Dana Ullman suggests homoeopathic cure for H1N1 (swine flu)

In this article in the Huffington Post noted Homoeopath Dana Ullman suggests some remedies that cure H1N1

Homeopathic medicines are my own favorite method to augment the body’s own defenses so that they can more effectively heal themselves from various ailments, including the flu. Because of the similarity between the 1918 flu and the H1N1 flu, it may be helpful to reference homeopathy’s impressive successes in treating people during the 1918 flu. The death rates in the homeopathic hospitals in the US were only around 1%, while the death rates in conventional hospitals were closer to 30%. Another important fact from that era is that New York City had the lowest mortality rate during the 1918 flu than any city in the U.S., and this impressive statistic is primarily due to the fact that this city’s health commissioner at that time was Royal Copeland, MD, a renowned homeopathic physician, who later became a thrice-elected U.S. Senator (Franklin D. Roosevelt was even his campaign manager during his first election as senator). Copeland asserted, “There can be no doubt that the superiority of homeopathy in a purely medical condition is just as great as it was fifty years ago.”

One of today’s most popular homeopathic medicines for the flu is the popular Oscillococcinum, a medicine that has been used by homeopaths since the 1920s. There have been four controlled studies that have shown that this medicine is effective in reducing the symptoms of influenza as compared with those people given a placebo.

The effectiveness of another homeopathic remedy, called Gripp-Heel, was compared with that of conventional treatments in a prospective, observational cohort study in 485 patients with mild viral infections and symptoms such as fever, headache, muscle pain, cough or sore throat. As evaluated by the practitioners, 67.9% of patients were considered asymptomatic at the end of Gripp-Heel therapy vs. 47.9% of patients in the control group. Practitioners judged homeopathic treatments as 'successful' in 78.1% of cases vs. 52.2% for conventional therapies. Tolerability and compliance were 'very good' given for 88.9% of patients in the homoeopathic group vs. 38.8% in the conventional treatment group.

The above homeopathic medicines are primarily helpful during the first 48 hours of onset of the flu. Other homeopathic medicines to consider during this time and afterwards include: Gelsemium, Bryonia, Ipecacuanha, Arsenicum album, Eupatorium perf., Rhus toxicodendron, and Baptisia (homeopathic medicines are traditionally listed by their Latin names so that consumers and doctors will know the precise plant, mineral, or animal species of every medicine). Each of these medicines has a history of efficacy in homeopathic doses for treating the specific syndrome of symptoms that each has been found to cause when given experimentally in overdose to healthy people.

To determine the details of each of these medicines, please consult a homeopathic guidebook, such as Everybody’s Guide to Homeopathic Medicines by Stephen Cummings, MD, and Dana Ullman, MPH or the Complete Homeopathic Resource for Common Illnesses, by Dennis Chernin, MD, MPH.

Homoeopathy useful in epidemics. History says so.

Dr. Carolyn Dean argues that homoeopathy is very effective in dealing with epidemics. History says so.

The Indian Department of AYUSH (alternative systems) advises the use of homeopathic Arsenicum alba 30, one dose for three consecutive days as preventive for Swine flu.

"It’s a simple solution with no side effects and available in most health food stores and some pharmacies. I’ll show you how homeopathy has been successful in many epidemics." Homeopathy is not a patented medicine that costs a lot of money. It’s not something we even touched upon in medical school but it’s safe and effective. I learned about homeopathy in my naturopathic training.

The symptoms treated by Arsenicum alba include diarrhea, vomiting, burning pains, restlessness and fever. If you have those symptoms, which are similar to the ones described for H1N1, you can take the remedy and it will treat the symptoms. Another important treatment for H1N1 is hydration. Keep up your fluid intake to match the losses due to vomiting and diarrhea.

Homeopathy and Epidemics

Two of the more well-publicized illustrations of the superiority of homeopathy were the cholera epidemics in England in the 1840s and the Yellow Fever epidemics on the Mississippi River in the 1870s.

In England, after the first cholera epidemic in London, Parliament ordered the public health department to provide complete information on how the epidemic was handled. Allopaths had several ways of treatment, all containing mercury, which resulted in anywhere from 41.3% to 71% mortality rates whereas the homeopath hospital in London had only 11 deaths overall.

Here in the states, plagued by decades of Yellow Fever epidemics, two commissions from Washington were sent to New Orleans to get to the bottom of how to deal with the problem. One was made up of allopaths and the other homeopaths. Hearings were held and reported in detail in the New Orleans Times. While the allopaths focused on trying to figure out how to prevent the disease, homeopaths meticulously combed the actual records of doctors as well as the local boards of health to see how various treatment modalities worked. As a result, it was learned that the average mortality rate of homeopathic patients in various towns was between 5.6% to 7.7% while allopathic patients suffered mortality rates of 16% or higher.

