Dining With A Homeopath

My friend Dr. Barbara Brennan invited us for dinner this weekend. I had not heard from her in quite a while. She had called me two years ago, after I wrote about her decision to give up her practice when she became ill.

This time her call was prompted by a couple of things I wrote recently. I had used Hippocrates’ word “miasmic” in “A Walking Time-Bomb” and I quoted Hippocrates’ words about “love of humanity” in “Bitter Medicine”.

After the usual greetings, Barbara took us into her home office, which still looked like a physician’s study, but along one wall was a new set of bookcases, filled with less familiar titles.

“I’ve been studying”, Barbara explained, as her hand moved along books with homeopathic titles.

Samuel Hahnemann, physician and the founder of homeopathy, used Hippocrates’ word “miasm” for chronic diseases and inherited states of dis-ease. I was aware of that, but Barbara quickly brought my wife and me up to date on how this concept applies to modern homeopathy and modern diseases.

Barbara has been studying homeopathy online, at her own pace because of her condition, and is quite far along because of her foundation as a brilliant allopathic physician. Barbara also swears that the homeopathic remedies have helped her regain her health and her stamina.

Ironically, Hahnemann is the one who coined the term “allopathic”, and it was not intended to be a term of flattery. The mainstream medicine of Hahnemann’s time relied on bloodletting, purges and many other barbaric treatments, which didn’t stand the test of time. Hahnemann was a well read linguist, who supported his growing family by translating scientific texts because he couldn’t bring himself to embrace the medical practice of his era. He was, however, quick to adopt the germ theory and many of the emerging concepts of disease.

Over an exquisite dinner with Italian haddock with risotto and a nice Chianti, Barbara told us that not only is she now a student of homeopathy, she had also been helped by it. She is getting her energy back, and she is starting to feel well again.

One of Barbara’s mentors, Dr. Luc De Schepper, is, like Samuel Hahnemann, a European physician, who turned toward homeopathy when he didn’t find traditional medicine to address all the needs of his patients. In the concluding chapter of his book “Hahnemann Revisited” he quotes the same Hippocratic passage I quoted in my recent blog post:


“if an opportunity arises for helping a poor man, one should do so as best as one can, for he who loves men must also love the art of healing.” Hippocrates

Dr. De Schepper continues:

“Allopathic medicine is in a devastating financial crisis, with hospitals going bankrupt all around us and nearly 50 million Americans lacking health insurance; homeopathy can offer health care which is both effective and extremely cost-effective. Many allopathic medicines and procedures cause painful or harmful side effects, to the point that allopathic practitioners come to my school in despair, declaring that they cannot in good conscience continue to practice what they know…


…Let us look beyond the obvious, however, and consider our role as healers, our relationship with our patients, and our purpose in healing…


…In homeopathy the dynamic between practitioner and patient is more balanced, which provides greater empowerment and involvement to the patient and greater fulfillment to the practitioner.”

I listened to Barbara, to the passion and conviction in her voice; I watched her new vitality and felt her energy. She has more of it now than in her prime as an allopath. I looked at some of the modern texts she was reading and I thought to myself: Did we, the allopathic physicians, simply drop our Olympic torch? Have other kinds of practitioners stolen our fire, or did our negligence inspire them to step in where we used to be?

As I read in a Wall Street Journal article this weekend that the diabetes drug Avandia can now only be prescribed as a last resort due to its links to cardiac deaths, I remembered how, not very long ago, there was pressure on my profession to prescribe it routinely and early in the course of diabetic treatment because it was supposed to decrease death rates in diabetics.


Are today’s allopathic physicians becoming the bloodletters and purgers of a new dark era of uncaring brutality in medicine, leaving the torch of compassion for humanity and passion for healing to be carried by practitioners of what we disdainfully call alternative medicine?

Source

Getting Acquainted With Homeopathy

Homeopathy is an alternative approach to medicine based on the belief that natural substances, prepared in a special way and used in small amounts, restores health. It is a sophisticated method of individualizing small doses of medicines to start the healing response. Homeopathic remedies seem especially effective for people with chronic diseases.

Homeopathy focuses on the individual and their symptoms to bring long lasting benefits, wellness and happiness. Therapy is based on the “Law of Similarity” known as treating “like with like”. The remedies are highly diluted natural substances and have been used throughout the world for over 200 years. Homeopathy remedies can be safely used along with most conventional medicines.

Homeopathic remedies are derived from plant, mineral and animal origins. They stimulate the body, giving it a gentle boost of natural energy for healing. There is no danger of addiction or toxicity and the remedies are considered safe, even for pregnant and sensitive patients.

The Homeopathic Pharmacopoeia Convention of the United States establishes good industry standards and manufacturing procedures in cooperation with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Due to the overwhelming safety record of the homeopathic approach and extreme dilutions, the FDA does not use the same standards for approval of homeopathic medicines as it does for conventional drugs.

Homeopathic remedies work on all systems of the body with mental, physical and emotional guiding symptoms listed in the order of importance. Homeopathic remedies can treat a wide range of symptoms such as sore throats, toothaches, acute fevers, chronic illnesses such as arthritis, eczema, asthma, anxiety, mild depression, and chronic fatigue syndrome.

Homeopathic practitioners use a repertory. This is an index of symptoms that explores the remedies for a particular symptom and lists the remedy for each symptom. Repertories are often extensive and may include data from clinical experience and “provings”. A compilation of reports of many homeopathic “provings” is known as a homeopathy materia medica. This listing contains commonly used homeopathic single remedies and lists symptoms that fit each remedy. The catalog assists the homeopath in finding the right remedy for each individual patient.

