Homeopathy combat against coronavirus disease (Covid-19) (Copy)

Z Gesundh Wiss. 2020 Jun 5 : 1–4.

doi: 10.1007/s10389-020-01305-z [Epub ahead of print]

PMCID: PMC7272237

PMID: 32837839

Homeopathy combat against coronavirus disease (Covid-19)

D. Kalliantas,1,2 M. Kallianta,3 and Ch. S. Karagianni1

Author information Article notes Copyright and License information Disclaimer

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Abstract

Aim

Today, humanity is living through the third serious coronavirus outbreak in less than 20 years, following SARS in 2002–2003 and MERS in 2012. While the final cost on human lives and world economy remains unpredictable, the timely identification of a suitable treatment and the development of an effective vaccine remain a significant challenge and will still require time. The aim of this study is to show that the global collective effort to control the coronavirus pandemic (Covid 19) should also consider alternative therapeutic methods, and national health systems should quickly endorse the validity of proven homeopathic treatments in this war against coronavirus disease.

Subject and methods

With the help of mathematics, we will show that the fundamental therapeutic law on which homeopathy is founded can be proved.

Results

The mathematical proof of the law of similarity justifies perfectly the use of ultra - high diluted succussed solution products as major tools in the daily practices of homeopathy.

Conclusion

It is now time to end prejudice and adopt in this fight against Covid-19 alternative therapeutic techniques and practices that historically have proven effective in corresponding situations.

Keywords: Coronavirus, Covid-19, Infectious disease, Laws, Homeopathy, Pneumonia

Introduction

On the 29th of December 2019 a number of cases with unknown origin pneumonia were admitted to the hospital of Wuhan, in China. This was caused by a novel betacoronavirus, named as coronavirus (2019-nCoV) (Shajeea et al. 2020; Huang et al. 2020). It is an acute infectious disease mainly impacting the respiratory system, which has been found for the first time in human beings (WHO 2020).

Symptoms of Covid-19 are similar to other viral upper respiratory illnesses. Three major severity level phases characterize the coronavirus disease: a mild phase with upper respiratory symptoms, non-severe pneumonia, and severe pneumonia complicated by acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). The main systemic and respiratory symptoms caused by Covid-19 infection are dependent on the age of the patient and the status of the patient’s immune system (Wang et al. 2020a, b, c). The main systemic disorders are fever, cough, fatigue, sputum production, headache, haemoptysis, acute cardiac injuries, hypoxemia, dyspnoea, lymphopenia, and diarrhea. On the other hand, the main respiratory disorders are rhinorrhoea, sneezing, sore throat, pneumonia, ground-glass opacities, RNAaemia, acute respiratory distress syndrome (Hussin and Siddappa 2020). The novelty of the virus rests in its unpredictable strange behavior, although in the early stages of the infection it develops very slowly and behaves like the common viruses; if it finds a weakened immune system, it proceeds severely fast, destroying the lungs, by creating pulmonary fibrosis. At this state the patient has a level of dyspnea as if he is drowning in water. At present, there are no specific antiviral drugs or vaccine against Covid-19 infection for potential therapy of humans. The only option available is using broad-spectrum antiviral drugs, HIV-protease inhibitors that could attenuate virus infection and chloroquine, which has been shown to control the 2019-n Co V infection in vitro (Lu 2020; Chen et al. 2020; Wang et al. 2020a, b, c; Toots et al. 2019). Anti-inflammatory drugs (such as hormones and other molecules), as well as Chinese traditional medicines, such as ShuFengJieDu capsules and Lianhuaqingwen capsules, have also been used (Ji et al. 2020; Ding et al. 2017). All of the drug options come from experience in treating SARS, MERS, or some other new influenza viruses previously, and are aiming to address active symptoms. These drugs above may prove helpful, but their efficacy needs to be further confirmed. The research methodology with regard to traditional or other medicines which are needed in this pandemic is mentioned by others (Lu 2020; Wang et al. 2020a, b, c; Zhang et al. 2020).

In our present work, we will focus upon the logical structure and benefits of homeopathy as a therapeutic system suitable to cope with this pandemic.

Methods

With the help of mathematics, we will show that the fundamental therapeutic law on which homeopathy is founded can be proved.

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Results and discussion

Homeopathy is a natural therapy method and an experimental science. It exploits a main property of nature, that of self-similarity on a change of scale. The term self-similarity is used to show that similarity between the disease and the substantces which under the same conditions present similar behavior must be full and lead to a mathematical identity.

Homeopathy, as a healing method, is based on the Hippocratic ΄΄Similia Similibus Curentur΄΄ therapeutic law. The physician relies on the wholeness of symptoms revealed during the entire evolution of the infection, and prescribes an ultra - high diluted succussed solution product which has been proven to heal similar conditions. This is a great advantage in this timing while Covid-19 disease is in rapid devemopment, because the diagnosis of the indicated ultra-high diluted succussed solution product is based on individual symptoms (if these are very characteristic) or on the totality of symptoms, and not in the pathology.

