simply remember their meaning as Roman numerals). Two hundred years of homeopathic clinical experience has found that the higher the potency, the more powerful and faster the medicine acts. However, the higher the potency used, the more accurate the remedy must be for the injured or sick person. Because of this, it is recommended to use the 30th potency when the user is very confident that the remedy used is the correct one. When one is not as confident, the 6th or 12th potency is indicated, or one can consider using a homeopathic formula.
Frequency of Dose
When taking homeopathic medicines it is recommended to take as few doses as necessary but as many as are required when experiencing pain. At first when there is the greatest amount of pain and discomfort, you may need to take the remedy every hour. Usually after four doses, you can reduce the frequency to every other hour, and as the intensity of pain diminishes, taking a dose every four hours is common. If no improvement is noticeable after one or two days, it is not recommended to take further doses.
External Applications
Although most homeopathic remedies are in pill form for internal consumption, there are a select number of homeopathic medicines which are available in external applications. Some external applications are in ointments, gels, or sprays. Although they have a similar degree of efficacy, each has certain benefits and detriments. Ointments are made from a petroleum base which doesn't allow the skin to breath as well, but they tend to work well because they are not easily washed or wiped off. Gels and sprays allow the skin the breath more, but they are more easily washed or wiped off. Gels are my personal favorite because they are not as easily washed off. INDICATION MEDICINE DOSE
Shock and trauma of injury Arnica 6,12,30, 30 preferred
Injury to the soft tissue/muscle Arnica 6,12,30
Arnica external
Formula external
Injury to nerves or parts of Hypericum
the body rich with nerves (feet, Hypericum external fingers, back);
injuries with Formula external shooting pains 6,12,30
Sprains/strains Arnica (immediately after injury) 6,12,30
Rhus tox* 6,12,30
Bryonia** 6,12,30
Ledum (for easily sprained ankles) 6,12,30
Arnica external Injury Formula external
Tendonitis Rhus tox* 6,12,30
Bryonia** 6,12,30
Arnica external
Injury Formula external
Severe sprains (wrenched tendons, Rhus tox* 12,30
split ligaments) Bryonia** 12,30
Ruta (if Rhus tox or Bryonia aren't effective) 12,30
Bellis perennis (when cold applications cannot be tolerated) 12,30
Dislocation Arnica 12,30
Hypericum (if shooting pains) 12,30
Injuries to periosteum (bone-covering) Ruta 6,12,30
Arnica external
Injury Formula external
Injuries to knee or elbow Ruta 6,12,30
(includes shin splints) Rhus tox* 6,12,30
Arnica external
Injury Formula external
Fracture Symphytum
(Take Arnica for shock of injury) 6,12,30
Arnica external
Injury Formula external
Head injury (immediately after injury) Arnica 12,30
Old head injury Natrum sulphicum 12,30
Slow repair of fractures Calcarea phos. 6,12
Bruises/Contusions Arnica 6,12,30
(no break in the skin) Arnica external
Injury Formula external
Bleeding Arnica 12,30
Nosebleeds Phosphorus 12,30
Blisters Calendula external
Cuts Calendula external
Lacerations (deep cuts) Hypericum external (1st)
Calendula external (after deep cut begins to heal)
Staphysagria 12,30
* Rhus tox is indicated when the person experiences the "rusty gate" syndrome: there is great pain upon initial motion but some relief on continued motion.
** Bryonia is indicated when the person experiences increased pain and discomfort the more motion they do.
Useful Books
Stephen Cummings, M.D., and Dana Ullman, M.P.H., Everybody's Guide to Homeopathic Medicine, Los Angeles: Jeremy Tarcher, 1991.
Steven Subotnick, D.P.M., Sports and Exercise Injuries: Conventional, Homeopathic and Alternative Treatments, Berkeley: North Atlantic, 1991.
Dana Ullman, M.P.H., Discovering Homeopathy, Berkeley: North Atlantic, 1991. Dana Ullman, M.P.H. President, Homeopathic Educational Services; author, Consumer's Guide to Homeopathy, Everybody's Guide to Homeopathic Medicines and Homeopathic Medicine for Children and Infants.
How do I Learn More About Homeopathy?
The best source of homeopathic books, tapes, home medicine kits, and software is:
Homeopathic Educational Services http://www.homeopathic.com
2124B Kittredge St.