A homeopath will usually listen to a patient’s emotional and physical symptoms and then chooses a remedy closest to the individual symptom picture. The remedy stimulates the body’s own natural healing process and strengthens the immune system, without danger of side effects.

Homeopathic remedies and conventional medicine may work together. Remedies do not interact with other medicines and do not have side effects. However, it is advised to have a health care provider closely monitor the situation.

Source: Healthstance

Child Allergic Asthma Can Be Cured With Homeopathy

When a person has an asthma attack, the inflammation in the respiratory system makes breathing difficult. Homeopathic treatments usually involve giving the body a minuscule amount of the substance causing the reaction to help the body learn how to cope. Once a homeopath finds the right treatment, patients can find relief. Because treatments are extremely individualized, clinical research in homeopathy is difficult; the same remedy is not the correct remedy for every case of a disease. Homeopathic treatment, however, can be taken in conjunction with prescribed drugs, providing a safe, alternative method for people to cope with asthma. The goal of homeopathic treatment for asthma is to identify the root cause for the attacks, and then to use the bodies own healing processes to transform the triggers into remedies.Asthma is viewed differently in each person, because each person is afflicted in a different way. Factors considered by the homeopath include frequency of attacks, possible allergens and other symptoms. The health of the whole body, not just the respiratory system, is addressed. Ultimately, homeopathy might create a cure for the asthma by strengthening and balancing the immune system.

Asthma Homeopathic treatment

When treating an asthmatic patient with homeopathic remedies, great care must be taken to record the exact symptoms experienced during an attack to properly identify the correct remedy.

Popular homeopathic remedies for asthma include:

· Pulsatilla works well if symptoms are spasmodic; the patient feels a lot of weight and anxiety about the chest; there is sudden wheezing, difficulty breathing, and a feeling of suffocation, which is made worse if the patient moves or is warmed; and the cough creates retching and vomiting. Ipecac might be called for when the cough is continuous and the chest seems full of phlegm, yet nothing is coughed up. The extremities are covered with cold sweat. · Ipecanum is similar to Arsenic alb., and is especially useful if the disease is chronic, the patient is older and the labored breathing is habitual and dry. It is used when the attacks occur between midnight and 2 a.m. The patient’s dry wheezing may progress to a cough that brings up frothy, whitish fluid. He or she feels exhausted yet experiences a lot of anguish and restlessness, fearing suffocation if he or she lies down. There is a general sweat, and the person can be thirsty, taking frequent, tiny sips. If the patient falls asleep again, he or she is awakened with soreness and burning pain in the chest and heat in the head. Warmth often brings improvement. Arsenicum follows Ipecac well, and is especially useful in those who are anemic. · Carbo veg is helpful when symptoms include a tense, constricted feeling in the lower part of the chest, with pressure in the stomach. The patient finds some relief by belching, and the patient must loosen his or her clothing. Problems are often worse in the morning. It might be useful when gastric disturbances bring on the asthmatic attacks, and during simple spasmodic asthma. Both mental exertion and physical effort can make symptoms worse, while warmth and sleep often bring relief. Overindulgence in sweets, spicy food, stimulants and alcohol are common. If there is a lot of abdominal irritation and much flatulence, Nux vomica might be combined with Lycopodium and Carbo vegetabilis. · Kali bich might help patients who experience attacks at about 3 or 4 a.m., with a feeling as if there were no air in the chest. The patient feels compelled to sit up to breathe, and bending forward while sitting brings some relief. The patient coughs up stringy yellow mucus. · Natrum mur treats general symptoms including a worsening of asthma when exposed to mold and dampness; attacks occur at about 4 to 5 a.m.; and the patient sits up and holds the chest with the hands while coughing. Wheezing and breathing difficulties are aggravated by exertion. The patient usually also has loose bowels after each attack. · Antimonium tartaricum (Ant.t), a remedy used by conventional medicine for asthma, can also be used as a homoeopathic treatment for certain symptoms. The keynote for using this option is the presence of fine rattling or crackling sounds in the chest. The chest also seems full of phlegm that the patient cannot cough up. The patient must sit up at about 3 a.m., has great difficulty breathing, and feels suffocated. Antimonium tartaricum is especially suited to young children and the elderly. · Spongia  is strongly indicated by a barking cough during an asthma attack. Labored breathing has a sawing sound and little mucus is produced. The person may feel best when leaning forward or when sitting up and tilting the head back. Warm drinks may be helpful. The problems usually begin before midnight while the person is asleep.

Why Is Homeopathy Under Attack All The Time?

When the Government recently decided to support patient choice and continue funding homeopathy on the NHS, there were howls of outrage from leading medics and skeptics alike.  Its statement published at the end of July appeared to ignore the Chief Scientific Advisor’s advice, as well as an Evidence Check Report published last February by the House of Commons’ Science and Technology Committee.

In its response to the conclusions of the Report, the Government decided to continue paying around £4 million a year to keep homeopathy available to NHS patients.  This was great news for those who choose it but the British Medical Association (BMA) were not impressed.  At their annual conference in July they had voted against the funding, despite the fact that the founder of our public health service, Labour MP Aneurin Bevan, had pledged his commitment to homeopathy at the birth of the NHS in 1948.
 