After WWI, and right after the Flexner Report was published, which led to homeopathic schools (along with all the other non-allopathic schools) being closed by political pressure being exerted on their benefactors, homeopathy experienced its greatest and most public triumph in the area of addressing epidemics. Millions of people around the world were dying of influenza. In Chicago, where the great mail order houses were located, Montgomery Ward & Company had a medical clinic for its 8,000 employees and their families staffed by homeopathic physicians. This large cluster of people experienced one lone death instead of the hundreds experienced by Marshall Field and Sears Roebuck. One homeopath practicing at the time later wrote that the allopaths lost 20 to 40% of their patients while homeopaths suffered losses of only 5 to 6% or less.

Australian scientist, Viera Scheibner in her massive research on epidemics found that homeopathic successes stood out everywhere. Scheibner, who testified in Congress in 1999, during hearings on the problems with Hepatitis B vaccine, stated that there is ample evidence in the public record and in published medical journals all over the world, “that the largest epidemics occurred in the most highly vaccinated populations, while those who were unvaccinated, did not have the same epidemics.”

As a naturopath, I must also tell the miraculous story of the founder of naturopathy, Benedict Lust, a German immigrant, who had contracted a very serious case of TB right after he came to America. At the time, TB was so rampant that it was called the White Plague and everyone feared it. Lust went back to Germany to die but fell into the hands of Father Sebastian Kneipp an advocate of “the water cure” to treat the sick. Father Kneipp also believed in teaching people how to support their health by understanding the “balance between work and leisure, stress and relaxation and the harmony between the mental, emotional, physical, social, and ecological planes.” Lust was completely cured by these methods and returned to America, with Kneipp’s blessings, to spread the teachings of natural medicine.

In the chiropractic community, several of Elissa’s personal chiropractors have stories about themselves or immediate family members who were stricken with the paralyzing effects of polio only to be completely healed within two weeks by simply utilizing natural cures available to the average chiropractor. Stories of successful polio treatment are common discussion at chiropractic conventions among the older practitioners.

According to naturopath, Eleanor McBean, author of the “Poisoned Needle – Suppressed Facts About Vaccination” – a survey taken in 1946 regarding polio recovery rates of various schools of medical thought came out with some astounding information. Under chiropractors using a specific treatment had a 91%-100% recovery, a specific Hygienic treatment resulted in a 97% to 100% recovery, Nurse Elizabeth Kenny could produce a 72% recovery, 35% would recover under no professional care, and 17% would recover under what we would call modern medical care.

Meanwhile, in the 1950s, homeopaths in Buenos Aires, where polio was epidemic, were distributing thousands of doses of a homeopathic remedy to the public and thanks to that action, not a single case of polio was reported among those who received it. A similar, worldwide study among 50,000 patients receiving the same

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UAE homoeopaths urge govt. to use homoeopathy to prevent H1N1

UAE homoeopaths urge government to popularise homoeopathy in fighting H1N1

Leading homoeopathic practitioners have urged the UAE health authorities to explore the benefits of homoeo medicines in the prevention of H1N1 infection.

It is not too late for the Ministry of Health to adopt an open policy for analysing the efficacy of homoeopathy for prophylactic purposes, some of them have said.

Citing that the demand for homoeo medicines as a preventive measure against H1N1 has been on the rise among patients, they urged the ministry to address the issue with the help of the local experts.

The Chief Medical Director of Dr Batra's Positive Health Clinic in Dubai, Dr Mukesh Batra, who is widely known for his contribution to the field, said past research studies had proved the efficacy of homoeopathy in treating as well as preventing other forms of epidemic flu such as Spanish flu and avian flu.

The need of the hour, he said, is to look out for various methods to prevent as well as to treat the disease.

"Considering the fact that homoeopathic medicines are absolutely safe and knowing that they stimulate the immunity of the body to combat any infection, it makes perfect sense to try homoeopathic remedies. Therefore, in the interest of H1N1patients, the offerings of this medical system must not be overlooked or underplayed," he said.

Noting that homoeopathic medicines act upon the immune system and restorative energies of the body so that it heals itself, Dr Batra said homoeo remedies automatically play a vital role in preventive medicine as they boost the body's natural defence mechanisms.

"Health officials here are doing a splendid job in keeping the disease under control. However, at a time when the world is reeling under recession too, looking at alternative medicine options such as that provided by homeopathy could be more feasible and wise," said Dr Batra.

