Why is homeopathy derided?

REAL CURE. GENTLE CURE.
Just check out the news on the web about homeopathy. Chances are nine out of ten times the report will be adverse. Things like "homeopathy is nothing more than placebo", "homeopathy does not stand up to scientific scrutiny" or more uncharitably, Homeopathy is bull shit!".

I do not understand one thing. The masters of homeopathy never said homeopathy was pure science. Homeopathy is science and art. It is both. It is philosophy. Then why is it being judged on the yardstick of pure science? I would advise the adherents of allopathy to stop attacking. They don't know the abc of homeopathy. Have they read the basic books on homeopathy. No!

Homeopathy was a rage in the United States in the nineteenth century. More and more homeopathic hospitals were being built. The brightest minds were opting for homeopathy as an career. Kent, Von Lippe and H. C. Allen were national figures. The decline of homeopathy began in that country because the homeopathy case-taking (if properly done) takes a long time. A homeopathic physician at best see ten to fifteen patients every day. Allopathy scored over it as a allopathy physician takes at most ten to fifteen minutes per patient. So he can see more patients and earn more money. The general public too was attracted by the quickness. It is another point that allopathy most of the time palliates or suppresses a disease, which emerges in a new form in another part of the body. In contrast homeopathy cures. Most people don't understand this. The homeopathy has no millionaire doctors and multi-billion dollar drug firms to educate the public and publicize it.

The very fact that despite all this it survives today and is increasingly thriving is proof of its utility. It is said when the best doctors give up on a case that the patient goes to a homeopathic doctor as a last desperate attempt to be cured. Homeopathy never fails them. For chronic diseases, there is no other system of medicine but homeopathy.

In India, the government has a separate department of homeopathy and actively encourages its spread. The country's homeopathic colleges give forth thousands of homeopaths every year. Are they all fools. Would all this happen if homeopathy was nothing but placebo? Remember that the Indian culture is one of the oldest in the world. If Indians have embraced homeopathy as its own, there must be much more in it than what some allopathic physicians with narrow intellect and closed mind say it is.

The great Germans Hahnemann (founder of homeopathy) and Count Boeninghausen, great American homeopaths Adolph Lippe, Constantine Hering, Kent, H. C. Allen, English homeopath Clarke. All great homeopaths of the nineteenth century. Were they all quacks? Those who belittle homeopathy; have they heard of them? Have they read their works? I would advise them to do so before they say a word about homeopathy.

The present masters of homeopathy. Flemish Kockelenberg, Dockx, Greek Vithoulkas, American Roger Morrison, Canadian Andre Saine, Dutch Van Zandvoort and Jan Scholten, Indian genius homeopath Rajan Sankaran. Are they all fools? Or quacks? Or tricksters? Mere peddlers of placebo?

Think again ladies and gentlemen, who pass adverse comments on homeopathy. You have a lot to learn.

Related
-- WHO speaks against Homoeopathy: Is it justified?
-- Lovers of Homoeopathy: Now is the time to act
-- WHO advice against Homoeopathy: Another attempt to deride ...
-- IGNORAMUSES AND VESTED INTERESTS IN BRITAIN: STAY OFF HOMOEOPATHY

Homeopathy to cure kidney stones without surgery

REAL CURE. GENTLE CURE.
Changing lifestyles, physical activities, lack of exercises, habits, late nights, extensive use of vehicle and family history can be among the reasons why the number of people suffering from kidney stones is on the rise. Homoeopathy is an effective therapy to cure kidney stone without surgery. According to Dr Nilesh Kataria, a well known homoeopathy expert, more than one thousand patients have been cured in the last ten years by use of homoeopathy treatment.

Kataria did a research to use homoeopathy for the treatment of kidney stone and found out that some medicines, which are not directly mentioned as cure of kidney stone in homoeopathy, can be effective in the treatment of kidney stone. Kataria has now developed his own treatment based on the medical history of each patient, his current health condition and the type of kidney stone. People in the age group of 15-45 are more prone to kidney stone problem, he says.

