Homeopathy, Extreme dilutions and Nanoparticles
Describing it as a “fascinating observation,” a recent paper by IIT Bombay researchers has been lauded in an editorial “Do serial dilutions really dilute?” of the premier journal “Homeopathy”. The paper provides a key insight into the possible basis of Homeopathy, a scientific explanation of which has so far eluded researchers due to its use of extreme dilution,well beyond that predicted by atomic theory, by which the presence of any active starting active ingredient is ruled out. The paper entitled ‘Extreme Homeopathic Dilutions Retain Starting Materials: A Nanoparticulate Perspective’, is authored by a team from the Chemical Engineering Department of IIT Bombay consisting of Prashant Chikramane (PhD research scholar), Dr. A. K. Suresh (Professor and Dean of Faculty), Dr. S. G. Kane (Adjunct Professor and IITB alum, BTech ChE 1965 H7), and Dr. Jayesh Bellare (Professor and IITB alum, BTech ChE 1982 H3). The work was funded in part by IRCC, IIT Bombay and IITB Alumni (Sridhar Shukla BTech EE 1983 and S. G. Kane). The group built on their expertise of understanding Ayurvedic Bhasmas and the role of nanoparticles there.
The paper reports the fascinating observation that certain high potency (highly diluted)homeopathic remedies made from metals still contain measurable amounts of the starting material, even at extreme dilutions of 1 part in 10 raised to 400 parts (200C). It is well known that a series of 1:99 dilutions done sequentially will produce a significant dilution of the starting material in very short order. Specifically, if the starting material is at one molar concentration (6.023x10e23 molecules per liter), then at about the 12th dilution (12C) there should be no or
very nearly no molecules left of the starting material. At 200th dilution (200C) the likelihood of there being even one atom of the starting material approaches zero. However, dilution does not work so simply, according to this paper. Using electron microscopy (TEM), electron diffraction, and atomic spectroscopy, Chikramane et al. found that, contrary to the arithmetic, there are nanogram quantities of the starting material still present in these ‘high potency’ remedies in the form of nanoparticles.
Chikramane PS, Suresh AK, Bellare JR, Kane SG (2010). Extreme homeopathic dilutions retain starting materials: a nanoparticulate perspective. Homeopathy 2010; 99: 231‐242. Web:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/B6WXX‐518T4YP‐/2/6e6eb3920562d5d97e2a4671f0416546
John A Ives, Wayne B Jonas and Joyce C Frye, Do serial dilutions really dilute? Guest Editorial
Homeopathy 2010; 99: 231‐242. Web: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/B6WXX‐
518T4YP‐2/2/dfec73836f07c62e6863aaaaa5feea08
Showing posts with label homoeopathy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label homoeopathy. Show all posts
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Monday, March 15, 2010
Homoeopathy explained through Xenobiology
Dr R.R. Sharma
Homoeopathy: Personal Experiences & Views
(6 March text revised 17 October 2001)
Copyright by the author Prof. Dr. Rati Ram Sharma- all rights reserved.
My attention had been drawn to the two critical web sites: "Homeopathy: The Ultimate Fake", quackwatch.com/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/homeo.html by Stephen Barrett and "Homeopathy-a critique", lysator.liu.se/~rasmus/skepticism/homeopathy.html by Rasmus Jansson. Since the main concern of these authors, in my opinion, was 'general well-being' I hoped they would gladly put my briefly described experiences & views (6 March text) on their web sites. A copy was emailed to Dr. Sahni, Mumbai who put it on the web site homoeopathyclinic.com under 'articles/research papers' Jansson also put it on the web site: lysator.liu.se/~rasmus/skepticism/sharma.html. The Journal of Homoeopathy of Northern India published it in its 5 (1) Jan-March 2001 issue on pages 4-9. Barrett did not even acknowledge receipt of the article emailed on 6th March and on 28 August said he does not post "nonsense" on his web site. He has the support of, among others: (a) The Executive Director of the American Physical Society, which publishes several top class research journals of Physics. (b) The former Commissioner of the american Federal Drug Administration (FDA), who did not ban the homoeodrugs only because he was not sure of the Congress support. (c) Fortytwo prominant "critics of quackery & pseuduscience", who have petitioned the FDA against Homoeopathy.They all hold that homoeoremedies being "placebo" do not work and hence should be banned. In fact, Barrett, his group and such other "adherents of Scientific Medicine (Allopathy)" are where I was till mid 1960s. They all, like me, can take a U-turn to support Homoeopathy if they read my this article and the book Molecular Homoeopathy carefully. But the real change in their attitude will start if and when they themselves experience the advantage of Homoeopathy over Allopathy. In this article I answer some frequently asked questions, doubts and misconceptions about Homoeopathy.
According to Avogadro's law a gram-mole of a compound contains 6.02x1023 molecules. Therefore, "homoeopathic potencies of 12c centesimal or 24X decimal and higher, do not contain any molecule of the original drug and hence are placebos", is the perpetual criticism of Homoeopathy. The authors of the above two websites are not the first or alone to raise it. In future also it will be repeated if the "scientists" continue to ignore the underlying new scientific phenomena crying for recognition to enrich the sciences.
I, like any others knowing the Avogadro's law, used to discard and disregard Homoeopathy till mid 1960s when a homoeopath 'cured' my wife's eczema not amenable to Allopathy. This aroused my scientific curiosity to see these medicines act in my own hands and to explain the basic mechanisms within the framework of modern sciences. I studied widely, took a correspondence course and started treating my self, family members, associates and friends. After twelve years of hard work and thought I concluded, in the sick bed for jaundice, that Homoeopathy's art is valid but its science is nebulous. Some new concepts, phenomena, nay Sciences are needed to elucidate the science of Homoeopathy. This marked my search's end in one direction and beginning in another, culminating in the 1984-book 'Molecular Homoeopathy' / (Molecular Biophysics of the "Micro" Dose) and four dozen publications to date. Presently I am working on the new book "Scientific Homoeopathy / (The Rational Medicine)"
How to establish the efficacy of the homoeomedicines, is the big question. I first thought of the 'Double Blind Drug Trials' (DBDT) wherein both the doctor and the patient remain "blind" or unaware whether the given dose is active medicine or a similar looking inert placebo, and which every allopathic drug has to satisfy before coming to the market for public prescription. However, I found DBDT inapplicable to Homoeopathy mainly because patients with the same pathology cannot be randomized into two groups for treatment with active homoeomedicine and placebo. Because different patients usually have different symptom-totality, calling for different homoeomedicines. And the homoeophysician cannot remain "blind" but must know total symptoms before and after every dose of the known medicine to ensure that the cure is progressing according to the Herring's laws, the last symptoms are disappearing first, and medicines & dose frequency adjusted to the changing need.
I therefore got interested in those well worked out and firmly diagnosed cases, which served their own controls. These, for the Modern Scientific Medicine are: (a) incurable/fatal, (b) difficult-to-cure even with long, some times life long, medication, (c) requiring surgery, (d) viral infections where Allopathy offers nothing, (e) baby/child diseases where placebo does not work.
The cases of Indian Childhood Cirrhosis were diagnosed on liver biopsy, liver function tests, clinical history and physical examination. And were discharged from the referral hospital with hopeless prognosis, a week or ten days' short survival and with a whisper advice to take the child quick lest he should die on the way. But all showed definite signs of improvement within three days of the start of homoeopathic treatment with Ars, Phos etc. Since ICC is known to occur with a high frequency in the siblings, it is
interesting to report that the prophylactic treatment of the mother during pregnancy and then of the child after birth succeeded in three couples, one of whom had earlier lost five sons to ICC. President Radhakrishnan's ADC, who had suffered migraine for over 20 years and resigned in disgust when he did not get relief even with the treatments in Germany & U.K., was cured with Homoeopathy. A number of cases with confirmed diagnosis of psoriasis were homoeotreated satisfactorily. The MD in Pharmacology and Dean of Dharwar Medical College in Karnataka, after reading Molecular Homoeopathy (ref.1) came all the way by air for treatment of psoriasis and experienced relief within an hour of the homoeodose of Psor and "euphoria" on overnight crust shedding. An army Colonel had to fly in non-pressurized aircrafts during 1947-48 Indo-Pak war and developed labyrinth vertigo. Ever since he suffered giddiness & reeling sensation whenever he laid down in bed, turned on side or bent down. A number of E.N.T. experts were consulted and all sorts of tests were done without relief. He took homoeomedicine Nat. Sulph. From me in August 1974 on a Friday and did head-stand on Sunday. A four year girl child was treated in the advance institute of Scientific Medicine for acute Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura in 1993 with 2mg/Kg body weight prednisolone and later with 9 gm/day for 5 days immunoglobulin Ig G, then with Chinese medicine. In April 1997 she again had an acute episode, with platelet count <5000/mm3. The ITP is so serious a disease that a patient can internally bleed and collapse while talking! The homoeo-treatment with Lach raised the platelet count gradually from <5000 through <10000 on third day and then 33000, 79000 to 120000 tested weekly, rising later to 140000. The second case of ITP had platelet count <5000 five days after receiving 1500 mg prednisolone over 3 days in a referral Institute (PGI, Chandigarh). But showed a better response to homoeotreatment with Lach starting 1 September 2001. The platelet count rose to 14000, 25000, 1.3 lac and 3.39 lac after 4, 10, 24 and 45 days' treatment. A teacher in our Nursing College lost her fianc in the 1971 Indo-Pak war and developed Thyrotoxicosis complicated with Exophthalmos and Amenorrhea. The treating endocrinologist advised her to learn to live with it. But after homoeocure with Thyroidinum she married and had two children. Out of the several cases of arthritis and spondylosis the most striking one was that of general spondylosis threatening extremities and requiring urgent surgery. The homoeocure with Rhus and Calc carb gave her permanent relief. A senior executive was admitted for surgical removal of a solitary thyroid nodule. On learning of the possible homoeocure he left the hospital and was actually cured with Calc carb. The prolapse uterus in the third stage advised Thomson correction was rectified homoeopathically Lilium Trig. Several cases of renal stone and of viral hepatitis with jaundice were also homoeo-treated; the Australia antigen test undertaken in one case became negative after homoeotreatment. A case with confirmed diagnosis of active Idiopathic Ulcerative Procto-Colitis with ulcers in rectum and sigmoid colon and having passed blood with stools for years was cured with Phos and Merc. Earlier his sister had died in 1983 of ulcerative colitis and his family had given up hopes for his survival. Among several cases of asthma the most challenging was that of a young girl who had suffered for a decade with asthma, hives and remittent fever, occasionally spending the whole nights sitting. When Wysolone and Asthaline did not give adequate relief her treating allopathic physician sent her to me and she was cured with Ars, Ipec and Sepia. Potencies used for these homoeocures were 30c, 200c and 1000c, all far beyond the Avogadro's limit of 12c. But in my latest view (ref. 20) the 15c followed, if and when required
to change the potency, by (14c 16c) mixture suffice for clinical use, unnecessitating all other potencies. Presently clinical drug trials on these lines are under way at multiple centres with Ars, Bell, Bry, Calc, Rhus and Sulph.
These my few but convincing personal observations corroborate the overwhelmingly huge mass of persuasive evidence collected by innumerable, better homoeopaths than me, all over the world during the past over two centuries that homoeomedicines do cure even in high potencies with no molecule of the original drug in them. Clearly some molecules of diluent medium (lactose, water, ethanol) act curatively, suggesting a new scientific phenomenon bypassing the Avogadro's law. Really informative were the controlled animal experiments on Alloxan induced diabetes in rats and DMBA (Dimethyl-benz-anthracine) induced toxicity and cancer in mice. The dynamized 30c potency of the disease-causing chemical was curative but undynamized simple dilution of the same extent had no effect. These observations were confirmed by ref. 8. For preparing the 30c potency the mixture was vigorously agitated at each of 30 steps of 100 fold dilution but in simple dilutions the agitations were omitted. The mechanical dynamization processes of trituration or succussion at each step of dilution, which are unique only to Homoeopathy and not yet explored by "sciences", induce the diluent molecules (lactose, water, ethanol) to acquire and later mimic the chemical specificity of the original drug molecule so as to themselves act as the therapeutic agent. So, the homoeodose is not "micro placebo" but contains plenty of medicinally active
diluent molecules, removing for good the perennial conceptual impasse created by the Avogadro's law. Modern Physics recognizes the induction of magnetism and electric charge but not of the chemical specificity of one molecule into another which underlies the process of homoeopotentization.