Berkeley, CA 94704
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| | | From: Rene | Sent: 2/18/2008 2:59 PM |
Homeopathy Finally Gets Some Respect
By Catherine Guthrie Jesica DeHart’s introduction to homeopathy came in an unexpected place—an emergency medical training class.“The instructor told us to put homeopathic remedies in our first aid kit,�?she says. DeHart wanted to check it out first on herself, so she took the teacher’s advice and stocked up on arnica, a remedy for reducing bruising and swelling. When she had cause to use it, she was pleasantly surprised at how well it soothed her bruises. Eventually she added other homeopathic remedies to her repertoire, including one for cramps and another for stomach upset. “Sometimes they were completely effective, other times not,�?she says. “But I always felt like it was worth a try.�? Eight months ago, DeHart had a baby and her interest in homeopathy soared. “Having a child makes you hyper-aware of how you treat health problems, and I want a gentle option for my son,�?says the 30-year-old stay-at-home mom. Since Emmit was born, she’s used homeopathic remedies to ease his colic and teething pain. “Homeopathy is noninvasive,�?she says. “I like the idea that it’s getting the body to heal itself.�?/FONT> Whatever homeopathy is, it’s hardly new. In fact, it’s 200 years old. What is new is that people like DeHart are fed up with the side effects, expense, and sometimes poor results of conventional drug therapy and are turning to homeopathy in record numbers. According to one report, published last year in Annals of Internal Medicine, the number of Americans using homeopathy skyrocketed 500 percent in the last decade. One of the most comprehensive government surveys to date on Americans�?use of complementary and alternative medicine found that more than 7.3 million people have tried it. Government stats aside, everyone knows the real truth is in retail. Last year, Americans spent an estimated $425 million on homeopathic remedies, according to J.P. Borneman, the CEO of Boiron and a spokesperson for the American Association of Homeopathic Pharmacists. As the fourth generation in the business of homeopathic pharmacy, Borneman has seen business ebb and flow with Americans�?love-hate relationship with Western medicine. But the real turning point for homeopathy, he says, came in the 1990s when remedies made the leap from health food stores to chain behemoths like Target, Kmart, and Walgreens. Still, add up all the statistics, sales numbers, and anecdotal stories, and the fact remains that no one has yet proved how homeopathy works—a fact that emboldens skeptics and causes consternation among practitioners. “I use it in my clinic, but every time I do, I roll my eyes,�?says David Katz, associate clinical professor of public health at the Yale-Griffin Prevention Research Center. “I wish I knew if and how it works. Maybe the whole thing is a placebo effect.�?/FONT> Katz’s use of the “p-word�?touches on the biggest criticism of homeopathy—that the practice is nothing but a placebo. In the United States, the National Council Against Health Fraud, a nonprofit watchdog agency, calls homeopathy a cult and practitioners quacks. In France last September, the Académie de Medecine, the country’s most respected medical authority, denounced homeopathy as mumbo jumbo. That blow was especially low considering the French are the world’s largest consumers; roughly 70 percent of France’s population uses homeopathy, and French physicians routinely prescribe it. But the cries that it’s only a placebo are weakening. Perhaps the best thing ..to happen to homeopathy in recent years is the research showing it to be much more than that. The good press started back in 1997 when the well-respected medical journal The Lancet published a meta-analysis of placebo-controlled studies on homeopathy. In 89 studies rigorously designed to evaluate its ability to treat and prevent various illnesses, the odds consistently showed homeopathy to be more effective than a placebo. More recently, Wayne B. Jonas, a physician and director of the Samueli Institute for Information Biology, in Alexandria, Virginia, assembled an even more comprehensive overview of homeopathy studies, published in the Annals of Internal Medicine. The paper took into account four different meta-analyses and found homeopathy to be effective in treating allergies, childhood diarrhea, postoperative trauma, and influenza. “The weight of the current evidence right now falls slightly in favor of homeopathy,�?says Jonas. Bottom line: It works
Homeopathic physician Corey Weinstein hasn’t let the discussions about how homeopathy works get in his way. Each year, hundreds of patients flow through his office in San Francisco. Weinstein has practiced homeopathy for 30 years and prescribes homeopathic remedies for everything from colds to cancer. “I’ve never seen an illness or condition that homeopathy hasn’t helped,�?he says. While he doesn’t hold any romanticized notions that homeopathy is a cure-all, he does think it’s too valuable to dismiss. “The idea that for homeopathy to be good science we have to understand how it works is absurd,�?he says. “If that were the case for everything allopathic medicine offers, we never would have okayed the use of aspirin.�? Like cures like
