| Homeopathic Approach
What
is Homeopathy?
The
Origin of Homeopathy
The
Law of Similars
Homeopathy:
A Holistic Approach
Should
Other Treatments be Stopped?
Does
the Strength of the Homeopathic medicine Vary with the
Dilution?
Are
There Side-Effects?
What
Evidence is There That Homeopathy Works?
Common Definitions
Bioelectric
Medicine
Classical
Homeopathy
Combination
Remedy
Double-Blind
Placebo Clinical Trials
Hahnemann,
Samuel
High
Potency Remedies
Homeopathy
HPCUS
Materia
Medica
Mother
Tincture
Potency
Repertory
Succussion
Suggested
Readings
What is Homeopathy?
The word homeopathy is derived from the Greek word "homeo",
meaning like or similar and "pathos" meaning
disease or suffering. Homeopathy is a system of healing
the whole person that uses extremely small doses of
wholesome organs, tissues, metabolic factors, recombinant
materials, plants, animals and minerals to stimulate the
body's own immune system. It is an established natural
system of medicine based on the practice of treating like
with like.
The Origin of Homeopathy
Homeopathy was developed in the 19th century by Samuel
Hahnemann M.D. (1755-1843), a successful German physician
frustrated with modern medicine. In a time of dangerous
bloodlettings, blistering, use of toxic drugs and raging
epidemics, homeopathy's gentle yet powerful effects made
it immediately popular. According to historical records,
death rates in homeopathic hospitals were 1/8 the rates in
orthodox hospitals! Homeopathy quickly expanded throughout
Europe and America, which by the early 1800s had 22
homeopathic medical schools, over 100 homeopathic
hospitals, and thousands of practicing homeopaths.
However, with the advent of modern medicine, homeopathy
began to look old and stodgy and its popularity took a
nose-dive.
In 1997 adverse drug reactions were the 4th leading cause
of death in the U.S., killing over 100,000 people every
year, according to a University of Toronto study. Today
with clear evidence regarding the dangers of drug
toxicity, homeopathic formulations are receiving much
wider acceptance because of their safety and
effectiveness. A significant resurgence of interest in
homeopathy is taking place in the United States as
millions of Americans are rediscovering homeopathy.
Homeopathic books can now be found in many bookstores and
homeopathic physicians are available in most major cities.

top
The Law of Similars
Hahnemann noted in his studies that, from the days of
Hippocrates, Cinchona (a Peruvian Bark extract containing
quinine) had been used as a remedy for swamp fever.
Cinchona's effect as a stomach tonic was considered to be
the reason for its success. Hahnemann didn't understand
the connection between a stomach tonic and swamp fever, so
he investigated further.
Even though perfectly healthy himself, Hahnemann took
small doses of the Peruvian Bark extract. After ingestion,
he was surprised to find he demonstrated many of the
symptoms of swamp fever. And the symptoms disappeared as
soon as he stopped taking the extract. This discovery led
Hahnemann to develop "The Law of Similars" or
let like cure like.
This concept is also used today by practitioners of
traditional medicine in vaccines and allergy therapies. In
vaccines, minute amounts of dead or weakened bacteria or
viruses are introduced to stimulate your body to produce
antibodies. Allergy therapy uses small amounts of allergic
substance to build the body's natural defenses against
that substance. In each case, the body does the real work,
not the medicine
Homeopathy: A Holistic Approach
Homeopathy could be considered a complete medicine as it
goes beyond the simple treatment of illness or disease. In
the process used to determine the appropriate medication
for a particular patient's symptoms, the whole person is
taken into consideration. This means the physical symptoms
are evaluated as well as the patient's mental and
emotional well being.
Homeopathy is effective in treating various disorders and
ailments. All functional troubles can be helped by this
approach. Irreversible or degenerative conditions cannot
be cured by homeopathy. However, homeopathy can play an
important role in such cases by providing physical as well
as psychological support that will aid the body in
defending itself against the disease.

top
Should Other Treatments be
Stopped?
In most cases, homeopathic and conventional treatments are
compatible and in fact may be of benefit when used
together. Homeopathy can be used in conjunction with other
therapeutic methods to decrease the toxic effects or to
treat the general state of the patient. However, only a
properly trained health professional is capable of judging
the compatibility of treatments.
Does the Strength of the
Homeopathic Medicine Vary With the Dilution?
The concept of the strength in a medicine does not exist
in homeopathy. The effectiveness of a medicine depends on
its ability to provoke a cellular reaction, not on the
quantity of medication taken. Only the correct dilution or
potency will provoke this cellular reaction by sending
specific messages to each cell. Biomed Comm does clinical
studies to accurately determine the most effective potency
for each of its Cell Signal Enhancers.®
Are There Side-Effects?
All homeopathic medicines contain only minute amounts of
the active ingredients, therefore making them safe,
nontoxic and generally without side-effects. However, the
symptoms of an illness can sometimes appear worse for two
or three days after a homeopathic remedy has been taken.
This is a normal reaction to homeopathic remedies and a
sign that the body is reacting positively and the healing
process has begun. Most patients feel nothing more than an
overwhelming sense of well being.