The new science of Inductive Chemistry envisages studying the mechanism of preparation and properties of the 'induced molecules'. The other two new sciences of Xenobiology and Inductoxenopathy are elucidated elsewhere to explain the basis and operation of the Law of Similars etc.
All sciences are based on the real facts of observation and their theoretical explanation. If and when there is a conflict between theory and observation the former is revised to describe the latter faithfully. But if
the theory is so well established that the new observations seem anomalous the latter are again repeated in a different setting. If even then the observations get strengthened, there is a need for a deeper re-evaluation to discover new scientific phenomenon, which bypasses and yet is consistent with the old theory. This is exactly the challenge thrown up by the curative action of high potency homoeodrugs. The underlying new phenomenon is the induction of chemical specificity of the solute drug molecules into the molecules of solvent medium via dynamization processes. The modern sciences do not provide for it and hence will be enriched by recognizing and investigating it further. Revision of the physical basis of the 'chemical
specificity' of a molecule becomes necessary, however.
The chemical and biochemical discriminatory mechanisms recognize a molecule in two steps: first, of physical bonding via complementary 3-dimensional structures and second, of exchanging the energy dE
specifically characteristic of the recognizer-recognizee pair. The first step exercises a negative recognition and the second constitutes the positive recognition. The first step can be definite only to tell that the
molecule not binding to the receptor for A is not the molecule A. But the second step identifies A positively via the chemically exchanged energy dE, which is uniquely specific of the molecule A. If the molecule B is induced to carry the exchangeable energy of A, the discriminatory machinery is fooled to treat B as A, as here.
The molecules of lactose, water and ethanol have only -OH group in common. The oxygen atom in the -OH group, due to sp3 hybridization, has four equivalent valency orbitals. Two of these have bond pair electrons and the other two unshared lone pair electrons. The latter having no definite higher energy levels, can be raised, in small steps, to any desired energy level and hence play the basic role here. The organic solvent DMSO (Dimethyl-Sulphoxide) has lone pair electrons but no -OH group and does not serve as a diluent medium (ref. 21), emphasizing the role of the lone pair electrons of the -OH groups.
During forceful triturations and impacted succussions the outermost electron shell of the solute drug molecules comes repeatedly in close proximity with those of the diluent molecules. This induces resonant promotion of the lone pair electrons of the diluent -OH groups, in small steps, to energy levels of the chemically active electrons of drug molecules. The diluent molecules thus acquire the chemically exchangeable energy and hence the chemical specificity of the drug molecule to get "potentized" with the drug. During serial dilutions of potency preparation the original drug molecules get eliminated and the diluent molecules resonantly promoted by them take over the resonant promotion of the unpromoted diluent molecules. These considerations have experimental support (ref. 12, 13).
Smith & Boericke (ref.12) studied the CH3-, CH2- and -OH peaks in the Nuclear Magnetic Resonance spectra of ethanol, unsuccussed and succussed dilutions of sulphur in ethanol. Only the -OH peak of only the succussed potency spreads and reduces in area under the curve. No modern science can explain this observation which in our theory however, follows from the resonant promotion of lone pair electrons of -OH groups in the potentized ethanol.
The Laser Raman Spectral peak (ref. 13) of diluent alcohol disappears in succussed dilution of Potassium Dichromate and reduces in height in that of Ammonium Nitrate but a new peak of the solute appears in both cases. These results cannot be explained by modern sciences, but follow easily from the resonant promotion of the lone pair electrons of -OH groups of the potentized alcohol.
When a causative xenobiotic X' affects a strategic biomoleule M a molecular disease complex MX' is formed which alters the rates and/or routes of the basic biochemical reactions leading to some iochemical, biopotential and tissue changes and altered feelings and sensations. The allopathic treatments deal with these results and effects of disease leaving MX' alone. Attempts are made to keep the vital parameters only within the "normal range" since their normal value for the particular patient cannot be known.
Progressing basic disease requires gradually increasing dose creating side effects. Big molecules of allopathic drugs and low homoeopotencies in lactose cannot, but high potencies in ethanol can, cross the lipid and water channels in biological membranes to act inside and produce profound effects.
On this is based homoeopaths' belief that higher potency is more powerful. This is also why Homoeopathy, even in my own hands as mentioned above, could cure some cases not amenable to Allopathy. An adherent of the modern Scientific Medicine has to actually experience and (re)think to believe, like me, in the advantages of Homoeopathy over Allopathy. For instance, the recent large scale slaughter of animals with 'foot & mouth' disease in U.K. and Europe could be minimized if Homoeopathy were allowed its due role.
The symptom totality of a disease, in fact, indicates the total biological response of the healthy subject in the patient to the causative xenobiotic, as studied by the new science of Xenobiology. It has two components: activation of the defence mechanisms against the antigenic determinants on the xenobiotic molecule and the pathophysiology of the affected biomolecules, cells, tissues & organs. The potentized homoeomedicine Dx, prepared by resonantly promoting the diluent molecules D with the crude drug molecules X, contains a mixture of diluent molecules resonantly promoted with the antigenic and pathogenic determinants of X. The xenobiotic X', crude drug X and the homoeopotency Dx, carry similar chemically exchangeable energies and chemical specificities, hence elicit similar symptom totality. The homoeocure has two pronged effect: one of stimulating the immune response (aggravating some symptoms), and second of dislodging X' from the disease complex MX' formed with the biomolecule M (ameliorating some symptoms), through competitive chemical exchanges :
MX' Dx < > MD x X'
MD x < > M D x
X' is
biodegraded/ bioeliminated
D x is depromoted to D , the
diluent molecule D is metabolized .
Competitive chemical exchanges between the pathogenic and curative
xenobiotics are thus basic to the homoeopathic drug action on the Law of
Similars. For this, the tiny amount of homoeomedicine as potentized ethanol
adsorbed/absorbed and retained for long via hydrogen bonds on sugar pills is
sufficient. For an 'incurable disease' this chemical exchange fails. Wurmser
(ref. 15) found that dynamized potencies of Arsenic and Bismuth increased
their elimination from animal tissues. I have treated a case each of
Arsenic toxicity with Arsenic album 200c, Opium toxicity with Opium 1M and
Belladonna toxicity with Bell 10M. The control of Alloxan induced diabetes
in rats with 30c Alloxan and of DMBA toxicity in mice with 30c DMBA,
presented above, are also supportive. The new science of Inductoxenopathy
envisages use of induced xenobiotics as medicines according to the Law of
Similars. Immunisation operates via the mediation of specific antibodies and as such is different from Homoeopathy.
Allopathy like Ayurved, as against Homoeopathy, operates on the 'Principle
of Opposites'. For instance digitalis, knwon for lowering the heart rate, is
given in large doses to control 'tachy cardia' (high heart rate) but is a
homoeomedicine for 'brady cardia' (low heart rate). Since the
allopathic/ayurvedic and homoeopathic medicines differ in their planes and
modes of action, the two can go together with advantage to the patient. A
judicious combination of Allopathy/Ayurved, Surgery, Homoeopathy and Yoga
offers a new Unified Therapeutics 'Navayurveda', the new Ayurved, to realize
the Holistic Health "connoting harmonious normalcy at all the four planes
of personality manifestation: social, physical, mental, supramental". Here
allopathic drug, as in emergencies, homoeopathic aggravations and advanced
stages of disease, keeps the symptoms within tolerance of the patient while
homoeomedicine effects the basic cure. The patient does not stop allopathic
drug suddenly before or on starting the homoeotreatment but tapers it off
with the progress of homoeocure and increasing relief.
According to World Health Organization "Health is a state of complete
physical, mental and social well-being and not merely an absence of disease
or infirmity". Here 'absence of disease is NOT health'. This internal
inconsistency or self contradiction arises because for diagnosis under the
Scientific Medicine a disease has to be advanced enough to create laboratory
detectable biochemical abnormalities and/or biopotential variations and/or
pathologic tissue changes out side the "normal range", since there is no way
of ascertaining the normal value of the diagnostic parameter for the
particular patient. In the pre- or sub-clinical stage, the clinical
laboratories report N.A.D. (no abnormality detected or no appreciable
disease) but the patient suffers some subjective/mental and physical
symptoms on which a curative homoeomedicine can be given to nip or abort the
disease. Therefore, Homoeopathy can and does serve as an effective
Preventive Community Medicine for preventing diseases from progressing to
advanced dangerous stages.
The other deficiency in WHO's definition is that it does not recognize the
existence or achievability of the "supra mental health". However the Yoga
practices of pranayam (breath control) and dhyan (meditation) have been
shown, as in my own experience, to induce the rare abilities like intuition,
self control on thought, assuming alpha and theta brain states at will, etc.
Homoeopathy and Yoga help attenuate anxiety and other psychological
components of disease.
Homoeopathy has always been and still is beyond the contemporary sciences
but provides the bases, and needs recognition, of three new sciences:
Inductive Chemistry, Xenobiology & Inductoxenopathy. It has vast
therapeutic potentials, both curative and preventive, yet is cheap and free
from the side effects of Allopathy. It is NOT a "Quackery" or "Ultimate
Fake", but the main (not mere alternative) Medicine of the new
century/millennium. An open minded approach, keeping the general well-being
upper most, is needed to develop Navayurveda based Medical Education and
Health Care Delivery System.
Homoeopathy: Personal Experiences & Views
(6 March text revised 17 October 2001)
Copyright by the author Prof. Dr. Rati Ram Sharma- all rights reserved.
My attention had been drawn to the two critical web sites: "Homeopathy: The Ultimate Fake", quackwatch.com/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/homeo.html by Stephen Barrett and "Homeopathy-a critique", lysator.liu.se/~rasmus/skepticism/homeopathy.html by Rasmus Jansson. Since the main concern of these authors, in my opinion, was 'general well-being' I hoped they would gladly put my briefly described experiences & views (6 March text) on their web sites. A copy was emailed to Dr. Sahni, Mumbai who put it on the web site homoeopathyclinic.com under 'articles/research papers' Jansson also put it on the web site: lysator.liu.se/~rasmus/skepticism/sharma.html. The Journal of Homoeopathy of Northern India published it in its 5 (1) Jan-March 2001 issue on pages 4-9. Barrett did not even acknowledge receipt of the article emailed on 6th March and on 28 August said he does not post "nonsense" on his web site. He has the support of, among others: (a) The Executive Director of the American Physical Society, which publishes several top class research journals of Physics. (b) The former Commissioner of the american Federal Drug Administration (FDA), who did not ban the homoeodrugs only because he was not sure of the Congress support. (c) Fortytwo prominant "critics of quackery & pseuduscience", who have petitioned the FDA against Homoeopathy.They all hold that homoeoremedies being "placebo" do not work and hence should be banned. In fact, Barrett, his group and such other "adherents of Scientific Medicine (Allopathy)" are where I was till mid 1960s. They all, like me, can take a U-turn to support Homoeopathy if they read my this article and the book Molecular Homoeopathy carefully. But the real change in their attitude will start if and when they themselves experience the advantage of Homoeopathy over Allopathy. In this article I answer some frequently asked questions, doubts and misconceptions about Homoeopathy.
