Saturday, 27 February 2010
Thursday, 25 February 2010
How to Treat a Fracture Naturally
If you want to know how to treat a fracture, then first you need to know the different types of fracture.
The most severe is a compound fracture where there is a complete break and the two ends of the broken bone may not even be touching each other.
Then there are the more minor fractures, down to more of a bone bruising. When using homeopathy to treat a fracture, there are some important points to know, before you treat it.
Initially the victim of a serious fracture will be in shock. So you need to use plenty of the shock medicine Aconite. This will ease the fear and effects of shock. Obviously this is dependent on the severity of the fracture, the more severe the fracture, the deeper the shock will be.
Once the shock has settled, then the next best medicine is Arnica. Although Arnica is more for soft tissue damage, it will ease the soreness, the bruising and the trauma to the surrounding tissue. It will also relax the soft tissue, which will allow minor breaks to slip back into position.
The next best medicine in any fracture is Bryonia. The symptoms of Bryonia include a worsening of the pain with movement. So this will ease this.
Now the patient can be more easily, less painfully, taken to have the fracture set.
There are many areas of the body where fractures cannot be set, where the patient simply has to remain in bed, sometimes in a rigid cage to prevent the bones healing out of alignment. The pelvis, the ribs and other abdominal bones are all too difficult to place in a cast, so movement needs to be restricted.
The use of these three medicines will normally replace any need of pain killers, and will increase the rate of healing. They help to relax the muscles, so the fracture will be kept in place.
You may notice that the cast can come off much sooner, when taking these medicines.
Do you want to learn more about natural good health, in particular homeopathy? Download my free report 'An Introduction to Some Common Homeopathic Remedies' by clicking on the website link below.
Good Health Naturally
http://www.twolegsandfour.com/index7.html
Madeleine Innocent is a full time consultant homeopath and homeopathic coach.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Madeleine_Innocent
The most severe is a compound fracture where there is a complete break and the two ends of the broken bone may not even be touching each other.
Then there are the more minor fractures, down to more of a bone bruising. When using homeopathy to treat a fracture, there are some important points to know, before you treat it.
Initially the victim of a serious fracture will be in shock. So you need to use plenty of the shock medicine Aconite. This will ease the fear and effects of shock. Obviously this is dependent on the severity of the fracture, the more severe the fracture, the deeper the shock will be.
Once the shock has settled, then the next best medicine is Arnica. Although Arnica is more for soft tissue damage, it will ease the soreness, the bruising and the trauma to the surrounding tissue. It will also relax the soft tissue, which will allow minor breaks to slip back into position.
The next best medicine in any fracture is Bryonia. The symptoms of Bryonia include a worsening of the pain with movement. So this will ease this.
Now the patient can be more easily, less painfully, taken to have the fracture set.
There are many areas of the body where fractures cannot be set, where the patient simply has to remain in bed, sometimes in a rigid cage to prevent the bones healing out of alignment. The pelvis, the ribs and other abdominal bones are all too difficult to place in a cast, so movement needs to be restricted.
The use of these three medicines will normally replace any need of pain killers, and will increase the rate of healing. They help to relax the muscles, so the fracture will be kept in place.
You may notice that the cast can come off much sooner, when taking these medicines.
Do you want to learn more about natural good health, in particular homeopathy? Download my free report 'An Introduction to Some Common Homeopathic Remedies' by clicking on the website link below.
Good Health Naturally
http://www.twolegsandfour.com/index7.html
Madeleine Innocent is a full time consultant homeopath and homeopathic coach.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Madeleine_Innocent
Natural Treatment of Rheumatoid Arthritis With Homoeopathy
AT THE END OF THIS ARTICLE, DOWNLOAD THE AUTHOR'S FREE REPORT ON HOMEOPATHY - IT IS AN EXCELLENT ITEM AND WELL WORTH READING - please send me your comments on it and anything else appearing in this blog.
Many thanks
Peter Francis
The natural treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, by the use of homeopathy, can be the catalyst to completely reverse your condition. Couple that with a healthy diet and your health will improve exponentially.
First, let's look at what rheumatoid arthritis is. It is a chronic progressive disease which has inflammation of the joints. This often results in a painful deformity and immobility of those joints affected.
It is not unlike osteoarthritis. This is a degeneration of joint cartilage and the underlying bone. It causes pain and stiffness in the affected joints.
Now let's have a look at the bold claims I made in the first paragraph. If you have a healthy and effective immune system, you would never have got any type of arthritis. Or any other disease. Because a healthy immune system is constantly working to prevent disease.
And humans seem to be constantly at work to make it inefficient, by our choice of diet, way of life and health care.
Diet is incredibly important for good health. Do you expect your car to run on inferior fuel? So why do you expect your body to? Too much dairy and other animal protein, along with processed food (white sugar, white flour, artificial ingredients, etc), is the number one way to ensure your joints continue to trouble you.
A switch to a diet high in fresh fruit and vegetables, may be all the natural treatment of rheumatoid arthritis you need. Normally you can expect to see good results within a month.
