In this country, homeopathy is a source of controversy for medical practitioners and confusion for health-care consumers. That’s why I am providing readers with this guide to homeopathic medicine, a therapy that aims to stimulate the body’s own healing responses by using extremely small amounts of specific substances.
In my professional practice, I use homeopathy for one reason — it works. Before I get into the science, however, I want to share a personal story about the power of this healing therapy. My first child was born prematurely, more than three months before he was due. His underdeveloped lungs were not ready for life outside the womb, and he contracted life-threatening viral pneumonia. It was heartbreaking to see my baby boy with tubes down his tiny throat, as four pediatricians worked around the clock to save him. Though antibiotics do not work against viruses, the doctors administered intravenous antibiotics in case there also was a secondary bacterial infection. When my son’s condition did not improve, the doctors seemed at a loss for what to do next.
At this point, I took matters into my own hands. I treated my son with homeopathic Antimonium tartaricum, a liquid solution derived from antimony (a metal) and potassium salts, which I rubbed onto his chest. Within one day, he had improved visibly. By the following day, my son was off the respirator and on his way to complete recovery.
THE HOMEOPATHY PRINCIPLE
Homeopathy was founded two centuries ago by the German physician Samuel Hahnemann, MD. It is based on the law of similars — the idea that “like cures like.” Underlying principle: The symptoms the body produces in response to illness, injury or stress are not extensions of the condition, but instead reflect the body’s attempt to heal itself.
Homeopathy promotes healing by utilizing substances that mobilize the body’s natural self-defense processes. For example, the same plant that causes an itchy rash also can cure that rash when given in very minute quantities. In conventional medicine, this principle underlies vaccination and allergy injections — which administer tiny amounts of a disease-causing or an allergy-provoking agent to stimulate the immune system to produce antibodies that protect against this same agent.
For uncomplicated health problems, such as occasional digestive upset or a cold, patients can be helped with simple, common homeopathic remedies sold in health-food stores. For more complex problems, practitioners depend on a deep understanding of the individual patient’s health status, an array of potent remedies and careful monitoring of the patient’s progress.
For this article, I spoke with Iris Bell, PhD, professor of family and community medicine at the University of Arizona School of Medicine in Tucson, whose research on the psychophysiological effectiveness of homeopathy has been granted funding from the National Institutes of Health. Dr. Bell explained, “The human body is a network. Changes to any one system can affect the entire network. Disease is a process that can activate any number of other problems that an individual person may be genetically prone to. That’s why homeopathic practitioners look at the larger picture and treat the whole patient.”
THE PREPARATIONS
Homeopathy uses thousands of substances derived from plant, mineral or animal sources. Over many years, homeopaths have catalogued the physical and mental symptoms these substances can cause and, from this information, have created substances that cure these conditions. Homeopathic remedies generally are safe for everyone, have no side effects when used properly, and are manufactured in accordance with standards set by the FDA. The process: The particular substance is dissolved in a “mother tincture” of alcohol or alcohol plus water. It is vigorously shaken, then further diluted with alcohol and/or water and shaken again. This process is repeated multiple times, further diluting the substance each time. When the appropriate potency is achieved, the substance is converted into a form appropriate for use — powder, liquid, ointment or tiny tablets (called pellets) to dissolve in the mouth.
A remedy’s potency depends on the degree of dilution it undergoes. Classifications include X (for 10, meaning a potency based on a ratio of one part substance to 10 parts dilution), C (100) and M (1,000). Products are formulated by multiples of these ratios. For example, a 6X remedy contains one part active substance to 10 to the sixth power — which is 10 x 10 x 10 x 10 x 10 x 10, or one million — parts carrier substances.
Now, here’s the seeming paradox of homeopathy — the more diluted the substance is, the more potent it becomes. No one knows why for sure, but experience shows this does happen. Products used for minor conditions, such as colds and headaches, are sold over the counter in health-food stores. A prescription from a licensed health-care practitioner is required for homeopathic drugs that treat more serious problems, such as severe strep infections, as well as for all M-potency products. These can be filled at compounding pharmacies.