He claimed that existing medicines in the stream could be effectively used for boosting the immune system and reducing the vulnerability to ?influenza infection.

The UAE's first licensed specialist in homoeopathy and a former member of epidemic disease research panel of the Indian government, Dr Sinsen Joseph said homoeo medicines had been known for being effective in many countries' mass preventive campaigns.

"In the case of H1N1, homoeo medicines are now being used in some parts of India under the guidance of the government there. The preventive effectiveness in such instances can be studied before taking a similar step here," said Dr Joseph who now works as a consultant with City Point International Specialist Medical Centre in Dubai.

"Only if the government here takes an initiative in exploring the potential preventive role of homoeopathy that we can also extend the service and provide the benefits to the public here, including the nationals," he said.

Another senior homoeopath in the UAE, Dr Najeeb Ahammed of Janson's Medical Centre in Dubai, said the fact that vaccinating all members of the community is not a practically ideal solution makes the preventive role of homoeo therapies more significant.

"Vaccination is mainly meant for those at high risk of infection. Since homoeo medicines help in building immunity in the body to fight back any infection without creating any side effects, they can be a better option for those not prioritised for vaccination," he said.

Nobel winner French virologist's studies explains why homoeopathic remedies work

In a recent study Professor Luc Montagnier, a French virologist who co-discovered HIV and who won the Nobel Prize in 2008, and his team report the results of a series of rigorous experiments investigating the electromagnetic properties of highly-diluted biological samples.

The study demonstrates that some bacterial DNA sequences are able to induce electromagnetic waves at high aqueous dilutions. It appears to be a resonance phenomenon triggered by the ambient electromagnetic background of very low frequency waves. The researchers used aqueous solutions that were agitated and serially diluted (the researchers note that the solutions were 'strongly agitated' and that this step was 'critical for the generation of signals'). In other words homeopathic potencies, although the word 'homeopathy' is not mentioned in the article.

The researchers found that pathogenic bacteria and viruses show a distinct electromagnetic signature at dilutions ranging from 10^-5 to 10^-12 (corresponding to 5D to 12D) and that small DNA fragments (responsible for pathogenicity) were solely accountable for the electromagnetic signal. The researchers also noted that one experiment found significant effects from dilutions as high as 10^-18 (equivalent to 18D). The electromagnetic signature changed with dilution levels but was unaffected by the initial concentration and remained even after the remaining DNA fragments were destroyed by chemical agents.

They observed that the electromagnetic signal was destroyed by heating or freezing the sample. Also, a 'cross-talk' effect was found whereby a negative sample inhibits the positive signal in another sample if they are left together overnight in a shielded container. The researchers propose that specific aqueous nanostructures form in the samples during the dilution process and are responsible for the electromagnetic effects measured.

The researchers also detected the same electromagnetic signals in the plasma and in the DNA extracted from the plasma of patients suffering from Alzheimer disease, Parkinson disease, multiple sclerosis, and rheumatoid arthritis.

This study is an important contribution to the growing evidence base in fundamental research with direct relevance to homeopathy.

Homoeopathy for mother and child care

As part of the National Campaign on Homoeopathy for Mother and Child Care, a second leg State-level ‘training of the trainers’ (ToT) will be launched at Dr Abin Chandra Homoeopathic Medical College and Hospital (ACHMCH) here on Monday by Health and Family Welfare Minister Prasanna Acharya.


“The five-day ToT workshop is the first of its kind to be organised in Orissa and will provide an opportunity for the homoeopathic practitioners to integrate their clinical know-how with emerging concepts, develop their expertise and skills while dealing with complaints exclusively relating to expectant mothers and children,’’ said ACHMCH Principal Prof. LK Nanda, adding it would also mobilise institutions to improve provisions for quality health care.

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Treating side-effects of cancer therapies with homoeopathy

Cancer is painful. Even more painful is the treatment by orthodox medicine. I talk of radiation therapy. This article says that even doctors now admit that homoeopathy helps in treating the harsh side-effects of cancer treatment.

Some homeopathic remedies may successfully reduce the side effects of cancer therapies without interfering with the treatment regimen, according to a study conducted by researchers from the Cochrane Collaboration.

Led by a scientist from the Royal London Homeopathic Hospital, researchers reviewed the methodology and conclusions of eight different studies into homeopathic relief of cancer treatment side effects.

The researchers noted that few studies were found to qualify for their review, suggesting that very little conventional scientific research has been carried out into the effectiveness of homeopathic treatment.