Developed in the late 18th century by the German physician Samuel Christian Hahnemann, homeopathy is based on the “law of similars.�?After noticing that a common remedy for malaria, cinchona, produced malaria-like symptoms in people, Hahnemann came up with the idea that “like cures like.�? The premise is that illness can be treated with small doses of a substance—animal, vegetable, and/or mineral—that mimics the malady’s symptoms. The last thing you’d think to give a stressed-out person, for example, is caffeine, yet that’s the primary ingredient in a common homeopathic remedy for promoting relaxation. According to Hahnemann’s theory, homeopathy jump-starts the body’s own healing process by introducing tiny amounts of the right substances. But just how tiny is tiny? That’s the question that makes most conventional practitioners shake their heads in disbelief. The end result is so tiny, they say, as to be virtually nonexistent. To reduce the toxicity of his remedies, Hahnemann diluted substances in alcohol and water several times over. In between each dilution, he shook the mixture. Later, he described the diluting and shaking process as essential to bringing forth a substance’s “vital essence.�? And in fact, modern-day makers of homeopathic remedies hold the time-honored process sacred. The label on a bottle of a homeopathic remedy says how many times it has been diluted. Homeopaths acknowledge that most remedies are so diluted that laboratory tests cannot locate a single molecule of the original substance. And that’s the stumbling block for many scientists in considering homeopathy as a medical treatment. “It’s very hard for a Western brain to accept the fact that you are treating more and more effectively as you use less and less,�?says Katz. “But we seem to be standing on the brink of
being able to explore the mechanism behind it.�?/FONT> One possible explanation is that the remedies leave an electronic fingerprint on the water in which they are diluted, which is then used in the actual remedy. Konrad Kail, a scientist at the Southwest College Research Institute in Tempe, Arizona, who’s doing research on homeopathy, says the mark may be too subtle to register on regular lab equipment but still big enough to affect the body, working on an electronic rather than a biochemical level. “Normally, we think of biochemical reactions as a lock and key,�?he says. When the key fits into the lock a reaction occurs. “I believe you can get the same effect with an electronic signal.�?(Think of a car’s keyless entry.) Jonas, author of Healing with Homeopathy: The Complete Guide, is also trying to decipher the riddle of homeopathy. Scientists in his lab recently discovered that in a vial of water, there are interactions between the water and the glass; when you shake the vial, the silica comes off the glass and produces various chemical subspecies, some of which may be biologically active. “That kind of chemistry could be producing some of the effect we’re seeing in homeopathy,�?he says. Another theory centers on the importance of the practitioner/patient relationship. Corey Weinstein’s initial appointment with a patient, for instance, can easily last an hour and a half. The goal is to ascertain what remedy, out of the thousands available, might best address the person’s complaint. Could it be that patients simply feel better once a health care provider listens raptly to their woes? Jonas thinks it’s a real possibility, but that doesn’t detract from homeopathy’s power, he says. “If that turns out to be a major reason for the effects of homeopathy, it’s still a huge contribution to medicine.�? Needless to say, this idea is unpopular among homeopaths, who don’t appreciate being seen as glorified therapists doling out sugar pills. Still, Jonas is a homeopath and a scientist who likes to weigh all the possibilities. “Only in the last 25 years have we begun to understand the power of expectation,�?he says. “I think this is one of the theories of homeopathy that has some viability and needs to be explored.�? In fact, Jonas is working on a new study that he hopes will ferret out whether it’s the remedies or the practitioner’s attentiveness that stimulate homeopathic healing. His results won’t be available until next year. In the meantime, the caring-practitioner theory still leaves an inexplicable gap in the equation. What about people whose symptoms improve with over-the-counter homeopathic remedies? When Sheri McGregor injured her tailbone a few years ago, the pain was debilitating. The San Diego resident swallowed over-the-counter pain relievers, to no avail. Finally, she tried hypericum, a homeopathic remedy for treating nerve injuries. Following the label’s instructions, she dissolved several tablets under her tongue every 15 minutes. Within two hours, the pain was gone. By the end of the day, she’d stopped using the remedy, and never experienced another twinge from her troublesome tailbone. “It was spectacular,�?she says. “It turned me on to homeopathy for life.