Choosing a natural health care system which treats your ailments by raising your immune system, is likely to be one of the best choices you ever made. Chronic and degenerative problems can disappear, can be reversed, if you remove the cause (often dietary) and if you can improve your immune efficiency.
Homeopathy is a natural modality of health care which works by rapidly improving your immunity, so you can now cure you. Whilst seeing a professional homeopath is the easiest way to achieve this happy state, the home prescribing medicine Rhus tox may be helpful for your condition, either in the short or long term, as long as your symptoms match those of this medicine.
They include both pain and stiffness, which is worse for sitting and on initial movement, but better for continued movement, often thought of as the 'rusty gate syndrome'.
That and the huge improvement of symptoms from heat (the hotter the better) and pressure.
Never take never for an answer. There are always alternatives.
Written by Madeleine Innocent
Discover secrets about natural good health, in particular homeopathy by checking out my free report 'An Introduction to Some Common Homeopathic Remedies'. Just click on the website link below.
Good Health Naturally
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Madeleine_Innocent
Many thanks
Peter Francis
The natural treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, by the use of homeopathy, can be the catalyst to completely reverse your condition. Couple that with a healthy diet and your health will improve exponentially.
First, let's look at what rheumatoid arthritis is. It is a chronic progressive disease which has inflammation of the joints. This often results in a painful deformity and immobility of those joints affected.
It is not unlike osteoarthritis. This is a degeneration of joint cartilage and the underlying bone. It causes pain and stiffness in the affected joints.
Now let's have a look at the bold claims I made in the first paragraph. If you have a healthy and effective immune system, you would never have got any type of arthritis. Or any other disease. Because a healthy immune system is constantly working to prevent disease.
And humans seem to be constantly at work to make it inefficient, by our choice of diet, way of life and health care.
Diet is incredibly important for good health. Do you expect your car to run on inferior fuel? So why do you expect your body to? Too much dairy and other animal protein, along with processed food (white sugar, white flour, artificial ingredients, etc), is the number one way to ensure your joints continue to trouble you.
A switch to a diet high in fresh fruit and vegetables, may be all the natural treatment of rheumatoid arthritis you need. Normally you can expect to see good results within a month.
Choosing a natural health care system which treats your ailments by raising your immune system, is likely to be one of the best choices you ever made. Chronic and degenerative problems can disappear, can be reversed, if you remove the cause (often dietary) and if you can improve your immune efficiency.
Homeopathy is a natural modality of health care which works by rapidly improving your immunity, so you can now cure you. Whilst seeing a professional homeopath is the easiest way to achieve this happy state, the home prescribing medicine Rhus tox may be helpful for your condition, either in the short or long term, as long as your symptoms match those of this medicine.
They include both pain and stiffness, which is worse for sitting and on initial movement, but better for continued movement, often thought of as the 'rusty gate syndrome'.
That and the huge improvement of symptoms from heat (the hotter the better) and pressure.
Never take never for an answer. There are always alternatives.
Written by Madeleine Innocent
Discover secrets about natural good health, in particular homeopathy by checking out my free report 'An Introduction to Some Common Homeopathic Remedies'. Just click on the website link below.
Good Health Naturally
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Madeleine_Innocent
Monday, 22 February 2010
Basic Homeopathy
The highest ideal of cure is rapid, gentle and permanent restoration of the health or removal and annihilation of the disease in its whole extent, in the shortest, most reliable and most harmless way on easily comprehensible principles”. - Samuel Hahnemann, founder of Homeopathy.
“The long-term benefit of homeopathy to the patient is that it not only alleviates the presenting symptoms but it re-establishes internal order at the deepest levels and thereby provides a lasting cure”. - George Vithoulkas, Director, Athenian School of Homoeopathic Medicine.
Discovered in the late 1700’s, homeopathy is a low-cost, non-toxic system of medicine. The system of homoeopathic healing assists the natural tendency of the body to heal itself. It recognises that all symptoms of ill health are expressions of disharmony within the whole person and that it is the patient who needs treatment not the disease.
There are three principles upon which homeopathy is formulated:
Like cures like (Law of Similars): Any substance that can produce the symptoms of an illness in a healthy human being can cure those same symptoms in a sick human being..
The more dilute the remedy, the greater its potency (Law of the Infinitesimal Dose): Homoeopathic remedies are usually prepared through a process of diluting with pure water or alcohol and succussing (vigorous shaking) such that the more diluted a substance gets, the more potent it becomes.
An illness is specific to the individual (a holistic medical model): Homoeopaths consult compendiums called repertories to determine the remedy that most closely matches the patient’s symptoms.
Homoeopathic medicines are drug components made by homoeopathic pharmacies consisting of plants, minerals and animal extracts. Remedies (usually in liquid, tablet or powder form) are prescribed in accordance with a patient’s symptoms and health conditions while individual characteristics such as emotions and physical condition are also taken into account.
Conditions benefited by homeopathy include diabetes, arthritis, bronchial asthma, epilepsy, skin eruptions, allergic conditions, and mental or emotional disorders.
At the outset of homoeopathic treatment, your homoeopath will need to know all about you in order to find the right remedy for you as an individual. This will include past medical history, lifestyle and any general complaints. This initial consultation may last an hour or more and will be treated in the strictest confidence.