One study, deemed high quality by the reviewers, found that a mouthwash made from an herb mixture known as Traummel S successfully reduced the symptoms of stomatisis, a side effect of chemotherapy. In stomatisis, painful sores form in the mouth.

Traummel S includes arnica, belladonna, echinacea and St. John's wort.

Another study given the Cochrane Collaboration's seal of approval found that a cream made from calendula was effective at reducing acute dermatitis in breast cancer patients. In fact, the calendula cream was even more effective at reducing the symptoms of dermatitis than the conventional pharmaceutical remedy, trolamine.

The skin inflammation known as acute dermatitis can arise as a side effect of radiation therapy.

Calendula is one of the genera of plants commonly referred to as "marigolds." Previous research has found that calendula can be effective in treating other skin conditions, such as inflammation or acne. It can also be used to reduce bleeding, and has been shown to have anti-viral and anti-inflammatory effects.

The Cochrane researchers found no evidence that any homeopathic remedy interfered with the effectiveness of conventional cancer treatments. One of the studies reviewed by the research team even found that interruptions in radiation therapy were significantly less common when the treatment was paired with homeopathic care.

Edward Barton Shuldham 1830 – 1915: The orthodox doctor who later became a homoeopath

Edward Barton Shuldham 1830? – 1915? MD Trinity College Dublin, MRCS, MA Oxon was a British orthodox physician who converted to homeopathy, member of the British Homeopathic Society, Editor of The Homeopathic World, and a frequent public lecturer on homeopathy and various topics,

Shuldham was a friend of Lewis Carroll, and a colleague of James Compton Burnett, Edward Harris Ruddock,

Shuldham practiced in Croydon, Guildford, and at the Maidstone Homeopathic Dispensary,

Shuldham wrote The family homoeopath, Headaches: their causes and treatment, The health of the skin, Coughs and their cure, Stammering and its rational treatment, Clergyman’s sore throat, or follicular disease of the pharynx, he edited Edward Harris Ruddock’s Essentials of diet: or, hints on food, in health and disease, and he submitted cases and articles to various homeopathic publications,

Shuldham also produced Pictures From Birdland with illustrations by his nephews Charles Maurice Detmold and Edward Julius Detmold,

OTC drugs harmful in common colds and coughs

John G. Sherman points out the inefficacy and harm caused by OTC drugs and syrups when we catch the common cold.

Now is the time of year that we start to spend more time indoors, after a summer of fresh air. Our children are back in the classrooms and the adults are back at work.

This is when the germs come out of hiding and start being passed around; when the first colds of the season start.

Viruses cause most coughs and colds. Many different viruses can infect the nose and throat.

They are passed on by coughing and sneezing the virus into the air and by touching toys or other things an infected person has touched.

An average primary school child has six to eight coughs or colds per year.

A child who lives with smokers has an increased risk of developing coughs and colds with complications.

As for the treatment, according to a recent study by the Penn State College of Medicine, children’s cough syrups do not necessarily stop children’s coughs.

In fact, two of the most common active ingredients worked about as well as a placebo.

The drugs like dextromethorphan, a cough suppressant and diphenhydramine, an antihistamine are the two most infamous ingredients in many cough medicines.

These drugs came on the market before most of the newer FDA regulations went into effect.

In recent years, doctors have become so suspicious of them that the American Academy of Pediatrics stopped endorsing over-the-counter (OTC) cough medicines for the treatment of children’s coughs.

Just because a product on the drug store shelf says it is safe and effective, does not mean it does not have any side effects.

A common misconception about OTC cough medicines such as Vicks Formula 44, Drixoral Cough Liquid Caps, Sucrets Cough Control, Benylin DM, Robitussin products and so on, in whatever form, is that they will make you or your child better faster; unfortunately, this is not the case. In fact, you could be causing more harm to your child than you can imagine.

According to the FDA, overuse of these OTC preparations can lead to serious adverse events such as brain damage, loss of consciousness, irregular heartbeat, seizures and death.

These types of side effects seem to be very frequent in OTC medicines; another example would be the public health advisory warnings that were issued in November 2000 about phenylpropanolamine (PPA), another ingredient that used to be found in many over-the-counter cold medications. This ingredient was linked to causing strokes and brain hemorrhage in some patients. I would rather have the cold, thank you very much.

This type of medicating does not really make sense.

Why would you want to take the chance of life-threatening

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Homoeopathy cures common colds and coughs

John G. Sherman, a professional classical homeopath in Kelowna, advises us to use homoeopathic remedies to cure colds.

Why would you want to take the chance of life-threatening side effects, when homeopathic remedies can safely help with most types of coughs and colds and will not make you drugged out, sleepy, or dead?

A number of controlled studies have been conducted, cementing homeopathy’s positive role in the treatment of the common cold. A double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of 60 adults and children found positive results with a homeopathic cough syrup as a treatment for a dry cough.

The syrup contained Drosera, Arnica, Belladonna, Artemisia cina, Coccus cacti, Corallium rubrum, Cuprum, Ferrum phos, Ipecacuanha, and Solidago; this study was undertaken in France in 1986. Many other studies have also been conducted with similar results.

If you or your family “catch” colds throughout the fall and winter, homeopathic remedies will probably be quite effective in the treatment of your cough, helping to prevent any complications or even a prolonged sickness.

Those glossy magazine ads and TV commercials that portray the happy family sitting at the breakfast table while “Dr Mom” administers cough medicine are all orchestrated to make you feel as if you too can be happy and have the same “TV family experience” by suppressing coughs and buying into their program.

It is a very good thing we are more intelligent than that.

Are H1N1 vaccines safe? Is the swine flu scare created by drug companies?

Dana Ullman, an expert homoeopath, in an article in Huffington Post makes three points.

1. The present flu vaccine is ineffective
2. He raises doubts about the effectiveness and safety of the new H1N1 vaccines.
3. The H1N1 scare was created by the big drug corporations.

Let us examine the points.

The present flu vaccines are useless

There is little evidence that flu vaccines are effective in preventing the flu, so says Tom Jefferson, MD, arguably the world’s leading expert on influenza vaccines.

Dr. Jefferson has authored 10 reviews of research on the influenza vaccine for the Cochrane Collaboration, which is a widely recognized leading international science institution that evaluates clinical research.

Although the media commonly promotes the flu vaccine for children, Jefferson and his research group summarized their investigation on this subject by asserting, “National policies for the vaccination of healthy young children are based on very little evidence.” They expressed strongest concern about the lack of efficacy and safety of flu vaccination of infants two years of age and under. They did note that the flu vaccine is effective in reducing the flu in children over two years of age, but they found little evidence that the flu vaccine was even effective in reducing school absences. Further, they found “no convincing evidence that vaccines can reduce mortality, hospital admissions, serious complications and community transmission of influenza.”

The strongest evidence of benefit to the flu vaccine is in the elderly. However, the researchers found that the benefits to the elderly were “modest.” In fact, the number of flu-related deaths in elderly Americans has actually increased steadily during the past 33-year-period despite the fact that there has been a large increase in flu vaccinations for this population. Only 20% of all elderly Americans had a flu shot in 1980, compared with 65% in 2001.

Jefferson expresses some considerable surprise at how few studies have been conducted on the elderly, especially recently. He notes, “Only five randomly controlled trials have been carried out in elderly people, of which only one was carried out in the past 2 decades using vaccines available today.”

Are the H1N1 vaccines safe?

Dr Jefferson raises the following points.

1) The study was tiny, only 240 adults. The authors made reassuring statements about Guillain–Barré syndrome (GBS), which is ridiculous because GBS occurs in one out of 750,000 to 1 million vaccinations, and this study only had 240 participants;

2) One-third of these volunteers had side effects that resembled influenza-like illness (fevers, headaches, sore throats, etc.), so they were vaccinating to prevent symptoms that they were causing;

3) There was no placebo arm in the study, yet there’s no ethical excuse for not having a placebo arm because these are experimental vaccines; and

4) The description of what additive substances were in the vaccine was unclear. We know that there is thimerosal [mercury] in this H1N1 vaccine, but its manufacturer did not say whether there are additional substances like aluminum, which can be found in many other vaccines. We just don’t know. And they are advising this vaccine for pregnant women and children over six months of age!

The Swine Flu was hyped by the drug companies

Writes Dana Ullman,

In light of some recent efforts to make the H1N1 vaccination “mandatory,” it seems that Big Pharma’s commercial operations have become so successful that they have successfully lobbied politicians to require health and medical workers to get the H1N1 vaccine. Big Pharma’s efforts have been so successful that they have almost successfully fooled other scientists to think that it is “unethical” to conduct a placebo-controlled trial due to the (incorrect) assumption that flu vaccines are effective.

Even Big Media whose coffers are filled with Big Pharma’s advertising are not immune to this influence. Isn’t it a bit strange that the research of Tom Jefferson and his team have been virtually ignored by Big Media, despite the fact that their research has been published in the BMJ (British Medical Journal), the Lancet, the Cochrane Database, and other high-impact scientific journals. One would hope that the media and government would follow the research rather than the money.