Cold and Flu Drugs Pulled From Market While Cholesterol and Anti-Depression Drugs Called Into Question.

First, it was the announcement that anti-inflammatory drugs like Vioxx and Celebrex created life threatening side effects.  Now the FDA is banning over-the-counter cold and flu drugs for toddlers and infants and the cholesterol drug Vytorin has been found to be potentially dangerous.   On top of that, a new study in the New England Journal of Medicine (January 2008) raises serious questions about why drug companies have failed to report large numbers of negative studies on their leading anti-depressant drugs.

Is it time for Americans to consider healthier alternatives?

Two hundred years ago a system of medicine called homeopathy was discovered.  Since that time, it has been a life-saver in many of the deadliest epidemics of the last two centuries while also proving to be a great option for patients with a wide variety of chronic diseases.

So what is this system of medicine and why don’t Americans know more about it?

Homeopathy is based on a law of nature.  It relies on an idea that dates back to Hippocrates – namely that substances capable of causing symptoms can cure those same symptoms when administered to the sick.  The medicines employed in homeopathy are from plants, animals and minerals, are extremely gentle, can be used by the young and old, are regulated by the FDA as Class 2 drugs, and have an outstanding safety record.  

When homeopathy first arrived in America from Europe, it was little noticed until the great and deadly epidemics of the 1800s.  Results obtained by homeopathy during these epidemics reveal a very important and clear constancy: namely, a very low mortality rate when compared to medicine of the day as well as to that of contemporary times. This constancy remains, regardless of the physician, institution, time, place or type of epidemic, including diseases carrying a very high mortality rate, such as cholera, smallpox, diphtheria, typhoid fever, yellow fever and pneumonia[1].

So what happened?  Where is homeopathy today in our American health care system?  The success homeopathy enjoyed in its earliest years brought it some powerful adversaries.  During the great epidemics of the 1800s, homeopathy was so successful and became so popular that conventional practices began to suffer, losing their patients and their livelihood.  The American Medical Association was started in part as an attempt to thwart the rise of homeopathy.  Conventional doctors, being far more numerous than their homeopathic counterparts, organized and made it extremely difficult for homeopaths to practice[2].  Eventually homeopathy faded from the American landscape.

Today we are left with age-old prejudices.  Conventional doctors and their pharmaceutical allies know little about homeopathy, yet are quick to dismiss it as impossible.  “The medicines are too dilute” they say.  “No studies have been done”.

Well, does it work?  What does modern science now tell us?

New research emerging from laboratories like Penn State University’s world renowned Material Science Laboratory, and others, are now finding that homeopathic medicines do in fact have unique structures – and that structure more often than composition determines a substance’s properties[3],[4],[5],[6].   Given these new findings, the claim that homeopathy is impossible can be completely dismissed.

But are there clinical studies showing effectiveness?  Yes.  In fact, large numbers of pre-clinical and clinical studies published in esteemed medical journals like Rheumatology, Annals of Internal Medicine, Pediatrics, The International Journal of Neuroscience and others, report the biological effects of homeopathic remedies.  What’s more, multiple published observational studies on thousands of patients around the world are overwhelmingly positive for homeopathic treatment in real world clinical practice[7], [8], [9], [10], [11], [12],[13].

Ten’s of millions of patients in Europe and Asia use homeopathy regularly.  It is a wonderful option for patients of any age and suffering from any illness.  For parents looking for safe options to banned OTC products to treat colds, flu, and allergies, homeopathy is a wonderful tool.  For adults with coughs, sore throats, nausea, diarrhea, fever, chills and all other forms of acute illness, homeopathy works wonders.  For simple first aid in emergencies, homeopathy is indispensable.  For the millions of Americans suffering with chronic diseases of all dimensions, homeopathy can improve their lives.

There is really little doubt that homeopathy works.  And it is inexpensive and accessible.  With a little training (very important!), anyone can use homeopathy successfully to treat simple acute conditions.  For more challenging disease states, it is always best to find someone who has trained extensively in the field.  Many have said that homeopathy is the most challenging form of medicine to practice well.  To learn out more about this extraordinary system of medicine for yourself and your family, visit www.nationalcenterforhomeopathy.org.  The National Center for Homeopathy is the organizing body for homeopathic medicine in the United States and a great source of basic information, research articles, education, and so much more. (A complete copy of this article with research citations in available at www.nationalcenterforhomeopathy.org under “Media”).

Nancy Gahles DC, CCH, RSHom(NA)

President

National Center for Homeopathy

Alexandria, VA

[1] Saine A. A Debate: Homeopathy – Quackery or a Key to the Future of Medicine.  The Journal of Alternative and Complimentary Medicine 2008; Volume 14, #1 [2] Coulter H.  Divided Legacy – the Conflict between Homeopathy and the American Medical Association 1982; North Atlantic Books [3] Rao ML, Roy R, Bell IR et al. The defining role of structure (including epitaxy) in the plausibility of homeopathy.  Homeopathy 2007; 96 (3):175-82.

[4] Elia V, Niccoli, M. New physico-chemical properties of extremely diluted aqueous solutions. Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry 2004; 75:815-36.

[5] Elia V, Niccoli, M. Thermodynamics of extremely diluted aqueous solutions. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences 1999; 879:241-8.

[6] Rey L. Thermoluminescence of ultra-high dilutions of lithium chloride and sodium chloride. Physica A: Statistical mechanics and its applications. 2003; 323:67-74.

[7] Bell IR, Lewis DA, 2nd, Brooks AJ et al. Improved clinical status in fibromyalgia patients treated with individualized homeopathic remedies versus placebo. Rheumatology 2004b; 43 (5):577-82.

[8] Bell IR, Lewis DA, 2nd, Lewis SE et al. EEG alpha sensitization in individualized homeopathic treatment of fibromyalgia. International Journal of Neuroscience 2004c; 114 (9):1195-220.

[9] Eizayaga FX, Aguejouf O, Belon P et al. Platelet aggregation in portal hypertension and its modification by ultra-low doses of aspirin. Pathophysiol Haemost Thromb 2005; 34 (1):29-34. [10] Frei H, Everts R, von Ammon K, Kaufmann F, Walther D, Hsu-Schmitz SF, Collenberg M, Fuhrer K, Hassink R, Steinlin M, Thurneysen A. Homeopathic treatment of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: a randomised, double blind, placebo controlled crossover trial. Eur J Pediatr. 2005; 164 (12):758-67.

[11] Sevar R. Audit of outcome in 829 consecutive patients treated with homeopathic medicines. British Homoeopathic Journal 2000; 89 (4):178-87.

[12] Witt C, Keil T, Selim D, Roll S, Vance W, Wegscheider K, Willich SN. Outcome and costs of homoeopathic and conventional treatment strategies: a comparative cohort study in patients with chronic disorders. Complement Ther Med. 2005a; 13 (2):79-86.

[13] Sevar R. Audit of outcome in 829 consecutive patients treated with homeopathic medicines. British Homoeopathic Journal 2000; 89 (4):178-87.