�? DO IT YOURSELF? When it makes sense to treat yourself—and when you should seek professional help Most health food stores stock rows of homeopathic liquids, pellets, and tablets. Each is labeled to treat a very specific condition, from overwork-induced stress to a wet cough with clear nasal discharge. So is it safe to treat yourself? Yes, says Wayne Jonas, a physician and author of Healing with Homeopathy. “Homeopathy isn’t going to be directly harmful or toxic,�?he says. “Just make sure you go see someone if your symptoms don’t improve, and you’re using a good product.�?Unlike dietary supplements, homeopathic remedies are regulated by the FDA, which has strict guidelines for strength, quality,
purity, and labeling. Even with these guidelines in place, though, not all companies are created equal. For a list of homeopathic manufacturers that meet the FDA’s guidelines, visit the website of The American Association of Homeopathic Pharmacists (homeopathyresource.org). But self-care has its limits. If you try a store-bought remedy and an acute condition (like an earache) doesn’t improve within two days, or a chronic problem (like a rash) doesn’t respond within a week, make an appointment with a homeopath, practitioners advise. A good one can not only help you narrow down treatment options but also prescribe more targeted remedies than what’s available over the counter. How to find a practitioner
Locating a good homeopath can be daunting because any health care professional—chiropractors, dentists, and acupuncturists—can complete a weekend course and hang out a shingle. Although degrees don’t always denote the most qualified practitioner, they do offer a starting point. To begin, look for a homeopath who is also a medical doctor or an osteopath, because he or she is most likely to have studied homeopathy as a postgraduate specialty. Another good bet is a naturopath, since the training includes homeopathy. For a list of local practitioners, visit either the American Institute of Homeopathy (homeopathyusa.org) or the National Center for Homeopathy (homeopathic.org). From: [http://www.naturalsolutionsmag.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/articleSearch.article/articleID/9056]
© 1999-2008 Natural Solutions: Vibrant Health, Balanced Living/Alternative Medicine/InnoVision Health Media |
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| Homeopathy, Economics, and Government Homeopathy, Economics, and Government
By Linda Johnston, MD, DHt
The history of the regulation of alternative medical therapies, particularly Homeopathy, is extremely interesting and sheds a great deal of light on the current regulatory environment. In this short review of that history, it can be seen that the current attempts at regulation have roots as far back as 200 years ago.
The early 1800's was a time of great transition in medicine. Whereas the standard, allopathic form of treatment was dominant at the turn of that century, that was not to last. The two most popular alternatives to the orthodox practice were herbal medicine and Homeopathy.
By the time Homeopathy was introduced to America in 1825, herbal medicine was already well established. Equally well established was the allopathic doctors' animosity towards any competition. The rise of Homeopathy particularly coincided with a dramatic decline in the prestige of allopathic medicine and its methods. There was a general and pervasive disdain and mistrust of allopathic medicine. One author concluded that "to many people the interests of the medical profession as a whole were opposed to the best interests of society."
Within 15 years of being introduced to America, Homeopathy was offering serious competition to allopathic medicine and by 1860, Homeopathy was flourishing with many doctors available in every state. The biggest asset to the spread of Homeopathy was the home prescriber, or unlicensed lay practitioner. America of the 1800's was predominantly rural and most areas had no physician close at hand.
Mothers treating their children's problems easily and inexpensively caused the news of Homeopathy to spread like a brush fire throughout the mid-west and eastern seaboard. While political battles and turf wars raged between the doctors, many people successfully treated typhoid, cholera, measles, mumps, tuberculosis, smallpox and other diseases with their Homeopathic remedies and without doctors.
Even the press of the day were favorable to Homeopathy and its articles often reflected the general public's contempt for allopathic medicine. One such article condemned "the rigidly anti-innovative attitude which the Old School doctors have so consistently maintained for centuries" and recommended that there be free and open competition between the two systems, "where the public will act as umpires, deciding after a careful perusal of the undertakers bills on either side."