“The long-term benefit of homeopathy to the patient is that it not only alleviates the presenting symptoms but it re-establishes internal order at the deepest levels and thereby provides a lasting cure”. - George Vithoulkas, Director, Athenian School of Homoeopathic Medicine.
Discovered in the late 1700’s, homeopathy is a low-cost, non-toxic system of medicine. The system of homoeopathic healing assists the natural tendency of the body to heal itself. It recognises that all symptoms of ill health are expressions of disharmony within the whole person and that it is the patient who needs treatment not the disease.
There are three principles upon which homeopathy is formulated:
Like cures like (Law of Similars): Any substance that can produce the symptoms of an illness in a healthy human being can cure those same symptoms in a sick human being..
The more dilute the remedy, the greater its potency (Law of the Infinitesimal Dose): Homoeopathic remedies are usually prepared through a process of diluting with pure water or alcohol and succussing (vigorous shaking) such that the more diluted a substance gets, the more potent it becomes.
An illness is specific to the individual (a holistic medical model): Homoeopaths consult compendiums called repertories to determine the remedy that most closely matches the patient’s symptoms.
Homoeopathic medicines are drug components made by homoeopathic pharmacies consisting of plants, minerals and animal extracts. Remedies (usually in liquid, tablet or powder form) are prescribed in accordance with a patient’s symptoms and health conditions while individual characteristics such as emotions and physical condition are also taken into account.
Conditions benefited by homeopathy include diabetes, arthritis, bronchial asthma, epilepsy, skin eruptions, allergic conditions, and mental or emotional disorders.
At the outset of homoeopathic treatment, your homoeopath will need to know all about you in order to find the right remedy for you as an individual. This will include past medical history, lifestyle and any general complaints. This initial consultation may last an hour or more and will be treated in the strictest confidence.
Letter to Support Homeopathy in the UK
The Science and Technology Committee is about to decide the fate of homeopathy in the UK. If you live in the UK, please give this your urgent attention – Please don’t forward this, but rather cut and paste the letter below and send it to your MP now – then send it on to friends and family and ask them to do the same. You can find your MP here:
http://.findyourmp.parliament.uk
Thank you!
Peter Francis
Dear ____________________________
I am writing to you as my Member of Parliament on a matter of urgency regarding the Science and Technology committee Evidence Check into homeopathy. Why the Evidence Check into homeopathy was considered important at this juncture, given all the challenges facing the nation is not clear – that the balance of witnesses called to give evidence was heavily weighted in favour of those against homeopathy there is no doubt, and several of those witnesses had no specialist knowledge of homeopathy at all.
But of grave concern is that the Chair of the Science and Technology Committee Mr Willis stated :
“And also put on record, because there seems to be a little confusion about the nature of the work that we are doing, this is not an inquiry into whether homeopathy works or not. This is an inquiry which follows a series of evidence checks across a number of government departments to see whether in fact there was any evidence to support the Government’s policy towards homeopathy. I want to make that absolutely clear.”
Yet the lines of questioning, by the Chair and in particular by Dr Evan Harris focused entirely on the issue of whether homeopathy works or not, in the narrow world of Random Controlled Trials and meta-analyses. They focused entirely on efficacy in artificial trials, rather than on effectiveness in the real world.
It was further obvious from the disrespect that Dr Harris showed to the pro-homeopathy witnesses that he was interested in only one outcome and his active participation in the recent public 1023 “mass overdose” event, in which he also ridiculed Dr Peter Fisher of the Royal London Homeopathic Hospital, only served to underscore the fact of his bias.
Given the stated remit of the Science and technology committee – the evidence which should inform government policy must surely be the reports of effectiveness, cost effectiveness and patient satisfaction provided to the committee by the homeopathic hospitals – together with the impressive results of the Department of Health’s Northern Ireland CAM project in 2008. The reports from the hospitals were never discussed as part of the Evidence Check and during the hearing itself, Mike O’Brien, Minister of Health, inexplicably asserted that the Northern Ireland project did not include homeopathy.
The Northern Ireland project most certainly included homeopathy and the GPs who referred their ‘heart sink’ patients for homeopathic treatment were delighted with the results – one interviewed as part of the BBC programme Get Well UK, described the results for her patient as ‘priceless’. Please see references and details below.
Government policy should be informed by the performance of homeopathy in the real world with real patients, and it is seen to perform there extremely well – providing cost effective and successful treatment to tens of thousands of patients who have not been helped by conventional medicine.
The NHS budget for homeopathy comprises just 0.004% of the total NHS budget and the annual bill for homeopathic medicines is just GBP 157,000 per annum. (NHS drugs bill for pharmaceutical products GBP 11 billion.)
NHS homeopathy offers help and hope to tens of thousands of patients at a fraction of the cost of conventional medicine. An estimated 6 million people in the UK have used a homeopathic medicine in the last 12 months. The government should surely be looking at ways to increase its provision of homeopathy, as recommended following the success of the Northern Ireland project, not ways to restrict patient access.
