[Article Writing Competition] #3 Homeopathy, is it still relevant?

Homeopathy, is it still relevant?

            ‘Similia Similbus Curantur’ audibly may be mistaken as one of those ludicrous magic lines in Harry Potter, but in reality it is the central tenet of Homeopathy dated back since its foundation 200 years ago by Samuel Hahnemann. The principle ‘Likes Cures Likes’ is uphold by Homeopaths all over the world by treating ailments with natural substances that if given to a healthy person will produce symptoms of the ailment. A quick glance of this practice in Homeopathy can be seen in the use of Alium Cepa, of red onion origin, given to patient who has the symptoms of sneezing, excessive nasal discharge and profusion of tears. This laudable principle which is a revival of idea conversant with Hippocrates however is overshadowed by the unusual preparation of Homeopathic remedy. Homeopathic remedy is prepared through potentiation, of which the mother tincture, an extract of the original substance is diluted with water to an astronomical ratio, up to a level of which no molecules of the medicine could have being present, as perceived by modern day science. This strange preparation of Homeopathic remedy never fails to raise eyebrows among skeptics. To make thing stranger, Homeopaths believe that the more chemically diluted the remedy, the more therapeutically enhanced it is. In an era that demands a succinct scientific explanation of the universe, does Homeopathy deserve a place in today health care amidst its surrounding controversy?

              Last year, a prolific health care author, Dr. Madelon Lubin Finkel, published the book ‘Public Health in the 21st Century’ in which she addressed the new health challenges around the globe, all too frequently associated with the confluent effects of pollution and inevitable post industrial environmental changes. A growing concern is the prevalent increase of respiratory and allergic-associated diseases including asthma. ‘The Global Burden of Asthma’ is a term designated in depicting the finance and energy consume in battling with asthma, not only at individual level but up to governmental level. This global catastrophe is in fact has economically exceeds those of AIDS and Tuberculosis combined. In face of such dilemma, Homeopathy offers an initiative, both financially and practically useful, without lifetime medication and hospital admission. In The Lancet (December 10, 1994) a research on Homeopathic medicine was conducted in a small scale of 24 patients by professors at the University of Glasgow. The asthmatic patients are given individualized Homeopathic remedy of substances to which they are most allergic to, in accordance to Law of Similarity. Within the first week of treatment, there is a significant relief of asthma reported by patients, not to mention the side effect of the remedy is virtually nil. Homeopathy might be of minuscule role in emergency asthma attack, but it clearly provide better choice in reducing or eliminating asthma symptoms, hence alleviating the global burden of asthma.

            Conventional medicine relies mainly on man-made drugs that are able to control the patients’ symptoms but sometimes give rise to unavoidable side effects. In recent decade, there is an increase awareness and consensus view even among the public about the ill-effect of common drugs in the long run. Nowadays patients are looking for an alternative way out, and many have discovered the benefits of using Homeopathic remedy in lieu of taking common drugs. Homeopathic remedy, unlike its conventional counterpart, is claimed by many as safe and has no toxic side effects as it is derived mainly from natural sources.  Common drug likes Panadol may reduce the pain in a rapid manner but the consumption need of pain killer will increase with time as the body becomes habituated to the drug, not to mention its adverse effects on liver. In Homeopathy, if the right remedy is given, its efficacy is similar to that of common drug although some patient may undergo Homeopathic aggravation, a temporary worsening of existing symptoms. The condition usually subsidised with time and there is no reoccurrence of symptoms, annihilated them truly. It is believed that instead of suppressing the disease, Homeopathy treat the root cause, not the symptoms. On the other hand, conventional medicine has gone to the extent of suppressing the immune system in order to get rid of a symptom. The usage of cough medicine for example suppresses the cough reflex which is supposed to be our body defense mechanism. It does not address the underlying issue but only the symptoms. As Dana Ullman, a well known Homeopath said; “Symptoms, then, are sign or signal of something else, and treating them does not necessarily change that ‘something else’”. Homeopathy might not be able to replace the need of drugs in anesthesia for surgery, or surgical procedure itself but it can definitely provide a favorable alternative in treating daily illness and avoid the unwanted effects of common prescribed drugs, consequently decrease the rate of doctor-induced diseases.