Established medicine has to wait until the cause for the pathology is found, whereas in homeopathy we take into consideration the response of the organism to the causative factor (the totality of the symptoms) in order to start the treatment. Therefore, the intervention can be immediate and very helpful for the patient.

The totality of symptoms for each patient become the guiding signs for finding the indicated remedy. In that way we can prescribe an ultra high - diluted succussed solution product with the first manifestation of symptoms, preventing the full development of the pathology. Let us not forget that the basic principle is that there are not diseases but patients, and that every patient is a special case. Homeopathic ultra - high diluted succussed medicinal products which are used as remedies come from nature (of plant, animal, mineral nosode origin etc.), naturally manufactured (trituration, dilution, succussion) and with an infinite storage time. They present reverse self-similarity properties with almost all known diseases. Also, as we have demonstrated in our previous work, the physical features — size and granularity — of solid raw starting materials to prepare these ultra high diluted succussed solution products are strongly affected by trituration in lactose, before turning them into homeopathic solutions, and in the final triturated step the materials are transformed into micro/nano scale (Kalliantas et al. 2018; Kalliantas et al. 2017). The validation of the Hippocratic idea that a substance which may cause symptoms to a healthy person can also cure these symptoms was carried out for the first time by S. Hahnemann with Cortex Peruvian fever tree bark. He called this work “drug proving” and he was the first to lay the foundations of the experimental medicine long before the birth of Claude Bernard (Kalliantas 2008).

Let us see how this reasoning–practice can be depicted on a mathematical level theoretically. The value of this footprint helps the logic of documentation–foundation that runs through homeopathy. Let E and E’ be the patient and the prover (a healthy person on whom a homeopathic remedy is tested for effectiveness) respectively.

Patient E.

A = Dynamic operator of the pathogenic cause.

χi = Symptom or symptoms of physical disease which correspond to the alterations of the biochemical kinetics of the organism after the action of A.

χ0 = the normal biochemical kinetics of the organism.

The term “operator” means a symbol, which, when being applied to a function, is transformed into another.

Prover E’.

C = Dynamic operator of the under-examination pathogenic substance.

x′ι

= Symptom or symptoms of the prover which correspond to alterations of the biochemical kinetics of the organism after the action of C.

χ′0

= the normal biochemical kinetics of the prover.

According to the above statement, the patient, before becoming ill, was healthy, and a pathogenic cause had an effect on him. The action of A upon E gives us symptoms. Therefore, it could be said that the symptom or symptoms are the result of the action A and its development on x0 of E. Then, it could be considered that:

xi=Ax0.

1

Here A can be considered to transform x0 into xi (disturbed metabolism). Similarly, if

x′ι

is the same symptom or symptoms in the prover as those of the patient, then this is a result of the C’s action, which is the dynamics of the under-examination pathogenic substance inχ′0, which is the normal biochemical kinetics of the prover.

Then we have

xi′=Cx0′

2

Here C again can be considered to transform x′0 into x′i. Since the patient and the prover are human beings with similar functions (there are no identical organisms), the relationship which connects their biochemical kinetics can take place with the help of an operator, such as B.

Then we have

xi′=Bxi

3

x0′=Bx0

4

Therefore

xi′=Cx0′

2

So (3)

⇒(1)x′i=BAx0

5

From (4)

⇒x′0=Bx0⇒x0=B−1x′0

6

and (5)

⇒x′i=(BAB−1)x′0

and

x′i=Cx′0x′i=(BAB−1)x′0}=>Cx′0=(BAB−1)x′0C=BAB−1

It can be observed that the “operators” C and A which correspondingly represent the dynamics of the pathogenic substance and the dynamics of the pathogenic factor are interrelated with an affine transformation.

The operator B is used to connect two biochemical kinetics, the patient and the prover, in an equality relationship. It could also be noticed that in the equation of operators C = BAB−1, B is presented as the product of itself with its opposite.

Homeopathy is an individualized system of therapy, therefore there is no possibility that one remedy will cure all cases of a specific pathology. However, from the afore-mentioned symptoms, both respiratory and systemic, professional homeopathic physicians could use homeopathic ultra - high diluted succussed solution products in the early stages of pathology such as Aconitum napellus or Arcenicum Album or Eupatorium perfoliatum or Gelsemium or Ipecacuana, in the later stages Bryonia or Phosphorus as the main drugs, and in the final stages Antimonium Tartaricum or Baptisia or Camphor Officinalis. (Vithoulkas 1997; Ghegas 2000; Allen 1995; Boericke 1990; Schroyens 1993). All the ultra - high diluted succussed solution product doses can be given to patients in 200c or 1 M potencies without using any other medications.

