Homeopathy: A Scientific View
Is it effective?
Of 107 clinical trials 77% showed homeopathy to be more effective than the placebo used.(1) The higher-quality
studies yielded more positive results than the lower-quality studies.(2) Three studies conducted at Glasgow University
in Scotland also produced positive results.(3-4)
One hundred consecutive outpatients at Glasgow Homeopathic Hospital were surveyed 1 year after treatment. Of the
80% which responded, 60% had improved in the area for which they sought treatment, and 61% felt an overall improvement
in well-being. This is very impressive when you consider that 81% of those involved in the study had been unresponsive
to conventional treatment!
Homeopathy is the only unorthodox treatment in the U.K. to have an official place within the NHS.
Is it safe?
One of the main reasons for using homeopathy is its safety, even during pregnancy and for infants and the elderly.
Although symptoms may increase at first, this is part of the homeopathic process, which goes to the source of the
problem and eliminates it from there. Symptoms which have been suppressed may resurface during treatment.
Homeopathy is a safe therapy and can never harm the patient. Only using homeopathy in place of another appropriate
and necessary method of treatment poses a threat. But here it is not the homeopathic treatment which causes harm,
but the failure to use more appropriate measures.
What are its uses?
There are homeopathic treatments for just about every disorder imaginable. It might be more useful to ask:
When is Homeopathy useful?
- When conventional treatments have failed or do not exist
- When conventional therapies have done all they can and results are still unsatisfactory
- When side-effects make conventional treatment intolerable
- Whenever a person prefers a safe and effective method of treatment which eliminates a disorder at its source
rather than removing or suppressing the symptom with potentially dangerous drugs or surgery and leaving the cause
untreated.
Is it cost effective?
Yes! Homeopathic remedies are very inexpensive, and its lack of side effects and iatrogenic (doctor-caused)
illnesses makes it even more affordable.
Homeopathy & Orthodox Medicine
In Scotland, 20% of the General Practitioners have completed the basic level of training in homeopathy and
two years later 78% are still using it in their practice. This is an asset to patients who want their health care
to be provided in one place. Personally, if I were to consult a conventional doctor, I would prefer one who was
open-minded and knowledgeable about alternative therapies.
How popular is Homeopathy?
In the U.K. it is extremely popular, even among the royal family. Homeopathy is a part of their socialized
medical system, and private insurance pays for treatment by homeopathic medical specialists. Its popularity in
Europe is increasing rapidly.
In the U.S. it is growing in popularity, along with an increase in other alternative therapies. Its greater popularity
in the U.K. reflects their medical system which benefits from reduced costs and increased patient health.
In the U.S. our medical system is heavily influenced by drug manufacturers, whose profits support lobbyists, who
protect the drug companies' interests. The major drug companies here pay for most of the research which is conducted.
They also control which information is released to medical practitioners and to the public. In short, our system
is biased toward those who benefit from illness and drug sales.
Other points of interest:
Homeopaths introduced the concept of placebo controlled clinical trials in 1911. It is an aspect of their concept
of "proving" remedies, which means that a substance which will cure a symptom will at larger quantities
produce the symptom.
How homeopathy works remains a mystery to the scientific world.(5) A substance is vibrated and diluted until no
discernible part of it remains. Yet its effectiveness has been demonstrated repeatedly in scientifically valid
studies.
Is homeopathy for you?
It is safe, it is effective, it costs less than conventional therapy, it treats the root of the problem, and
it is available locally. If this is what you want, then homeopathy is for you.
References:
1. Kleijnen J., Knipschild P., ter Riet G., "Clinical Trials of Homeopathy"
2. Human & Experimental Toxicology, 1994;13:481-492.
3. British Homeopathic Journal, 1985; 74: 65-75.
4. Lancet 1986; ii: 881-886.
5. Endler P., Schulte J., eds. "Ultra High Dilution Physiology and Physics."
Some of the material in this article is based on lecture material from "Alternative Medicine: Implications
for Clinical Practice" given at the Harvard CME Seminar, March 28-31, 1995
Books about Homeopathy
Available in association with Amazon.com
Everybody's Guide to
Homeopathic Medicines: Safe and Effective Remedies for You and Your Family
by Stephen Cummings, Dana Ullman (Contributor)
Complete Guide to Homeopathy
by Andrew Lockie, Nicola Geddes (Contributor)
The Family Guide to Homeopathy:
Symptoms and Natural Solutions
by Andrew Dr. Lockie, William Shevin
The Consumer's Guide
to Homeopathy: The Definitive Resource for Understanding Homeopathic Medicine and Making It Work for You
by Dana Ullman
Homeopathic Medicine
for Children and Infants
by Dana Ullman
Natural Medicine for
Children: Drug-Free Health Care for Children from Birth to Age Twelve: A Practical, Comprehensive Guide to
Herbs, Homeopathy,
by Julian Scott
Homeopathic Medicine
at Home: Natural Remedies for Everyday Ailments and Minor Injuries
by Maesimun Panos, M.D. Panos, Jane Heimlich, Robert Mendelsohn
The Complete Book of
Homeopathy
by Michael Weiner
Healing With Homeopathy:
The Complete Guide
by Wayne B. Jonas, Jennifer Jacobs (Contributor)
A Beginner's Introduction
to Homeopathy
by Trevor M. Cook
Emotional Healing With
Homeopathy: A Self-Help Manual
by Peter Chappell
Science of Homeopathy
by George Vithoulkas, William A. Tiller
An Alternative Path:
The Making and Remaking of Hahnemann Medical College and Hospital of Philadelphia
by Naomi Rogers
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