NaturalNews.com
Originally published July 9 2008

Homeopathic Alternatives to Antibiotics
by DanaUllman

(NaturalNews) Homeopathic medicine actually gained its greatest
popularity primarily due to its impressive successes in the treatment
of infectious diseases in the 19th century. The death rates in
American and European homeopathic hospitals from cholera, scarlet
fever, typhoid, and yellow fever were typically two to eight times
less by percentage than those in conventional hospitals (Bradford,
1900; Ullman, 2007). As a result of these successes, at the turn of
the 20th century there were over 100 homeopathic hospitals and 22
homeopathic colleges, including Boston University, University of
Michigan, New York Medical College, and Hahnemann College of Medicine.

If homeopathy can have such significant results in treating people
suffering from these serious infectious diseases, there is little
doubt that it can be similarly effective in treating the various
common infectious diseases today.

And yet, the average American knows little or nothing about
homeopathy. Even many people who are passionate about alternative
medicine know little about the science and art of homeopathy.

What is so different about homeopathy?

Homeopathic medicines are not just composed with different medicinal
ingredients, and they are not just the use of smaller doses of
medicines. Homeopathy represents a different approach to understanding
disease and health.

Like modern-day physiology and pathology, homeopaths understand that
symptoms are not just something "wrong" with the person but that
symptoms are defensive adaptations of the human body in its best
efforts to fight infection and/or to adapt to stress. From this
perspective, it does not make sense to use pharmacological therapies
to inhibit, control, or suppress symptoms since such methods tend to
reduce the body's inherent self-healing responses.

Instead, homeopaths use medicinal agents that have been found to cause
in healthy people the similar syndrome of symptoms that sick people
experience. The very word "homeopathy" is derived from two Greek
words, "homoios" which means Similar and "pathos" which means
Suffering or Disease. This is why the basic premise of homeopathy is
called the "principle of similars." Because symptoms are the ways that
the body is trying to heal itself, it makes sense to use medicines
that are similar to and that augment their body's wisdom, rather than
suppress it. It is not a coincidence that immunizations and allergy
treatments are two of the very few conventional medical treatments
that help strengthen the immune system to prevent or treat disease,
and they use relatively small doses of substances for conditions that
they are known to cause in overdose.

What also makes homeopathy different (and sometimes more difficult)
than conventional medicine is that homeopathic medicines are not
prescribed to treat a specific or localized disease but are prescribed
to treat specific syndromes of symptoms of which one's disease is just
one part. In other words, two people may have the common cold, but one
would have a thin watery nasal disease that irritates the nostrils,
frequent sneezing, and a mild headache, all of which are aggravated in
warm rooms. The other would have thick yellowish nasal discharge that
doesn't irritate the nostrils, nasal congestion alternating with nasal
discharge, a cough that is relieved in the open air, and no thirst.

It is remarkable how many normally smart people, including many health
professionals, mistakenly assume that people with the same
conventional diagnosis should be prescribed the same medicine even
though they tend to have such different symptoms. While it may be more
easy and convenient to give people with the same diagnosis the same
medicine, individualization of treatment makes sense... and in
homeopathy, it works wonderfully well.

In homeopathy, a medicine is not prescribed based on the disease that
the person has but on the unique pattern or syndrome of symptoms that
are experienced. In the above example, the first person would be
prescribed Allium cepa (the common onion), while the second person
would be given Pulsatilla (an herb called windflower).

Jonas Salk, MD, the famed medical researcher, once said that there
were two basic approaches to treating sick people: the conventional
model of medicine which seeks to diagnose and treat a specific
pathology and the holistic model of healing which seeks to strengthen
host resistance. Needless to say, homeopathy is an integral part of
this second school of thought in medicine.

There are no "homeopathic antibiotics" or "homeopathic anti-viral
agents" because every correctly prescribed homeopathic medicine has
the potential of strengthening a person's own immune and defense
system in a way that helps to fight bacterial or viral infection.

The Logic of Homeopathy in Infectious Disease Treatment

It is commonly assumed that bacteria and viruses "cause" disease, and
it is heretical to consider otherwise. And yet, most of us have
various bacteria and viruses in our body right now despite the fact
that we are not sick.

The reason that some people get ill and others do not is what
biologists call "host resistance" and what physicians refer to as
"susceptibility." Basically, it is understood that infection is the
result of two factors: exposure to a pathogen and the person's present
state of health. From this perspective, bacteria and virus are not the
cause of disease but at best are a "co-factor" to disease.

One "take-home" message from this logical (and obvious) analysis of
infectious disease is that taking a conventional antibiotic or
antiviral drug may get rid of the pathogen, but they do not do
anything to strengthen a person's host resistance or immune system. In
fact, there is ample evidence that these conventional drugs actually
increase the chances of re-infection.

The second take-home message is that one should consider ways to
strengthen his or her own immune and defense system... and homeopathy
is one important way to do this.

Evidence of Success with Homeopathy

Skeptics of homeopathy mistakenly assert that there is no research
that verifies its efficacy. In actual fact, skeptics who assume this
are simply showing their own ignorance and their own unscientific
attitude.

An impressive international study that involved 30 clinicians in 6
clinics in 4 countries enrolled 500 consecutive patients with upper
respiratory tract complaints, lower respiratory tract complaints, or
ear complaints. The study found 83% of patients receiving homeopathic
care experienced improvement, while only 68% of those receiving a
conventional medication experienced a similar degree of improvement.
The study also found that those people given a homeopathic experienced
more rapid relief: 67.3% experienced improvement with homeopathy
within 3 days, while only 56.6% of patients given conventional
medicines experienced improvement (16.4% of homeopathic patients
improved within 24 hours; 5.7% in other group).(Riley, et al, 2001)

The #1 reason that parents take their child to a physician today is
for ear infection. A study published in a major pediatric journal
found that there were 19.9% more treatment failures in children given
a placebo than those given a homeopathic medicine. The study also
found a significant decrease in symptoms at 24 and 64 hours after
treatment in favor of those given a homeopathic medicine.