I urge you to contact the Science and Technology Committee and ask why this Evidence Check was conducted in such a biased manner, why the selection of witnesses was so skewed in favour of those speaking against homeopathy and most importantly, why the focus of the hearings and presumably also their forthcoming report, was exactly what the Chair stated on record, that it should not be!
Yours sincerely,
References of homeopathy’s effectiveness in practice:
1. In the Department of Health’s Northern Ireland CAM Pilot study 2008:
Patients receiving homeopathic treatment reported an average 54% improvement in their health and well being, often after long standing conventional treatment had failed. 10 out of 12 GPs surveyed had a more positive view of the potential for CAM within primary care, with all wishing to continue with the option of referring their patients to CAM. In 99% of patient cases, the GP said that they would be willing to refer the same patient, or another patient, to the Get Well UK service. In 98% of patient cases, the GP said they would be willing to recommend the service to another GP. Evaluation of a CAM Pilot Project in Northern Ireland (2008) D McDade2008
2. Observational study Bristol Homeopathic Hospital. Over 23,000 patient attendances in a 6-year period, 70% of patients reported improved health, 50% major improvement of wide range of conditions.
Spence DS, Thompson EA, Barron SJ (2005). Homeopathic treatment for chronic disease: a 6-year university-hospital outpatient observational study. Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 11:793-798.
3. 500-patient survey at the RLHH showed many patients were able to reduce or stop conventional medication following homeopathic treatment.
Sharples F, van Haselen R, Fisher P (2003). NHS patients’ perspective on complementary medicine: a survey. Complementary Therapies in Medicine, 11:243-248
4. Pilot study published 2008. 1602 follow-up patient appointments for 235 separate medical complaints at all five NHS homeopathic hospitals collected together over one-month period.. Many patients had multiple pathologies. 34% of patients reported an improvement that affected their daily living after 2 appointments. After six appointments 59% reported improvement.
Thompson EA, et al (2008). Towards standard setting for patient-reported outcomes in the NHS homeopathic hospitals. Homeopathy, 97:114-121.
5. Outcome survey at the Liverpool department of homeopathic medicine over a 12 month period in 1999-2000.
1100 patients; 76.6% reported an improvement and 60.3% reported major improvement. 52% of 814 patients taking conventional treatment were able to reduce or stop conventional medication.
Richardson WR.(2001) Patient benefit survey: Liverpool Regional Department of Homeopathic medicine. British Homeopathic Journal 90 158-162.
6. Homeopathy and acupuncture backed for NHS funding. Pulse magazine for GPs
Pulse.co.uk 17 Feb 2009
http://.findyourmp.parliament.uk
Thank you!
Peter Francis
Dear ____________________________
I am writing to you as my Member of Parliament on a matter of urgency regarding the Science and Technology committee Evidence Check into homeopathy. Why the Evidence Check into homeopathy was considered important at this juncture, given all the challenges facing the nation is not clear – that the balance of witnesses called to give evidence was heavily weighted in favour of those against homeopathy there is no doubt, and several of those witnesses had no specialist knowledge of homeopathy at all.
But of grave concern is that the Chair of the Science and Technology Committee Mr Willis stated :
“And also put on record, because there seems to be a little confusion about the nature of the work that we are doing, this is not an inquiry into whether homeopathy works or not. This is an inquiry which follows a series of evidence checks across a number of government departments to see whether in fact there was any evidence to support the Government’s policy towards homeopathy. I want to make that absolutely clear.”
Yet the lines of questioning, by the Chair and in particular by Dr Evan Harris focused entirely on the issue of whether homeopathy works or not, in the narrow world of Random Controlled Trials and meta-analyses. They focused entirely on efficacy in artificial trials, rather than on effectiveness in the real world.
It was further obvious from the disrespect that Dr Harris showed to the pro-homeopathy witnesses that he was interested in only one outcome and his active participation in the recent public 1023 “mass overdose” event, in which he also ridiculed Dr Peter Fisher of the Royal London Homeopathic Hospital, only served to underscore the fact of his bias.
Given the stated remit of the Science and technology committee – the evidence which should inform government policy must surely be the reports of effectiveness, cost effectiveness and patient satisfaction provided to the committee by the homeopathic hospitals – together with the impressive results of the Department of Health’s Northern Ireland CAM project in 2008. The reports from the hospitals were never discussed as part of the Evidence Check and during the hearing itself, Mike O’Brien, Minister of Health, inexplicably asserted that the Northern Ireland project did not include homeopathy.
The Northern Ireland project most certainly included homeopathy and the GPs who referred their ‘heart sink’ patients for homeopathic treatment were delighted with the results – one interviewed as part of the BBC programme Get Well UK, described the results for her patient as ‘priceless’. Please see references and details below.
Government policy should be informed by the performance of homeopathy in the real world with real patients, and it is seen to perform there extremely well – providing cost effective and successful treatment to tens of thousands of patients who have not been helped by conventional medicine.
The NHS budget for homeopathy comprises just 0.004% of the total NHS budget and the annual bill for homeopathic medicines is just GBP 157,000 per annum. (NHS drugs bill for pharmaceutical products GBP 11 billion.)
