Volume 4 Issue 4
Winter 2010 - Homeopathy
Homeopathy is a 220-year-old system of healing using natural medicines that are prepared in a very specific way. The German physician Samuel Hahnemann developed homeopathy after an intense ten year period of experimentation and observation. The first proposition of homeopathy is that a substance can cause a set of symptoms in a healthy person that is characteristic of that substance. The second proposition is that a particular disease will cause specific symptoms in an individual sick from the disease. The third proposition of homeopathy is that administering a medicinal substance that provokes symptoms similar to those of an illness in an individual can cause the disappearance of the symptoms of the illness.
Experimentation showed that the medicinal substance must be given in very dilute doses in order to not aggravate and increase the symptoms of the illness. Although the exact way in which homeopathic medicines work is unknown, the experience of hundreds of millions of people over a 200 year period shows that these medicines do work to promote healing.
Because the amount of medicine in a very diluted preparation is so tiny, these medicines are extremely safe. They can be used with pharmaceutical drugs without fear of any drug interactions. If the homeopathic medicine chosen is the wrong one, there is no bad reaction. Instead the medicine has no effect.
The medicines are developed in a method called provings. A proposed new substance is prepared and given to healthy people. Each person is observed and asked to report all symptoms. A detailed record is kept and only the symptoms that occur in all or nearly all of the test subjects are considered part of the proving for that medication. Then, if there is a disease or illness that causes the same set of symptoms, a dilute preparation of the medicine is given to the ill person. If ill people consistently improve when given the medication, the new medication is proved and is added to the list of known homeopathic medicines that are effective. This system is very practical and is based on extensive observation and experimentation of both healthy and ill people.
An extensive research literature has shown homeopathic medicines to be effective for a wide variety of conditions. Different styles of practicing homeopathy have developed over the part 2 centuries. Homeopathy was very popular in America, especially when allopathic medicine (the main system of medical treatment used in America at this time) had very few effective drugs. Although homeopathy fell out of favor in the 1920's in America, it has remained a mainstream form of treatment in Europe.
The medicines used in homeopathy are quite varied. They include extracts of plants, animals, and minerals. The preparation of the medicines is done under sterile conditions and to very exacting standards. In fact, the medicines are regulated in the United States and are listed in the Homeopathic Pharmacopoeia of the United States. A few require a prescription but most are available over the counter due to their inherent safety. There are over 2000 homeopathic medicines and new ones are being proved on a regular basis.
There are widely differing levels of education in homeopathy practice. The most important part of prescribing a homeopathic medicine is choosing the correct one. If the chosen medicine is close but does not match the symptoms of the ill patient, it will have little or no positive effect. When the correct medicine is given, it can have a very rapid beneficial effect in acute conditions and a profound positive effect in more chronic conditions.
On a Personal Note
As 2010 begins, the health care reform bill in Congress is nearing a vote. The bill is unlikely to contain significant reform that improves access, lowers costs or provides incentives for primary care. My proposal for reform would include the following changes. Insurance companies would be phased out since they consume 30% of premium dollars and contribute not one bit towards any improvement in health. Universal basic health care would become available to all American citizens.
Funding would come from a Medicare type tax on all wage earners, savings from elimination of insurance companies, sin taxes on alcohol and tobacco and a more efficient way to deliver health care. The vast amount of wasteful treatment in the system would be identified and would no longer be paid for by insurance. Those who desire treatment or tests shown to have insufficient evidence of effectiveness would pay out of pocket for these.
Medical education would emphasize training of primary care physicians and payments to specialists and primary care physicians would be equalized. The intrusion of pharmaceutical companies into the education and practice of medicine would be severely curtailed. Research into use of natural herbs, vitamins, minerals and hormones would be emphasized and funded.
Community health would be an important feature. Economic decisions (polluting factories, industrial agriculture, pesticides, and genetically modified foods) that impair community health would be prohibited or taxed to fund the health services needed to clean up the mess made by this type of industry. The most important determinants of health are high quality food, clean air and water, regular exercise, avoidance of intoxicants, normal stress levels, and positive mental outlook. Public policy needs to support these if the health of the American population is going to improve. Currently, the overall health of Americans is declining.
The political will to implement these types of change is absent so I anticipate only small changes that will not contribute to improved health outcomes or lower costs. However, each one of us individually can do a great deal to maintain or improve our health. I encourage everyone to make health a priority in lifestyle choices so they can reap the lifelong benefits of vibrant health.
Daniel Blodgett MD