According to Avogadro's law a gram-mole of a compound contains 6.02x1023 molecules. Therefore, "homoeopathic potencies of 12c centesimal or 24X decimal and higher, do not contain any molecule of the original drug and hence are placebos", is the perpetual criticism of Homoeopathy. The authors of the above two websites are not the first or alone to raise it. In future also it will be repeated if the "scientists" continue to ignore the underlying new scientific phenomena crying for recognition to enrich the sciences.
I, like any others knowing the Avogadro's law, used to discard and disregard Homoeopathy till mid 1960s when a homoeopath 'cured' my wife's eczema not amenable to Allopathy. This aroused my scientific curiosity to see these medicines act in my own hands and to explain the basic mechanisms within the framework of modern sciences. I studied widely, took a correspondence course and started treating my self, family members, associates and friends. After twelve years of hard work and thought I concluded, in the sick bed for jaundice, that Homoeopathy's art is valid but its science is nebulous. Some new concepts, phenomena, nay Sciences are needed to elucidate the science of Homoeopathy. This marked my search's end in one direction and beginning in another, culminating in the 1984-book 'Molecular Homoeopathy' / (Molecular Biophysics of the "Micro" Dose) and four dozen publications to date. Presently I am working on the new book "Scientific Homoeopathy / (The Rational Medicine)"
How to establish the efficacy of the homoeomedicines, is the big question. I first thought of the 'Double Blind Drug Trials' (DBDT) wherein both the doctor and the patient remain "blind" or unaware whether the given dose is active medicine or a similar looking inert placebo, and which every allopathic drug has to satisfy before coming to the market for public prescription. However, I found DBDT inapplicable to Homoeopathy mainly because patients with the same pathology cannot be randomized into two groups for treatment with active homoeomedicine and placebo. Because different patients usually have different symptom-totality, calling for different homoeomedicines. And the homoeophysician cannot remain "blind" but must know total symptoms before and after every dose of the known medicine to ensure that the cure is progressing according to the Herring's laws, the last symptoms are disappearing first, and medicines & dose frequency adjusted to the changing need.
I therefore got interested in those well worked out and firmly diagnosed cases, which served their own controls. These, for the Modern Scientific Medicine are: (a) incurable/fatal, (b) difficult-to-cure even with long, some times life long, medication, (c) requiring surgery, (d) viral infections where Allopathy offers nothing, (e) baby/child diseases where placebo does not work.
The cases of Indian Childhood Cirrhosis were diagnosed on liver biopsy, liver function tests, clinical history and physical examination. And were discharged from the referral hospital with hopeless prognosis, a week or ten days' short survival and with a whisper advice to take the child quick lest he should die on the way. But all showed definite signs of improvement within three days of the start of homoeopathic treatment with Ars, Phos etc. Since ICC is known to occur with a high frequency in the siblings, it is
interesting to report that the prophylactic treatment of the mother during pregnancy and then of the child after birth succeeded in three couples, one of whom had earlier lost five sons to ICC. President Radhakrishnan's ADC, who had suffered migraine for over 20 years and resigned in disgust when he did not get relief even with the treatments in Germany & U.K., was cured with Homoeopathy. A number of cases with confirmed diagnosis of psoriasis were homoeotreated satisfactorily. The MD in Pharmacology and Dean of Dharwar Medical College in Karnataka, after reading Molecular Homoeopathy (ref.1) came all the way by air for treatment of psoriasis and experienced relief within an hour of the homoeodose of Psor and "euphoria" on overnight crust shedding. An army Colonel had to fly in non-pressurized aircrafts during 1947-48 Indo-Pak war and developed labyrinth vertigo. Ever since he suffered giddiness & reeling sensation whenever he laid down in bed, turned on side or bent down. A number of E.N.T. experts were consulted and all sorts of tests were done without relief. He took homoeomedicine Nat. Sulph. From me in August 1974 on a Friday and did head-stand on Sunday. A four year girl child was treated in the advance institute of Scientific Medicine for acute Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura in 1993 with 2mg/Kg body weight prednisolone and later with 9 gm/day for 5 days immunoglobulin Ig G, then with Chinese medicine. In April 1997 she again had an acute episode, with platelet count <5000/mm3. The ITP is so serious a disease that a patient can internally bleed and collapse while talking! The homoeo-treatment with Lach raised the platelet count gradually from <5000 through <10000 on third day and then 33000, 79000 to 120000 tested weekly, rising later to 140000. The second case of ITP had platelet count <5000 five days after receiving 1500 mg prednisolone over 3 days in a referral Institute (PGI, Chandigarh). But showed a better response to homoeotreatment with Lach starting 1 September 2001. The platelet count rose to 14000, 25000, 1.3 lac and 3.39 lac after 4, 10, 24 and 45 days' treatment. A teacher in our Nursing College lost her fianc in the 1971 Indo-Pak war and developed Thyrotoxicosis complicated with Exophthalmos and Amenorrhea. The treating endocrinologist advised her to learn to live with it. But after homoeocure with Thyroidinum she married and had two children. Out of the several cases of arthritis and spondylosis the most striking one was that of general spondylosis threatening extremities and requiring urgent surgery. The homoeocure with Rhus and Calc carb gave her permanent relief. A senior executive was admitted for surgical removal of a solitary thyroid nodule. On learning of the possible homoeocure he left the hospital and was actually cured with Calc carb. The prolapse uterus in the third stage advised Thomson correction was rectified homoeopathically Lilium Trig. Several cases of renal stone and of viral hepatitis with jaundice were also homoeo-treated; the Australia antigen test undertaken in one case became negative after homoeotreatment. A case with confirmed diagnosis of active Idiopathic Ulcerative Procto-Colitis with ulcers in rectum and sigmoid colon and having passed blood with stools for years was cured with Phos and Merc. Earlier his sister had died in 1983 of ulcerative colitis and his family had given up hopes for his survival. Among several cases of asthma the most challenging was that of a young girl who had suffered for a decade with asthma, hives and remittent fever, occasionally spending the whole nights sitting. When Wysolone and Asthaline did not give adequate relief her treating allopathic physician sent her to me and she was cured with Ars, Ipec and Sepia. Potencies used for these homoeocures were 30c, 200c and 1000c, all far beyond the Avogadro's limit of 12c. But in my latest view (ref. 20) the 15c followed, if and when required
to change the potency, by (14c 16c) mixture suffice for clinical use, unnecessitating all other potencies. Presently clinical drug trials on these lines are under way at multiple centres with Ars, Bell, Bry, Calc, Rhus and Sulph.
These my few but convincing personal observations corroborate the overwhelmingly huge mass of persuasive evidence collected by innumerable, better homoeopaths than me, all over the world during the past over two centuries that homoeomedicines do cure even in high potencies with no molecule of the original drug in them. Clearly some molecules of diluent medium (lactose, water, ethanol) act curatively, suggesting a new scientific phenomenon bypassing the Avogadro's law. Really informative were the controlled animal experiments on Alloxan induced diabetes in rats and DMBA (Dimethyl-benz-anthracine) induced toxicity and cancer in mice. The dynamized 30c potency of the disease-causing chemical was curative but undynamized simple dilution of the same extent had no effect. These observations were confirmed by ref. 8. For preparing the 30c potency the mixture was vigorously agitated at each of 30 steps of 100 fold dilution but in simple dilutions the agitations were omitted. The mechanical dynamization processes of trituration or succussion at each step of dilution, which are unique only to Homoeopathy and not yet explored by "sciences", induce the diluent molecules (lactose, water, ethanol) to acquire and later mimic the chemical specificity of the original drug molecule so as to themselves act as the therapeutic agent. So, the homoeodose is not "micro placebo" but contains plenty of medicinally active
diluent molecules, removing for good the perennial conceptual impasse created by the Avogadro's law. Modern Physics recognizes the induction of magnetism and electric charge but not of the chemical specificity of one molecule into another which underlies the process of homoeopotentization.
The new science of Inductive Chemistry envisages studying the mechanism of preparation and properties of the 'induced molecules'. The other two new sciences of Xenobiology and Inductoxenopathy are elucidated elsewhere to explain the basis and operation of the Law of Similars etc.
All sciences are based on the real facts of observation and their theoretical explanation. If and when there is a conflict between theory and observation the former is revised to describe the latter faithfully. But if
the theory is so well established that the new observations seem anomalous the latter are again repeated in a different setting. If even then the observations get strengthened, there is a need for a deeper re-evaluation to discover new scientific phenomenon, which bypasses and yet is consistent with the old theory. This is exactly the challenge thrown up by the curative action of high potency homoeodrugs. The underlying new phenomenon is the induction of chemical specificity of the solute drug molecules into the molecules of solvent medium via dynamization processes. The modern sciences do not provide for it and hence will be enriched by recognizing and investigating it further. Revision of the physical basis of the 'chemical
specificity' of a molecule becomes necessary, however.
The chemical and biochemical discriminatory mechanisms recognize a molecule in two steps: first, of physical bonding via complementary 3-dimensional structures and second, of exchanging the energy dE
specifically characteristic of the recognizer-recognizee pair. The first step exercises a negative recognition and the second constitutes the positive recognition. The first step can be definite only to tell that the
molecule not binding to the receptor for A is not the molecule A. But the second step identifies A positively via the chemically exchanged energy dE, which is uniquely specific of the molecule A. If the molecule B is induced to carry the exchangeable energy of A, the discriminatory machinery is fooled to treat B as A, as here.
The molecules of lactose, water and ethanol have only -OH group in common. The oxygen atom in the -OH group, due to sp3 hybridization, has four equivalent valency orbitals. Two of these have bond pair electrons and the other two unshared lone pair electrons. The latter having no definite higher energy levels, can be raised, in small steps, to any desired energy level and hence play the basic role here. The organic solvent DMSO (Dimethyl-Sulphoxide) has lone pair electrons but no -OH group and does not serve as a diluent medium (ref. 21), emphasizing the role of the lone pair electrons of the -OH groups.
During forceful triturations and impacted succussions the outermost electron shell of the solute drug molecules comes repeatedly in close proximity with those of the diluent molecules. This induces resonant promotion of the lone pair electrons of the diluent -OH groups, in small steps, to energy levels of the chemically active electrons of drug molecules. The diluent molecules thus acquire the chemically exchangeable energy and hence the chemical specificity of the drug molecule to get "potentized" with the drug. During serial dilutions of potency preparation the original drug molecules get eliminated and the diluent molecules resonantly promoted by them take over the resonant promotion of the unpromoted diluent molecules. These considerations have experimental support (ref. 12, 13).
Smith & Boericke (ref.12) studied the CH3-, CH2- and -OH peaks in the Nuclear Magnetic Resonance spectra of ethanol, unsuccussed and succussed dilutions of sulphur in ethanol. Only the -OH peak of only the succussed potency spreads and reduces in area under the curve. No modern science can explain this observation which in our theory however, follows from the resonant promotion of lone pair electrons of -OH groups in the potentized ethanol.
The Laser Raman Spectral peak (ref. 13) of diluent alcohol disappears in succussed dilution of Potassium Dichromate and reduces in height in that of Ammonium Nitrate but a new peak of the solute appears in both cases. These results cannot be explained by modern sciences, but follow easily from the resonant promotion of the lone pair electrons of -OH groups of the potentized alcohol.
When a causative xenobiotic X' affects a strategic biomoleule M a molecular disease complex MX' is formed which alters the rates and/or routes of the basic biochemical reactions leading to some iochemical, biopotential and tissue changes and altered feelings and sensations. The allopathic treatments deal with these results and effects of disease leaving MX' alone. Attempts are made to keep the vital parameters only within the "normal range" since their normal value for the particular patient cannot be known.
Progressing basic disease requires gradually increasing dose creating side effects. Big molecules of allopathic drugs and low homoeopotencies in lactose cannot, but high potencies in ethanol can, cross the lipid and water channels in biological membranes to act inside and produce profound effects.