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Conclusion

Today, it is imperative that ever-safe medicinal products such as homeopathic ultra - high diluted succussed solutions are tested in this pandemic. Epidemiological research has to be carried out to include homeopathic treatment and compare it to established treatments. Patients should be assigned randomly in two different groups of at least 200–400 individuals, and receive respectively established and homeopathic treatment. The evaluation of the results from both groups could reveal which group has a superior outcome in survival, general health conditions, etc., and to what extent.

Compliance with ethical standards

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no financial or other conflicts of interest in relation to this research and its publication.

Competing interests

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7272237/

Footnotes

Publisher’s note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

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Indian Authorities Propose Use of Homeopathy to Prevent Coronavirus (Copy)

Critics of the practice say the guidance is irresponsible and could give users a false sense of security.

Alakananda Dasgupta

Feb 7, 2020

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The Indian government’s Ministry of AYUSH, which promotes alternative medicine systems in the country, released a health advisory on January 29 that advocates the use of homeopathy and traditional remedies, such as Indian systems of medicine, to ward off infections of the newly circulating 2019-nCoV coronavirus. This includes the use of a homeopathic preparation called Arsenicum album 30C and two drops of sesame oil in each nostril each morning for prevention, and Unani medicines (treatments based on the teachings of Hippocrates and Galen) to mitigate symptoms of coronavirus infection. While AYUSH cites centuries of practitioners’ experiences with these products as evidence behind its advice, the media and the scientific community criticized the guidance as being counterproductive in dealing with a serious health emergency. 

“It is profoundly irresponsible of the Ministry of AYUSH to endorse homeopathy as this entirely undermines public understanding of science and medicine, and elevates pseudoscience with potentially dangerous consequences,” says David Robert Grimes, an Irish science writer who has published research showing homeopathy to be ineffective, in an email to The Scientist. Grimes has argued that the proposed mechanisms of homeopathy are implausible when analyzed from a physical and chemical perspective, and says that it is not surprising, therefore, that the biological effects of homeopathy cannot be measured in large-scale clinical trials. 

To date, more than 31,000 people in more than two dozen countries have been infected with 2019-nCoV, including three confirmed cases in India. According to the World Health Organization, there is no intervention yet identified that can treat the virus, although a number of studies are underway to find therapeutics and develop a vaccine. 

Using homeopathy as an alternative therapy risks forfeiting effective causative or symptomatic treatments or—if such treatments are not available—creating a false sense of security.

—Edzard Ernst, University of Exeter

Until then, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the only way to prevent infection is to avoid contact with the virus and people who are sick, to wash your hands, and not touch your face. But the Central Council for Research In Homeopathy (CCRH) of the Ministry of AYUSH claims that there are other preventive options. 

Anil Khurana, who heads the CCRH, tells The Scientist that Arsenicum album 30C, a homeopathic solution prepared by diluting aqueous arsenic trioxide until little or no arsenic remains that is used in respiratory disorders and has been in widespread use for more than 220 years with a good safety record, was found to be an effective prophylactic during the swine flu epidemic in India in 2009. A study conducted by Robert Mathie of the British Homeopathic Association and his group, in collaboration with the CCRH, reported in Homeopathy that of the various homeopathic medicines given to patients with swine flu symptoms, Arsenicum album was most successful in reducing fever, cough, runny nose, sore throat, and headache. There was no control arm. In another, placebo-controlled trial conducted by the CCRH, homeopathic medicines were also found to reduce flu-like symptoms. 

These results led the CCRH to look to possible homeopathic interventions against the new coronavirus. Before any 2019-nCoV infections had turned up in India, scientists at CCRH collated the clinical features of a recent cluster of cases in China that was published in The Lancet on January 24, which they fed into a tool called the homeopathic repertory. The repertory is a database of historic texts on homeopathy, and when practitioners enter symptoms, the tool fetches the texts’ recommendations on which medicine needs to be given. “Every time we repertorize a patient, we are pretty much consulting all these generations of homeopaths that have contributed to this database,” says Bernado Merizalde, a homeopathy practitioner at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia and the prime general secretary of Liga Medicorum Homeopathica Internationalis, a homeopathic doctors’ association. By matching the clinical features, the repertory found Arsenicum album 30C to be a suitable fit for the current outbreak. 

See “Where Coronaviruses Come From”

The basic premise of homeopathy is that a medicine that produces a set of symptoms when given to a healthy person under controlled settings can be prescribed in a highly diluted form to a diseased person with those same symptoms, explains Kushal Banerjee, a homeopathic physician based in New Delhi. This is what is known as Similia similibus curentur in homeopathic parlance, a Latin phrase that means “like cures like.” Kalyan Banerjee, Kushal’s father and a renowned homeopathic practitioner, says that by boosting the immune system of the body, Arsenicum album can potentially reduce the virulence of the coronavirus, thereby tempering disease intensity.

“We don’t claim 100 percent protection with Arsenicum album. Just taking the medicine will not work,” says Khurana. “All general measures for airborne infections have to be taken.” He further adds that if people get infected, they should promptly seek medical care.

