Homeopathy - Which Way Now?

Homeopathy has had its fair share of critics over the past few years. an American illusionist, James Randi, offered money to anyone who could prove, under laboratory conditions, that homeopathic remedies cured ailments. No-one has risen to the challenge. However that does not make it irrelevant. The new controversy about the efficacy of alternative, or complementary, medicine proves this is a subject where strongly-held opinion is prevalent.

Homeopathy has been around for some 200 years, the founder was a German physician Samuel Hahnemann (1755-1843) who had great success in treating epidemics of scarlet fever Villages treated with his prophylactics entirely escaped dreaded epidemics, including the plague.

What Homeopathy also seems to be weighed down with is the anomaly that Homeopathic remedies don't contain any remedy at all. Many people seem to believe that Homeopathy was similar to Herbalism The fact is that Homeopaths take a substance and dilute it over and over again, until there isn't a single molecule left.

The Journal of the American Institute for homeopathy in May 1921 reported the success of the homeopathic approach in the flu epidemic. A Dr McCann, from Dayton, Ohio reported that 24,000 cases of flu treated allopathically had a mortality rate of 28.2 per cent while 26,000 cases of flu treated homeopathically had a mortality rate of 1.05 per cent.

The eminent's caught up in the furor amongst others are Michael Baum, a professor of surgery urging that NHS funds should be used for conventional treatments. Prince Charles arguing that alternative medicine should be given a bigger role and further adding fuel to the fire, Dr David Reilly, lead consultant at the Glasgow Homeopathic Hospital (GHH) dismissing the letter writers as elderly scientific gentleman damning what they do not understand.

The testing regime also is not as rigorous as for chemical based treatments because the side effects are, at worst, mild compared with the potential impact of new drugs. That is why these are significantly assessed for potential contra-indications. Homeopathic remedies are cheaper to produce and many of the ingredients are not patented. What should be good for patients and the National Health Service is not necessarily good for the big drug companies who depend on licensed drugs for their profits.

The cost is minimal in the context of the multi-billion-pound health budget. In relative terms, so cheap, that it is possibly an obstacle to wider availability. But homeopathy should not be an either-or option, on cost grounds or as an alternative to other courses of treatment. The GHH treats patients suffering from, among other illnesses, cancer and depression. If homeopathy works and benefits patients (as it clearly does), we should be sufficiently open-minded and content to support it as a complementary treatment in tandem with conventional medicine.

Furthermore when on the 8th December 2003 the worldwide vice president for Glaxo SmithKline said that the the vast majority of drugs - more than 90% - only work in 30% or 50% of the people they are prescribed for. Alarming perhaps, but surprising? A spokesman for the Association of The British Pharmaceutical Industry (trade association for companies in the UK producing prescription medicines) at the time was also quoted as saying that they often did not know why and conceded that the answer very likely lay 'in a persons genetic make up', so quite clearly conventional medicine does not have all the answers. Another key issue is also the active participation of the patient.

Martyn Witt is the owner of Holistic Works which is a premier resource and directory for holistic and wellness information. for more information, go to www.holisticworks.net

Hot Topics In Herbal Remedies

    Common Herbal Remedies

    People have been collecting herbs to use as medicine for centuries. Many doctors claim however that taking herbs in place of your prescribed medication is not recommended.

    There has been a vast amo...

    Milk Thistle - Soothing Mediterranean Herb That Cures

    What is Milk Thistle

    Milk thistle (Silybum marianum) is used particularly for liver problems and other ailments. It is a popular herb and has been used since the Greek-Roman times.

    Milk thistle is...

    Four Creative Steps To Healing

    Ever have the feeling that disease was controlling your life? Perhaps it's not even a chronic illness. Do you harbor anger? Resentment? Frustration?

    Maybe it's just me and I'm talking to myself, bu...