Nowadays, millions of  people around the world use homeopathic medicines.  One million people in Europe take it, with almost all French pharmacies dispensing homeopathic remedies and 70 per cent of French doctors considering it effective.  In Germany 20 per cent of doctors treat patients with homeopathy and in the Netherlands 47 per cent.  In India there are 400,000 homeopathic doctors with 13,000 graduating every year!  Its popularity continues to grow, making it a threat to the powerful pharmaceutical industry.

Huge savings could be made if more patients went to homeopathic doctors and practitioners.  For example, the cost of treating asthma on the NHS is £1 billion annually, yet many people have been cured after having homeopathic treatment.  Angela Byrne, 44, from Surrey, suffered since the age of 16, her asthma becoming full blown by the age of 26.  For the next 14 years she ended up using two inhalers -  ‘When I was 40, I went for homeopathic treatment and for the past four years, I have no longer needed any medication whatsoever when my symptoms disappeared for good!’A new row broke out recently when the BMA uncovered the fact that spending on homeopathy in Scotland is double that of the rest of the UK.  This amounts to an annual total of 60,000 prescriptions with the Scottish Government backing the funding.

It was revealed in a programme aired on BBC Scotland on 13^th September entitled ‘Magic or Medicine’.  The overall water theme of the programme was an attempt to emphasise the notion that homeopathy is nothing more than water, which completely missed the fact that all remedies are made using one-third alcohol as a preservative, an integral part of the preparation!

Dr. Ben Goldacre, a health journalist who wrote a book called Bad Science debunking homeopathy, asserted that homeopathic medicines work only through the placebo effect, though the question would then arise as to whether pharmaceutical drugs work in a similar manner.

When the Commons’ Science and Technology Committee conducted its Evidence Check last November, it also concluded the action of placebo effect.  Yet the fact that homeopathy successfully treats animals, tends to discount this, through at least 85 animal studies.

Only half of the 14 Members of the Science and Technology Committee actually attended the two oral hearings and those MPs who did, appeared to have little knowledge or understanding of it.  Of the nine witnesses called at the first hearing, the only two who had any relevant qualifications were Dr. Peter Fisher, the Queen’s physician and Clinical Director of the Royal London Homeopathic Hospital and Dr. Robert Mathie, Research Development Adviser of the British Homeopathic Association.

The Commons’ Committee Report was voted on by just five of its fourteen members, with only three MPs ratifying it, yet next day the headline went round the world proclaiming: ‘MPs call for an End to Homeopathy on the NHS’, based on just three votes!

In addition, out of a total of 66, nearly 40 positive written submissions compiled by the homeopathic profession, did not seem to have been properly considered by the Committee.  There was also no-one called to represent patients.

Homeopathy has always provoked violent reactions and efforts to try to ban it are not new.  In 1858 the British Medical Association passed internal rules that forbade their members from practising it or even consulting with a homeopath.

In 1847, the American Medical Association published a code of ethics which also stated that physicians would lose their membership if they consulted with a homeopath.  At an AMA meeting, Dr. J.N. McCormack of Kentucky, who was the driving force behind the 1903 reorganisation of the AMA, said: ‘We must admit that we never fought the homeopath on matters of principle.  We fought him because he came into the community and got the business.’

So why does the medical establishment feel so threatened by this gentle form of treatment which is cheap, can be used by pregnant women, babies and the elderly with few, if any, side effects and people swearing by its effectiveness?

In fact it was so popular that during the mid-1800s there were 100 homeopathic hospitals and 1,000 homeopathic pharmacies in America.  In Britain there were 100s of homeopathic dispensaries as well as a total of 14 homeopathic hospitals!  There was also a strong following in Europe by royalty and the aristocracy.

Many of the famous swore by it including writers Charles Dickens, William Makepeace Thackeray, George Bernard Shawrtists such as Pierre Auguste Renoir, Vincent van Gogh, Claude Monet and Paul Gauguin and the composers Ludwig van Beethoven, Frederic Chopin and Robert Alexander Schumann, to name a few.  Are we expected to believe these cultural giants were deluded into taking placebos?

During these times homeopathic medicines also proved to be extremely effective in treating epidemics throughout Europe, Britain and America, such as scarlet fever, cholera, typhoid, diptheria, yellow fever, polio and influenza.

In 1854 there was a cholera epidemic in London but when the House of Commons asked to see a report about the methods of treatment, patients who had received homeopathic treatment at the Royal London Homeopathic Hospital, were not included. The House of Lords then demanded an explanation and it was later shown that under conventional medical care the death rate was 59.2 per cent but for patients under homeopathic care, only 9 per cent!

Vigorous attempts to stamp out homeopathy were stepped up in 1910 when the Carnegie Foundation commissioned a report by Abraham Flexner, a prominent figure chosen to reform American medical education.  This report was an evaluation of US medical schools and it gave the homeopathic and herbal colleges a bad rating.  In 1900 there had been 22 homeopathic colleges but only two were left in 1923.
Despite what critics say, there have been a great number of trials and studies on homeopathy over the past 20 years.  In 2007, the largest one ever undertaken was of 2.3 million people in Cuba.  An epidemic of leptospirosis was prevented during the flooding season when the Cuban government decided to treat the entire population of the worst affected provinces with a homeopathic medicine, due to a shortage of vaccines.
Leptospirosis is an infectious disease of a bacteria called spirochete caused by ingesting contaminated water or food during periods of heavy rain and flooding.  It can lead to inflammation of the nerves of the eyes and brain as well as meningitis.  Right upper area abdominal pain may occur and less common symptoms relate to disease of the liver, lungs, kidneys, and heart.