On this is based homoeopaths' belief that higher potency is more powerful. This is also why Homoeopathy, even in my own hands as mentioned above, could cure some cases not amenable to Allopathy. An adherent of the modern Scientific Medicine has to actually experience and (re)think to believe, like me, in the advantages of Homoeopathy over Allopathy. For instance, the recent large scale slaughter of animals with 'foot & mouth' disease in U.K. and Europe could be minimized if Homoeopathy were allowed its due role.
The symptom totality of a disease, in fact, indicates the total biological response of the healthy subject in the patient to the causative xenobiotic, as studied by the new science of Xenobiology. It has two components: activation of the defence mechanisms against the antigenic determinants on the xenobiotic molecule and the pathophysiology of the affected biomolecules, cells, tissues & organs. The potentized homoeomedicine Dx, prepared by resonantly promoting the diluent molecules D with the crude drug molecules X, contains a mixture of diluent molecules resonantly promoted with the antigenic and pathogenic determinants of X. The xenobiotic X', crude drug X and the homoeopotency Dx, carry similar chemically exchangeable energies and chemical specificities, hence elicit similar symptom totality. The homoeocure has two pronged effect: one of stimulating the immune response (aggravating some symptoms), and second of dislodging X' from the disease complex MX' formed with the biomolecule M (ameliorating some symptoms), through competitive chemical exchanges :
MX' Dx < > MD x X'
MD x < > M D x
X' is
biodegraded/ bioeliminated
D x is depromoted to D , the
diluent molecule D is metabolized .
Competitive chemical exchanges between the pathogenic and curative
xenobiotics are thus basic to the homoeopathic drug action on the Law of
Similars. For this, the tiny amount of homoeomedicine as potentized ethanol
adsorbed/absorbed and retained for long via hydrogen bonds on sugar pills is
sufficient. For an 'incurable disease' this chemical exchange fails. Wurmser
(ref. 15) found that dynamized potencies of Arsenic and Bismuth increased
their elimination from animal tissues. I have treated a case each of
Arsenic toxicity with Arsenic album 200c, Opium toxicity with Opium 1M and
Belladonna toxicity with Bell 10M. The control of Alloxan induced diabetes
in rats with 30c Alloxan and of DMBA toxicity in mice with 30c DMBA,
presented above, are also supportive. The new science of Inductoxenopathy
envisages use of induced xenobiotics as medicines according to the Law of
Similars. Immunisation operates via the mediation of specific antibodies and as such is different from Homoeopathy.
Allopathy like Ayurved, as against Homoeopathy, operates on the 'Principle
of Opposites'. For instance digitalis, knwon for lowering the heart rate, is
given in large doses to control 'tachy cardia' (high heart rate) but is a
homoeomedicine for 'brady cardia' (low heart rate). Since the
allopathic/ayurvedic and homoeopathic medicines differ in their planes and
modes of action, the two can go together with advantage to the patient. A
judicious combination of Allopathy/Ayurved, Surgery, Homoeopathy and Yoga
offers a new Unified Therapeutics 'Navayurveda', the new Ayurved, to realize
the Holistic Health "connoting harmonious normalcy at all the four planes
of personality manifestation: social, physical, mental, supramental". Here
allopathic drug, as in emergencies, homoeopathic aggravations and advanced
stages of disease, keeps the symptoms within tolerance of the patient while
homoeomedicine effects the basic cure. The patient does not stop allopathic
drug suddenly before or on starting the homoeotreatment but tapers it off
with the progress of homoeocure and increasing relief.
According to World Health Organization "Health is a state of complete
physical, mental and social well-being and not merely an absence of disease
or infirmity". Here 'absence of disease is NOT health'. This internal
inconsistency or self contradiction arises because for diagnosis under the
Scientific Medicine a disease has to be advanced enough to create laboratory
detectable biochemical abnormalities and/or biopotential variations and/or
pathologic tissue changes out side the "normal range", since there is no way
of ascertaining the normal value of the diagnostic parameter for the
particular patient. In the pre- or sub-clinical stage, the clinical
laboratories report N.A.D. (no abnormality detected or no appreciable
disease) but the patient suffers some subjective/mental and physical
symptoms on which a curative homoeomedicine can be given to nip or abort the
disease. Therefore, Homoeopathy can and does serve as an effective
Preventive Community Medicine for preventing diseases from progressing to
advanced dangerous stages.
The other deficiency in WHO's definition is that it does not recognize the
existence or achievability of the "supra mental health". However the Yoga
practices of pranayam (breath control) and dhyan (meditation) have been
shown, as in my own experience, to induce the rare abilities like intuition,
self control on thought, assuming alpha and theta brain states at will, etc.
Homoeopathy and Yoga help attenuate anxiety and other psychological
components of disease.
Homoeopathy has always been and still is beyond the contemporary sciences
but provides the bases, and needs recognition, of three new sciences:
Inductive Chemistry, Xenobiology & Inductoxenopathy. It has vast
therapeutic potentials, both curative and preventive, yet is cheap and free
from the side effects of Allopathy. It is NOT a "Quackery" or "Ultimate
Fake", but the main (not mere alternative) Medicine of the new
century/millennium. An open minded approach, keeping the general well-being
upper most, is needed to develop Navayurveda based Medical Education and
Health Care Delivery System.
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Evidence of clinical efficacy of homeopathy A meta-analysis of clinical trials
M. Cucherat1, M. C. Haugh1, M. Gooch2, J. -P. Boissel1 and for the HMRAG group
(1) Department of Clinical Pharmacology, Hospitals of Lyon and University Claude Bernard, Faculté RTH Laennec, BP 8071, F-69376 Lyon, France e-mail: mcu@upcl.univ-lyonl.fr Tel.: +33-478-785757; Fax: +33-478-776917, FR
(2) Academic Departments, Glasgow Homeopathic Hospital, Glasgow, Scotland, UK, GB
Abstract
Objective: To establish, using a systematic review and meta-analysis, whether there is any evidence from randomised controlled clinical trials of the efficacy of homeopathic treatment in patients with any disease.
Data sources: Published and unpublished reports of controlled clinical trials available up to June 1998, identified by searching bibliographic databases (Medline, Embase, Biosis, PsychInfo, Cinahl, British Library Stock Alert Service, SIGLE, Amed), references lists of selected papers, hand searching homeopathic journals and conference abstracts, and contacting pharmaceutical companies.
Trials selection: Trials were selected using an unblinded process by two reviewers. The selection criteria were randomised, controlled trials in which the efficacy of homeopathic treatment was assessed relative to placebo in patients using clinical or surrogate endpoints. Prevention trials or those evaluating only biological effects were excluded. One hundred and eighteen randomised trials were identified and evaluated for inclusion. Sixteen trials, representing 17 comparisons and including a total of 2617 evaluated patients, fulfilled the inclusion criteria.
Data extraction: Data were extracted by two reviewers independently, using a summary form. Disagreements were resolved by a third person.
Data synthesis: The evidence was synthesised by combining the significance levels (P values) for the primary outcomes from the individual trials. The combined P value for the 17 comparisons was highly significant P=0.000036. However, sensitivity analysis showed that the P value tended towards a non-significant value (P=0.08) as trials were excluded in a stepwise manner based on their level of quality.
Conclusions: There is some evidence that homeopathic treatments are more effective than placebo; however, the strength of this evidence is low because of the low methodological quality of the trials. Studies of high methodological quality were more likely to be negative than the lower quality studies. Further high quality studies are needed to confirm these results.
Key words Homeopathy - Meta-analysis - Randomised clinical trial
Received: 19 August 1999 / Accepted in revised form: 29 December 1999
(1) Department of Clinical Pharmacology, Hospitals of Lyon and University Claude Bernard, Faculté RTH Laennec, BP 8071, F-69376 Lyon, France e-mail: mcu@upcl.univ-lyonl.fr Tel.: +33-478-785757; Fax: +33-478-776917, FR
(2) Academic Departments, Glasgow Homeopathic Hospital, Glasgow, Scotland, UK, GB
Abstract
Objective: To establish, using a systematic review and meta-analysis, whether there is any evidence from randomised controlled clinical trials of the efficacy of homeopathic treatment in patients with any disease.
Data sources: Published and unpublished reports of controlled clinical trials available up to June 1998, identified by searching bibliographic databases (Medline, Embase, Biosis, PsychInfo, Cinahl, British Library Stock Alert Service, SIGLE, Amed), references lists of selected papers, hand searching homeopathic journals and conference abstracts, and contacting pharmaceutical companies.
Trials selection: Trials were selected using an unblinded process by two reviewers. The selection criteria were randomised, controlled trials in which the efficacy of homeopathic treatment was assessed relative to placebo in patients using clinical or surrogate endpoints. Prevention trials or those evaluating only biological effects were excluded. One hundred and eighteen randomised trials were identified and evaluated for inclusion. Sixteen trials, representing 17 comparisons and including a total of 2617 evaluated patients, fulfilled the inclusion criteria.
Data extraction: Data were extracted by two reviewers independently, using a summary form. Disagreements were resolved by a third person.
Data synthesis: The evidence was synthesised by combining the significance levels (P values) for the primary outcomes from the individual trials. The combined P value for the 17 comparisons was highly significant P=0.000036. However, sensitivity analysis showed that the P value tended towards a non-significant value (P=0.08) as trials were excluded in a stepwise manner based on their level of quality.
Conclusions: There is some evidence that homeopathic treatments are more effective than placebo; however, the strength of this evidence is low because of the low methodological quality of the trials. Studies of high methodological quality were more likely to be negative than the lower quality studies. Further high quality studies are needed to confirm these results.
Key words Homeopathy - Meta-analysis - Randomised clinical trial
Received: 19 August 1999 / Accepted in revised form: 29 December 1999
A meta-analysis of homeopathic treatment of pollinosis with Galphimia glauca
Wien Med Wochenschr. 1997;147(14):323-7.
[Article in German]
Lüdtke R, Wiesenauer M.
Institut für Medizinische Informationsverarbeitung, Tübingen, Deutschland. rainer.luedtke@uni-tuebingen.de
OBJECTIVE: 1) To assess the efficacy of homeopathic prepared Galphimia glauca compared to placebo in the treatment of pollinosis. 2) To estimate the corresponding overall success rate of Galphimia glauca. Meta-analysis of clinical trials.
STUDY SELECTION: 7 randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trials and 4 not placebo-controlled trials (1 randomized and controlled, 1 prospective uncontrolled, 2 retrospective uncontrolled) performed by our study group between 1980 and 1989. An additional MEDLINE search revealed no further trials on this topic. Exclusion and inclusion criteria were identical over all trials. In total, 1038 ambulatory patients that suffered from acute pollinosis (752 in placebo-controlled trials) entered the analysis.
MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Relative frequency and relative risk for showing noticeable and soothing relief in ocular symptoms as assessed by the patient. The overall rate of improved eye-symptoms is about 1.25 (CI: 1.09 to 1.43) times higher in the verum than in the placebo group. Verum success rate is estimated by 79.3% (CI: 74.1% to 85.0%). Across the single studies the results were highly comparable except for the study run in 1985. A significant superiority of Galphimia glauca over placebo is demonstrated. Estimates of verum success rates are comparable with those of conventional antihistaminics, but no side effects occurred. As not all of the single studies were analyzed by intention to treat analysis the results may be biased.
PMID: 9381725 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
[Article in German]
Lüdtke R, Wiesenauer M.
Institut für Medizinische Informationsverarbeitung, Tübingen, Deutschland. rainer.luedtke@uni-tuebingen.de
OBJECTIVE: 1) To assess the efficacy of homeopathic prepared Galphimia glauca compared to placebo in the treatment of pollinosis. 2) To estimate the corresponding overall success rate of Galphimia glauca. Meta-analysis of clinical trials.