Such caveats do not assuage the concerns of homeopathy’s detractors, who say there is no rigorous scientific evidence to indicate homeopathic remedies can prevent coronavirus infection or mitigate symptoms. “The claim of some homeopaths that homeopathic remedies are effective in treating or preventing coronavirus infections is not based on any evidence at all,” Edzard Ernst, an emeritus professor at the University of Exeter in the UK and a critic of homeopathy, tells The Scientist in an email. Ernst points to a study that found no difference between Arsenicum album and a placebo in preventing fever after vaccination. Other studies in which homeopathy was found to be ineffective include one on acute respiratory tract infections, another on middle ear infections, and yet another on influenza-like illness.

“Using homeopathy as an alternative therapy risks forfeiting effective causative or symptomatic treatments or—if such treatments are not available—creating a false sense of security,” says Ernst. “In any case, it would be a waste of resources.”

See “Scientists Scrutinize New Coronavirus Genome for Answers”

Even among proponents of homeopathy, there is disagreement about the best way to prevent the coronavirus. Mitchell Fleisher, the second vice president of the American Institute of Homeopathy, says that the Lancet article that scientists at CCRH used to come up with their advice does not provide enough information on symptoms to make an accurate homeopathic prescription.

He says that perhaps the best way to validate the therapeutic value of homeopathy would be to perform a comparative clinical outcome study of acute coronaviral infection by giving individualized homeopathic medicines to one experimental group and allopathic medicines to another, with a minimum of 250 patients in each group. “A careful and honest, statistical analysis of the study results will speak the scientific truth,” he says.

Countering Fleisher’s proposal, Grimes says that this is completely unethical. “Homeopathy has no plausible mechanism of action, and it is downright irresponsible to suggest it in a trial for a serious potential pandemic. Large scale studies of homeopathy have clearly shown over decades the same result—that it simply does not work,” he says.

Alakananda Dasgupta is a freelance science journalist and physician based in New Delhi, India. Follow her on Twitter @AlakanandaDasg1 or email her at alakanandadasgupta@gmail.com.

https://www.the-scientist.com/news-opinion/indian-authorities-propose-use-of-homeopathy-to-prevent-coronavirus-67075

The Pandemic Tests Germany's Love Affair With Homeopathy (Copy)

BERLIN — As coronavirus continues to spread and doctors across the world scramble for an effective treatment, here in Germany we have some wonderful (some would say unbelievable news): The cure has been found.

The key, according to Germany's Hahnemann Society, is homeopathic medicine. "It has been shown that even the first seven days of the illness can be effectively treated," the organization's website announces triumphantly.

And the Hahnemann Society is not alone in vaunting the healing powers of homeopathy for COVID-19. Prominent Swiss doctor Jens Wurster claims to have used homeopathy to achieve "impressive treatment outcomes" for 70 patients, "both those with mild symptoms and severe cases."

The Locarno-based doctor has split opinion in German medicine. Before moving into COVID-19 treatment, he persuaded cancer patients to switch to homeopathic globules, earning himself a reputation among many as "an absolute charlatan," as oncology professor Jutta Hübner from Jena University Hospital succinctly puts it.

But Michaela Geiger, a doctor of integrated medicine and chair of the German Central Association of Homeopathic Physicians (GCAHP), sees things differently. "Just as mainstream medicine is still debating the best treatment, so is homeopathy," she says. Geiger sees Wurster's reports of healing through homeopathy "as a contribution to this ongoing exchange of experiences."

Homeopathy is the most popular alternative therapy in Germany. There are around 7,000 registered doctors in private practice who specialize in it, and half of Germans say that they have tried at least one homeopathic treatment, according to a survey by a homeopathic medicine manufacturer. Now the coronavirus pandemic has opened up a new, lucrative and almost boundless market.

Critics abound

In the early days of the virus, homeopaths in Germany held back. And at first, the GCHAP distanced itself from members who jumped on the opportunity to claim their globules had antiviral properties.

Since then, however, there has clearly been a change of heart. The Association is now calling for its members to document their homeopathic treatment of corona patients: "Against the current background of rising COVID-19 infections, with this project we can find out how homeopathy can contribute to treating COVID-19."

It wasn't long before scorn began pouring in from abroad. "German homeopaths launch a placebo offensive against corona," commented the Austrian newspaper Der Standard. "Scientists are tirelessly working to develop vaccines and treatments, and we hear again and again the sobering news that it will be a long wait before we have a vaccine. Meanwhile, German homeopaths are making reckless promises."

In Austria, homeopathy is generally regarded with suspicion, if not outright scorn. The Medical University of Vienna distanced itself from "charlatanism" and removed homeopathy from the syllabus.