    Alternative Medicine - Homeopathy

    The founder and developer of homeopathy was Samuel Hahnemann, (1755-1843). He was a German physician and some of his concepts seem to appear early in medical history. He developed homeopathy after bec...

    Toenail Fungus Remedy

    Fungal infections are common on both fingernails and toenails. Toenails are more prone to be affected by fungus, as these living organisms thrive in dark damp environments available on the foot than o...

    Getting Rid Of The Itch

    The alternative name given to itching is pruritus. It is a very common phenomenon which can bothers an animal as well as a human. It is an irritation on the skin which creates a desire to scratch the ...

    How To Get Rid Of Your Allergies Using All Natural Herbal Remedies

    Have you ever wondered why allergies occurs -

    Allergies are caused when the body over reacts to certain substances like pollen, ragweed, animal dander, certain foods, like nuts, eggs, milk...

    Using Your Fresh Herbs In Infusions, Herbal Teas, or Decoctions As An Herbal Medicine

    Recently it has been shown that high herbal tea and quality teas have many health benefits, especially Black and Green Tea. With all the news on Black and Green Tea lately, you may be considering addi...

    Homeopathy - Which Way Now?

    Homeopathy has had its fair share of critics over the past few years. an American illusionist, James Randi, offered money to anyone who could prove, under laboratory conditions, that homeopathic remed...

    Cleansing Liver Herbal Teas Recharge Your Body

    When spring comes it is time for a liver cleanse. This is a good time to rejuvenate the liver for the coming year of work. One good way to cleanse the liver is to use herbal teas. They are easy to use...

Most Recent Herbal Remedies Supplements

Newly Popular Remedies Articles

    11 Natural Remedies to Fight against Colds, Flu and Fever

    1. Fight flu with elderberry. Compounds in elderberries disarm the flu virus and prevent it from replicating. Take one tablespoon of elderberry syrup three times a day.

    2. Boost immune function. ...

    Home Remedies - Acne, Anxiety and Anorexia

    The use of these simple remedies can help relieve some of the annoyances that plague us every day and provide a holistic alternative solution to our little health problems.

    Acne

    Acne is a ch...

    Healthy Living Through Ayurveda

    In Ayurveda, there are four crucial components to healthy and balanced living: eating well, getting enough sleep, exercising regularly and daily meditation.

    For Ayurvedic healers, it is not just ...

    The Decline of HGH

    During the growth and development stage of life human growth hormone is responsible for proper growth and development. Once adulthood is reached HGH is still important in that it effects almost every ...

    Safety Concerns for Chinese Medicines

    Chinese medicines have taken on new meaning lately, especially in the field of traditional Chinese medications. For years the history of the Chinese culture and all those in East Asia has been greatly...

    Definition Of Chemotherapy

    Chemotherapy is the use of chemical agents to treat or control diseases. It works by killing fast dividing cells like cancerous cells and other healthy cells which include hair follicles, bone marrow,...

    Ringworm Home Remedies - Treatment For Ringworm

    Ringworm is a contagious fungus infection that can affect the scalp, the body, the feet (athlete's foot), or the nails. Tinea (pronounced: tih -nee-uh) is the medical name for a group of related skin ...

    Arthritis Treatment Using Natural Remedies

    So much is written about arthritis and you can get confused as to what causes arthritis and what arthritis treatments are effective. Arthritis is an inflammatory condition. This inflammation comes fro...

    Living Naturally With Home Remedies

    I am a firm believer in natural home remedies. I was raised on them and my children were too.

    I am not just talking about herbs and vitamins that you take as a supplement. I am talking about the fo...

    Asthma - Herbal treatment, Ayurvedic Remedies and Home Remedies

    What is Asthma?

    Asthma is a chronic respiratory disorder in which the inner lining of the respiratory tract becomes inflamed. Alternatively it could be blocked with a layer of mucus...

Interesting Today:

Most Recent Remedies Blogs:

Releated to Remedies:

Herbal Remedies Links: