The Homeopathic Observer

2010-06-22T08:55:00.000-07:00

Treat Your Sunburn and prevent it safely (the great sunscreen controversy)
by Ananda More DHMHS, Reiki Master, Doula and all around free spirit

Sunburn season has begun, I should know I've been
careless and had red itchy shoulders twice this year already!
So I'm inspired to write this article.

Homeopathy has lots of great options for treating sunburn, I'll
start with some over the counter preparations and then
mention some specific remedies which may be indicated.
Last but not least I'll talk a bit about the great sunblock
controversy.

In terms of easy over the counter preparations I have found that a
Ferrum Phos tissue salt cream can work wonders. (this is what I've been using this year). Ferrum Phos 6X is indicated in
general inflammation, redness, and even fever.
Another great option is a Calendula cream or
tincture. Calendula sooths the skin, encourages healing, is antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory.
I've also used Traumeel topically as it is one of the staples in my first aid kit - it contains, among
other things, calendula, hypericum, and hepar sulph which are all indicated in the treatment of
sunburn.

Since Classical Homeopathy is all about finding the right individual remedy that matches the
presenting symptoms I must mention some of the top remedies indicated in sunburn.

Cantharis: is a major remedy for burns in general, but especially indicated for sunburn. There is
redness, possible blisters, and can be used in very severe burns. This remedy can even prevent
blisters if applied early enough. Symptoms are worse from touch and scratching, better from cold
water.

Urtica Urens: is great for sunburn with burning, itching, stinging and crawling sensations. May
have small, clear, fluid filled blisters and skin peeling. Symptoms are worse from cold water, heat,
and exercise and better from rest. Also a great remedy for psickly heat.

Hypericum: is a great remedy if there is intense pain with the burn. It can also be applied
topically in a mother tincture form along with calendula.

Sun exposure is essential for all of us. It stimulates the production of Vitamin D, and in moderate
amounts has also been shown to prevent cancer. The chemicals used in conventional sunscreen
have been linked to cancer, are known to contain toxic estrogenic compounds, and generate free
radicals which means damage to cells and aging (isnʼt that what you were trying to avoid by
slathering on the stuff in the first place?).

So how does one get protection from the sun? The best sunscreen is clothing, keep yourself
covered with light fabrics and use hats. Build up your resistance slowly through the spring, start
with 10 min a day and slowly build up so you can go out in the sun and avoid burns. Use clothing
to protect you from the sun. Third if too much exposure is unavoidable try using natural
sunscreens containing zinc oxide or titanium dioxide. These work by reflecting the sun off your
skin as opposed to absorbing radiation. This makes them more effective and safer.

Maybe next year Iʼll take my own advice and introduce my sensitive skin slowly to the sun.

Homeopathy threatened by false information and bad science

2010-02-23T12:27:00.000-08:00

Help us support Homeopathy in the UK
If Homeopathy has worked for you visit the site below and sign the declaration

H:MC21 - Homeopathy Worked For Me!
Tuesday, 09 February 2010

Homeopaths, Patients, Supporters!

Come to

THE MASS LOBBY OF PARLIAMENT
Wednesday 24th February 2010 at 2.30 p.m.

HOUSES...

The Case For Homeopathy

2010-02-13T10:33:00.000-08:00

In light of the recent attacks on Homeopathy I want to share a wonderful article written by Dana Ullman on the Huffington Post

There has been an increasingly vocal objection to Homeopathy being fueled and funded by the pharmaceutical industry as they attempt to shut down an affordable and effective form of medicine.

Especially if you're a sceptic, do some real research, find out how many hundreds of studies in vitro, on plants, and on people, have shown Homeopathy to be effectice. Even Darwin (in his recently published letters) showed with his own experiments on plants that Homeopathy has an effect.

If you've been helped by Homeopathy Please support Patients and Practitioners of homeopathy in the UK by signing this declaration at Homeopathy Worked For Me. The UK's national health plan currently covers homeopathic treatment and citizens are at risk of loosing coverage. Even if you don't believe in Homeopathy this is about freedom of choice.

How To make A Remedy

2010-02-01T09:59:00.000-08:00

Ok it's been a while since I posted, I've been in work mode organizing to big seminars coming up. The first a Vithoulkas video course and the second with Grant Bentley on facial diagnosis

However I just came across this great video on how to make a remedy

Preventing Infant Mortality

2009-08-24T21:04:00.000-07:00

Ok so this isn't homeopthic - but as my new role of Doula and Homeopathic Birth Support I think this is important. The film was produced by Dona International - the main association for Doulas is North America.

Reducing Infant Mortality from Debby Takikawa on Vimeo.