As a consequence, extreme hatred and economic jealousy was aroused in the allopaths. These economic concerns were well documented. One review wrote of Homeopathy, "quackery .... by fraud and deception, too frequently triumphs and grows rich, where wiser and better men scarcely escape starvation." In 1846, The New York Journal of Medicine stated, "quackery occasions a large pecuniary loss to us."
The public was quite willing to pay high fees for Homeopathy, much to the consternation of the economically struggling allopaths. Most Homeopaths had higher incomes than their allopathic counterparts, having busy, thriving practices in the same areas where allopaths couldn't earn enough to live. The annual income for an allopath in 1871 averaged $1000, whereas a Homeopath's averaged $4000.
The allopaths blamed the public for the situation, contemptuously regarding them as ignorant, undiscriminating and easily deceived, clearly needing to be protected from their own perverse ignorance. It never occurred to the allopathic doctors that the public, rather than being ignorant of orthodox medicine, were very familiar with it and consequently didn't like it.
If you think doctors have outgrown this attitude from 1800, I will refer you to the recent article in the prestigious allopathic journal The New England Journal of Medicine. After reviewing the habits of a large cohort of patients, it was concluded that one third of Americans use some method of non-conventional medical treatment and pay more out of their own pocket to do so than the combined money spent on all primary care allopathic office visits.
As a result of this startling finding, the authors did not suggest further investigation as to why such a large number of patients prefer non-traditional treatment, nor was it suggested that these treatments must have something valuable to offer. Instead, in a move reminiscent of attitudes over 150 years old, the authors advised that doctors inquire if their patients are using some form of non-conventional therapy so that they can better bring these errant patients back to conventional treatment.
The brunt of the blame for declining allopathic fortunes was laid at the door of the Homeopaths. The allopaths had concern about the growing competition from Homeopathy, stated as "quackery in the profession." They felt the apparently declining standards of medical education was the cause of physicians converting to Homeopathy and these ideas were the prime motives in the founding of the American Medical Association in 1847.
It is interesting to note that the professional organization for Homeopathy equivalent to the AMA, the American Institute of Homeopathy, was founded earlier in 1844, making it the oldest professional medical organization.
Many efforts were used to advance the allopaths by discrediting, restricting and abolishing the Homeopaths. Typical were the laws passed in the early 1800's to prevent any practitioners of medicine other than the allopaths from being able to go to court to collect non-payment of fees. In every case, these and other similar laws were unenforceable and extremely unpopular with the citizenry. All were repealed within a few years.
Undaunted, the allopathic doctors then turned to their own medical societies rather than the legislative process to carry out their desire for effective restriction of Homeopathy. Allopaths granted themselves the right to restrict society membership, which was tantamount to licensing powers. Fines were levied against anyone practicing medicine without such a society membership. They had successfully usurped the power to control who could practice. Eventually even these fines were also rescinded due to unpopularity with the citizens.
Pennsylvania and New York were the first states to forbid membership in the society by medical doctors who practiced Homeopathy. State medical society membership and representation in the AMA required that these societies purge themselves of any member Homeopaths.
After 1847, all state societies did this, except Massachusetts. In addition, professional exchange, consultation and even conversation between allopaths and Homeopaths were banned. This ban on interaction between the two groups is a striking example of how a private organization, the AMA, could completely flout the public will, and take punitive action for something that was totally legal.
All this speaks of the restraint of trade. All professions have used laws, licensing, legislation, unions and guilds to protect their own economic interests. Not surprisingly, the suppression of Homeopathy, then and continuing to this very day, is seeped with the same motives.
None of the efforts at abolishing Homeopathy, including state society expulsion, were particularly effective until the turn of this century. Then, it wasn't legislation or licensing that was responsible for the decline of Homeopathy. The infusion of large amounts of money from Carnegie and Rockefeller to the cause of allopathic medicine was instrumental in tipping the scales in its favor. It is ironic that Rockefeller, a beneficiary of Homeopathic treatment himself, should fund its demise. The final shove out the door of popularity was the discovery of antibiotics and the dawning of the age of chemical therapeutics.