Non-vegeterians and vegetarians who consume excessive amounts of roots, spinach, cabbage, tomatoes, cucumbers or fruits such as guava or figs which have multiple seeds are more prone to this health condition. Also, people who suffer from acidity and are under medication for that are susceptible to kidney stone problem. People who live in tropical regions or those who drink less water or drink water with high mineral content too are easy targets for the problem. Of course all those who are in this condition don't suffer from kidney stone. As each person is different from the other, we have to study individual cases deeply before arriving at a conclusion.

About 80 per cent of the kidney stones are calcium, they can be treated by homoeopathic medicines. The rest of the stones can be Struvite (Triple Phosphate), Urates and Cystine out of these, the harder stones like urates less than 5 mm can be treated by homoeopathic medicines. Harder stones more than 5mm may require surgery

BOOKS ON CURE FOR KIDNEY STONES

 

Homoeopathy For Bad Breath (halitosis) Remedy

REAL CURE. GENTLE CURE.
Offensive smell from the mouth is a common complaint in the day to day medical practice. It mainly affects those who mingle with others very closely. Bad breath is noticed mainly by the friends and family members or some times person himself feel it and come to the doctor. Many bad breathers develop depression which forces them to be away from the society which in turn hampers their activities.

The proteins in the food debris are degraded by the anaerobic bacteria present in the mouth. Offensive odor is produced due to release of some gases like hydrogen sulphide, skatol etc due to bacterial activity. Formation of a thin sticky membrane on the tongue favours bacterial growth. Bacteria are also seen in the crypts of tonsils, dental caries, dental pockets etc. Bad breath is associated with oral hygiene, caries, gingivitis, tonsillitis, tonsillar plaques, food habits, water intake, tobacco chewing, stomach and liver diseases and etc.

Homoeopathy is a system of medicine introduced by a German physician Dr Samuel Hahnemann. Homoeopathy treats the diseased individual as a whole rather than treating diseased parts or organs. The physical, mental, emotional, social spheres of a person are considered for a permanent cure. This system believes that the diseases are caused due to the derangement of vital force which is an invisible power in every individual.

In a healthy state the vital force maintains the equilibrium of mind body and soul. During this man will have normal sensations and functions. When the vital force gets affected there will be external manifestations in the form of signs and symptoms. The imbalance in the body functions makes a shelter for foreign organisms(bacteria, viruses, fungi, protozoa etc) and allows them to proliferate and produce so called diseases. Homoeopathy believes that the real disease comes before the bacteria and viruses, hence the root cause of the disease has to be treated for a permanent cure. The antibacterial and antiviral agents only remove the secondary causes mentioned above.

Diseases are produced by noxious horrific agents called Miasms which are dynamic influences which affect the vital force. There are mainly three miasms psora, syphilis and sycosis. These three causes are accepted by other schools of medicine but called by different names. Psora causes functional disturbances, syphilis cause structural changes in the form of destructions and sycosis causes changes in the form of overgrowth. These three miasms can act individually or in combined form producing different disease conditions.

To treat bad breath with homoeopathic medicine is easy if correct remedy in suitable dose is given. In the homoeopathic medical repertory by Dr Robin Murphy there are 140 homoeopathic drugs mentioned for bad breath. So just giving one drug for bad breath may not give good result. To come to a correct remedial diagnosis we should have the symptomatology of the person. It is the total symptoms of a person which includes mental generals, physical generals, particular symptoms etc. Bad breath is considered as a physical general symptom. Even though it comes only from a part of the body it affects the whole individual.

Symptoms related with appetite, thirst, bowels etc. are included in physical generals.

All signs and symptoms (mental and physical) of the person are taken in detail. Knowledge about past illnesses, family history of diseases, food and bowel habits, relation to climatic changes and constitution etc are noted down in a systematic order.