Recently, a medical doctor expressed his skepticism regarding the dilution of homeopathic substances. I asked if he would treat a life-threatening allergic reaction by injecting epinephrine (adrenaline) — the standard medical treatment — and he said of course he would, because it works. I then pointed out that the epinephrine used for injection is far more diluted than many homeopathic remedies.
SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE
Researchers have been studying homeopathy for decades. Overall, studies show mixed results. This does not mean that treatments are ineffective, but rather that they are used in a holistic way not easily measured in conventional studies. Reason: Drugs and nutritional supplements can be matched to specific problems and studied accordingly. For example, the drug celecoxib (Celebrex) and the natural supplement glucosamine (an amino sugar) both are used to treat osteoarthritis, so studies focus on their effectiveness against that particular disease. However, homeopathic treatment is highly individualized according to a patient’s overall profile. If a patient has migraines, I select from among several dozen homeopathic remedies, taking into account the type and location of his/her migraines, how the weather affects him, his diet and exercise habits, etc. With so many variables influencing the choice of homeopathic remedy and the patient’s response to it, I’m not surprised that study results sometimes are inconclusive.
Even so, more than 100 clinical trials have demonstrated homeopathy’s benefits. For example, a study conducted in 2005 at the University of Vienna involved 50 patients with chronic bronchitis and/or emphysema and a history of smoking. Compared with participants who received placebos, those who took homeopathic remedies had significantly reduced levels of the mucus secretions that impair breathing — and their average hospital stay was just 4.2 days, compared with 7.4 days for the placebo group. In 2000, researchers at the University of Glasgow analyzed data from four studies involving about 250 patients with allergic respiratory symptoms, such as asthma and rhinitis. Findings: Participants who received a 30C potency homeopathic remedy for hay fever reported a 28% improvement in symptoms, compared with 3% in the placebo group. Equally convincing, in my opinion, are the many reports I have received from patients who have been helped by homeopathic remedies — often after other treatments failed. For instance, a reader of Bottom Line Natural Healing recently wrote to me regarding a recommendation I had made about using Cocculus to treat dizziness. This reader had suffered from persistent dizziness for several years, so he tried Cocculus — and was cured within a few days.
FINDING A HOMEOPATHIC PRACTITIONER
Homeopathy does not work for everyone. For best effect, try to be articulate and open in detailing your symptoms, as this will help practitioners to identify the most appropriate remedies. Also, some practitioners work with a limited number of substances that they have found especially effective — so if you do not get relief with a particular practitioner, try someone else.
In the US, homeopathy is practiced by many naturopathic physicians, chiropractors, nurses, dentists and some medical doctors. In most states, homeopaths are not licensed as such, and there are no national standards for training. However, the following organizations have stringent training requirements for members and offer on-line directories for finding practitioners in various areas.
The American Board of Homeotherapeutics awards a diplomate of homeopathy (DHt) certification. A practitioner must hold an MD or a DO license, accrue 150 hours of education credits in homeopathy, and pass various exams (888-445-9988, www.homeopathyusa.org).
All naturopathic physicians are educated in homeopathy. Those with the most extensive training are eligible to join the Homeopathic Academy of Naturopathic Physicians. Referrals: American Association of Naturopathic Physicians (866-538-2267, www.naturopathic.org).
For more information on homeopathy, contact the National Center for Homeopathy (703-548-7790, www.nationalcenterforhomeopathy.org).
LOOKING AHEAD
You may be surprised to learn that high-potency homeopathic remedies are diluted to the point where they do not contain any of the original substance — yet they continue to have powerful healing properties. This is an aspect of the emerging field of energetic medicine. Energetic medicine heals by affecting the electrical and electromagnetic activity of the body — the means by which cells communicate with one another. Magnet therapy and light therapy also are examples of energetic medicine.
In homeopathy, researchers now believe that the original electromagnetic frequency of the source materials imprints itself on the fluid used to produce the remedy. Because the human body is 70% to 80% water, a fluid medium is an effective way to transmit information throughout the body.
Does this sound far-fetched? Remember that practitioners of Western medicine used to claim that acupuncture and chiropractic were nonsense — yet now these alternative therapies generally are accepted as legitimate. Researchers at a number of major universities are now studying homeopathy’s applications in energetic medicine. I believe we will be hearing much more about this therapy in the years to come.