The Finlay Institute in Cuba prepared the remedy Leptospira 200c using four circulating strains and people were given two doses taken seven days apart. Within a few weeks, the number of cases had fallen by nearly 90 per cent to only four cases per 100,000 per week.  The 8.8 million population of the other provinces did not receive homeopathic treatment and the incidence was as forecast.

Many eminent scientists and doctors vehemently dislike homeopathy because it challenges their scientific viewpoint and they would rather close their minds and deny it. Yet the spirit of science demands experimentation and investigation.  The truth is that the history of homeopathy is littered with scores of conventional medical practitioners who converted to using it.

Dr. Brian Kaplan of Harley Street, London, is one such convert.  He first discovered homeopathy in 1981 just after he had qualified as a doctor.  “I wandered into a bookshop and a paperback caught my eye. It was called Homeopathy by a Dr. A. C. Gordon-Ross.  I had heard of homeopathy but never dreamt that it was used by doctors. I was entranced by the story of Dr. Gordon-Ross and realised that I would have to look into this.”

“I had found medicine fascinating but ultimately too mechanistic.  The theory of homeopathy felt intuitively correct.  It made sense in most cases to try to stimulate the body’s natural healing ability to do the job itself.  I saw some results in my early days as a homeopathic doctor that really blew me away!  This is the story that you will hear from many homeopathic doctors.”

“When I first began studying homeopathy, I had to have four wisdom teeth out under local anaesthetic. They were hard to get out and my mouth was left bruised and bleeding.  I couldn’t even eat that evening.  I took Arnica 200c and Hypericum 10M, using Hypercal solution to rinse my mouth. When I woke up the next morning I couldn’t believe the result!  I had no discomfort at all.  I simply couldn’t believe how dramatically I had responded.”

He continued:  “When working at a charity clinic I inherited a patient whose arthritis had consistently responded to Argentum Metallicum 6c.  One day she came to me in great consternation because the pills had not worked at all.  I asked to see the bottle of pills, which she happened to have on her.  They were a different remedy, Argentum Nitricum 6c.  This showed me that homeopathy was not placebo.”

The question must be asked why so much time, effort and money is being put into attacking homeopathy?  If it really was just harmless sugar pills, what would be the point?  If millions of people say it worked for them, can this all really only be ‘anecdotal evidence’?

In fact homeopathy is actually based upon sound scientific principles. Discovered by German doctor Samuel Hahnemann over 200 years ago, he was the first doctor to conduct trials on medicines!  In his first experiment, though perfectly healthy at the time, he found that by giving himself repeated doses of cinchona bark (quinine), he brought on all the symptoms of a malaria attack -  fever with heat and chills.

He then wondered if a substance that could cause a disease might cure it by using tiny doses, which he found to be the case.  This is healing according to the Law of Similars or ‘like cures like’, described by the Greek physician Hippocrates as far back as the 4^th century BC.  Orthodox medicine generally utilises the Law of Opposites, i.e. antibiotics, anti-inflammatories, antidepressants, antihistamines, etc.

Hahnemann set about discovering the healing properties of plants, metals and minerals by testing them on himself and on healthy volunteers or ‘Provers’, recording all the symptoms that each substance caused.  He even created a ‘Provers Union’!

After some years of practising, Hahnemann found that the tiny doses of substances he was using, were still causing side effects but when he reduced the dosage too far, there was no effect. He noticed that by serially diluting and succussing a substance (shaking and striking the phial a number of times between numerical potencies), it became safer to use on the sick. He found unwanted side effects disappeared and medicines were made more effective.

Hahnemann went on to test hundreds of substances on himself and healthy volunteer Provers, matching the tested substances to heal symptoms in his patients and all the while keeping accounts of detailed observations.  Far from being ideas-based, this is completely evidence-based, empirical medicine – an almost unique concept at that time.

Source: Avilian

Migraine Cures With Homeopathy

When it comes to curing migraines there is nothing like homeopathy

Kinita, a young executive, carries the label, ‘chirpy geek,’ courtesy of her friends. She’s always on the move, trying to climb several ladders at one go. A stickler, a live-wire, she is an achiever — a tizzy bundle of kinetic energy. Till it comes to her head — oh, that awful ache, or uninvited spoilsport, in her ‘happening’ world.

It’s just about everyone’s diagnosis, more so when a nagging headache comes to stay. The fact is not all headaches are migraine. They could be tension or ‘cluster’ headaches too.

Migraine is actually a complex syndrome. It affects millions of people worldwide. What distinguishes the disorder, from other types of headache, is periodic or episodic ache, or pain. Migraine usually affects people in their mid-twenties, or 30s, especially ‘perfectionist-achievers.’ Interestingly, it is also common in children. Have you not heard parents complain that their child has had ‘migraine-type’ of headaches for as long as they know?

Help with Homeopathy

Conventional medicines offer only short-term relief from migraines. Add to this side-effects, and one may sometimes feel that these medicines could, perforce, be worse than the disorder.

From the therapeutic viewpoint, homoeopathy provides the best possible long-term solution for migraines. It presents through its medicinal armamentarium the most comprehensive, safe, and effective treatment for a vast majority of migraine victims. This is no placebo effect, as many would erroneously believe. Rather, homeopathy has an excellent clinical record in treating the disorder, safely and successfully.

Homeopathy aims to treat the individual that carries the migraine burden on his/her head, rather than the problem per se. Remember, no two individuals with migraines display the same set of symptoms, peculiarities, sensitivities, or temperament. Homeopathy elicits and treats these special characteristics, from the back-to-front, looking at the possible causes or triggers.