STUDY SELECTION: 7 randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trials and 4 not placebo-controlled trials (1 randomized and controlled, 1 prospective uncontrolled, 2 retrospective uncontrolled) performed by our study group between 1980 and 1989. An additional MEDLINE search revealed no further trials on this topic. Exclusion and inclusion criteria were identical over all trials. In total, 1038 ambulatory patients that suffered from acute pollinosis (752 in placebo-controlled trials) entered the analysis.
MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Relative frequency and relative risk for showing noticeable and soothing relief in ocular symptoms as assessed by the patient. The overall rate of improved eye-symptoms is about 1.25 (CI: 1.09 to 1.43) times higher in the verum than in the placebo group. Verum success rate is estimated by 79.3% (CI: 74.1% to 85.0%). Across the single studies the results were highly comparable except for the study run in 1985. A significant superiority of Galphimia glauca over placebo is demonstrated. Estimates of verum success rates are comparable with those of conventional antihistaminics, but no side effects occurred. As not all of the single studies were analyzed by intention to treat analysis the results may be biased.
PMID: 9381725 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
Homeopathic vs Conventional Treatment of Vertigo
A Randomized Double-blind Controlled Clinical Study
Michael Weiser, MBChB; Wolfgang Strösser, MD, MBChB; Peter Klein, MSc
Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 1998;124:879-885.
Objective To compare the efficacy and safety of a homeopathic remedy (Vertigoheel, Heel Inc, Albuquerque, NM) vs betahistine hydrochloride (active control) in the treatment of patients with vertigo of various origins in a confirmative equivalence trial.
Design Randomized (1:1) double-blind controlled clinical trial.
Setting Fifteen study centers (general practice) in Germany between November 1995 and November 1996.
Subjects A total of 119 patients with vertigo of various origins (from whom 105 patients could be analyzed as intended per protocol).
Main Outcome Measures Frequency, duration, and intensity of vertigo attacks.
Results Both homeopathic and conventional treatments showed a clinically relevant reduction in the mean frequency, duration, and intensity of the vertigo attacks. The therapeutic equivalence of the homeopathic remedy and betahistine was established statistically.
Conclusions Concerning the main efficacy variable, therapeutic equivalence between the homeopathic remedy and betahistine could be shown with statistical significance (confirmative analysis). Both remedies reduced the frequency, duration, and intensity of vertigo attacks during a 6-week treatment period. Also, vertigo-specific complaints were significantly reduced in both treatment groups.
From the Biologische Heilmittel Heel GmbH, Baden-Baden (Dr Weiser), Clinical Research and Pharma Consulting, Bergisch Gladbach (Dr Strösser), and Datenservice Eva Hönig GmbH, Rohrbach (Mr Klein), Germany.
http://archotol.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/124/8/879
Michael Weiser, MBChB; Wolfgang Strösser, MD, MBChB; Peter Klein, MSc
Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 1998;124:879-885.
Objective To compare the efficacy and safety of a homeopathic remedy (Vertigoheel, Heel Inc, Albuquerque, NM) vs betahistine hydrochloride (active control) in the treatment of patients with vertigo of various origins in a confirmative equivalence trial.
Design Randomized (1:1) double-blind controlled clinical trial.
Setting Fifteen study centers (general practice) in Germany between November 1995 and November 1996.
Subjects A total of 119 patients with vertigo of various origins (from whom 105 patients could be analyzed as intended per protocol).
Main Outcome Measures Frequency, duration, and intensity of vertigo attacks.
Results Both homeopathic and conventional treatments showed a clinically relevant reduction in the mean frequency, duration, and intensity of the vertigo attacks. The therapeutic equivalence of the homeopathic remedy and betahistine was established statistically.
Conclusions Concerning the main efficacy variable, therapeutic equivalence between the homeopathic remedy and betahistine could be shown with statistical significance (confirmative analysis). Both remedies reduced the frequency, duration, and intensity of vertigo attacks during a 6-week treatment period. Also, vertigo-specific complaints were significantly reduced in both treatment groups.
From the Biologische Heilmittel Heel GmbH, Baden-Baden (Dr Weiser), Clinical Research and Pharma Consulting, Bergisch Gladbach (Dr Strösser), and Datenservice Eva Hönig GmbH, Rohrbach (Mr Klein), Germany.
http://archotol.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/124/8/879
Friday, March 5, 2010
Dilution theory may answer homeopathy riddle
By John von Radowitz, Science Correspondent, PA News
Thursday, 8 November 2001.
Kurt Geckeler
A chance discovery could provide a scientific answer to the riddle of homeopathy, it has been disclosed. Two researchers have turned upside down the conventional view of what happens when a substance is progressively diluted in water.
Common sense says that dissolved molecules simply spread further apart as a solution is increasingly diluted.But the two chemists found that some do the opposite – clumping together, first as clusters of molecules, and then as bigger aggregates. Instead of drifting apart, the molecules become more compacted.
As well as stunning other scientists, the bizarre discovery may have a direct bearing on homeopathy.Homeopathic practitioners repeatedly dilute medications, believing this will make them more potent. Some homeopaths dilute to "infinity" until no molecules of the medicine remain. They believe that water holds a memory or "imprint" of the active ingredient which is more powerful than the ingredient itself.
Others use less dilute solutions, often diluting the remedy six–fold.The Korean findings may go some way towards explaining the great paradox of homeopathic medicine – that you can make a treatment more powerful by weakening its concentration.
German chemist Kurt Geckeler and his colleague Shashadhar Samal stumbled on their discovery while studying football–shaped molecules called fullerenes at the Kwangju Institute of Science and Technology in South Korea, New Scientist magazine reported last night.
They found that the molecules kept forming untidy aggregates in solution, and Geckeler asked Samal to look for ways to control the clumping.Geckeler said: "When he diluted the solution, the size of the fullerene particles increased. It was completely counter–intuitive."
Further experiments showed that the phenomenon was no fluke. The same effect was seen with a sugar–like molecule called cyclodextrin, the organic molecule guanosine monophosphate, DNA, and sodium chloride – common table salt.
Dilution made the molecules cluster into aggregates five to 10 times bigger than those in the original solutions.Growth depended on the concentration to start with. "The history of the solution is important," said Geckeler. "The more dilute it starts, the larger the aggregates."
The effect was only seen in "polar" solvents, such as water. Molecules dissolved in a polar solution have a pronounced positive charge at one end and a negative one at the other. This may be responsible for the clustering. In homeopathy, diluting a remedy may increase the size of particles until they become biologically active.
The results echo the controversial claims of French immunologist Jacques Benveniste who in 1988 claimed that a solution which had once contained antibodies still triggered an immune response.
Benveniste claimed the solution contained "imprints" in the water structure corresponding to where the antibodies had been. Peter Fisher, director of medical research at the Royal London Homeopathic Hospital, said: "It doesn't prove homeopathy, but it's congruent with what we think and is very encouraging.
"The whole idea of high–dilution homeopathy hangs on the idea that water has properties which are not understood. The fact that the new effect happens with a variety of substances suggests it's the solvent that's responsible. It's in line with what many homeopaths say, that you can only make homeopathic medicines in polar solvents."
Geckeler and Samal are now eager for other researchers to follow up their work.
"We want people to repeat it," said Geckeler. "If it's confirmed, it will be groundbreaking."
Thursday, 8 November 2001.
Kurt Geckeler
A chance discovery could provide a scientific answer to the riddle of homeopathy, it has been disclosed. Two researchers have turned upside down the conventional view of what happens when a substance is progressively diluted in water.
Common sense says that dissolved molecules simply spread further apart as a solution is increasingly diluted.But the two chemists found that some do the opposite – clumping together, first as clusters of molecules, and then as bigger aggregates. Instead of drifting apart, the molecules become more compacted.
As well as stunning other scientists, the bizarre discovery may have a direct bearing on homeopathy.Homeopathic practitioners repeatedly dilute medications, believing this will make them more potent. Some homeopaths dilute to "infinity" until no molecules of the medicine remain. They believe that water holds a memory or "imprint" of the active ingredient which is more powerful than the ingredient itself.
Others use less dilute solutions, often diluting the remedy six–fold.The Korean findings may go some way towards explaining the great paradox of homeopathic medicine – that you can make a treatment more powerful by weakening its concentration.
German chemist Kurt Geckeler and his colleague Shashadhar Samal stumbled on their discovery while studying football–shaped molecules called fullerenes at the Kwangju Institute of Science and Technology in South Korea, New Scientist magazine reported last night.
They found that the molecules kept forming untidy aggregates in solution, and Geckeler asked Samal to look for ways to control the clumping.Geckeler said: "When he diluted the solution, the size of the fullerene particles increased. It was completely counter–intuitive."
Further experiments showed that the phenomenon was no fluke. The same effect was seen with a sugar–like molecule called cyclodextrin, the organic molecule guanosine monophosphate, DNA, and sodium chloride – common table salt.
Dilution made the molecules cluster into aggregates five to 10 times bigger than those in the original solutions.Growth depended on the concentration to start with. "The history of the solution is important," said Geckeler. "The more dilute it starts, the larger the aggregates."
The effect was only seen in "polar" solvents, such as water. Molecules dissolved in a polar solution have a pronounced positive charge at one end and a negative one at the other. This may be responsible for the clustering. In homeopathy, diluting a remedy may increase the size of particles until they become biologically active.
The results echo the controversial claims of French immunologist Jacques Benveniste who in 1988 claimed that a solution which had once contained antibodies still triggered an immune response.
Benveniste claimed the solution contained "imprints" in the water structure corresponding to where the antibodies had been. Peter Fisher, director of medical research at the Royal London Homeopathic Hospital, said: "It doesn't prove homeopathy, but it's congruent with what we think and is very encouraging.
"The whole idea of high–dilution homeopathy hangs on the idea that water has properties which are not understood. The fact that the new effect happens with a variety of substances suggests it's the solvent that's responsible. It's in line with what many homeopaths say, that you can only make homeopathic medicines in polar solvents."
Geckeler and Samal are now eager for other researchers to follow up their work.
"We want people to repeat it," said Geckeler. "If it's confirmed, it will be groundbreaking."
Thursday, February 11, 2010
OBSERVATIONAL PROSPECTIVE STUDY OF HOMEOPATHIC TREATMENT IN PATIENTS WITH MIGRAINE, ATTENDING THE HEADACHE CLINIC OFNEUROLOGY DEPT
Observational prospective study
Cephalalgia, Journal of Hellenic Headache Association
Volume 13, Number 3, July-September 2006
by S.Kivellos , J.Papatriantafyllou , K.Papilas , G.Vithoulkas , K.Karagerorgiou
BACKGROUND AND AIMS. Homeopathy trials of migraine prevention have yielded inconclusive results, partly due to different practice among various schools. We performed an observational prospective study of classical homeopathy in patients attending the Cephalalgia Clinic.
METHODS. Forty-two consecutive patients who attended the clinic while one of the authors was available were assigned to receive homeopathic treatment, according to the principles recommended by the I.A.C.H. and G.Vithoulkas. Additional evaluation by a neurologist was performed at baseline, 6 and 12 months. Primary and secondary measures of migraine severity and impact on quality of life were recorded and analyzed.
RESULTS. Thirty-six patients opted only for homeopathic treatment until the completion of the study, aged (mean±SD) 34±12 years, with a baseline HIT-6 score of 65±4. Significant improvement was recorded at 6 months (HIT-6 48±8, P<0.0009 vs baseline, Wilcoxon signed ranks test), which was further established at 12 months (HIT-6 41.2±7, P<0.0009 vs 6-months).
