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What is
Homeopathy?
It is
the art and science of healing the sick by using extremely small,
non-toxic doses of substances capable of causing the same
symptoms, syndromes and conditions when administered in material
doses to healthy people. The word homeopathy comes from the
Greek: homoion pathos-"similar disease" or
suffering. This is in contrast to allopathy(another name
for conventional medicine), which according to Dr. Samuel Hahnemann
(Organon of Medicine, 6thEd.,Sect.22, Note 12), "medicines are
given whose symptoms have no direct pathological relation to the
morbid state, neither similar nor opposite, but quite
heterogeneous to the symptoms of the disease." Allopathy
is derived from the Greek: alloion pathos-"heterogeneous
or unlike disease." Many of the current pharmaceutical
substances used today fall into the category of "treatment with
opposites" as inferred by their drug category:
anti-biotic, anti-depressant and anti-inflammatories.
The Physicians Desk Reference
(PDR) is a
collection of all the symptoms that pharmaceutical drugs can create,
euphamistically called "side-effects".
Any substance may be considered
a homeopathic medicine if it has known homeopathic provings and/or
known effects which mimic the symptoms, syndromes and conditions for
which it is administered to treat, and is manufactured according to
the specifications of the Homeopathic Pharmacopeia of the United
States (HPUS).
What is the HPUS and the Legal
Status?
The
Homeopathic Pharmacopeia of the United States has been in continuous
publication since 1897. Homeopathic medicines were recognized
as official drugs by the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act of
1938. The Homeopathic Pharmacopeia Convention is an autonomous
body which works closely with the Food & Drug Administration
(FDA) and homeopathic organizations such as the American Institute
of Homeopathy and American Association of Homeopathic
Pharmacists. Guidelines are published for the prescriptions or
over-the-counter status of homeopathic drugs. In addition, the
marketing of homeopathic medicines is controlled by the FDA's
Compliance Policy Guide of 1988 which provides guidelines for
labeling and the sale of
medicines.
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Is
Homeopathy Safe?
Because the medically active substances in homeopathic
medicines occur in such small amounts, the medicines are non-toxic
with no known adverse side-effects, making them safe for adults and
children. In addition, there are no known drug interaction
risks between homeopathic medicines and pharmaceutical
medicines. Homeopathic medicines should be the preferred
choice of medicine for children. It is vital that the
medicines chosen for care are gentle and that you can trust.
Parents need not worry about chemical ingredients or adverse
side-effects. Since homeopathy works on the principle of "like
curing like", homeopathic medicines do not suppress symptoms, but
rather work with your own healing mechanisms; to mount an immune
response as it is termed.
Is Homeopathy Used In Other Parts Of
The World?
Homeopathy is commonly used all over the world.
In fact, there are some countries like the UK and India, that have homeopathic hospitals. The
British Royal Family has been utilizing homeopathy since the early
1800's. 20% of the physicians in Germany use homeopathic
medicines. India has medical schools that train students to
become homeopathic doctors. Every pharmacy in France dispenses
homeopathic medicines since 39% of the population uses homeopathic
medicine.
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What
about Research?
Homeopathy is based upon detailed experimentation
and what can be considered the first blind controlled trials
(provings), which allowed for the compilation of the extensive
homeopathic pharmacopeia (materia medica). Currently, a
meta-analysis of 89 clinical trials was published in 1997 (Lancet
350(9081):834-43, 1997) showing a positive effect of homeopathy in
73% of the trials.
In 2001, a first of its kind,
observational study done by conventially trained physicians, the
International Integrative Primary Care Outcomes Study (IIPCOS-1),
was completed for upper and lower respiratory tract
complaints. The study reported "cure" or "major improvement"
in 83% of patients taking homeopathy, and only 68% in the
conventionally treated group. An additional note of interest
were the reports of adverse events. The homeopathic group
reported only 8% as compared to 22% in the conventional group.
(J.Altern. Complement. Med. 7(2):149-59, 2001)
The researchers at the Glasgow
Homeopathic Hospital in Scotland recently published a randomized,
double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of 50 patients with
respiratory tract symptoms or ear complaints (BMJ 321(7259):471-76,
2000). The trial was to test the hypothesis that homeopathy is
simply a placebo response. Patients in the homeopathy group
averaged a 21% improvement over baseline, compared with an average
of 2% in the placebo group. The investigators wrote:
"Compared with placebo, homeopathy provoked a clear, significant and
relevant improvement in nasal inspiratory peak flow, similar to that
found with topical steroids."
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