Homeopathy evidences that a certain medicine that can cause migraine-like symptoms can also treat individuals having migraine, and exhibiting the same, unique set of symptoms. However, what distinguishes homeopathy from other systems is no two individuals with migraine may be prescribed the same medicine. Rather, the appropriate medicine takes its cue from the nature of each individual’s distinguishing symptoms. One individual with migraine, for example, may feel better with a hankie tied around the head; while another may feel worse. This calls for the use of two different homeopathic remedies.

To cull a realistic example, the homeopathic medicine, Gelsemium, may be ideally suited for migraine in individuals, who tend to overstrain their eyes and also minds. The pain starts typically in the nape of the neck, or on the back of the head, and comes up over the head to settle in the right eye. There may also be a feeling of a band across the head.

Belladonna may be useful in menstrual migraine; the pain is often throbbing in nature or pattern. It tends to be worse in the afternoon. The individual’s eyes may be inflamed; moving them may be painful. The face may be puffed up; also red. Light and noise are unbearable.

For migraine preceded by partial blindness, or blurring of vision, with vomiting, Iris Versicolor is suggested to be the most ‘favoured’ remedy. Likewise, for migraine with depression, Zincum Valerianum, may be effective. Other useful remedies are Nux Vomica, Ignatia Amara, Sanguinaria, Spigelia etc.

Consult a professional homeopath to find out the medicine that suits one’s temperament best. The reason being: the subtleties involved in the process of homeopathic treatment are often wide-ranging and composite.

The best part — homeopathy allows our immune system, to correct the nature of the disorder that affects us, naturally and holistically. The big advantage being homeopathic medicines are devoid of side-effects. They are also non-habit-forming, even when they are used… keeping in mind long-term therapeutic outcomes.

Source: Timeswellness

Losing Extra Weight And Flab With Homeopathy

Obesity cure homeopathy

Weight problems arise primarily in relation to your attitude to food, weight, and body size. They also project your emotional status: whether or not you have an inflexible attitude to eating and exercise. Overweight is defined as `abnormal high body weight due to excessive accumulation of body fat.’ Excess weight may also result from abnormal preservation of water, bizarre muscular development, tumors, including a few endocrinal / hormonal disorders. New research implicates genetic, emotional, metabolic, sociological and environmental factors as causative mechanisms. Life expectancy of overweight individuals, after the age of 35, is often associated with a death rate much higher than that of people with normal weight. While increased body weight places a greater load on the circulatory system, regulation of body temperature is as much affected due to reduced heat insulating effect. Lose weight safely Homeopathy is a safe, natural, and non-invasive solution in weight management: for excess weight, as also for eating disorders such as anorexia, bulimia etc. Global clinical trials have shown that homeopathic remedies act as fat burners in overweight individuals. They also stimulate and hasten the body’s metabolic rate, to losing weight, without side effects. A holistic system of healing, Homeopathy believes in offering appropriate solutions to each an every patient, including an individualized / customised diet plans because each of us is unique. Put simply, every individual’s stomach is as distinctive as his/her fingerprint. A weepy, overweight lady, who loves cookies and is moody, for example, may need the homeopathic remedy, Pulsatilla, where- as a fat male, who craves eggs, has thyroid problems, and is stubborn by temperament, may require Calcarea Carbonica. Homeopathic medicines correct the underlying problem from its root. It also takes into accoun the fact that no two overweight individuals have identical problems. Homeopathy looks at the person, the individual, in to, including the origin, or the root, of illness, your weight problem. It provides a mild touch, or stimulus, not side effects, for the body to bring in a sense of balance. It also incorporates lifestyle changes; it distils the person’s physical, mental, emotional, psychological, and spiritual aspects, including sensitivities and sensibilities – to usher in a healthy, long- lasting change in the individual This results, not in suppression or repetition of the problem – after cessation of a diet plan – but natural, holistic restoration of health to its best or optimal level, for all seasons.

A Brief History Of Homeopathy

More than two hundred years away from its inception Homoeopathy stands tall with its presence in more than 160 countries across the world and as the fastest growing alternative medicine across the world with an ever increasing fraction of the population to its use and efficient delivery. Though the inception was a sheer coincidence, the history of this magnanimous system actually dates back to ancient times, as the major working principle behind it “Simila Simibus Curentur” was known to man as early as ancient Hindu mythology. Even Hippocrates the father of medicine described about it in Fifth century B.C. It was then up to Dr.Christian Friedrich Samuel Hahnemann, the Father of Homoeopathy to understand it fully, the capability and scope of that law in the late eighteenth century and refine it to such a fine therapeutic tool, that within no time Homoeopathy gained international acclaim and momentum.

Homoeopathy was never an open challenge for conventional medicine or allopathy defying anyone.The initial practitioners of Homoeopathy had been through a fire-walk when it came to variable acceptance status, intense opposition from allopaths and pharma lobbies who were fast loosing their opportunities in places where Homoeopathy fountained, and often went through critical endangered times related to career and even life. In spite of its philosophic strength and potential to be a primary or mainstream treatment, Homoeopathy was formerly conceived by general public as an alternative opportunity for those who suffered from illnesses, acute or chronic, who spent a considerable time in conventional treatment which rendered temporary relief during medications, until the drug induced diseases set in. The latter years found Homoeopathy crossing international boundaries crossing Europe to Asia and US and in turn getting largely global. The world wars, the ever alarming rate of war casualties and the invent of antibiotics did let Homoeopathy suffer a setback in the first half of twentieth century, but proved more like a recoil into its renewed recent advances of today.