By the middle of this century, Homeopathy was all but eliminated. The thousands of practitioners had vanished, the hundred or so medical schools had closed and the vast majority of the general population had never even heard of Homeopathy.
The reemergence of Homeopathy started in the early 1970's as disillusionment with the pharmaceutical approach of medical therapeutics began to surface. Natural foods, exercise, natural living, concern about pollution and chemical toxins in our bodies and the environment began to take center stage. In addition to which, the sterling reputation of technological and pharmacological medicine for invincible prowess and superiority was becoming more and more tarnished. Just as occurred 150 years ago, the public had experienced the side effects, personal cost and problems of allopathic medicine and was voting with their feet.
Now Homeopathy becomes more and more popular each and every year. In the 5 years between 1985 and 1990, the sale of Homeopathic products increased 1000%. Now when I tell the person seated next to me on the plane that I am a doctor who practices Homeopathy, he doesn't mistake that for making house calls.
The vast majority of people prescribing and administering Homeopathy today are in the group of non-licensed lay practitioners. There are thousands of such practitioners and their numbers continue to grow. This small army undoubtedly has an impact on the allopathic medical revenues and public attitudes. Laws and legislation do not now and never have curbed the growth in the ranks of this category of practitioner.
Historically, Homeopathy has always had a large number of non-medical unlicensed people practicing. In the 1800s America's rural culture and lack of clear laws about who could and could not practice medicine created a permissive environment for these non-licensed practitioners. Today, the situation is quite different. Although strong in number, they are all practicing illegally and are at risk for legal problems.
As the twentieth century progressed there has been increasing legislative control of the practice of medicine, both at the state and federal level. State medical societies have been replaced by official government sanctioned state licensing bodies. Although Homeopathy is no longer proscribed by name, review of individual state laws governing the practice of medicine shows that 20 out of 50 states have a clause which distinctly applies to any doctor wishing to practice Homeopathy.
These laws, called the Standard of Practice provisions, declare that each physician must practice up to the standard of care of his community, as the other doctors in the state practice. Although these provisions are promoted as a way of keeping incompetent doctors from practicing, they also are extremely effective in keeping any doctor from practicing differently from the majority. The first doctor in a state to advocate nutrition, exercise, grief counseling, Homeopathy or any other cutting edge idea is, by law, proscripted from doing so. The lone innovator or Homeopath is at risk.
George Guess, a licensed medical doctor practicing Homeopathy in the state of North Carolina discovered this the hard way. The Medical Board of North Carolina took away his medical license in 1985 because he practiced Homeopathy which was not consistent with the standard of care of the medical community. How could it be; he was the only Homeopath in the state. The battle was long and bloody.
Over the 8 years in and out of courts, including the state supreme court and spending in excessive of $150,000, it was concluded that Dr. Guess was a knowledgeable doctor, had not harmed anyone, had the support of his patients and was generally a credit to his profession except, he was not doing what all the other doctors were doing - allopathic medicine. When the favorable decision of the state superior court exonerating Dr. Guess was overturned on appeal, the ACLU agreed to sponsor his case before the US Federal Court.
The highest court refused to hear the case, necessitating Dr. Guess to leave his home and move to another state to practice. While he was gone, North Carolina legislature passed a law allowing for the practice of alternative medicine by doctors. Although the price for this was the devastation and upheaval of Dr. Guess's life and career, at least now one more state had a definite law protecting Homeopaths.
Although few Homeopaths have had or will have the ordeal that Dr. Guess faced, the law provides that they could. The biggest protections now for licensed medical doctors wanting to practice Homeopathy is the public sentiment so favorably disposed to Homeopathy. The verdict in the court of public opinion is definitely not so predisposed to the persecution of alternative therapies as it once was.
Today, the legal standing of Homeopathy and Homeopaths is in limbo. Whereas in all but a few states, the restrictive laws are still on the books yet Homeopathy is thriving and riding high on a tidal wave of popular support. There is definitely an economic impact of all this popularity, yet much of it cannot be measured because the majority of Homeopaths are illegal practitioners whose work is not counted in statistics.
Efforts at restricting the practice of Homeopathy today, as in the last century, have proven almost completely ineffective. People want Homeopathy and for that reason alone, it is here to stay and so is its impact on the economics of medicine. Reprinted from:
Lew Rockwell.com October 3, 2002 |
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