The homeopathic medicine that has undergone a significant number of
studies is the popular flu remedy Oscillococcinum. Three large-scale
studies (over 300 patients in each) conducted by three groups of
independent researchers have consistently found positive results in
using this remedy to treat influenza (Vickers and Smith, 2005).
Because conventional medicine has nothing to offer this all-too-common
viral illness, it is good to know of a safe and effective remedy.
However, it is useful to know that this remedy is primarily useful
when it is taken within 48 hours of the onset of symptoms.

Examples of Homeopathic Medicines

There are several simple homeopathic medicines that can be used by
anyone to treat many kinds of infections. The trick to using them
effectively is to remember that they are not used to treat only one
type of disease but are effective in treating the "syndrome" of
symptoms that each is known to cause (when taken in overdose in
experiments). It is also helpful to mention that homeopathic medicines
are listed by their Latin name in order to be precise with the
specific substance being used.

Aconitum (monkshood) is sometimes called "homeopathic vitamin C"
because it is commonly used at the first symptoms of infection
(respiratory infection, influenza, sore throat, ear infection, bladder
infection). It is indicated when symptoms start rapidly and are
intense. Usually, there is a high fever (not higher than 103 degrees),
strong thirst, restlessness, and may begin after being chilled or
after a sudden fright, anger, or shock.

Belladonna (deadly nightshade) is useful for various types of
infections, especially when the person is feverish with flushed,
reddened skin and mucous membranes, with palatable feelings of heat
radiating off the body. It is indicated when the person's senses are
hyperacute, and the person is aggravated by noise, touch, light, or
jarring motion. The sick person may be delirious and will tend to
experience vivid dreams (children will say that they see ghosts or
scary things).

Pulsatilla (windflower) tends to be much more commonly given to women
and children for various infections. It is particularly useful for
people who are very emotional, moody, and desire sympathy. These
people do not tend to have much thirst, even if they have a fever.
They feel worse in a warm room and desire open air. If they have a
cold or cough, their mucus tends to be thick and yellow or yellow-
greenish, and their symptoms are usually worse at night.

In addition to homeopathic medicines that are composed of specific
single ingredient substances, there are also "homeopathic formulas,"
that is, combinations of 2 to 10 ingredients. These formulas are very
simple to use because they are usually made with some of the most
commonly prescribed remedies known to be effective in treating people
with a specific ailment, and these products are marketed based on a
specific disease name (Because the FDA recognizes homeopathic
medicines are "over-the-counter drugs," it is perfectly legal for
homeopathic manufacturers to give a disease indication on the label,
as long as the disease is self-limiting and does not require a medical
diagnosis).

Homeopaths generally find that the individually-chosen single
ingredient homeopathic remedy is more apt to provide faster and more
certain results, but if you don't know how to select a homeopathic
medicine for you or a family member, it is good to know that "user-
friendly" homeopathic formula products are readily available and are
often wonderfully effective.

To learn how to select an individually chosen remedy, consider getting
a homeopathic self-care guidebook, such as Everybody's Guide to
Homeopathic Medicines by Stephen Cummings, MD, and Dana Ullman, MPH or
Homeopathic Medicines for Children and Infants by Dana Ullman, MPH. To
better understand what homeopathy is and to learn about why so many of
the smartest, most successful, and most famous people of the past 200
years used or advocated for homeopathy, see The Homeopathic
Revolution: Why Famous People and Cultural Heroes Choose Homeopathy by
Dana Ullman.

If a person experiences repeated infection or experiences particularly
intense symptoms, you should seek professional homeopathic and/or
medical care. Because homeopathy is a method of strengthening a
person's overall immune and defense system, it should be seriously
considered as a treatment of choice to people who are prone to
infection.

References:

T.L. Bradford, The Logic of Figures. Philadelphia: Boericke and Tafel,
1900.

D Riley, M Fischer, B Singh, et al, Homeopathy and Conventional
Medicine: An Outcomes Study Comparing Effectiveness in a Primary Care
Setting, Journal of Alt and Comp Med, 7,2,April, 2001:149-60.

J Jacobs, DA Springer, D Crothers, Homeopathic Treatment of Acute
Otitis Media in Children: A Preliminary Randomized Placebo-controlled
Trial, Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal, 20,2 (February 2001):
177-183.

Vickers A. J., and Smith, C. Homoeopathic Oscillococcinum for
preventing and treating influenza and influenza-like syndromes,
Cochrane Review, The Cochrane Library, 2005, Issue 4.

About the author
DANA ULLMAN, MPH, is one of America's leading spokespersons for
homeopathy. He has authored nine books, including The Homeopathic
Revolution: Why Famous People and Cultural Heroes Choose Homeopathy,
Homeopathy A-Z, Homeopathic Medicines for Children and Infants, and
(the best-selling) Everybody's Guide to Homeopathic Medicines (with
Stephen Cummings, MD). Dana has served on advisory boards of
alternative medicine institutes at Harvard, Columbia, and University
of Arizona schools of medicine. He is the founder of Homeopathic
Educational Services (http://www.homeopathic.com), America's leading
resource center for homeopathic books, tapes, medicines, software, and
correspondence courses.

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