top
What Evidence is There That
Homeopathy Works?
Homeopathy has a two hundred-year track record of curing
illness. It first came to widespread public attention
through its effectiveness in curing epidemics of cholera
in the 19th century. During the great influenza epidemic
after World War I, homeopathic hospitals reported very low
death rates, while hospitals employing conventional
medicine reported death rates of 20% to 30%. Since Wold
War II, the double blind clinical trial has become the
"gold standard" for determiningthe effectiveness
of medical treatment. A number of double blind trials have
been done on the use of homeopathy on a number of medical
conditions. Although not every study has shown a positive
outcome, the majority of studies have shown that
homeopathy is effective. Biomed Comm has conducted more
than three double blind placebo controlled clinical
studies on Cell Signal Enhancer products involving over
150 people.
Three meta-analyses of clinical trials of homeopathy have
been done in the last decade and all have reached the same
conclusion: homeopathy is an effective system of medical
treatment. The most recent study was published in the
September 20, 1997 issue of Lancet. This study, conducted
by Dr. Wayne Jonas, head of the Office of Alternative
medicine, and Dr. Klaus Linde, concluded that when the
evidence of the 89 studies of homeopathy judged to be of
good quality was pooled, homeopathy was 2.45 times more
effective than placebo. The Homeopathic Medicine Research
Group, formed by the European Union to determine the
effectiveness of homeopathy conducted another study in
1996. This study is notable in that skeptics of homeopathy
were involved in its design. The study pooled results from
17 clinical trials involving 2,001 patients and found that
homeopathy was more effective than placebo with a 0.027%
probability that this result was due to chance.
Unfortunately, this study has not been published in a
medical journal, so it is not readily available. The third
meta-analysis was published in the February 9, 1991 issue
of the British Medical Journal. It was performed by two
Dutch researchers, who were asked to assess the efficacy
of various forms of alternative medicine. Although they
were skeptics of homeopathy and alternative medicine
generally, they reported. "The amount of positive
results came as a surprise to us." and, "The
evidence presented in this review would probably be
sufficient for establishing homeopathy as a regular
treatment for certain indications."
Common Definitions
Bioelectric Medicines
Bioelectromagnetic medicine is an emerging science which
studies the interactions between electromagnetic fields
and the electrical properties of biological tissues and
cells. Electromagnetic fields induce selective electrical
changes in the micro-environment around and within cells.

top
Classical Homeopathy
A method of homeopathic prescribing in which only one
remedy, based on a totality of the patient's symptom is
given at a time, followed by a period of waiting, to
evaluate the action of the remedy.
Combination Remedy
A mixture containing more than one homeopathic medicine.
Double-Blind Placebo Clinical Trials
Refers to experiments in which neither the experimenter
nor the subjects know whether a specific treatment was
prescribed or a placebo (a "fake" medicine that
looks and tastes like a homeopathic medicine).
Energy Medicine
The theme of energy permeates many areas of health care,
from acupuncture to homeopathy, as well as many systems of
bodywork and movement therapy, and increasingly mainstream
medicine (MRI scans for example).
Hahnemann, Samuel
The founder of homeopathy (1755-1843) was a German
scholar, physician and chemist.
High Potency Remedies
Remedies of a 100C potency or higher.
Homeopathy
The use of medicinal substances to treat a particular set
of symptoms based on the principle of "like cures
like" called the Law of Similars.
HPCUS
The Homeopathic Pharmacopoeia Convention of the United
States.
Materia Medica
A book which includes individual homeopathic remedies and
their indications.
Mother Tincture
The initial, standardized alcohol preparation from which
homeopathic dilutions are subsequently made.
Potency
The specific strength of a homeopathic medicine determined
by the number of serial dilutions and succussions. For
example: X, C, M
Repertory
A book which lists symptoms and the medicines known to
have produced such symptoms in experiments and patients.
Succussion
The systematic and repeated shaking of a homeopathic
medicine after each serial dilution.
Suggested Readings
The Consumer's Guide to Homeopathy
Dana Ullman, M.P.H. A Jeremy P. Tarcher
Putnam Book ©1995
Homeopathy: A Frontier in Medical Science
Dr. Paolo Bellavite & Dr. Andrea Signorini
North Atlantic Books ©1995
The Similia Principle as a Therapeutic Strategy:
A research program on stimulation of self- defense in
disordered mammalian cells
R. Van Wijk & F.A.C. Wiegant
Alternative Therapies in Health & Medicine 1997
3(2):33-38
|