The repeated and ever continuing surrender of antibiotics to drug resistance by infective agents forcing the launch of new generation molecules very frequently gave more relevance and reason for Homoeopathy yet again bringing it back, rejuvenated and powerful to the health care spectrum in the second half of the century. And today at the wake of the post antibiotic era as loudly suggested by the omnipotent New Delhi Mellow [NDM] strain of organisms at UK media, Homoeopathy stands further tall as the future of medical treatment rendered to humanity. The general approach of conventional medicines in its cause and disease specific management above the holistic vision of patient and disease proved another reason for the intellectual community to strongly urge for the use of Homoeopathy worldwide. The understanding about the use of the ultra dilutions in Homoeopathy and the perception of the fact that this leads to no side effects at par with other streams of therapeutic disciplines gave Homoeopathy yet another thousand miles into global acceptance.


With the good times came in the worst. The UK healthcare related media [eg-lancet] woke up from its acceptance to Homoeopathy to an outright hostile mode and repeatedly urged through their media to all medical practitioners to stay away from use of Homoeopathy and to urge their patients too on the same. The fast displace of the allopathic medicines used due to the increasing prevalence of Homoeopathic medicines, therapies and other alternative streams was leading to the loss of millions to the pharmas per annum which got them to dire straits. The reasons suggested for the avoidance of Homoeopathy was the observation that medicines worked by “placebo effect” and they called the philosophical base as “pseudoscience”. Quite surprisingly, the studies conducted to prove the outcome was based on protocols used for trials on allopathic medicines. One could compare this to a English grammar study and verification done to French, because the alphabets used in French were English alphabets ! This deliberate act and the pre-designed outcome did convict to the rest of the world and create a havoc in the minds of those who constantly resorted to the solutions to their illnesses with Homoeopathy but did not last long.

Homoeopathy today means a huge answer to those suffering from acute and chronic diseases in majority of the clinical specialties and diseases with the most leading among Dermatology, Allergy, Pulmonology, Psychiatry, Paediatrics, Life-style diseases, Gynaecological diseases, Rheumatology, Gastro-enterology, Nephrology and also in leading surgical specialties like Urology, ENT and Orthopaedics where homoeopathic medical solutions often fairly relieve diseases where otherwise surgery is indicated. Conventional medicine always stands far ahead in Emergency management, Trauma, Poisoning, Life threatening situations and pure surgical conditions. The drift of priority in medical treatment in the therapeutic form is observed to be in favor of alternative medicines across the globe, a large fraction of which resort to Homoeopathy.

The genuine fact that conventional medicine experts are more clinicians, surgeons and those with intense diagnostic abilities in leading specialties, often get less important and less useful for a neutral or integrated understanding about inter-disciplinary management in developing and underdeveloped countries as they are more enthusiastic prescribers here than those exercizing their expertise in their domains. In developed countries the part of prescription and delivering therapeutic guidelines are taken over by clinical pharmacologists.This paradox often create often create a huge vaccum for alternative therapeutic methods to be extended to the patients from these expert hands, as they often become flag bearers of antibiotics and drugs of antipathic nature.

More about Homoeopathic approach in ailments, here the person seeking Homoeopathic treatment undergoes a very detail case taking incorporating every dimension as discussed at the beginning of the article. The diagnosis of the person hold prior to the actual clinical or disease diagnosis. Though there are offshoots like specific remedies, combinations, tincture therapies etc prevalent among Homoeopaths, the most sought and the most complete is always classical homoeopathy which takes more effort for a doctor, be it a case of any specialty or clinical discipline. Here the approach to the case is more close to the philosophic fabric of Homoeopathy, but the clinical skills stands tall in terms of diagnosis and prognostic assessments using criterias.

I conclude by urging the readers to have an open mind towards the Homoeopathic approach to disease management and for those who have never been through one, it would be a delight to be treated by the most post-modern therapeutic discpline on the face of the earth. I say so considering the fact that Allopathy was 650 years old when Homoeopathy took shape approximately 220 years back.

Dr Sreevals G Menon MD
National Mass Media Officer, Indian Homoeopathic Medical Association

Source: varthalokam

Treating Prostate Cancer With Homoeopathy

Prostate cancer is an abnormal, uncontrolled growth of cells that results in the formation of a tumor in the prostate gland. Prostate, the walnut sized gland, is a part of the reproductive system which lies deep in the pelvis. It is located in front of the rectum and underneath the urinary bladder and surrounds the urethra, (the urine tube running from the bladder, through the prostate and the penis). It contains gland cells that produce some of the seminal fluid, which protects and nourishes sperm cells in semen and supports the ejaculatory ducts, or sperm tubes. The prostate continues to grow till a man reaches adulthood and is maintained after it reaches normal size as long as male hormones are produced. Prostate cancer begins most often in the outer part of the prostate. It is the most common cancer in men older than age 50. In most men, the cancer grows very slowly. In fact, many men with the disease will never know they have the condition. Early prostate cancer is confined to the prostate gland itself, and the majority of patients with this type of cancer can live for years with no problems. In some cases, it may spread from the prostate to nearby lymph nodes, bones or other organs. This spread is called metastasis. Most Prostate cancers originate in the posterior prostate gland, the rest originate near the urethra. Often the disease has no symptoms until the disease is well advanced. However, as the tumor grows, it may spread from the prostate to surrounding areas like lymph nodes, bones or other organs. This may result in back pain. Men with prostate cancer may experience any of the following symptoms.