So that's where we came from

2009-07-08T11:39:00.000-07:00

I'm teaching a workshop on Homeopathy for prenatal, labour and post natal care this Sat. at Pape Library in Toronto. 11:00 am (upstairs) - I though this was a cute story to introduce the class, Enjoy!

The 'Middle Wife' by an Anonymous 2nd grade teacher:

I've been teaching now for about fifteen years. I have two kids myself, but the best birth story I know is the one I saw in my own second grade classroom a few years back.

When I was a kid, I loved show-and-tell. So I always have a few sessions with my students. It helps them get over shyness and usually, show-and-tell is pretty tame. Kids bring in pet turtles, model airplanes, pictures of fish they catch, stuff like that. And I never, ever place any boundaries or limitations on them. If they want to lug it in to school and talk about it, they're welcome.

Well, one day this little girl, Erica, a very bright, very outgoing kid, takes her turn and waddles up to the front of the class with a pillow stuffed under her sweater.

She holds up a snapshot of an infant. 'This is Luke, my baby brother, and I'm going to tell you about his birthday.'

'First, Mom and Dad made him as a symbol of their love, and then Dad put a seed in my Mom's stomach, and Luke grew in there. He ate for nine months through an umbrella cord.'

She's standing there with her hands on the pillow, and I'm trying not to laugh and wishing I had my camcorder with me. The kids are watching her in amazement.

'Then, about two Saturdays ago, my Mom starts saying and going, 'Oh, Oh, Oh, Oh!' Erica puts a hand behind her back and groans. 'She walked around the house for, like an hour, 'Oh, oh, oh!' (Now this kid is doing a hysterical duck walk and groaning.)

'My Dad called the middle wife. She delivers babies, but she doesn't have a sign on the car like the Domino's man. They got my Mom to lie down in bed like this.' (Then Erica lies down with her back against the wall.)

'And then, pop! My Mom had this bag of water she kept in there in case he got thirsty, and it just blew up and spilled all over the bed, like psshhheew!' (This kid has her legs spread with her little hands miming water flowing away. It was too much!)

'Then the middle wife starts saying 'push, push,' and 'breathe, breathe. They started counting, but never even got past ten. Then, all of a sudden, out comes my brother. He was covered in yucky stuff that they all said it was from Mom's play-center, (placenta) so there must be a lot of toys inside there. When he got out, the middle wife spanked him for crawling up in there.'

Then Erica stood up, took a big theatrical bow and returned to her seat... I'm sure I applauded the loudest. Ever since then, when it's show-and-tell day, I bring my camcorder, just in case another 'Middle Wife' comes along.

Homeopathy Mentioned in the Bible

2009-06-29T07:28:00.000-07:00

Maybe this is a little odd, but Dana Ullman does have a point. He claims that when Moses came down the mountain to find the Israelites worshiping the golden calf - he treated them homeopathically. And though his interpretation may sound like a bit of a stretch he does have a point. Strange that the bible should mention drinking a diluted gold solution. Check it out for yourself and come to your own conclusion.

More Research Supporting Homeopathy in the use of cancer

2009-06-10T20:12:00.000-07:00

This is In vitro evidence supporting Homeopathy. Though I always question the usefullness since acurate Homeopathic prescribing is an art that takes into account all aspects of a person not just their pathology. And as a matter of fact all aspect of their experience of their pathology.

At least in-vitro studies show us that homeopathy affects cells - no placebo effect is influential.

Here's the link.

http://ecam.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/full/6/2/257

Homeopathy for Flu Pandemics

2009-05-01T19:07:00.000-07:00

From Andre Saine:

How does homeopathy address patients with infectious diseases? Homeopathic treatment is ideal to optimize the body's natural defenses against microbes. With the appropriate homeopathic treatment, people recover from infectious diseases, even the most serious ones, gently and rapidly. During past great epidemics such as diphtheria, scarlet fever, typhoid, cholera, yellow fever, malaria, etc., homeopathy decreased mortality by 10 to 30 times versus conventional medicine. During the infamous Spanish flu epidemic of 1918-19, it has been estimated that 25 to 50 million people died worldwide. In the United States alone, 550,000 died, approximately 10% of the people afflicted with the flu. Homeopathic physicians documented then more than 62,000 patients treated with homeopathy resulting in a mortality of 0.7%. For people who were sick enough to be hospitalized, conventional medicine had a mortality of 30% while with 27,000 documented hospitalized cases, homeopathy was reporting a mortality of 1.05% (Journal of the American Institute of Homeopathy 1921; 13:1028-43).