In other countries too, the tide has turned against homeopaths. The French Ministry of Health has ruled out any health benefits from homeopathy, while the Spanish government classes it as "pseudoscience" that must be combated. And the European Academy of Sciences makes it clear that homeopathic treatments are no more effective than placebos. In the United States, homeopathic remedies on sale must display a clear label saying that they have no proven health benefits.

A piece of licorice has more medicinal content.

And in Germany? "In my view, it is completely irresponsible for doctors to treat COVID-19 patients using homeopathic methods," says Karl Lauterbach, a health expert with the Social Democratic Party. "The consequences for some patients could be deadly. Health insurance should not cover it and doctors should be forbidden from prescribing it."

Andrew Ullmann, a health expert with the Free Democratic Party, has a similar take. Patients should have to pay the cost of "these so-called therapies" themselves, he says. "For severe cases of COVID-19, my only recommendation is to see a qualified doctor."

In other countries too, the tide has turned against homeopaths. — Photo: Tampa Bay Times/ZUMAPRESS

Even Green Party members are distancing themselves from homeopathy. It should only be used as a complementary treatment, says Maria Klein-Schmeink, the party's health spokesperson.

A natural affinity

And yet, the fact remains that amid the confusion and fear of the pandemic, more and more people are turning to homeopathy. According to a survey by the Forsa Institute for Social Research and Statistical Analysis, two thirds of Germans would support the use of homeopathic remedies in treating COVID-19. That is not representative of the rest of Europe, or the world.

"Most people confuse homeopathy with natural remedies or plant-based medicine. That's a misunderstanding, a result of false labeling, which is enabled in Germany because sugar pills can be labeled as medicine," says Christian Lübbers, an eye, nose and throat specialist and spokesperson for Information Network Homeopathy.

"Studies have shown that only 17% of people know what homeopathy really is. But it's so simple: homeopathy is not plant-based medicine. It is a placebo," he adds.

Christian Weymayr, spokesperson for the group Münsteraner Kreis, which takes a critical stance toward homeopathy, agrees. "A piece of licorice has more medicinal content than homeopathic globules," he says. "People don't realize that homeopathy is ineffective because most people with COVID-19 only have mild symptoms."

Kreis goes on to say that in a climate of fear, when there will be a long wait for a vaccine, there is a growing danger that people will believe in things that give them false comfort.

That may well be the case in Germany. Homeopathic remedies can only be bought in pharmacies and their packaging is labeled with information about risks and side effects. Many health insurance companies will pay for them. And doctors often present their additional qualifications in homeopathy as if they were of equal value to their training in emergency medicine or diabetes treatment.

Dubious claims

The practice of homeopathy is contentious, and its critics often voice their opposition with something akin to hatred. The same goes for backers of the practice. In his blog, German homeopathy lobbyist and PR advisor Christian J. Becker boasts about journalists who have been "hit by complaints to the German Press Council."

Becker relies on audacious claims about history to justify the use of homeopathic remedies in the treatment of coronavirus. He says that during the 19th-century cholera epidemic, 92% of sufferers could have been healed through homeopathy, and that during the Spanish Flu epidemic, only 1% of hospital patients treated with homeopathy died, while the figure for those who underwent conventional treatment was 30%.

Doctor and homeopath Wolfgang Springer follows a similar argument, claiming that the success of homeopathic treatments during the historical epidemics of cholera, yellow fever, scarlet fever and encephalitis has been well documented.

What they fail to mention — or perhaps don't realize — is that the apparent success of homeopathy during the cholera outbreak, when the father of homeopathy Samuel Hahnemann was active, was because it had one advantage: It protected weakened patients from the harmful treatments of the time.

Alternative medicine only seemed to be effective, in other words, because the standard treatment of bloodletting and laxatives finished off most patients. Hahnemann's treatment, in contrast, involved camphor and mineral water.

https://worldcrunch.com/coronavirus/the-pandemic-tests-germany39s-love-affair-with-homeopathy

HRI-supported researcher presents PhD findings at international congress

HRI-supported researcher presents PhD findings at international congress

26 April 2018

https://www.hri-research.org/2018/04/hri-supported-researcher-presents-pilot-study-at-international-congress/

The Israeli Society for ADHD recently held an international congress in Tel Aviv, during which HRI-supported researcher Philippa Fibert presented the results of her PhD pilot feasibility study assessing the effectiveness of treatment by homeopaths and nutritional therapists for children with ADHD.

During her presentation Philippa discussed the importance of pragmatic trials to assess whether interventions might improve the long term negative outcomes associated with ADHD. The pilot study findings regarding the effectiveness of treatment by nutritional therapists and homeopaths specifically using the Trials Within Cohorts (TWiCs) methodology were also described.

Reflecting on her experience at the Congress, Philippa said, “When I thanked the conference organiser for the opportunity to speak, particularly given the controversial status of homeopathy, she replied ‘we are open to what works’.”

To find out more about Philippa‘s PhD and trial click here.

https://www.hri-research.org/2018/04/hri-supported-researcher-presents-pilot-study-at-international-congress/

A report on the use of homeopathic treatment in patients with depression and anxiety.

Altern Ther Health Med. 1997 Jan;3(1):46-9.

Davidson JR1, Morrison RM, Shore J, Davidson RT, Bedayn G.

Abstract
BACKGROUND:

Homeopathy is a well-established therapeutic system with potential relevance to psychiatry, but as yet it is largely untested.
OBJECTIVE:

To report the use of homeopathic treatment in patients with depression and anxiety.
METHODS:

Individually selected homeopathic remedies were used on an outpatient basis to treat 12 adults who had major depression, social phobia, or panic disorder. The patients either requested homeopathic treatment or received it on a physician's recommendation after partial or poor response to conventional therapies. Duration of treatment was 7 to 80 weeks. Response was monitored by using a clinical global scale (n = 12), the self-rated SCL-90 scale (n = 8), and the Brief Social Phobia Scale (n = 4).
RESULTS:

Overall response rates were 58% according to the clinical global improvement scale and 50% according to the SCL-90 or the Brief Social Phobia Scale.
CONCLUSIONS:

Homeopathy may be useful in the treatment of effective and anxiety disorders in patients with mildly to severely symptomatic conditions.

An Alternative Approach in The Treatment of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA), using Classical Homeopathy by Pierre Fontaine RSHom CCH.

Introduction

MRSA (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) is a bacteria that is resistant to most common antibiotics. Aside from methicillin the bacteria is also resistant to other more common antibiotics such as oxacillin, penicillin and amoxicillin. 1 Staph infections, including MRSA, occur most frequently in patients who have recently been hospitalised for long periods, who have had invasive medical procedures or who have weakened immune systems. Individuals treated in long term healthcare facilities such as nursing homes or dialysis centres have been considered most at risk. In a healthcare setting can cause serious and potentially life threatening infections such as bloodstream infection, infections at a surgical site, or pneumonia. However, MRSA infections also occur in otherwise healthy people who have not recently been hospitalised or undergone an invasive medical procedure. These infections usually present as skin infections, pimples, boils or other pus-filled lesions but can rapidly progress to more life threatening infections. In this otherwise healthy population they are known as community associated (CA)-MRSA infection; according to a recent study2 MRSA has become the most frequent cause of skin

1 Centres for Disease Control. Overview of healthcare related MRSA

2 Invasive Methicillin-Resistant Staphyloccus aureus infections in the United States. R. Monina Klevens, DDS, MPH et al. www.jama.com at CDC-Information Center.

and soft tissue infections presenting at emergency rooms in the USA. During the period from 1999 to 2005 the estimated number of hospitalizations involving S.aureus-related infections increased 62% from 294,570 to 477,927. In 2005, there were 11,406 S. aureus– related deaths of which 6,639 were MRSA-related3.

Current medical treatment for MRSA usually involves removing the infected person to an isolation ward and the use of the intravenous antibiotic vancomycin. The hospital stay can be several days. The patient is usually sent home with wound care instructions and a prescription for the ointment bactroban which is applied to the internal nasal passages. The infection can be controlled this way, but in many cases the patient will remain colonised. While vancomycin is currently effective against MRSA it is clear that increased resistance exists and some hospitals are already reporting strains that are less sensitive to vancomycin. 4

Homeopathy

In this light, it seems important to examine the potential of alternative therapies that do not make use of costly drugs or hospital stays, to combat such infections and prevent the risk of developing further antibiotic resistant bacterial strains. Homeopathy is widely practiced throughout Europe and Asia and is increasing in use in the US. In the UK the NHS (National Health Service) operates 5 dedicated homeopathic hospitals. According to a 2005 study, 70% of 6544 follow-up patients reported improvements in their health. Among the ailments most commonly treated were eczema, asthma, migraine, irritable bowel syndrome and

3 Klein E, Smith DL, Laxminarayan R.

Hospitalizations and deaths caused by methicillin-

resistant Staphylococcus aureus, United States,

1999–2005. Emerg Infect Dis [serial on the Internet].

2007 Dec [25 Sept 08]. Available from

http://www.cdc.gov/EID/content/13/12/1840.htm

4

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/mrsa/DS00735/DSECTION=tr eatments-and-drugs

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chronic fatigue.5 In the modern day context there is unfortunately little data on the use of homeopathy in acute outbreaks of infectious disease but historically it has been effectively applied in outbreaks of cholera, influenza and scarlet fever. During the 1918 Spanish Influenza epidemic data collected by the Hahnemann College of Medicine in Philadelphia showed a mortality rate of only 1.05% amongst a group of 26,795 cases treated by homeopaths. The mortality rate in the general population treated medically was 30%.6

Homeopathy is symptom driven and based on careful observation of the individual signs and symptoms as exhibited by the patient. It is experiential and the homeopath pays extremely close attention to the use of language by the patient in relating how the ailment is affecting him. A remedy acts as a reversing trigger on the self-healing vital force of the body that is being challenged. It is described as working at a vitalistic level, similar to acupuncture. It is bio- dynamic in nature rather than bio-chemical, as western medicine is.