• A need to urinate frequently, especially at night;
• Difficulty starting urination or holding back urine;
• Weak or interrupted flow of urine;
• Painful or burning urination or bowel movement;
• Difficulty in having an erection;
• Painful ejaculation;
• Blood in urine or semen; or
• Frequent pain or stiffness in the lower back, hips, or upper thighs.

It is advised to consult a doctor immediately if you have experienced any of the above symptoms. Men aged 50 and above have the chances of developing prostate cancer. Those who have a family history of prostate cancer should consider screening at age 45. Prostate cancer can be staged as ‘A,B,C,D’. Stage A and B cancers are curable. Stages C and D are treatable, but their prognoses are discouraging. Stage A - This is the very early stage without any symptoms, in this stage cancer cells are confined to the prostate. It can be identified with PAS tests and Biopsy. This type of cancer is usually curable. Stage B – In this stage, it is known that cancer is in several places within the prostate. It is detectable by PAS. Stage C - In this stage, cancer cells can be found throughout the prostate as well as near by tissue or the bladder. This stage is determined by Digital Rectal Exam, or CT/ MRI scans, and/or Sonography. Some Stage C cancers are curable. Stage D : At this stage, cancer has spread beyond the prostate and nearby lymph nodes, distant bones, organs such as liver, lungs and also to other tissues. This is usually determined by bone scan, Prostascint scan or other studies. Stage D cancer is not curable but treatable.

Treatment

Treatment depends on individual circumstances such as the man’s age and general health, extent of the cancer etc. Elderly patients with minor symptoms., early stage cancer, or coexisting illness may be treated conservatively. There are many different ways to treat prostate cancer. It is advisable to get advise from two or more doctors before making a final decision about the treatment. Treatment includes Prostatectomy and Hormone Therapy or anti-antrogen drugs, Chemotherapy and Radio Therapy. Hormone Therapy: Hormone therapy, is used either alone or in combination with surgery or radiation. It is based on the fact that prostate cancer cells frequently use the male hormone , testosterone as a Fertilizer and the absence of this hormone may lead to the death or weakening of prostate cancer cells. So It is used to stop the production of testosterone hormone and hence a person with Stage C and D cancer can have their life extended and improved by the use of hormonal therapy. There are side effects associated with Hormone therapy. They include hot flashes, weight gain, erectile dysfunction, decrease in muscle mass and strength, personality changes, decreased mentation and osteoporosis. Prostatectomy : Patients in good health and under age 70 is usually offered surgery as a treatment option. Various types of surgical procedures are done depending on the stage of prostate cancer and patient’s over all health. Prostatectomy is the most common treatment option for localized prostate cancer. It involves surgical removal of prostate gland and some other near by tissues and reattaching the urethra and bladder. It will prevent further spread of the cancer. If the prostate cancer is in the early stages, prostatectomy can treat the cancer completely. This is done either through a surgical incision in the lower abdomen or the space between the scrotum and rectum. These procedures also produce side effects like impotency, Urinary incontinence, narrowing of the urethra and difficulty in urination. Radio Therapy: It is a form of treatment which uses high levels of radiation to kill cancer cells or keep them from growing and dividing thus reducing damage to healthy cells. It is more effective for early stage prostate cancer. Good nutrition is an important part of recovering from the side effects of radiation therapy. Slight skin changes will be visible after radiation. Skin may become red, swollen, warm and sensitive, as if in a sunburn but it is temporary. The long term effects include, slight darkening of the skin, enlarged pores, increased or decreased sensitivity of the skin and a thickening of tissue or skin. Chemotherapy: It is a combination of drugs which is effective to kill or slow the growth of rapidly multiplying cells. Chemotherapy is usually prescribed to men with advanced prostate cancer. Chemotherapy drugs are carefully controlled in both dosage and frequency so that cancer cells are destroyed while minimizing the risk to healthy cells. As the drugs circulate throughout the whole body, they can effect the healthy cells also. The side effects of chemotherapy include hair loss, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, lowered blood counts, reduced ability of the blood to clot, and an increased risk of infection.

HOMEOPATHY TREATMENT

CROTALUS : cancer with haematuria. CONIUM : On every emotion, with itching of prepuce. SEPIA : discharge during stool. KALI BHICH : pain during chronic prostates. SILICEA : While straining at stool. NITRIC ACID : Discharge after stool. NUX VOMICA : discharge during stool. THUJA : When the discharge is greenish and thick. STAPHISAGRIA : prostate discharge after sexual excesses. SELENIUM : discharge during stool.

Homeopathy Dosage Directions

Select the remedy that most closely matches the symptoms. In conditions where self-treatment is appropriate, unless otherwise directed by a physician, a lower potency (6X, 6C, 12X, 12C, 30X, or 30C)

Managing Stress With Homeopathy

Stress is a significant problem in our modern era. Many people turn to powerful drugs to help them cope, but there are alternatives. Homeopathic medicine offers some positive options. Homeopathic remedies are said to stimulate the body’s own reactionary, healing response. Homeopathy is based on the Law of Similars, or the “like cures like” philosophy (hence the first part of the word, “homeo,” meaning “like” or “similar”). The theory is that minute, diluted doses of a substance that would cause symptoms in a healthy person can alleviate those same symptoms in an ill person. For example, caffeine is a stimulant that keeps people awake. But in homeopathy, extremely diluted doses of caffeine and other stimulants would be given to someone suffering from insomnia. This is known as the Law of the Infinitesimal Dose. Homeopathic remedies focus on healing the whole person, not just curing the illness or alleviating symptoms. This is why homeopathy is so appropriate and helpful for emotional healing. A specific diagnosis is not necessary before undergoing homeopathic treatment. The remedies are chosen based on the patient’s personality and symptoms. Homeopathic remedies come in various degrees of dilution. The higher the number, the greater the dilution. Remedies that are “3c,” for example, have been diluted less than a “6c” remedy. The “c” stands for hundreds. The 3c remedy is therefore diluted 100 times, then 100 more, then 100 more – 100 to the third power, in other words. Sometimes you will see remedies with an “x” rather than a “c” – this means the dilution is based on 10, not 100. A 12x remedy is about the same dilution as 6c.