Eighteen patients had been previously administered TCAs or antiepileptics for sufficient time without remarkable improvement. A difference in HIT-6 score between those ‘resistant’ to previous therapy and ‘new’ patients was found at six months (51.5±7 vs 44.5±7, respectively, P<0.01, Mann-Whitney test), but not at baseline (66±3.8 vs 64±4, respectively) or after 12 months (41.6±8 vs 40.6±5.3, respectively).
Migraine severity (VAS) decreaed by 72% and frequency by 81 % at 12 months (P<0.0001 for both comparisons vs baseline). Mood was consistently higher at 12 months (Verbal Analogue Scale, P<0.001). Observed potential adverse effects on all 42 patients were an initial ‘aggravation’ of migraine symptoms in 69%, recurrence of past medical diseases (e.g. infections, eczema) in 33%, temporary emotional instability in 59% of the patients.
CONCLUSION. These results compare favorably with other modalities of migraine treatment. Therefore, homeopathy, as applied in this context, warrants further research with appropriately designed RCTs.
Cephalalgia, Journal of Hellenic Headache Association
Volume 13, Number 3, July-September 2006
by S.Kivellos , J.Papatriantafyllou , K.Papilas , G.Vithoulkas , K.Karagerorgiou
BACKGROUND AND AIMS. Homeopathy trials of migraine prevention have yielded inconclusive results, partly due to different practice among various schools. We performed an observational prospective study of classical homeopathy in patients attending the Cephalalgia Clinic.
METHODS. Forty-two consecutive patients who attended the clinic while one of the authors was available were assigned to receive homeopathic treatment, according to the principles recommended by the I.A.C.H. and G.Vithoulkas. Additional evaluation by a neurologist was performed at baseline, 6 and 12 months. Primary and secondary measures of migraine severity and impact on quality of life were recorded and analyzed.
RESULTS. Thirty-six patients opted only for homeopathic treatment until the completion of the study, aged (mean±SD) 34±12 years, with a baseline HIT-6 score of 65±4. Significant improvement was recorded at 6 months (HIT-6 48±8, P<0.0009 vs baseline, Wilcoxon signed ranks test), which was further established at 12 months (HIT-6 41.2±7, P<0.0009 vs 6-months).
Eighteen patients had been previously administered TCAs or antiepileptics for sufficient time without remarkable improvement. A difference in HIT-6 score between those ‘resistant’ to previous therapy and ‘new’ patients was found at six months (51.5±7 vs 44.5±7, respectively, P<0.01, Mann-Whitney test), but not at baseline (66±3.8 vs 64±4, respectively) or after 12 months (41.6±8 vs 40.6±5.3, respectively).
Migraine severity (VAS) decreaed by 72% and frequency by 81 % at 12 months (P<0.0001 for both comparisons vs baseline). Mood was consistently higher at 12 months (Verbal Analogue Scale, P<0.001). Observed potential adverse effects on all 42 patients were an initial ‘aggravation’ of migraine symptoms in 69%, recurrence of past medical diseases (e.g. infections, eczema) in 33%, temporary emotional instability in 59% of the patients.
CONCLUSION. These results compare favorably with other modalities of migraine treatment. Therefore, homeopathy, as applied in this context, warrants further research with appropriately designed RCTs.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Anxiety Disorders and Homoeopathy
Mental health is a growing area of concern in our society and times. It needs to be understood and treated on an individual level. Every person is unique and has his life story full of joys, disappointments, and vicissitudes of life in some shape or form.
Homoeopathy is defined as a system of drug-therapeutics based on the law of similars. This law states that ‘a drug, acts as a curative agent when it is capable of producing in a healthy person a diseased-state exactly similar to that observed in a diseased person.’ As drug provings show that the actions of a drug manifest themselves on the body and the mind. So that, in every fully proved drug picture, there are corporeal symptoms along with alterations of thoughts, feelings, affections and intellect, memory etc.
The successful application of law of similars depends upon the concept of individualization and susceptible constitutions. The concept of individualization takes into consideration the total response of the organism to the unfavorable environment.
This unfavorable response is seen through signs and symptoms on three planes: Emotional, Intellectual and Physical, where the life force manifests itself.
On this emotional level arise anxiety, anger, anguish, irritability, fears, phobias, depression and many emotions.
Emotionally disturbed states tend to revolve around the issues of personal comfort, personal survival and personal expression.
Emotions as maintaining causes
When a patient has some harmful emotions, these emotions may act as maintaining causes for illness. The homoeopathic medicines boost the energy of a person to adapt with the energy of his own emotions and as a result to cope with varying types of environments.
The physician is the best person for this because the patient can talk freely with the physician. Also the physician can better understand the emotional problems and co-relate them better with the physical problems. The physician also has to evaluate that whether the anxiety is reasonable to circumstances or the patient is over-anxious.
General treatment of mental diseases
During Hahnemann`s time, mental asylums were usually run in connection with prisons. The mentally ill were crowded in close quarters with insufficient food, were chained, flogged and teased for the amusement of visitors. The physicians also abandoned them believing that insanity was contagious.
Hahnemann founded an asylum in Georgenthal where Duke Ernst of Gotha put one of the wings of his castle at Hahnemann`s disposal in 1792. He had only one patient Klockenbring from the beginning to the end. Klockenbring was cured of his illness. Hahnemann evolved a humane approach to mentally sick patients. He advocated unchaining of the mental patients. His principles for treatment of insane were new to the psychiatry of that time, but are today universally acknowledged as the chief factor in the treatment of insane. He introduced treatment to the mentally sick patient with kindness.
While describing his experience on the treatment of insane, he writes – “I never allow any insane person to be punished by blows or other painful corporeal inflictions, since there can be no punishment where there is no sense of responsibility, and since such patients only deserve our pity and cannot be improved, but must be rendered worse by such rough treatment.”
He further instructs the physicians attending the mental patients as – “The physician of such unfortunate creatures ought to behave so as to inspire them with respect and at the same time with confidence; he should never feel offended at what they do, for an irrational person can give no offence. The exhibition of their unreasonable anger should only excite his sympathy and stimulate his philanthropy to relieve their sad condition.”
Ahead of times, as Hahnemann was, he has coded some ethical approach to mental patients, which he describes in § 228 of the Organon.
Herein, in addition to Antipsoric treatment, he stresses upon psychotherapy with regulated mode of life and instructions for a good behaviour towards the patients by physician and attendants as:
▪ Raving madness should be met by calm fearlessness & firm resolution.
▪ Painfully disconsolate melancholy should be assuaged by silent compassion expressed
through gestures and looks.
▪ Loquacity should be listened to in silence.
▪ Indecent behaviour and obscene languages are to be totally ignored.
▪ In destructive mental tendencies, things should be kept out of reach
of the patient to prevent mischief.
▪ Absolute avoidance of torture and other corporeal punishments.
▪ All exciting factors, which may influence the mind of the patient,should be removed.
▪ Contradiction, arguments, rude correction etc. are to be avoided.
▪ The physician and the attendant should pretend to believe the patient in everything.
In the footnote to § 229, Hahnemann also recommends that the treatment of violent insane maniac and melancholic patients can take place only in an institution specially arranged for their treatment, but not within the family circle of the patient. He believed that the patient must be left alone and must not be excited or distracted by other people; as this hindered his recovery.
Hahnemann on mental diseases
Hahnemann describes mental diseases under One-sided diseases.
In §172 he writes, “A similar difficulty in the way of cure occurs from the symptoms of the disease being too few – a circumstance that deserves our careful attention, for by its removal almost all the difficulties that can lie in the way of this most perfect of all possible modes of treatment (except that its apparatus of known homoeopathic medicines is still incomplete) are removed.”
Mental diseases are one-sided diseases affecting the whole psychosomatic entity where the symptoms of derangement of mind and disposition are increased while the physical symptoms decline.
§ 210- 230
The § 210 to 230 of the Organon describe in detail different types of mental diseases and their treatment.
In §210, he attributes Psora as the cause of one-sided diseases and mental diseases are also a part of it. He stresses for psychic condition of the patient to be noted along with the totality of symptoms in order to treat these successfully with homoeopathic medicines.
In § 211, he stresses the importance of the psychic condition of the patient in selection of a remedy, putting them as characteristic symptoms and these cannot remain hidden from a careful physician.
In § 212, he highlights the fact that medicinal substances alter the mind and disposition of the provers during its proving and every medicine does so in a different manner.
In § 213, he advises to pay attention to mental symptoms even in acute cases and that unless the mental and emotional picture does not match with the remedy, positive results are not possible.
He explains this in the footnote of § 213 as “Thus Aconite will seldom or never effect either a rapid or permanent cure in a patient of a quiet, calm, equable disposition; and just as little will Nux vomica be serviceable where the disposition is mild and phlegmatic, Pulsatilla where it is happy, gay and obstinate, or Ignatia where it is imperturbable and disposed neither to be frightened nor vexed.”
In § 214, he starts to tell us that a patient with a mental-emotional disease must be perceived the same way as other patients i.e. with a remedy, a disease agent capable of producing in body and psyche of healthy people symptoms as similar as possible as those of the case.
In § 215, he specifies that most mental and emotional diseases are extensions of physical disease. So in the mental disease it starts on the physical level, and then slowly it progresses into the mental level until you have almost no more symptoms of the physical level and finally the disease transfers itself (almost like a local malady) to the invisibly subtle mental and emotional organs.
Homoeopathy is defined as a system of drug-therapeutics based on the law of similars. This law states that ‘a drug, acts as a curative agent when it is capable of producing in a healthy person a diseased-state exactly similar to that observed in a diseased person.’ As drug provings show that the actions of a drug manifest themselves on the body and the mind. So that, in every fully proved drug picture, there are corporeal symptoms along with alterations of thoughts, feelings, affections and intellect, memory etc.
The successful application of law of similars depends upon the concept of individualization and susceptible constitutions. The concept of individualization takes into consideration the total response of the organism to the unfavorable environment.
This unfavorable response is seen through signs and symptoms on three planes: Emotional, Intellectual and Physical, where the life force manifests itself.
On this emotional level arise anxiety, anger, anguish, irritability, fears, phobias, depression and many emotions.
Emotionally disturbed states tend to revolve around the issues of personal comfort, personal survival and personal expression.
Emotions as maintaining causes
When a patient has some harmful emotions, these emotions may act as maintaining causes for illness. The homoeopathic medicines boost the energy of a person to adapt with the energy of his own emotions and as a result to cope with varying types of environments.
The physician is the best person for this because the patient can talk freely with the physician. Also the physician can better understand the emotional problems and co-relate them better with the physical problems. The physician also has to evaluate that whether the anxiety is reasonable to circumstances or the patient is over-anxious.
General treatment of mental diseases
During Hahnemann`s time, mental asylums were usually run in connection with prisons. The mentally ill were crowded in close quarters with insufficient food, were chained, flogged and teased for the amusement of visitors. The physicians also abandoned them believing that insanity was contagious.
Hahnemann founded an asylum in Georgenthal where Duke Ernst of Gotha put one of the wings of his castle at Hahnemann`s disposal in 1792. He had only one patient Klockenbring from the beginning to the end. Klockenbring was cured of his illness. Hahnemann evolved a humane approach to mentally sick patients. He advocated unchaining of the mental patients. His principles for treatment of insane were new to the psychiatry of that time, but are today universally acknowledged as the chief factor in the treatment of insane. He introduced treatment to the mentally sick patient with kindness.
While describing his experience on the treatment of insane, he writes – “I never allow any insane person to be punished by blows or other painful corporeal inflictions, since there can be no punishment where there is no sense of responsibility, and since such patients only deserve our pity and cannot be improved, but must be rendered worse by such rough treatment.”
He further instructs the physicians attending the mental patients as – “The physician of such unfortunate creatures ought to behave so as to inspire them with respect and at the same time with confidence; he should never feel offended at what they do, for an irrational person can give no offence. The exhibition of their unreasonable anger should only excite his sympathy and stimulate his philanthropy to relieve their sad condition.”