I don't have much time right now to talk at length on my views of this Swine Flu epidemic, and to do the research needed to write a descent article (I hope to do this in the following week) But seriously, how many people die yearly in North America from the flu? And compare to how many have died from this H1N1 influenza?

Luckily the stats on Homeopathy and past flu epidemics give me the confidence to say there's nothing to fear.

An interesting opinion on microwaves

2009-04-02T19:42:00.000-07:00

Ok so this post has nothing to do with homeopathy but everything to do with health - so in an indirect way it does connect to homoepathy.

I haven't allowed a microwave in my house in over 10 years. They freak me out - who knows what all those invisible waves are doing to the molecules of my food, and are they really illegal in Russia? I've seen what can happen when you "nuke" an egg - boom! And is it any coincidence that we refer to microwaving food as nuking?

Anyways here's an interesting little article someone wrote

enjoy!

Fevers

2009-04-02T19:28:00.000-07:00

So after teaching a workshop on Homeopathy for infants with a focus on fevers I found my little one sick, and slowly after a few days developing a fever. Being a first time mom faced with my first frightening fever I forgot all that I taught in my class, threw common sense out the window and started fretting over the "very high" 40 degree fever the baby was expressing.

I called my colleague and child's homeopath like 10 times that day, and despite his comforting words and warnings not to use any remedies unless the fever got really high (isn't 40 really high?). Of course I did not listen, and soon she was getting doses of chamomila, and belladonna. Eventually in fear of another sleepless night (as I also caught the cold and the fever) I resorted to Tylenol.

I'm happy to say baby has an vibrant life force which resisted all my attempts to suppress the fever. And after a couple of exhausting days and sleepless nights the fever resolved itself. Hurray! I hope I've learned my lesson and will avoid such silly parent behaviour next time I'm confronted with a fever.

So here's my advice in the face of a fever in an infant. Stay calm. According to the telehealth nurse there is no need to worry about a fever less than 40.6 degrees Celsius. And even then you're probably ok, but contact a Dr. just in case. And of course there are the common fever remedies such as Belladonna for a sudden high fever (yes higher than 40), Aconite for first stages of a cold or fever after exposure to cold and Ferrum Phos. for a low or medium fever that comes on slowly.

But if you can help it let the fever do its thing. This is a tool the body uses to heal itself, and who knows what can happen when you try to stop the body's innate ability to heal.

Homeopathy, Scientific?

2009-03-04T20:28:00.001-08:00

The following is a link to a letter written by Brian D. Josephson, a Nobel laureate and Welsh physicist. Here he succinctly critiques criticisms of Homeopathy, such as the idea that serial dilution is ridiculous while in fact the alleged power of the remedy is not contained in the original substance but rather in the modification of the water.

http://www.tcm.phy.cam.ac.uk/~bdj10/water.memory/ns/homeopathy.html

Save Homeopathy in the UK

2009-02-23T12:28:00.000-08:00

Homeopathy is under attack in the UK. Why in the UK more than other places? I believe it's because Homeopathy is covered by the health care system and because it is one of the few western nations with Homeopathic Hospitals.

Many believe that pharmaceuticals have too much to loose to cheaper more effective Homeopathy, and are therefore fighting a dirty battle to discredit the work we do. They feed the public lies claiming that there is no evidence that Homeopathy works when there is a large amount of research available that shows Homeopathy has significant effects in vitro and in people. Check out www.homeonetresearch.ca

Others say that Big Pharma is retaliating in England for profit losses they have suffered in India thanks to the increasing popularity of Homeopathy there. In the United Kingdom they have more influence and can use their massive lobby presence as well as carefully planted naysayers in the public media to minimize access to and support for Homeopathy.

What this comes down to in the end is the right of the individual to choose the type of care they want, even if you don't believe in Homeopathy allow those who do have access to their choice of health care.

To support the movement to save Homeopathy in the UK please go to Homeopathy Worked For Me

To see some answers to typical criticisms of Homeopathy please click here

Answers to some objections to homeopathy
taken from Homeopathy worked for me

"There are no tests which have shown homeopathy to work"
To begin with we need to be clear about what we mean by tests, since homeopathy has been shown to work in a number of different types of test, and this myth generally refers only to randomised control trials (RCTs).

And this is where the lack of logic kicks in. Some conventional medical treatments cannot be tested using the RCT model, and so evidence of effectiveness is based on the clinical evidence of cases. One example is surgery, another is psychiatry, and it is even the case that some drugs are prescribed on the basis of clinical evidence, rather than on the evidence from RCTs. In addition, drugs are usually withdrawn on the basisof the clinical evidence revealing dangers not identified in the RCTs, so clinical evidence is actually considered more important in the evaluation of treatent than RCTs. Homeopathy has an unequaled level of detail in its case histories which makes it possible to verify the success of treatment by study of clinical practice, and there are also good reasons for it not being easily tested using RCTs. As a result the demand for evidence from RCTs is inappropriate and intended to distort the truth.