Emotional Healing

While it’s a good idea to consult with a homeopathic practitioner, here are some remedies that are generally recommended for emotional healing.

• Pulsatilla is a remarkable remedy for “weepiness” and depression. It is particularly effective when these symptoms are the result of hormonal shifts in the body, such as puberty, menopause, or post-partum.
• Sepia helps depression that is accompanied by irritability.
• Aurum helps with feelings of self-loathing and thoughts of suicide.
• Calcarea carbonica is used to treat exhaustion and depression, and is helpful with anxiety as well.

Stress

• Sepia can help when feeling overwhelmed, especially when these feelings are due to excessive worries and responsibilities.
• Arsenicum can help a person who is suffering from exhaustion or restlessness. It can also help if a person feels stressed over the need to keep his or her house and belongings perfectly clean and neatly organized.
• Chamomilla is a good remedy for children and adults alike. It helps ease irritability and impatience and promotes a sense a calm. 

 

There Has Always Been An Bias Against Homeopathy

DANA ULLMAN, MPH, is one of America's leading advocates for homeopathy. He has authored 10 books, including The Homeopathic Revolution: Why Famous People and Cultural Heroes Choose Homeopathy (foreword written by Dr. Peter Fisher, Physician to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II), Homeopathy A-Z, Homeopathic Medicines for Children and Infants, and (the best-selling) Everybody's Guide to Homeopathic Medicines (with Stephen Cummings, MD). He is the founder of Homeopathic Educational Services (http://www.homeopathic.com), America's leading resource center for homeopathic books, tapes, medicines, medicine kits, software, and distance learning courses. Homeopathic Educational Services has co-published over 35 books on homeopathy with North Atlantic Books (which are distributed by Random House).

My previous blog gave a modern-day description of one of the many ways that "medical fundamentalists" or "denialists" work hard to provide misinformation about homeopathy. Such behaviors did not arise out of nowhere as there has been a long history of such partisan misuse of science and journalism.
In 1854, Sir Benjamin Hall, a member of England`s Parliament, administered the government`s General Board of Health, and his first act set up a General Medical Council of clinicians to conduct an epidemiological survey of the cholera epidemic, a serious public health problem in that year. The Council`s report showed that 51.9 percent of patients treated for cholera as in-patients or out-patients in London hospitals had died and all types of treatment were deemed useless.

The London Homeopathic Hospital had just established a charitable foundation in 1849. During the 1854 cholera epidemic, the thirty-bed hospital was devoted to the treatment of the indigent poor of the area. The homeopathic hospital, like all other hospitals in London, submitted its records to the Council for its report on cholera treatment, but the homeopathic mortality statistics were not listed in the report. The homeopathic hospital experienced a mortality rate of only 16.4 percent of patients.

When Sir Benjamin Hall asked the Council to explain this omission, the reply was:

"That by introducing the returns of homeopathic practitioners, they would not only compromise the value and utility of their averages of cure, as deduced from the operation of known remedies, but they would give an unjustifiable sanction to an empirical practice alike opposed to the maintenance of truth and to the progress of science." (Nichols, 1988, 145-146)

In other words, the statistics from the homeopathic hospital weren't listed because their inclusion would suggest that homeopathic medicines provide a superior treatment for cholera. Skeptics may wonder how valid the homeopathic hospital's statistics were. It's therefore important to note that the inspector appointed refused to visit the homeopathic hospital, so another inspector reluctantly agreed to do so. He wrote to the Homeopathic Hospital:

"You are aware that I went to your hospital prepossessed against the homeopathic system; that you had in me, in your camp, an enemy rather than a friend, and that I must therefore have seen some cogent reason there, the first day I went, to come away so favourably disposed as to advise a friend to send a subscription to your charitable fund. (Dean, 2004, 127)

In 1858, the conventional physicians sought to have homeopathic practice outlawed. Despite some vitriolic lobbying, this law wasn't passed because of the evidence of homeopathy`s successes in treating the recent cholera epidemic. Still, the British Medical Association passed internal rules that forbade their members from practicing homeopathy or even consulting with a homeopath in the care of any patient. The British doctors even required medical students to sign a pledge that they would never become a homeopath, and they actually failed any student who refused to sign this pledge (Baumann, 1857).

Further, the conventional physicians also sought manslaughter charges against homeopaths if any homeopathic patients died. All doctors have some patients who pass away, but the conventional physicians sought to make practicing homeopathy difficult or impossible. Despite the much more frequent deaths under the care of conventional physicians, there was no similar pattern of manslaughter charges against them by homeopaths.
Appropriately, the British government decided to ignore the advice from the report on homeopathy issued by the Science and Technology Committee. Likewise, the evolution of the Royal London Homeopathic Hospital to become the Royal London Hospital for Integrative Medicine is not an obituary but a "birth announcement."

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