Mental symptoms: Example: fear, anxiety, depression, anger, jealousy and etc...

Physical symptoms: Example: Body makeup, appetite, thirst, desires, aversions, bowels, urination, sleep, taste, nature of smell, discharges any abnormal sensations like pain, burning, climatic changes, thermal relations, and etc...

Peculiar uncommon symptoms:

This is the speciality of homoeopathic system of medicine. For the selection of a suitable remedy these symptoms are very important. Common symptoms which are seen almost in all patients are least important.

Particular local signs and symptoms:

This includes signs and symptoms related to body parts and organs.

Example: Coating on the tongue, nature of mucus membrane of oral cavity, tonsils, gums, teeth, ulcers, discolouration's etc. are considered here.

Systemic and general physical examination:

Bad breath can be due to various systemic and disorders. Hence all systems (respiratory system, digestive system, nervous system, cardio vascular system and etc.) and parts from head to foot should be examined.

Provisional disease diagnosis; Here probable diseases are diagnosed. In homoeopathy disease diagnosis is not that much important for the selection of a remedy, but needed for general management and to know the prognosis.

Investigations:

This includes lab investigations and other methods to find out any other major illnesses.

Final disease diagnosis:

After doing all investigations the disease is then diagnosed.

BOOKS ON CURE FOR HALITOSIS (BAD BREATH)

End Bad Breath & Chronic Halitosis Today
Curing Halitosis The Natural Way
60 Cures for Bad Breath

"GETTING RID OF BAD BREATH"

Natural Treatments for Coughs: Use Herbs and Homeopathy

REAL CURE. GENTLE CURE.
Coughs are caused by an irritation in the lining of the throat or lungs, causing mucus build up. When you are sick, the lining of your throat and lungs becomes more sensitive. Cold air, eating or drinking, or sometimes just plain breathing can annoy the already tender lining. Coughs can tickle, or feel dry, making you clear your throat, or cough when you step into cold air. Some coughs are caused by mucus backing up in the throat or lungs. These coughs will end with the coughing up of mucus. These coughs can rattle, or bark. They can be spasmodic, as your body tries to eliminate the mucus. If you use cough drops, or cough syrups, you can prevent your coughs. This doesn't fix the problem that caused the cough; it only suppresses the body`s natural desire to heal.

The best way to stop a cough is to sooth the irritated area, and give the mucus a channel for expression-- a way to get out of your body. Coughs can be softened and soothed by herbal and homeopathic remedies. Good herbal remedies for colds with coughs include: licorice, horehound, mullein, peppermint, elderflowers, and yarrow. Homeopathy offers many cough remedies depending on the type of cough.

Remedies for dry coughs
Belladonna (short, dry, and tickling cough), Bryonia (dry cough with weakness), Gelsemium (dry cough with a dry throat or for bronchitis). Rumex crispus cough is dry and tickling. This is the remedy for a cough brought on as soon as the person goes outside.

Coccus cacti treats a tickling in the throat. Drosera produces a barking cough, worse after midnight, whereas the Dulcamara cough is caused by damp weather. Eupatorium treats a raw, painful cough. You can use Euphrasia to treat a cough that's better lying down in bed at night, but Hepar sulphuratum for a loose, rattling cough, or for someone who loses their voice or croaks. Kali bic is a remedy for someone who coughs more in the morning, on waking, and is worse when eating. Nux vomica treats for a cough that is worse in the morning and in bed. Phosphorus treats a lingering, tickly cough or coughs from a hoarse throat. It is useful in bronchitis or sore throats with raw burning pains in the throat.

The Pulsatilla cough sounds like gagging, or choking, and can be paroxysmal. Antimonium tartaricum treats a cough that is a loose, rattling, and a cough with little expectoration that can be followed by vomiting. Rhus tox cough treats a cold with a cough that is worse from cold weather and worse before a chill. Spongia coughs sound like wheezing and the person can also have stubborn mucous. This cough produces profuse, yellow, lumpy mucus. Vincetoxicum is a remedy useful for colds and viral infections. Vincetoxicum will treat a dry, spasmodic cough, which is painful and may cause a burning sensation in chest.