Ahead of times, as Hahnemann was, he has coded some ethical approach to mental patients, which he describes in § 228 of the Organon.
Herein, in addition to Antipsoric treatment, he stresses upon psychotherapy with regulated mode of life and instructions for a good behaviour towards the patients by physician and attendants as:
▪ Raving madness should be met by calm fearlessness & firm resolution.
▪ Painfully disconsolate melancholy should be assuaged by silent compassion expressed
through gestures and looks.
▪ Loquacity should be listened to in silence.
▪ Indecent behaviour and obscene languages are to be totally ignored.
▪ In destructive mental tendencies, things should be kept out of reach
of the patient to prevent mischief.
▪ Absolute avoidance of torture and other corporeal punishments.
▪ All exciting factors, which may influence the mind of the patient,should be removed.
▪ Contradiction, arguments, rude correction etc. are to be avoided.
▪ The physician and the attendant should pretend to believe the patient in everything.
In the footnote to § 229, Hahnemann also recommends that the treatment of violent insane maniac and melancholic patients can take place only in an institution specially arranged for their treatment, but not within the family circle of the patient. He believed that the patient must be left alone and must not be excited or distracted by other people; as this hindered his recovery.
Hahnemann on mental diseases
Hahnemann describes mental diseases under One-sided diseases.
In §172 he writes, “A similar difficulty in the way of cure occurs from the symptoms of the disease being too few – a circumstance that deserves our careful attention, for by its removal almost all the difficulties that can lie in the way of this most perfect of all possible modes of treatment (except that its apparatus of known homoeopathic medicines is still incomplete) are removed.”
Mental diseases are one-sided diseases affecting the whole psychosomatic entity where the symptoms of derangement of mind and disposition are increased while the physical symptoms decline.
§ 210- 230
The § 210 to 230 of the Organon describe in detail different types of mental diseases and their treatment.
In §210, he attributes Psora as the cause of one-sided diseases and mental diseases are also a part of it. He stresses for psychic condition of the patient to be noted along with the totality of symptoms in order to treat these successfully with homoeopathic medicines.
In § 211, he stresses the importance of the psychic condition of the patient in selection of a remedy, putting them as characteristic symptoms and these cannot remain hidden from a careful physician.
In § 212, he highlights the fact that medicinal substances alter the mind and disposition of the provers during its proving and every medicine does so in a different manner.
In § 213, he advises to pay attention to mental symptoms even in acute cases and that unless the mental and emotional picture does not match with the remedy, positive results are not possible.
He explains this in the footnote of § 213 as “Thus Aconite will seldom or never effect either a rapid or permanent cure in a patient of a quiet, calm, equable disposition; and just as little will Nux vomica be serviceable where the disposition is mild and phlegmatic, Pulsatilla where it is happy, gay and obstinate, or Ignatia where it is imperturbable and disposed neither to be frightened nor vexed.”
In § 214, he starts to tell us that a patient with a mental-emotional disease must be perceived the same way as other patients i.e. with a remedy, a disease agent capable of producing in body and psyche of healthy people symptoms as similar as possible as those of the case.
In § 215, he specifies that most mental and emotional diseases are extensions of physical disease. So in the mental disease it starts on the physical level, and then slowly it progresses into the mental level until you have almost no more symptoms of the physical level and finally the disease transfers itself (almost like a local malady) to the invisibly subtle mental and emotional organs.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Homeopathy Effective in Treating Neo-natal Pigs with Diarrhoea
A paper published on 15/1/10 in the peer-reviewed journal Homeopathy by Camerlink et al (2010) found that the homeopathic remedy Coli 30K was highly significantly (p< 0.0001) more effective than placebo in a placebo-controlled, observer blind RCT on the treatment of diarrhoea in neo-natal pigs.
52 sows of pigs form a commercial farm who were in their last month of gestation and had never been vaccinated against E.coli were randomly assigned to either a placebo group or treatment group. This included 300 pigs.
Both groups would receive either the homeopathic remedy Coli 30k or placebo twice a week in their last four weeks pre-partum.
It was found that the treatment group had significantly less E.coli diarrhoea than the placebo group (P <0.0001). Furthermore in the homeopathic treatment group the diarrhoea was less severe, there was less transmission and duration appeared shorter.
Camerlink I, Ellinger L, Bakker EJ and Lantinga EA (2010) Homeopathy as replacement to antibiotics in the case of Escherichia Coli diarrhoea in neonatal pigs, Homeopathy, Vol.99 (57-62)
52 sows of pigs form a commercial farm who were in their last month of gestation and had never been vaccinated against E.coli were randomly assigned to either a placebo group or treatment group. This included 300 pigs.
Both groups would receive either the homeopathic remedy Coli 30k or placebo twice a week in their last four weeks pre-partum.
It was found that the treatment group had significantly less E.coli diarrhoea than the placebo group (P <0.0001). Furthermore in the homeopathic treatment group the diarrhoea was less severe, there was less transmission and duration appeared shorter.
Camerlink I, Ellinger L, Bakker EJ and Lantinga EA (2010) Homeopathy as replacement to antibiotics in the case of Escherichia Coli diarrhoea in neonatal pigs, Homeopathy, Vol.99 (57-62)
Monday, January 18, 2010
Homoeopathy cure for soldiers affected with frost bite.
Chennai.
Scientists have reported homoeopathic remedy to treat frost bite that affects soldiers stationed in high altitude areas such as Siachen.
Studies undertaken at the Command hospital in Chandigarh six months ago on 80 soldiers with frost bite showed that homoeopathic treatment based on an extract of an herb Aloe vera was effective, Dr William Selvamurthy, Director of New Delhi based Defense Institute of Physiology and Allied Sciences (DIPAS), told the 86th Indian Science Congress here.
The alcoholic extract of aloe vera, given orally along with two complementary sulphur and phosphorus based compounds, improved the condition of all soldiers affected by frost bite, Selvamurthy told delegates at the environmental physiology section at the congress this morning.
The studies were prompted by encouraging findings in rats in which frost bite symptoms were experimentally induced and which benefitted from the homoeopathic remedy.
The animal studies have shown that the aloe vera extract, when given immediately after exposure to extreme cold, penetrates the cold injured tissues and makes them warm. There are no signs of cold shock, the blood vessels dilated and circulated was re-established.
Even when given six days after an attack of frost bite, there was complete restoration of health.
Victims of frost bite develop irregular circulation of blood, blueness in tissues, numbness and swollen veins.
Other symptoms include lowered vitality, stinging and burning pain and icy coldness of limbs.
Another major finding by DIPAS is that inhalation of nitric oxide gas can treat serious breathing disorders that develop in soldiers and mountaineers in high altitudes.
The condition is known as High Altitude Pulmonary Edema (HAPE), is characterized by high blood pressure and decreased oxygen supply.
Rapid ascent to high altitudes, vigorous physical exertion and history of previous attacks of HAPE increase the risk for developing this disorder.
Studies on 14 patients at High Altitude Medical Research Centre at Leh showed the inhalation of pure chemically synthesized nitric oxide oxygen relieves HAPE symptoms, Selvamurthy reported.
A mixture of 50% nitric oxide and 50% oxygen had a better effect, the DIPAS team found. The two gases probably act on separate but complementary mechanisms to restore blood pressure.
Selvamurthy said his team was first to use inhaled nitric oxide in patients with severe HAPE symptoms.
Times of India; January 05, 1999.
Scientists have reported homoeopathic remedy to treat frost bite that affects soldiers stationed in high altitude areas such as Siachen.
Studies undertaken at the Command hospital in Chandigarh six months ago on 80 soldiers with frost bite showed that homoeopathic treatment based on an extract of an herb Aloe vera was effective, Dr William Selvamurthy, Director of New Delhi based Defense Institute of Physiology and Allied Sciences (DIPAS), told the 86th Indian Science Congress here.
The alcoholic extract of aloe vera, given orally along with two complementary sulphur and phosphorus based compounds, improved the condition of all soldiers affected by frost bite, Selvamurthy told delegates at the environmental physiology section at the congress this morning.
The studies were prompted by encouraging findings in rats in which frost bite symptoms were experimentally induced and which benefitted from the homoeopathic remedy.
The animal studies have shown that the aloe vera extract, when given immediately after exposure to extreme cold, penetrates the cold injured tissues and makes them warm. There are no signs of cold shock, the blood vessels dilated and circulated was re-established.
Even when given six days after an attack of frost bite, there was complete restoration of health.
Victims of frost bite develop irregular circulation of blood, blueness in tissues, numbness and swollen veins.
Other symptoms include lowered vitality, stinging and burning pain and icy coldness of limbs.
Another major finding by DIPAS is that inhalation of nitric oxide gas can treat serious breathing disorders that develop in soldiers and mountaineers in high altitudes.
The condition is known as High Altitude Pulmonary Edema (HAPE), is characterized by high blood pressure and decreased oxygen supply.
Rapid ascent to high altitudes, vigorous physical exertion and history of previous attacks of HAPE increase the risk for developing this disorder.
Studies on 14 patients at High Altitude Medical Research Centre at Leh showed the inhalation of pure chemically synthesized nitric oxide oxygen relieves HAPE symptoms, Selvamurthy reported.
A mixture of 50% nitric oxide and 50% oxygen had a better effect, the DIPAS team found. The two gases probably act on separate but complementary mechanisms to restore blood pressure.
Selvamurthy said his team was first to use inhaled nitric oxide in patients with severe HAPE symptoms.
Times of India; January 05, 1999.
Monday, January 4, 2010
Anxiety
ANXIETY
Anxiety has been derived from french word ‘anxieté’. It means ‘the state of feeling nervous or worried that something bad is going to happen.’
The Oxford handbook of psychiatry defines anxiety as “A normal and adaptive response to stress and danger which is pathological if prolonged, severe or out of keeping with the real threat of the external situation. It has two components: psychic anxiety, which is an affect, characterised by increased arousal, apprehension, sense of vulnerability and unpleasant emotional state; and somatic anxiety, in which there are bodily sensations of palpitations, sweating, dyspnoea, pallor and abdominal discomfort.”
Anxiety is the most common psychiatric symptom in clinical practice and anxiety disorders are the commonest disorders found in 15 to 20 percent of patients. These are more common in industrially advanced countries. Anxiety disorders have harmful effects upon physical and mental health. They also impair functional ability and quality of life. The causes of anxiety in modern life are uncertainty, insecurity, time pressures, relationship problems and fears of inadequacy.
Anxiety is a common emotion and often a normal response to new, stressful, or potentially dangerous situations. In its mild forms, it may be adaptive. It helps one to perform better. A little anxiety, for example helps a student to prepare for his exams. In its extreme forms, it is incapacitating or terrifying. It may cause the same student to lose his concentration, or even his voice.
Anxiety becomes a problem only when it is abnormally severe, abnormally prolonged, or if it is present at a level out of proportion to the real threat of the situation.
Anxiety often arises in anticipation of danger rather than after a situation has occurred. It is a signal of the approach of danger and a warning to prepare our defenses. It can also indicate an inability to cope with danger.
Anxiety is an extremely unpleasant feeling – it can make people feel frightened, uneasy, unhappy and sometimes desperate. Anxiety symptoms vary widely and may even imitate severe physical or mental illness. These symptoms may affect on physical level, thoughts and emotions and the lifestyle of the individual affected.
The Physical Symptoms of Anxiety
Anxiety may present on physical level as:
• Breathing difficulties. • Feeling faint / dizzy. • Dry mouth.
• Shakiness. • Pounding heart. • Muscle aches & pains.
• Headaches. • Excessive sweating. • ‘Lumps’ in throat.