Homeopathy is very effective in chronic illnesses but as the case below illustrates, homeopathy can also be extremely effective in acute infections that require daily monitoring and frequent re-evaluation of remedy selection.

Case Presentation History

James, an otherwise healthy 40 year old man entered our care in late November 2007. He had sustained a minor scratch on his finger at the end of September 2007 while clearing away vegetation in upstate New York. Despite thorough wound care at the time James’ finger

5 Spence DS, Thompson EA, Barron SJ. Homeopathic treatment for chronic disease: a 6-year university-hospital outpatient observational study. Journal of Alternative & Complementary Medicine 2005; 11: 793-798. http://www.trusthomeopathy.org/csArticles/articles/000001/000 164.htm

6 Homeopathy for Epidemics. Eileen Nauman, DHM (UK). Pg 11

began swelling up during the night of the scratch and within 3 days had progressed to a severe infection. James sought advice at a walk in clinic near his home and was prescribed antibiotics. He had no improvement over the next two days at which point he visited the Emergency Room at Columbia Presbyterian hospital in New York City. His finger was red, edematous and showed clear signs of infection. His wound was lanced in the ER and the exudates sent for analysis. As a precaution James was admitted to the hospital overnight and received an IV antibiotic and analgesics. On discharge the next day he was instructed about wound care and hoped the infection would clear. However, he received a message 2 days later informing him that the culture grown from his lab specimen was not responding to antibiotics and was confirmed as being MRSA.

James was immediately readmitted to the hospital, this time in an isolation ward to avoid exposure to any other patients. Vancomycin was prescribed and he was sent home with bactroban ointment for his nose 2 days later. He was advised that the infection could re- occur and to be vigilant about skin lesions.

Two months later, just after Thanksgiving, James noticed a large, fleshy bulge on the back of his thigh. He was concerned it might be a recurrent MRSA skin infection but as an uninsured patient was forced to seek an alternative to another costly hospitalisation. On the recommendation of a friend he sought homeopathic treatment.

Homeopathic findings

When I first spoke with James he described how the wound on his middle finger in September “blew up” within a day to a hard swelling. His fever spiked to 102F. Now, two months later, the presenting symptom was a large swelling on the back of his right thigh just below his buttock. He described how it “came right out” close to 1 inch in thickness and then

2

reverted to a very large “bite-like,” dark dot within a day. Light red discolouration of the skin was seen almost down to his knee. The lump was sharply7 painful and causing him concern. It was constricting his leg and felt very hard. He felt as if an iron band was preventing movement. He was concerned because he thought it might be the same, incurable infection as the first one on his finger.

Based on the sensation of constriction that he repeated in many different ways and the other symptoms listed in italics I prescribed Cactus Grandiflora. I also stressed the importance of being seen by a medical doctor. James however steadfastly refused to return to the hospital.

At this stage about five dozen remedies were identified as being valid homeopathic remedies for this individual. Careful differentiation and research would clarify final remedy selection, according to homeopathic repertories and Materia Medicas.

24 hours later (from initial consultation)

After one day the sensation of constriction was significantly diminished. The pain had lessened but the infection was not improving. The central area of induration was growing

7 Italicized words in this description of finding represent qualities specifically used in selecting the proper homeopathic rememdy.

larger but he described marked improvement in the sensation of his most prevalent symptom, i.e. the swelling and the constricting. The discolouration that had spread to his knee was more localised. At this stage I repeated the same remedy.

2 days later

Though the infection seemed contained the central area now resembled a large boil and had grown rapidly to a darker red circle of about 4 inches. At this point he complained of severe “burning pains”, and the infection was described (and looked) as ‘angry’. He was also extremely restless with a constant need for motion. At this point I had several remedies in mind that might have fit the symptom picture, but the degree of anger and burning in the case led me to Cantharis.

3

3 days later

James reported that the Cantharis had addressed the burning pains which now felt much better. He was happy that he did not have to take pain medication as he had with the first infection. The outward progression of the infection had clearly stopped and the boil turned even darker red with a congested, shiny appearance and blood seeping through the pores in the centre of the mass. According to these symptoms, Crotalus Horridus was given, as it is often used for dark, haemorrhagic wounds. I had previously researched this remedy in regards to Ebola type infections several years ago.

All along James was repeatedly advised to seek medical care and have the wound lanced. There was concerned about a systemic blood infection. James pointed out that he had no fever at all and that the swelling had stopped.

His pain was manageable and was not requiring the high doses of narcotics he had needed during his first MRSA infection. He was confident that the lesion was healing and could not afford the high cost of another hospitalisation so he was not willing to seek medical attention.

During this time James did stay in his apartment to avoid any possibility of secondary infection.