When you have a cough, it's a symptom that your respiratory tract is in distress. Be kind to your body- rest and give yourself time to heal.

Allergy: Information and cure by homeopathy

REAL CURE. GENTLE CURE.

Allergy

Also called: Hypersensitivity

An allergy is a reaction of your immune system to something that does not bother most other people. People who have allergies often are sensitive to more than one thing. Substances that often cause reactions are

* Pollen
* Dust mites
* Mold spores
* Pet dander
* Food
* Insect stings
* Medicines


The number of cases and types of allergies are increasing due to pollution and other serious environmental changes. Homoeopathy has proved to be highly effective in treating respiratory allergies

Allergy is a disorder of the immune system and occurs due to reaction to environmental substances known as allergens. These reactions are acquired, predictable and rapid. Allergic reactions occur after the immune system mistakenly learns to recognise innocent foreign substances i.e. allergens as potentially harmful. Allergens that most frequently cause problems are pollens, mold spores, house dust mites, animal danders, foods, insect bites or stings, plants, insect spores, viruses, bacteria, medications and environmental conditions such as cold temperatures.

Types of allergies

Allergic reactions can be mild, like a runny nose, or they can be severe, like difficulty in breathing. An Asthma attack, for example, is often an allergic reaction to something that is breathed into the lungs in a person who is susceptible.

Allergic rhinitis is a general term used to apply to anyone who has allergy-based symptoms. Allergic rhinitis can be a seasonal problem commonly known as "hay fever" or pollen allergy or a year-round problem commonly known as perennial allergic rhinitis. Hay fever or seasonal allergic rhinitis is caused by allergy to pollens of trees, grasses, weeds or mold spores. Perennial allergic rhinitis is caused by house dust, animal danders, mold and some foods.

Allergy to dust found in houses is the most common cause of "perennial allergic rhinitis," which simply means that the offending allergens are present year round. House dust isn't a single substance, but rather a mixture of potentially allergic particles. It may contain fibres from various fabrics, cotton lint, feathers, and other stuffing material. Dust often contains microscopic mites, which live in bedding, furniture, and carpets. It is the waste products of these mites that set off the allergic reaction.

Household pets are the main cause of allergic reactions to animals. Cats are the main culprit. Pet allergies aren't caused by fur but rather by the proteins in animal saliva, dander and urine. Animals, especially cats, can carry the allergen on their dander. Guinea pigs and gerbils are more popular these days as pets, but they can also cause allergic reactions in some people.

Asthma is caused by intrinsic and extrinsic or inhaled factors. Intrinsic factors are pollens, dust, dust mites, animal fur, animal dander or feathers. Extrinsic factors are respiratory infections; a cough, cold or bronchitis; exercise and tobacco smoke or other air pollutants, and can be caused by an allergy to a particular food or medication.

Symptoms

Symptoms of a respiratory allergy usually occur within the first few hours after exposure and are generally triggered by airborne allergens such as plant pollens, animal dander, dust mites, and mold spores.

Mild symptoms

*Sneezing

*Coughing or wheezing

*Postnasal drip

*Itchy nose and throat

*Throat hoarseness

*Impaired sense of smell

*Runny or clogged nose with clear, thin mucus

*Watery, itchy, red, or swollen eyes

*Congestion

*Fatigue

*Conjunctivitis wherein there is inflammation of membrane that lines eyelids, causing swollen eyelids and redness around the eyes.

Severe symptoms

*Shortness of breath

*Difficulty in breathing

*Chest tightness and pain

Tips to prevent allergy: The main aim is to minimize exposure to the offending allergens. Some hints for reducing pollen exposure are -

*Cleanliness makes a huge difference. So as much as possible, the surrounding should be dust free.