There are two particular reasons why homeopathy cannot be tested properly in RCTs:

The remedy has to be individualised. RCTs are based on giving the same treatment to a large number of people and looking at the results, compared with those for a group which has been given an "inactive" treatment. If you give the same remedy to a large number of people who nominally have the same illness, but whose individual symptoms do not indicate that the remedy is appropriate, then it is an "inactive" treatment for some proportion of those people. The result is that you are comparing an "inactive" treatment not with an "active" one, but with a combination of "active" and "inactive" treatments. This will dilute the difference between the groups and make the treatment appear ineffective.
The sequence of remedies has to be individualised. The best RCTs are generally conducted so that neither the patient nor the practitioner knows who is getting the "active" treatment and who the "inactive" one (double blind). In homeopathy, however, the practitioner needs to assess the patient's reaction to the previous remedy in order to decide how to proceed with the case. A lack of reaction to the remedy is important information as it may indicate that the wrong remedy or the wrong potency has been prescribed. Study of the case will lead to a decision about whether to change the remedy or potency. If the practitioner does not know whether the patient actually received the remedy, then it is impossible to make any accurate assessment of the case, and so the treatment becomes confused. This again will dilute the difference between the groups and make the treatment appear ineffective.

It is a measure of the power of homeopathy that even so there are trials which show it to be successful. A study of clinical trials of homeopathy by Kleijnen et al. (BMJ 1991; 302:316-323) concluded: ‘Overall, of the 105 trials with interpretable results, 81 trials (77%) indicated positive results.’ They also stated: ‘At the moment the evidence of clinical trials is positive but not sufficient to draw definite conclusions.’

"Homeopathy kills people"
This is a very new myth, and is literally impossible. Since the remedies stimulate the body's own healing processes, their action is precisely opposed to that of fatal illness. What is actually meant - is that homeopaths prevent or delay the use of "real" medicine, leading to a patient dying sooner than they might have done. In other words it is simply the argument that homeopathy is ineffective, dressed up in a more dramatic and particularly aggressive form. Only hypothetical evidence is ever produced to support this myth, since the truth is that generally patients come to homeopaths AFTER conventional treatment has failed, rather than before conventional treatment.

The truth is that even in the teeth of death, when nothing can be done to stop what is happening or to extend life, homeopathy can give relief and dignity to a person's last moments.

2.5 Million Cubans Successfully Vaccinated with Homeopathic Remedies

2009-02-11T19:35:00.000-08:00

At a recent conference in Cuba (Dec.2008) Homeopaths from around the world presented cases of successful homeopathic prophylaxis. One of the most impressive cases presented came from Cuba itself, thanks to trade embargoes, a country free from the pressures of the pharmaceutical lobby.

Cuba suffers from yearly epidemics of Leptospirosis, a bacterial disease that can cause a variety of symptoms including: high fever, severe headache, chills, muscle aches, vomiting, jaundice, abdominal pain, diarrhea, or a rash. If the disease is not treated, the patient could develop kidney damage, meningitis , liver failure, and respiratory distress. (according to the CDC)

According to a preliminary report by the Finlay Institute:

"On October November 2007, three provinces of the eastern region of Cuba were affected by strong rainfalls causing floods of big areas and several damages to sanitary and health systems. The risk of leptospirosis infection raised extremely dangerous levels with about 2 million of peoples exposed to potentially contaminated water.

Considering this situation, the Finlay Institute prepared a leptospira nosode 200 CH using 4 circulating strains and following international quality standards. A multidisciplinary team travelled to the affected regions to conduct the massive administration of the nosode. Coordinated action with public health system infrastructures allowed the administration of a preventive treatment consisting in two doses (7- 9 days apart) of the nosode to about 2,4 million of people (4,8 million of doses). The coverage of the intervention rose up to 95% percent of total population of the three provinces at risk."

The typical expectancy of illness would have been in the thousands even with allopathic vaccinations, along with many deaths. The problem with dispensing the usual allopathic vaccination was the high cost which prevented getting the vaccination to those most at risk, namely children, pregnant women and the elderly. The usual cost for vaccinating the population is around 3 million dollars for 2.5 million people.

Following the use of the homeopathic profilaxis made from the leptospirosis bacteria in August 2007 (a time of typical high incidence thanks to hurricane season)there were only 10 cases of leptospirosis and no deaths resulting from the disease. In all of 2008 there were no deaths and rates of infection never went over 10 people per month.