             Despite the booming flood of new drugs for treatment, modern day healthcare has witnessed a backward fashion of patients’ satisfaction. Doctors today approached patients as cases needed to be solved instead of a person longing to be healed. Perhaps this is one of the reasons why many more are shifting to Homeopathy.  Homeopathy provides a holistic approach of medicine that treats the patients as a whole, taking into accounts their personality and mental state rather than just the physical symptoms. A Homeopathic practitioner will try to match the physical symptoms and mental state of patients to the right remedy. For example, patients of common physical symptoms but different emotional states will be given two different individualised remedy and only one remedy is given to address all the symptoms. This is very different from conventional medicine, in which a drug is given to tackled only one symptoms. A patient will be given a drug concurrently with other drugs, each targeted at specific symptoms and even another medication to address the side effect of the given drug. Not only that, the number of drugs prescribed will increase with the increase of age of the patient, to the extent that they have to swallow a cocktail of drug in elderly age. It is very disheartening that these patients often resemble that of drug addicts, unable to cut their dependency to their medications. On the other hand, patients have a high regard of Homeopathic approach in treating them compare to the time spend with common physicians, many of which devoid of eye contact and spend only a few minutes before prescribing a drug. Thus Homeopathy fills in the hole of conventional medicine, and improves the relationship between patients and practitioner. It is due to the fact that physicians nowadays, despite all the scientific approach and novel technology, failed to provide the basic human support for their patients: quality time and empathy.

            Homeopathy might also be the solution to relieve the plight of the third world countries as it could provide a cheap accessible health care to counteract spreading epidemics that was exacerbated by low hygiene and lacks of quality health care. In Tanzania, two years ago, Jeremy Sherr, a prominent Homeopathic figure has founded Homoeopathy for Health in Africa project, co-contributed by many homeopaths around the globe in providing better health care for AIDS patients.  Sherr has described how Homeopathy helps in improving the life of the AIDS patients by inducing the body self immune system. Other Homeopathic figure, Jennifer Jacobs, Homeopathic MD and also a master in Public Health, carried a landmark study published as “Treatment of Acute Childhood Diarrhea with Homeopathic Medicine: A Randomized Clinical Trial in Nicaragua” (Pediatrics, 1994). The study shows a positive result towards Homeopathy. Diarrhea, an unabated cause of death in children in developing country could have been minimise by Homeopathy. Meanwhile, in developing countries like Pakistan, Cuba and Mexico, Homeopathy is assimilated into mainstream medicine. While in India its legislation is on par with that of mainstream. Over recent years, Homeopathy is able to establish numerous prestigious Homeopathic medical colleges, given birth to many licensed practitioners. Homeopathy practice in such countries has continued to remain a popular choice among local people because of its effectiveness and low cost. The practice of Homeopathy is not only limited to developing countries. In France and Germany too, Homeopathy share the same spotlight as mainstream medicine. In United Kingdom, Homeopathy receive funding from NHS, National Health Service in establishment of Homeopathic hospital and most general practitioner are also allowed to prescribed Homeopathic remedy. This is a tremendous indicator that even many patients in developed countries, despite the high accessibility to mainstream medicine, have resorted to Homeopathy.

            For centuries skeptics with great panache have try to classify Homeopathy as a mere placebo effect. They believe that the healing power of Homeopathy is all in the mind of patients, who, due to the empathic attitude and the quality time given by Homeopathic practitioner, becomes better no matter what medication is given. However this reiteration proved to fail when Homeopathy also gives profound effects on animals. Unlike human, animals can’t be convinced that it is going to be healed by Homeopathic remedy, neither can the doctor provide emotional assurance to the animal. Despite of that, this still does not subsidies the benefits animals obtain from the intake of Homeopathy, physically and emotionally. In line with the Homeopathic consultation to human, history taking by the Homeopathic veterinarian also involved the personality of the animal, as told, of course, by the owner of the pet. Homeopathy is also used in treatment of farm animals and wildlife rehabilitation.  Veterinary Homeopathy has been established a decade after the establishment of Homeopathy itself. In 1984, the British Association of Homeopathic Veterinary Surgeons was established indicating not only medical general practitioner has embraced Homeopathy, but also professional veterinarian. At present, there is an expanded Homeopathic veterinary community all around the globe.

            In the field of alternative medicine, Homeopathy might have been the beau idéal of what holistic healing is. Though it has been deliberately misconstrued and vehemently criticized by many that were unable to comprehend a system of medicine so against quantum physics and rational mind. The mechanism of action of Homeopathic remedy may not be able to be explained yet in term of modern science, but the problem is not of how it works, rather does it works? The acceptance on Homeopathy should not be on halt until we find an explanation satisfying enough to scientific community, for it may takes forever. Homeopathy, a medicine of small doses, but of magnanimous value in the 21st century.  Hence, the question as to whether Homeopathy is still relevant should have been discarded because Homeopathy, unlike the now infamous Harry Potter, will always survive the fate of time and remain popular due to its efficacy.

Written by:

UMMU HELMA HASSAN

2nd YEAR, FACULTY OF MEDICINE

CAIRO UNIVERSITY