NHS homeopathy offers help and hope to tens of thousands of patients at a fraction of the cost of conventional medicine. An estimated 6 million people in the UK have used a homeopathic medicine in the last 12 months. The government should surely be looking at ways to increase its provision of homeopathy, as recommended following the success of the Northern Ireland project, not ways to restrict patient access.
I urge you to contact the Science and Technology Committee and ask why this Evidence Check was conducted in such a biased manner, why the selection of witnesses was so skewed in favour of those speaking against homeopathy and most importantly, why the focus of the hearings and presumably also their forthcoming report, was exactly what the Chair stated on record, that it should not be!
Yours sincerely,
References of homeopathy’s effectiveness in practice:
1. In the Department of Health’s Northern Ireland CAM Pilot study 2008:
Patients receiving homeopathic treatment reported an average 54% improvement in their health and well being, often after long standing conventional treatment had failed. 10 out of 12 GPs surveyed had a more positive view of the potential for CAM within primary care, with all wishing to continue with the option of referring their patients to CAM. In 99% of patient cases, the GP said that they would be willing to refer the same patient, or another patient, to the Get Well UK service. In 98% of patient cases, the GP said they would be willing to recommend the service to another GP. Evaluation of a CAM Pilot Project in Northern Ireland (2008) D McDade2008
2. Observational study Bristol Homeopathic Hospital. Over 23,000 patient attendances in a 6-year period, 70% of patients reported improved health, 50% major improvement of wide range of conditions.
Spence DS, Thompson EA, Barron SJ (2005). Homeopathic treatment for chronic disease: a 6-year university-hospital outpatient observational study. Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 11:793-798.
3. 500-patient survey at the RLHH showed many patients were able to reduce or stop conventional medication following homeopathic treatment.
Sharples F, van Haselen R, Fisher P (2003). NHS patients’ perspective on complementary medicine: a survey. Complementary Therapies in Medicine, 11:243-248
4. Pilot study published 2008. 1602 follow-up patient appointments for 235 separate medical complaints at all five NHS homeopathic hospitals collected together over one-month period.. Many patients had multiple pathologies. 34% of patients reported an improvement that affected their daily living after 2 appointments. After six appointments 59% reported improvement.
Thompson EA, et al (2008). Towards standard setting for patient-reported outcomes in the NHS homeopathic hospitals. Homeopathy, 97:114-121.
5. Outcome survey at the Liverpool department of homeopathic medicine over a 12 month period in 1999-2000.
1100 patients; 76.6% reported an improvement and 60.3% reported major improvement. 52% of 814 patients taking conventional treatment were able to reduce or stop conventional medication.
Richardson WR.(2001) Patient benefit survey: Liverpool Regional Department of Homeopathic medicine. British Homeopathic Journal 90 158-162.
6. Homeopathy and acupuncture backed for NHS funding. Pulse magazine for GPs
Pulse.co.uk 17 Feb 2009
Stop funding homeopathy, say MPs
To true believers, including Prince Charles, homeopathy is an age-old form of treatment for a wide range of ills. To most scientists, it is nothing more than water. Today the sniping between the devotees and the denialists became a head-on collision, as the House of Commons science and technology committee challenged the government to live by its evidence-based principles and withdraw all NHS funding from homeopathic treatment.
Nobody knows exactly how much the NHS spends on homeopathy. The Department of Health does not keep figures, although the health minister, Mike O'Brien, told the committee during an evidence-taking session that it was probably around or a little less than the figure of £12m over three years he had read in the Guardian.
However, said the committee's report, "it appears that these figures do not include maintenance and running costs of the homeopathic hospitals or the £20m spent on refurbishing the Royal London Homeopathic Hospital between 2002 and 2005."
Whatever the true figure, the money could be better spent, said the committee, accusing the Department of Health of failing to abide by the principle that its policies should be evidence-based. There is no robust evidence that homeopathy is effective, it said.
"The weight of evidence shows that homeopathy works no better than placebo," said chairman Phil Willis.
Homeopaths believe that like can cure like. A tiny dose of a substance linked to the cause of the malady is diluted until there is – chemically speaking – an undetectable amount of it remaining (homeopaths say the water retains the "memory" of the substance).
The concept "seems to us to be scientifically implausible, to put it mildly", said Willis.
The committee was highly critical of a scheme operated by the government's drug licensing body in the UK – the medicines and healthcare products regulatory authority (MHRA) – which allows homeopathic remedies to get a similar licence to drugs that have been through extensive randomised clinical trials. The National Rules scheme, introduced in 2006, requires only study reports, literature and homeopathic "provings" (evidence of long-term use by homeopaths).
The scheme is "deeply flawed", said Willis. Even the head of the MHRA, Professor Kent Woods, said in evidence to the committee: "I do not think there is anything there that one would take as robust evidence of an effect, over and above the placebo effect."
Just one product has so far been licensed under the scheme: Arnica Montana 30C. The report says the product's labelling misleads those who buy it, suggesting that in contains an active ingredient. Yet, said Willis, it "contains nothing but water".
The committee felt that the scheme operates "more in the interests of those who produce homeopathic 'medicines' rather than in support of public health", said Willis.