• Bowel and urinary problems. • Persistent tiredness
In addition to these, body postures such as crossed arms, crossed legs, clenched fists, clenched jaw with tight facial muscles, head bent, rapid and shallow breathing, frowning / staring expression, and stooped posture also present a picture of anxiety.
On the mental level:
• Fear of variety of things, people or situations.
• Negative or unreasonable ideas about themselves or the feared situation.
• Increased episodes of crying, being irritable, difficult concentration,
worrying and feeling guilty.
Two main reasons for persistent anxiety are avoidance of feared situations and faulty thinking.
Avoidance: We may avoid situations which we know will cause us anxiety. As the symptoms caused in a particular situation are uncomfortable, we avoid facing it, but each time we avoid a situation, its tendency to cause anxiety in us increases.
Faulty thinking: It includes our negative thoughts and irrational beliefs. The negative thoughts make us expect the worst, while the irrational beliefs, make us expect too much from others or ourselves. So that leaves us prone to constant disappointment.
The Anxiety trap
The lifestyle may be seriously affected by a tendency to avoid situations or escaping them wherever possible. This involves a lots of ‘NOTS’ and ‘CANT’S’ which make a happy and fulfilled existence impossible and leads to a poor quality of life. It also affects relationships and work performances.
HOLISTIC APPROACH
The modern medicine lacks a holistic approach in its treatment for the
anxiety disorders. In spite of various advances, the medicines for anxiety in modern medicine are not curative in nature. A risk of dependency is also associated with them.
The mind and body work harmoniously in health and in disease. Both of them are considered as a unit in the treatment of diseases. Homoeopathy is a holistic science and has a psychosomatic approach in all diseases. This holistic approach of Homoeopathy gives it an edge in the treatment of affections of the mind. In the Organon of medicine, mental diseases are classified and their treatment is described in detail from aphorism 210 to aphorism 230. Hahnemann was the first to advocate unchaining of the mental patients. He also wrote in detail about the psychotherapy for such patients.
The study of anxiety through homoeopathic perspective
No one can deny the role of emotions as causative modalities in the origin and maintenance of innumerable diseases. The provings on healthy human beings has yielded all kinds of emotions that are recorded in materia medica.
Anxiety falls in the emotional sphere of mind. In homoeopathy, the symptoms of emotional sphere are of great importance. While evaluating the symptoms, they are considered to be second in importance after the “will” symptoms for the selection of remedy.
Dr Dushyant Kamal Dhari
M.D.(Hom)
Anxiety has been derived from french word ‘anxieté’. It means ‘the state of feeling nervous or worried that something bad is going to happen.’
The Oxford handbook of psychiatry defines anxiety as “A normal and adaptive response to stress and danger which is pathological if prolonged, severe or out of keeping with the real threat of the external situation. It has two components: psychic anxiety, which is an affect, characterised by increased arousal, apprehension, sense of vulnerability and unpleasant emotional state; and somatic anxiety, in which there are bodily sensations of palpitations, sweating, dyspnoea, pallor and abdominal discomfort.”
Anxiety is the most common psychiatric symptom in clinical practice and anxiety disorders are the commonest disorders found in 15 to 20 percent of patients. These are more common in industrially advanced countries. Anxiety disorders have harmful effects upon physical and mental health. They also impair functional ability and quality of life. The causes of anxiety in modern life are uncertainty, insecurity, time pressures, relationship problems and fears of inadequacy.
Anxiety is a common emotion and often a normal response to new, stressful, or potentially dangerous situations. In its mild forms, it may be adaptive. It helps one to perform better. A little anxiety, for example helps a student to prepare for his exams. In its extreme forms, it is incapacitating or terrifying. It may cause the same student to lose his concentration, or even his voice.
Anxiety becomes a problem only when it is abnormally severe, abnormally prolonged, or if it is present at a level out of proportion to the real threat of the situation.
Anxiety often arises in anticipation of danger rather than after a situation has occurred. It is a signal of the approach of danger and a warning to prepare our defenses. It can also indicate an inability to cope with danger.
Anxiety is an extremely unpleasant feeling – it can make people feel frightened, uneasy, unhappy and sometimes desperate. Anxiety symptoms vary widely and may even imitate severe physical or mental illness. These symptoms may affect on physical level, thoughts and emotions and the lifestyle of the individual affected.
The Physical Symptoms of Anxiety
Anxiety may present on physical level as:
• Breathing difficulties. • Feeling faint / dizzy. • Dry mouth.
• Shakiness. • Pounding heart. • Muscle aches & pains.
• Headaches. • Excessive sweating. • ‘Lumps’ in throat.
• Bowel and urinary problems. • Persistent tiredness
In addition to these, body postures such as crossed arms, crossed legs, clenched fists, clenched jaw with tight facial muscles, head bent, rapid and shallow breathing, frowning / staring expression, and stooped posture also present a picture of anxiety.
On the mental level:
• Fear of variety of things, people or situations.
• Negative or unreasonable ideas about themselves or the feared situation.
• Increased episodes of crying, being irritable, difficult concentration,
worrying and feeling guilty.
Two main reasons for persistent anxiety are avoidance of feared situations and faulty thinking.
Avoidance: We may avoid situations which we know will cause us anxiety. As the symptoms caused in a particular situation are uncomfortable, we avoid facing it, but each time we avoid a situation, its tendency to cause anxiety in us increases.
Faulty thinking: It includes our negative thoughts and irrational beliefs. The negative thoughts make us expect the worst, while the irrational beliefs, make us expect too much from others or ourselves. So that leaves us prone to constant disappointment.
The Anxiety trap
The lifestyle may be seriously affected by a tendency to avoid situations or escaping them wherever possible. This involves a lots of ‘NOTS’ and ‘CANT’S’ which make a happy and fulfilled existence impossible and leads to a poor quality of life. It also affects relationships and work performances.
HOLISTIC APPROACH
The modern medicine lacks a holistic approach in its treatment for the
anxiety disorders. In spite of various advances, the medicines for anxiety in modern medicine are not curative in nature. A risk of dependency is also associated with them.
The mind and body work harmoniously in health and in disease. Both of them are considered as a unit in the treatment of diseases. Homoeopathy is a holistic science and has a psychosomatic approach in all diseases. This holistic approach of Homoeopathy gives it an edge in the treatment of affections of the mind. In the Organon of medicine, mental diseases are classified and their treatment is described in detail from aphorism 210 to aphorism 230. Hahnemann was the first to advocate unchaining of the mental patients. He also wrote in detail about the psychotherapy for such patients.
The study of anxiety through homoeopathic perspective
No one can deny the role of emotions as causative modalities in the origin and maintenance of innumerable diseases. The provings on healthy human beings has yielded all kinds of emotions that are recorded in materia medica.
Anxiety falls in the emotional sphere of mind. In homoeopathy, the symptoms of emotional sphere are of great importance. While evaluating the symptoms, they are considered to be second in importance after the “will” symptoms for the selection of remedy.
Dr Dushyant Kamal Dhari
M.D.(Hom)
Monday, December 28, 2009
Autism and its treatment in Homoeopathy
Autism and its treatment in Homoeopathy
Autism is now acquiring an epidemic status around the world, rising by enormous proportions in some areas. Considering that it is a lifelong developmental disability, it leads to a kind of despair and feelings of hopelessness in the parents.
Autism, a neurological disorder, begins in early childhood (typically during the first three years of life) and affects three crucial areas of development: verbal and nonverbal communication, social interaction, and creative or imaginative play. Other characteristics may include repetitive and ritualistic behavior, hand-flapping, spinning or running in circles, excessive self-stimulation, self-injury, aggression, reduced sensitivity to pain, temper tantrums, and sleeping and eating disturbances. To put it simply, autism is a term used to describe children who are socially withdrawn and preoccupied with routine; who struggle to acquire spoken language yet often possess intellectual gifts that rule out the diagnosis of mental retardation.
The world appears to be a mass of people, places and events for people with autism and this causes a considerable anxiety in them. It can be hard to create awareness of autism as people with the condition do not ‘look’ disabled; parents of children with autism often say that other people simply think their child is naughty.
The exact cause of autism is unknown. However, research suggests that a combination of factors - genetic and environmental may account for changes in brain development like vaccines, heavy metal toxicity, nutritional deficiencies/imbalances, food allergies, viruses, immune dysfunction and problems in the birthing process. “Vaccine induced autism” is under scrutiny with the hypothesis that immune response generated by MMR vaccine damages the nerve sheaths leading to this neurological disorder.
The phenomenon of early infantile autism was first observed in early 1940s, a few years after the pertussis vaccine became more widely used in United States.
Some researchers say that children have shown mild to dramatic improvements in speech and/or behavior after a gluten-free, casein-free (GFCF) diet.
Gluten and gluten-like proteins are found in wheat and other grains, including oats, rye, barley and foods made from those grains. They are also found in food starches, semolina, malt, some vinegars, soy sauce, flavorings and artificial colors and hydrolyzed vegetable proteins.
Casein is a protein found in milk and products containing milk, such as cheese, butter, yogurt, ice cream, whey and even some brands of margarine.
Foods that can be eaten on a gluten-free, casein-free diet include rice, potato, buckwheat flour, soy, corn, fruits, vegetables, beans, tapioca, meat, poultry, fish, shellfish, nuts, eggs, and sorghum.
Homoeopathic perspective
Homoeopathy and other natural treatments have recently come into focus as effective treatments for autistic spectrum disorders.
The reasons as to why homoeopathic medicines are preferred for this disorder are -
- Homoeopathic medicines are safe natural non-toxic substances without side effects.
- Homoeopathy is a safe effective alternative to Drugs like Ritalin etc. which have lasting side effects.
- The positive effects seen with homoeopathic treatment are lasting.
- With Homoeopathic treatment healing takes place at Physical, mental and emotional levels.
- Homoeopathy results in growth spurts in children and does not alter or suppress normal development of the child.
Before starting homoeopathic treatment the evaluation of the child on an autism rating scale is a must. Improvements by the treatment are to be interpreted by periodical assessments.
As most of the cases are already under the allopathic treatment, the following strategy can be charted out for them -
If the allopathic medication has not shown any improvement in the child or severe side effects have resulted from them, then it is best to stop them before starting homoeopathic treatment.
In cases where there is some benefit to child with the allopathic treatment and the parents are looking for a safer and more effective treatment, homoeopathy is the best alternative. In these cases Homoeopathic treatment can be started concurrently and the allopathic medicine can be weaned off as the homoeopathic medicine begins to show positive effects. In this way, more safe and effective treatment can be provided.
Homoeopathy medicine is also compatible with other therapies such as Speech therapy, Occupational Therapy. The beneficial effects of Homoeopathy on the child will be more to the delight of his therapists and care givers who will find the child more compliant to learning.
In a study on effects of homoeopathic medicines on autism triad carried over for four years at Bangalore, the results were encouraging with improvement in behavioral issues such as hyperactivity, temper tantrums, attention span, concentration and focus. Improvement was also noted in speech, language and communication skills. The social skills /eye contact and the fine motor skills also improved substantiating the claims of homoeopathy in autistic spectrum disorders.
Prompted by the miraculous cure of her son’s autism with homoeopathy Amy lansky has written a book “Impossible Cure: The promise of homoeopathy”. In this book, she illustrates that true cure of the root causes of illness is possible with careful homeopathic treatment over months or even years. Ms Lansky effectively presents cases and arguments of how homeopathic medicines effectively stimulate a person's innate healing mechanisms to allow chronic or acute disease to be eventually resolved.
The focus of homeopathy is not to treat the isolated symptoms of Autism but to treat the child as a whole. In addition to the symptoms of Autism, the general physical and mental constitution of the patient, past medical history, medical history of parents, information about pregnancy and vaccination - are used to find the probable cause in a given case and based on the final analysis a remedy is chosen for a patient.
Dr Dushyant Kamal Dhari
M.D. (Hom)
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