*Keep windows closed as much as possible especially in the bedroom during the pollen season.

*Drive with car windows closed to avoid pollution.

*Try to avoid inhaling pollution with the help of a simple cloth or surgical mask when going out.

*Early morning exercise when air is clear is beneficial.

Homoeopathic Treatment

Allergies, especially respiratory allergies, are one of the indications for which Homeopathic treatment is most frequently sought. Homeopathic remedies are prescribed by symptoms rather than conditions, as each case of a particular illness can manifest differently in different people. Homeopathic medicine alleviates allergy symptoms without the side effects, working with a body's natural responses to strengthen the immune system. Some of the medicines in respiratory allergy are Allium Cepa, Arsenicum Album, Euphrasia, Ferrum Phosphoricum, Gelsemium, Natrum Muriaticum, Nux Vomica, Pulsatilla, Sabadilla, Wyethia.

Homeopathy is cool!

REAL CURE. GENTLE CURE.
Many of you must have heard of the little sugar pills. Well homeopathy (in many countries like India, it is spelt Homoeopathy) is much more than that. The best thing about it is that it is harmless, gentle and without side-effects. In mainstream medicine a tablet of an anti-biotic costs the same as a small bottle of homeo remedies (each bottle has many small globules). So it is far cheaper.

Homeopathy treats man as a whole. Mainstream medicine (allopathy) believes man is a machine. A part malfunctions, then replace it and it is back to normal. Homeopathy believes when an organ is affected, the cure must take into consideration the whole body. It works by boosting the immune system. The result is REAL cure. Allopathy in contrast by 'curing' say a headache by strong drugs, is merely suppressing it. The malady re-emerges later, in a different form. It is always seen that when piles are operated upon, the patient will have heart problems within a few months. This is suppression.

The most interesting part of homeopathy is that each drug is like a human being. It has its likes and dislikes, temperament, the kind of ailments it suffers. All you have to do is match the homeo drug's nature with that of the sufferer. If it is a close fit, the remedy will cure. Here is the how the nature of a homeo drug Natrum Mur described....

Unrequited affection brings on complaints. She is unable to control her affections and falls in love with a married man. She knows that it is foolish, but lies awake with love for him. She falls in love with a coachman. She knows that she is unwise, but cannot help it. In cases of this kind Natr. mur. will turn her mind into order, and she will look back and wonder why she was so silly. This remedy belongs to hysterical girls.

Interesting, eh?

More interesting is the theory of miasms. Some fundas. Bear with me. The theory says all diseases are caused by the three miasms, psora, sycosis and syphilis (not the disease syphilis). Each diseases are caused by each of the miasm or a combination of them. Our nature is decided by the miasms. A shy girl or guy is psora. A selfish guy is sycosis. A ruthless serial killer is syphilis miasm.

The thing is each homeo medicine has anti-psoric, anti-sycotic and anti-syphilitic properties. Homeo drugs can help you deal with say, stage fright. Or say your shyness. A drug called Gelsemium is ideal for bad cases of anticipation. Like you are all tensed up before an exam or an interview.

The Gelsemium nature is .....

Bad effects from fright, fear, exciting news and sudden motions. Fear of death ; utter lack of courage. The anticipation of any unusual ordeal, preparing for church, theatre, or to meet an engagement, brings on diarrhoea; stage fright, nervous dread of appearing in public.

Remember that you do not need formal college training to learn homeopathy. If you are passionate about it you can learn it yourself. One of the greatest homeopath of all times, Boenninghausen, was no doctor. Not had he attended any course on homeopathy.

Homeopathy works

REAL CURE. GENTLE CURE.
Homeopathy really does work and doctors should recognise its healing effects, say researchers.

A study found that allergy sufferers who were given homeopathic treatment were ten times more likely to be cured than those given a dummy pill instead.

Doctors should be more positive about the alternative medicine, which is the only complementary therapy available on the NHS, the researchers said.