4 days later

24 hours after the Crotalus the boil began changing colour. Yellow and light green pus could be seen in the border. His pain was manageable and he had no fever.

At this point James described intense anxiety over the possibility of MRSA occurring over and over and over again in his life. He felt he was poisoned for life. The increased anxiety along with the idea that his body was poisoned and that he had an incurable disease indicated the remedy Arsenicum Album.

6 days later

Clearly the infection was no longer spreading. James’ anxiety was much diminished. The boil was filled with pus and began oozing but there was no way to know what was going on underneath the mass of pus and necrotic tissue. He felt very good about his

4

progress but I remained concerned about systemic infection and necrosis at the infection site. Secale was given as a prophylactic for blood poisoning. Within half a day his anxieties and restlessness came back. It was clear this remedy was not having an effect and I reverted to Arsenicum.

Continuing Progress

On the 7th day the mass opened and began oozing. At this point James was able to manually squeeze the lesion and exude a large amount of dark green, almost black pus. At this stage James collected several of the cotton balls he had used to drain the exudate and on the 6th December 2007 he had them analysed at the same laboratory facility as his earlier sample. The exudate was confirmed as positive for MRSA.

Later on the wound stopped seeping and began to dry up. I continued to prescribe Arsenicum daily and James remained vigilant about cleaning the wound with hydrogen peroxide. I was encouraged that at the time the lesion burst there was already evidence of granulation on the borders. This was evidence to me that the infection had been fully isolated.

Over the next two weeks the wound continued to slowly heal from the outside edges towards the centre and from the bottom of the ulcer to the surface of the skin. Within 3 weeks

the lesion had healed over completely. James continued to take Arsenicum several times a day as he still had some level of anxiety regarding re-infection. We were gradually able to reduce the frequency of repetition as the wound continued to heal and his anxiety diminished.

5 months later

James continues to do well and on the 9th of April 2008 he returned to Columbia for another nasal swab analysis. Remarkably the tests came back negative for MRSA, meaning that not only was his local infection cured but his body was no longer colonised by the bacteria. In other words, his wound was completely healed and he is no longer a carrier of MRSA in the general population.

5

Conclusion

Given the growing number of antibiotic resistant infectious agents, a treatment for MRSA that avoids all use of antibiotics has enormous potential in the general population. Furthermore, the treatment above is reproducible in a hospital setting using the basic five dozen remedies that fit the MRSA symptom picture. There is also the possibility of using other homeopathic remedies prophylacticaly. To that end we recommend and hope to undertake further research on this approach in a traditional medical facility.

http://homeopathicservices.com/resources/explore-nov-dec-2009/

Dr. Iris Bell M.D. Ph.D. does it again!

Research in Homeopathy:

If anyone is ever asking you to back up your interest in homeopathy with 'Evidence-based Research' or 'clinical proof' or RCT (Random Control Trials) scientific research, please help them by referring to this list or also by sharing this email. Here is a link that displays a pdf of a Reference List of 138 pages worth of Homeopathic Research. This list was curated by Dr. Iris Bell M.D. Ph. D. and Peter Gold in 2015. Much more research has been published since this collection almost two years ago. Hope this helps lead anyone to any type of research with regards to the use of homeopathy and homeopathic remedies. Anyone is welcome to download this pdf file and use it or pass it on. http://www.homeopathy.ca/pdf/HomeopathyResearchEvidenceBase_10-29-15.pdf

You Won’t Believe What Water Looks Like Under a Microscope!

Aerospace researchers at the University of Stuttgart, while attempting to develop medicine for astronauts in outer space, stumbled on something quite interesting about water: its appearance on a microscopic level seems to change depending on its environment. Early post-experimental speculation suggests that this may mean that water has a form of memory — though that idea is highly controversial. So, before you get too excited, remember that this research is still in its earliest stages of development.

Click the video below to see the preliminary conclusions of this mind-boggling research!

Read more at http://blog.therainforestsite.com/watermemory/#XLvco2RKYXvyUDg3.99

Another Homeopathy Documentary in the works

Includes worldwide 'visual testimonials'! A much anticipated release.

People who have used homeopathy have a lot of positive and dramatic stuff to say about it!

“Very simple, it DOES work. No need to have faith; when you get the right remedy it works. I suffered with 7 years of Chronic Fatigue syndrome that was completely cured with homeopathy.”

— Happy Homeopathic Client

“I was amazed since my parents have always used homeopathic medication for hayfever and other allergies.”

— Skeptic

#HomeopathyWorks

“[With] this recent batch of remedies... J.A. has continued to make remarkable progress. During the course of the last month he has eaten foods with egg and dairy in them without any reaction! Previous months, we conquered re-introducing wheat successfully. He has maintained good health as well. Thank you for everything you are doing.”

— I.A., father of a 17-year-old who previously had lifelong allergic reactions to wheat, eggs and dairy

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zsTavOuvb0Q