This is an important historical event as such immunization would not have been allowed anywhere else.

We eagerly await the full report.

For more information check out http://homeopathyresource.wordpress.com

The Immortal Jellyfish

2009-01-05T19:20:00.000-08:00

If a remedy of this little creature - Turritopsis nutricula - hasn't been proven I believe it's time. Who knew an animal actually exists that defies death and reverts to a colonial polyp stage to start again. Incarnation without demise!

Rajan Sankaran has recently put out a book on mollusks, and though this creature isn't a mollusk it would be an interesting addition to the book.

This remedy could be the ultimate sea remedy combining the themes. According to Massimo Mangialavori the link between sea life and the uterus is clear - how does an animal who lives in the sea and keeps reverting to infancy relate homeopathicaly to a human? Would it have medusa themes as the two creatures are related?

Sea remedy themes include isolation, difficulty communicating, aversion to company, desire for solitude, mood swings, issues of independence and dependence, grief, sadness, and depression

I challenge someone to do a proving of this remedy and I would love to help you out.

The Ultimate Holiday Remedy

2008-12-23T07:36:00.000-08:00

Technorati Profile
Nux Vomica, also known as Colubrina in Canada, is the most fantastic remedy made especially for the holidays. Not only is it hailed for its ability to cure hangovers it is well known to ease your tummy troubles after an evening of over indulgence. Heart burn, constipation, burping, tummy aches be gone!

One of the prescribing keynotes for nux vomica is ailments from stress - and what is more stressful than the holiday season - shopping, preparing loads of edibles, office parties, and dealing with demanding family members like that crazy uncle Bob or your overly critical mother.

So carry a vial of Nux Vomica 30C with you at all times and take in case of upset stomach due to overindulgence. To avoid the nasty hangover the next morning take 3 pellets under the tongue before bed and once again when you wake up in the morning. And when you stay cool under holiday pressures and avoid that horrific post party headache you'll know who to thank.

Happy Holidays

The Debate Continues

2008-12-19T07:23:00.000-08:00

Online Documentaries 4 U: Homeopathy: The Test

A very insightful documentary on Homeopathic research. In many ways it shows both sides of the story - it ends however with the Famous Randi proving Homeopathy and anything beyond science's ability to explain as bogus.

Many eminent scientists have staked heir careers and public humiliation by publishing research that proves Homeopathy works. Why is it that when Randi gets involved in a scientific experiment that demonstrated positive results repeatedly the results suddenly change? Do you really believe world class scientists aren't following proper research methodology? That their studies aren't double blind to begin with? Or perhaps Randi is sabotaging studies as his reputation, career, and money are at stake!

Anyways I post this film because it really does provide an excellent overview of Homeopathy.

New Research

2008-12-08T19:21:00.000-08:00

Believe it or not Homeopaths are eager to embrace scientific research into their field. We too are looking for concrete evidence to support what we observe in our clinics daily and therefore bring homeopathy to the masses as a viable and important alternative. A significant resource that recently popped onto the scene is Homeonet - a Canadian research network devoted to connecting and funding researchers in Homeopathy.

Homeonet now presents the study of the month - a page that highlights one study in the field of Homeopathic Research every month. Check it out here

Homeopathy For Teething

2008-11-27T17:25:00.000-08:00

I believe I have made an inspired and important discovery in the treatment of teething babes. Recently while in Montreal 2 friends of ours with a teething monster showed us how they wrap an ice cube in a cloth, tie it with a rubber band and give it to their 11 month old to suck on. Brilliant! We tried this at home with our little one and quickly received giggles and sqwabbles of appreciation.

Step number 2 in my great discovery was combining the lifesaving qualities of Boiron's Camilia with the clever ice trick mentioned above. Mix a vile of Camilia into the purified water going into the ice tray! Hurray happy babies everywhere!

The Lancet Can Be Wrong

2008-11-21T17:44:00.000-08:00

A few years ago the Lancet published a meta-analysis of Homeopathic trials which claimed to show that Homeopathy is ineffective. Most people within the Homeopathic community were appalled to see how poorly the trials were chosen for this analysis.

There is a bias in medical publications against publishing anything that may prove that Homeopathy works. Often only those papers showing that homeopathy fails are published. In most of these trials Homeopathy is shown to be ineffective because they lack the individualization essential to proper homeopathic prescribing.

The following link takes you to a press release regarding 2 recent studies explaining that the Lancet paper was flawed.

enjoy

http://www.sphq.org/images/stories/Homeopathy_media_release_nov_2008.pdf