Their study attempts to settle the controversy over homeopathic treatment, which critics say is not effective because of the tiny level of active substance used in most remedies.

It works on the principle that a substance which in large doses will cause the symptoms of an illness can be used in minute doses to relieve the same symptoms.
Critics argue that the active substance is so diluted that homeopathic remedies have no more effect than placebo or dummy treatment.

The study put homeopathy to the test in 50 patients suffering from nasal allergies. They were given either a homeopathic preparation or a placebo.

Each day for four weeks patients recruited from general practices and a hospital in London measured their nasal air flow and recorded symptoms such as blocked, runny or itchy nose, sneezing or eye irritation.

Both groups reported that they got better - but on average patients who received homeopathy had a 28 per cent improvement in nasal air flow compared with 3 per cent among those in the placebo group.

The study was carried out by doctors in Glasgow, led by Dr David Reilly of the Glasgow Homeopathic Hospital, one of five specialist hospitals in Britain. He said the difference in results from the two treatments was statistically significant.
Dr Reilly said this was the fourth trial carried out by his hospital, all with similar results. In addition, there were positive findings in 70 per cent of a further 180 clinical trials.

'I hope this will encourage doctors to examine the volume of evidence supporting homeopathy - they might be quite surprised at the positive outcome in many trials,' he said.

He added that it would take consistent scientific investigation to persuade some doctors, but attitudes were changing.

About 20 per cent of doctors in Scotland have basic homeopathic training compared with one per cent 15 years ago.

'It isn't just about the remedies, which can be put to the test in trials, but about a greater holistic approach in encouraging self-healing and self-recovery.'

Dr Bob Leckridge, president of the Faculty of Homeopathy - the body for doctors, vets, nurses and other health professionals - said: 'This latest research builds on existing evidence that homeopathy works, something that hundreds of doctors and their patients have known for 200 years.'

source

'Proof' that homeopathy works

REAL CURE. GENTLE CURE.
Homeopathy works on the principle that water retains a 'memory' and now scientists may have stumbled across proof that homeopaths are right.

Today a study reported in the New Scientist magazine shows that even when diluted to homeopathic levels, salt solutions change the structure of hydrogen bonds in water.

The alternative health practice involves treating patients with samples diluted many times until they are unlikely to contain a single molecule of therapeutic substance.
For this reason it is ridiculed by many scientists. But practitioners maintain that the water in samples retains a 'memory' of the substances dissolved in it.

Swiss chemist Louis Rey made the discovery while using a technique called thermoluminescence to study molecular structure.

Rey diluted samples of lithium chloride and sodium chloride far beyond the point where any molecules of the original substance could remain.

But after close examination, it appeared that the diluted solutions were different to that of pure water, 'proof' that water has a memory of dissolved substances.

source

TV's Nadia: Homeopathy helped me deal with my miscarriage

REAL CURE. GENTLE CURE.
When the TV presenter and actress Nadia Sawalha and her husband decided, late last year, that the time was right to try for a brother or sister for their daughter Maddie, they didn't expect any problems.

Sure enough, despite being 41, Nadia conceived as quickly as she had done before, and she joyfully announced the news to friends and family. But 11 weeks into her pregnancy Nadia suffered a miscarriage.

She conceived again, then last month, at six weeks' gestation, she had a second miscarriage. 'The emotional pain is incredible,' she says. 'It is pure grief.' Naturally, she turned to her family for support ? her sister Dina lives next door with her sons, aged seven and 16, while Nadia's parents live in a flat attached to her house.

It is an intensely close family. 'One minute I'm rowing with my sisters, and the next we're laughing and cuddling,' she says. But no one was surprised when, after her miscarriages, Nadia contacted her homeopath.

For more than 20 years the whole Sawalha family ? including Nadia's father, actor Nadim, and her sister, actress Julia, have consulted homeopath Rachel Packer.

'We're all ardent believers in the power of homeopathy,' says Nadia. 'None of us has ever taken our children to a conventional doctor or given them the normal childhood vaccinations.'