One member of the committee dissented from the report. Ian Stewart said he "would wish to be cautious about stating what homeopathy is or isn't". He was not convinced there was enough evidence either to prove or disprove an effect. "My view is that we should remain sceptical but not have closed minds," he said.
The Prince's Foundation for Integrated Health countered the MPs' attack by citing a peer-reviewed scientific study in the International Journal of Oncology which, it said, proved that homeopathic remedies were biologically active. Researchers from the University of Texas had shown that four ultra-diluted homeopathic remedies were capable of killing cancer cells in a test tube.
"This is one of a number of research trials that suggest positive results for homeopathy. It is puzzling that studies like this are ignored," said Dr Michael Dixon, medical director.
"But the most important issue is our patients. We should not abandon those we cannot help with conventional scientific medicine. If homeopathy is getting results for those patients, then of course we should continue to use it."
But Edzard Ernst, professor of complementary medicine at the Peninsula medical school in Exeter, said Dixon "should know that the study he cites is a test-tube experiment and not a research trial. It has no direct implications for healthcare. He also seems to think that prescribing homeopathic placebos to our patients might be a sensible strategy. This contradicts common sense and modern medical ethics.
"The foundation is a lobby group for unproven treatments which has repeatedly tried to mislead the public," said Ernst.
The Department of Health said it would give the report "full consideration" and provide a response within two months.
"In the meantime, we would reiterate that we appreciate the strength of feeling both for and against the provision of homeopathy on the National Health Service," said a spokesman.
"Our view is that the local NHS and clinicians, rather than Whitehall, are best placed to make decisions on what treatment is appropriate for their patients – this includes complementary or alternative treatments such as homeopathy."
Nobody knows exactly how much the NHS spends on homeopathy. The Department of Health does not keep figures, although the health minister, Mike O'Brien, told the committee during an evidence-taking session that it was probably around or a little less than the figure of £12m over three years he had read in the Guardian.
However, said the committee's report, "it appears that these figures do not include maintenance and running costs of the homeopathic hospitals or the £20m spent on refurbishing the Royal London Homeopathic Hospital between 2002 and 2005."
Whatever the true figure, the money could be better spent, said the committee, accusing the Department of Health of failing to abide by the principle that its policies should be evidence-based. There is no robust evidence that homeopathy is effective, it said.
"The weight of evidence shows that homeopathy works no better than placebo," said chairman Phil Willis.
Homeopaths believe that like can cure like. A tiny dose of a substance linked to the cause of the malady is diluted until there is – chemically speaking – an undetectable amount of it remaining (homeopaths say the water retains the "memory" of the substance).
The concept "seems to us to be scientifically implausible, to put it mildly", said Willis.
The committee was highly critical of a scheme operated by the government's drug licensing body in the UK – the medicines and healthcare products regulatory authority (MHRA) – which allows homeopathic remedies to get a similar licence to drugs that have been through extensive randomised clinical trials. The National Rules scheme, introduced in 2006, requires only study reports, literature and homeopathic "provings" (evidence of long-term use by homeopaths).
The scheme is "deeply flawed", said Willis. Even the head of the MHRA, Professor Kent Woods, said in evidence to the committee: "I do not think there is anything there that one would take as robust evidence of an effect, over and above the placebo effect."
Just one product has so far been licensed under the scheme: Arnica Montana 30C. The report says the product's labelling misleads those who buy it, suggesting that in contains an active ingredient. Yet, said Willis, it "contains nothing but water".
The committee felt that the scheme operates "more in the interests of those who produce homeopathic 'medicines' rather than in support of public health", said Willis.
One member of the committee dissented from the report. Ian Stewart said he "would wish to be cautious about stating what homeopathy is or isn't". He was not convinced there was enough evidence either to prove or disprove an effect. "My view is that we should remain sceptical but not have closed minds," he said.
The Prince's Foundation for Integrated Health countered the MPs' attack by citing a peer-reviewed scientific study in the International Journal of Oncology which, it said, proved that homeopathic remedies were biologically active. Researchers from the University of Texas had shown that four ultra-diluted homeopathic remedies were capable of killing cancer cells in a test tube.
"This is one of a number of research trials that suggest positive results for homeopathy. It is puzzling that studies like this are ignored," said Dr Michael Dixon, medical director.
"But the most important issue is our patients. We should not abandon those we cannot help with conventional scientific medicine. If homeopathy is getting results for those patients, then of course we should continue to use it."
But Edzard Ernst, professor of complementary medicine at the Peninsula medical school in Exeter, said Dixon "should know that the study he cites is a test-tube experiment and not a research trial. It has no direct implications for healthcare. He also seems to think that prescribing homeopathic placebos to our patients might be a sensible strategy. This contradicts common sense and modern medical ethics.
"The foundation is a lobby group for unproven treatments which has repeatedly tried to mislead the public," said Ernst.
The Department of Health said it would give the report "full consideration" and provide a response within two months.
"In the meantime, we would reiterate that we appreciate the strength of feeling both for and against the provision of homeopathy on the National Health Service," said a spokesman.
"Our view is that the local NHS and clinicians, rather than Whitehall, are best placed to make decisions on what treatment is appropriate for their patients – this includes complementary or alternative treatments such as homeopathy."
Homeopathy - The Controversy in the UK
Homeopathy seems to have given birth to a great amount of critics over the past few years. The legendary American former magician and sceptic, James Randi, offered one million dollars to any individual that was able prove, during a laboratory situation, that homeopathic treatments healed diseases. (He agreed to include it as part of his challenge in regard to the supernatural). No-one has so far won the challenge. Though the Greek homeopath George Vithoulkas has taken up the gauntlet and believes Randi to be trying to wriggle out of it.
However that does not make it irrelevant. The modern controversy concerning the efficacy of alternative, or complementary, medicine proves this is a matter in which firmly-held belief is prevalent.
Modern homeopathy has been around for some 200 years, the acknowledged founder being a German physician Samuel Hahnemann (1755- 1843) who had great success in the treatment of epidemics of scarlet fever. Communities treated by means of his treatments entirely escaped feared epidemics, including the plague.
What Homeopathy also is very much weighed down with is the mystery that Homeopathic treatment doesn't contain any remedy at all. Lots of people apparently consider that Homeopathy is comparable to Herbalism. In fact Homeopaths take a substance and weaken it again and again again, (a process called "potentisation" in homeopathy) until there may not be a single molecule left of the original ingredient.
The Journal of the American Institute for homeopathy in May 1921 described the success of the homeopathic method in the flu epidemic. A Dr. McCann, from Dayton, Ohio documented that 24,000 cases of flu cared for traditionally had a death rate rate of 28.2 per cent while 26,000 cases of flu treated homeopathically had a death rate of 1.05 per cent. A very impressive statistic.
Some of the well known people swept up in the furore, amongst others, are Michael Baum, a professor of surgery advocating that National Health Service funds must be utilised for established treatment options. Prince Charles arguing that alternative medicine needs to be given a more substantial part. And additionally contributing fuel to the fire, Dr David Reilly, primary consultant at the Glasgow Homeopathic Hospital discounting the letter writers as elderly scientific gentleman damning what they do not understand.
The testing regime also is not as severe as for chemical based procedures because the negative effects tend to be, at worst minor, compared with the potential effects of conventional drug treatments. That is why they are extensively assessed for prospective contra-signs. Homeopathic cures are more cost-effective to produce and many of the constituents usually are not patented.
What should be beneficial for patients and also the National Health Service isn't necessarily beneficial for the large drug companies who depend on licensed medications for their profits. The cost is nominal in the context of the multi-billion-pound health budget. In relative terms, so cheap, that it is perhaps an obstacle to greater accessibility.
But homeopathy should not be an either-or option, on financial grounds or as an alternative to other courses of medicine. The Glasgow Homeopathic Hospital treats people struggling with, amongst many other health problems, cancer and depression. If homeopathy succeeds and benefits patients (as it certainly seems to), we should be sufficiently open-minded and content to support it as a complementary procedure in addition to traditional medicinal practises.
In addition, on the 8th December 2003 the worldwide vice president for Glaxo Smith- Kline declared that a large proportion of drugs - more than 90% - only work in 30% to 50% of the people they're prescribed for. Appalling certainly, but should we be that astonished?
A spokesman for the Association of The British Pharmaceutical Industry (trade association for companies in the UK developing prescription medicines) back then was also cited as saying that they often did not know why, and conceded that the answer probably lay 'in a persons genetic make up', so quite clearly traditional medical practise does not have all of the answers.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Chris_Haycock
However that does not make it irrelevant. The modern controversy concerning the efficacy of alternative, or complementary, medicine proves this is a matter in which firmly-held belief is prevalent.
Modern homeopathy has been around for some 200 years, the acknowledged founder being a German physician Samuel Hahnemann (1755- 1843) who had great success in the treatment of epidemics of scarlet fever. Communities treated by means of his treatments entirely escaped feared epidemics, including the plague.
What Homeopathy also is very much weighed down with is the mystery that Homeopathic treatment doesn't contain any remedy at all. Lots of people apparently consider that Homeopathy is comparable to Herbalism. In fact Homeopaths take a substance and weaken it again and again again, (a process called "potentisation" in homeopathy) until there may not be a single molecule left of the original ingredient.
The Journal of the American Institute for homeopathy in May 1921 described the success of the homeopathic method in the flu epidemic. A Dr. McCann, from Dayton, Ohio documented that 24,000 cases of flu cared for traditionally had a death rate rate of 28.2 per cent while 26,000 cases of flu treated homeopathically had a death rate of 1.05 per cent. A very impressive statistic.
Some of the well known people swept up in the furore, amongst others, are Michael Baum, a professor of surgery advocating that National Health Service funds must be utilised for established treatment options. Prince Charles arguing that alternative medicine needs to be given a more substantial part. And additionally contributing fuel to the fire, Dr David Reilly, primary consultant at the Glasgow Homeopathic Hospital discounting the letter writers as elderly scientific gentleman damning what they do not understand.
The testing regime also is not as severe as for chemical based procedures because the negative effects tend to be, at worst minor, compared with the potential effects of conventional drug treatments. That is why they are extensively assessed for prospective contra-signs. Homeopathic cures are more cost-effective to produce and many of the constituents usually are not patented.
What should be beneficial for patients and also the National Health Service isn't necessarily beneficial for the large drug companies who depend on licensed medications for their profits. The cost is nominal in the context of the multi-billion-pound health budget. In relative terms, so cheap, that it is perhaps an obstacle to greater accessibility.
But homeopathy should not be an either-or option, on financial grounds or as an alternative to other courses of medicine. The Glasgow Homeopathic Hospital treats people struggling with, amongst many other health problems, cancer and depression. If homeopathy succeeds and benefits patients (as it certainly seems to), we should be sufficiently open-minded and content to support it as a complementary procedure in addition to traditional medicinal practises.
In addition, on the 8th December 2003 the worldwide vice president for Glaxo Smith- Kline declared that a large proportion of drugs - more than 90% - only work in 30% to 50% of the people they're prescribed for. Appalling certainly, but should we be that astonished?
A spokesman for the Association of The British Pharmaceutical Industry (trade association for companies in the UK developing prescription medicines) back then was also cited as saying that they often did not know why, and conceded that the answer probably lay 'in a persons genetic make up', so quite clearly traditional medical practise does not have all of the answers.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Chris_Haycock
Homeopathy Cures by Stimulating Your Immune System
Homeopathy cures absolutely any health related ailment from the most insignificant to the most serious. Actually that isn't strictly true. Homeopathy works by improving, or stimulating, your immune system out of its suppressed state into a state of action.
It's your immune system which cures your health problems. Homeopathy simply facilitates this.
You weren't born with an immune system. Babies are born with no immunity, getting passive immunity from their mother's milk. When babies are weaned, then they have to start to learn how to deal with ill health. Their immunity is green, fresh and inexperienced. They need to get ailments for this to practice.
Suppressing these ailments with drugs tend to ensure the babies grow into adults with very inefficient immune systems.
Inconvenient though it may be for you as a parent, allowing your toddler to deal with ailments as they come, themselves, is the best way forward for lasting good health. If the going gets a bit too tough to leave for the toddler to resolve, the use of homeopathic medicines ensure their immunity is not suppressed in the process. Rather, it is enhanced.
You can rely on the services of a professional homeopath, or you can learn to home prescribe. Or, better still, you can do both. Professional homeopaths are rarely on duty 24/7. So the home prescribing kit can be invaluable for those night time blues, or even on holiday far from the beaten track.
But you may need the services of a professional homeopath for those hard-to-cure or serious health problems, where you just don't have the expertise.
If you are looking for examples of homeopathy cures, for ailments such as cancer, you may not find many websites relating to this. This doesn't mean that there aren't any cases. Far from it.
It's simply more accurate to say that homeopathy stimulates your immune system which is then able to cure you, whereas it was too depressed to before. And there are many ways, other than homeopathy, that will stimulate your immune system. But, I doubt if there is a faster way.
Of course, this also means that if your immunity has deteriorated too far, it may not be possible to stimulate it into action. So homeopathy will only palliate.
Written by Madeleine Innocent
Discover secrets about natural good health, in particular homeopathy by checking out my free report 'An Introduction to Some Common Homeopathic Remedies'. Just click on the website link below.
Good Health Naturally
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Madeleine_Innocent
It's your immune system which cures your health problems. Homeopathy simply facilitates this.
You weren't born with an immune system. Babies are born with no immunity, getting passive immunity from their mother's milk. When babies are weaned, then they have to start to learn how to deal with ill health. Their immunity is green, fresh and inexperienced. They need to get ailments for this to practice.
Suppressing these ailments with drugs tend to ensure the babies grow into adults with very inefficient immune systems.
Inconvenient though it may be for you as a parent, allowing your toddler to deal with ailments as they come, themselves, is the best way forward for lasting good health. If the going gets a bit too tough to leave for the toddler to resolve, the use of homeopathic medicines ensure their immunity is not suppressed in the process. Rather, it is enhanced.
You can rely on the services of a professional homeopath, or you can learn to home prescribe. Or, better still, you can do both. Professional homeopaths are rarely on duty 24/7. So the home prescribing kit can be invaluable for those night time blues, or even on holiday far from the beaten track.
But you may need the services of a professional homeopath for those hard-to-cure or serious health problems, where you just don't have the expertise.
If you are looking for examples of homeopathy cures, for ailments such as cancer, you may not find many websites relating to this. This doesn't mean that there aren't any cases. Far from it.
It's simply more accurate to say that homeopathy stimulates your immune system which is then able to cure you, whereas it was too depressed to before. And there are many ways, other than homeopathy, that will stimulate your immune system. But, I doubt if there is a faster way.
Of course, this also means that if your immunity has deteriorated too far, it may not be possible to stimulate it into action. So homeopathy will only palliate.
Written by Madeleine Innocent
Discover secrets about natural good health, in particular homeopathy by checking out my free report 'An Introduction to Some Common Homeopathic Remedies'. Just click on the website link below.
Good Health Naturally
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Madeleine_Innocent
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