'Rachel has seen me through every stage of my life,' she adds. 'I went to her when severe eczema provoked the worst health crisis of my life and I had to stop working. I had regular consultations with her when I was pregnant and even during labour. And now she has helped me to deal with the terrible sadness I felt after the miscarriages.'

Homeopathy is based on the theory that gently provoking the symptoms of illness triggers the body's natural healing processes.

There has been much controversy recently about it, with some critics using the lack of evidence that it works to condemn NHS funding for the treatment. But the Sawalha family have no doubts about its worth.

However, Nadia admits that the first time she consulted Rachel she was sceptical. NADIA'S Dina, Rachel an old whose acne had been life transformed, by At the time, Nadia, older sister now 43, introduced the family to after she met schoolfriend 'cured', and homeopathy.

She had been suffering from bad headaches. 'The homeopathic remedy Rachel gave me made me feel really ill. I rang her every day to tell her this, and she'd just say, "Yes, yes". I wondered if she was a nutter. Then after a few days the headaches suddenly went, and I've never had them again.

'Rachel says being a homeopath is like being a detective: she has to put all the clues together to make up a suitable treatment. She wants to know all sorts of details, from how your love life is going, to your work and how you are sleeping and eating. It's a full physical, mental and emotional history.'

Nadia has had homeopathic treatment for cystitis, and when she was pregnant with Maddie, now three, she increased the consultations from every two to three months to every three weeks. 'During my pregnancy I felt the best I ever have.'

She also credits homeopathy with speeding up her labour.

'I'd wanted a drug-free labour and so insisted on a water birth at home. It was very hard ? it went on for two-and-a-half days. When they broke my waters. I screamed so loudly that Dina, who was my birthing partner with my husband, Mark Adderley, left the house.

'Even my midwife, who was into natural births, asked if I wouldn't prefer to go to hospital. Then the homeopath prescribed caulophyl-lum, which opens up the cervix, and I finally gave birth.'
Nadia made her name in the Nineties as the feisty Annie Palmer in EastEnders, but has since carved out a career as a TV presenter.

She met her husband when he was directing her dating show Perfect Partner. She also fronts the BBC's hospital documentary, City Hospital, as well as travel programmes.

During filming in Ibiza in 2003, she first developed severe eczema on her hands. 'My homeopath prescribed one of her remedies, but then went away on holiday. My hands became so itchy I would scratch them until they bled. I rubbed them on the floor, the walls ? anywhere to get temporary relief from the itching.'

Her hands became infected and, in desperation, she went to casualty.

'The doctor took one look and gasped: "Oh my God". He gave me hydrocortisone cream, which did nothing, and antibiotics, which brought me out in a horrendous rash all over my body. I was told I would need to go to my GP regularly to have my hands bandaged.'

Nadia then saw her homeopath.

'She encouraged me to really talk about my feelings and it all poured out. How hard it was to have a baby and be rushing around with work. How I wanted to be the best possible mother I could, but felt a failure when I gave up on breast-feeding. I was thoroughly stressed and unhappy.'

Homeopathic treatment often requires one or two different remedies to be tried before the problem is sorted out. While the earlier remedy had little effect, within four days of taking the new remedy ? mezereum? the wounds on her hands healed.

However, a year later the eczema returned on her face. 'I looked as if I had no eyes and my face was enormous and shapeless. It turned purple, with weeping sores.' She was filming for the series Passport To The Sun, but it had to be abandoned.

Back home, she could hardly move her mouth, but after homeopathic treatment with ignatia the swelling went down and she was able to return to Spain for filming.

Her daughter Maddie has also had homeopathic treatment for chest infections. And when Nadia miscarried, Rachel prescribed a remedy to help her through the pain of her loss.

'It works in two ways,' explains Nadia. 'If you are in such a state that you can't cry, it helps you to release your emotions. But if you are crying unbearably, it will help you feel calmer. What it did for me was to balance my feelings and enable me to cope.'

However, Nadia is realistic about homeopathy's powers. Her two great struggles, she says, have been with her smoking and her weight.

'I finally gave up smoking in August ? I just stopped. There will always be a place in my heart for cigarettes, but the incentive was not wanting Maddie to sit by my bedside as I suffered a smoking-related illness.

'I also felt ashamed, after seeing people on City Hospital with conditions which weren't self-inflicted, that I was putting my health at risk.'

She believes homeopathy can help with weight problems.
source

Alternative medicine (including homeopathy) gaining ground

REAL CURE. GENTLE CURE.
It wasn't long ago that alternative medicine was considered unproven or unsafe. But the trend for more natural health care is gaining some credibility.

Podiatrist Tracey Vlahovic was skeptical when she first heard about treating plantar warts with marigolds.

"I think when you first hear about it you're a bit cynical because it sort of seems too good to be true."

But after several of her patients were successfully treated with the flowery concoction, she's turned a new leaf, merging her traditional training with natural medicine.

Dr. Judy Fulop is a naturopathic physician: "people are realizing that there are physicians out here who are actually working with patients in both areas."

The surge in natural, or complementary medicine, first hit the U.S. in 1993, when a study found one in three Americans used alternative therapies, numbers that still hold today.

Fulop says people are talking with their physicians "and saying, 'I'm using these herbs. I'm using this homeopathy' and going to practitioners who are skilled in that area, rather than just reading it out of a book. So it has blossomed in the past 20 years."

And it's not just about acupuncture and vitamins. The cornerstone of naturopathic medicine is its "whole person" approach.

Control starts with food. Doctor Fulop believes limiting inflammatory foods, such as wheat or dairy, can alleviate problems for some people.

"People come back four weeks later when they visit me and say, 'I didn't believe, I didn't realize that food made such a difference in my life.' Food makes a difference in sleep. Food makes a difference in fatigue, alertness, focusing."

Herbs and supplements also play a role, but professional advice can save you money and complications.

Fulop sees patients who come to her with suitcases full of herbs that they've bought at health food stores or online, "and we go through them. And many times they've got three of the same thing, or they're using something that is not beneficial for them."

Natural medicine also doesn't mean shutting the door on traditional care, because both play a role in your health.

source

Homeopathy patients often say health improved Reuters report

REAL CURE. GENTLE CURE.
Many people who opt for homeopathic therapy for their chronic ills report lasting improvements in their health, a new study finds.

Among patients at more than 100 German and Swiss homeopathic practices, researchers found that many reported long-term improvements in chronic conditions such as headaches, allergies and sleep problems.

However, the findings do not necessarily mean the controversial alternative therapy is responsible for the benefits, according to the researchers.

Homeopathy, which originated in Germany in the 1700s, is based on the principle of "like cures like" -- substances that, according to homeopathy, would create certain symptoms in a person can, in a highly diluted form, treat those same symptoms.

Homeopathy is controversial because a number of its central concepts do not accord with modern science, and many studies have found that the remedies are no more effective than inactive placebo substances.

The current study, published in the journal BMC Public Health, looked only at how homeopathy patients tend to fare in their everyday life. Therefore, it does not settle the question of whether the remedies are actually effective, lead researcher Dr. Claudia Witt told Reuters Health.

"This observational study design does not allow (us) to determine any causality between the improvement and the given homeopathic remedy, nor does it exclude the placebo effect," said Witt, of Charite University Medical Center in Berlin.

The findings are based on an eight-year follow-up of 3,709 adults and children treated at 103 homeopathic practices. At the end of that time, Witt's team found, one-third were still undergoing homeopathic treatment, while a bit less than a third had stopped because their health had improved, and a similar proportion had stopped because they felt their treatment was not working.

On average, the study found, patients did report significant improvements in their symptoms over time. Nearly half said their symptom severity had declined by at least 50 percent.
source