Homeopathy, Healthy Medicine - April 2010

ARHHomeopathy, Healthy Medicine

Sharing news, views and information about homeopathy and healthApril 2010

Introduction

Welcome to the ARH’s inauguralnewsletter – Homeopathy,Healthy Medicine. This monthlypublication is aimed at provid-ing you with a range of factsabout homeopathy and generalhealth matters, which we feel arepertinent in our current dailylives. Our aim is to make this aninteractive source of informa-tion, so please feel free to get intouch and voice your opinionregarding our articles, or to sug-gest future pieces.

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So what is homeopathy?

Probably the most important thing to be aware of is that homeopathy isa system of medicine. It is often referred to as a discrete system ofmedicine, which means it is separate to, and distinct from, other sys-tems of medicine. There will be occasions when homeopathy will beused alongside other medical interventions, but the principles uponwhich homeopathy is based are independent of other medical approach-es. A lot of people are confusedabout homeopathy. What is it,what does it do and how does itwork?We thought it would be helpful toexplore some of the main ques-tions asked about homeopathy.We'll do this over a period ofmonths, looking at different as-pects in different ways, so that youcan gradually build up a picture of homeopathy and develop an under-standing of this deeply complex system of medicine. We hope that youwill send us your own questions to answer, but to start things off, weinvited virologist Dr Gillian Bullock to tell us what she thought abouthomeopathy.

Gillian - ‘Being somewhat cynical, I looked up the definition of homeop-athy in the New Collins English Dictionary. It described homeopathy as

"A method of treating disease by the use of small amounts of a drug that,in healthy persons, produces symptoms similar to those of the diseasebeing treated." This rather rocked me back on my heels! What sort ofmaterial constitutes a drug?'

Response - In homeopathy, wedon’t call our medicines 'drugs'. Adrug is usually a specially createdchemical substance, which alters anormal bodily function when taken.Drugs can be addictive, cause un-pleasant side effects, and some-times even be dangerous.

In homeopathy, we refer to ourmedicines as 'remedies'. They aremade from naturally occurring sub-stances, such as minerals, andplants. Remedies are non addic-tive, safe and because of the spe-cial process they go through duringpreparation, are unlikely to pro-duce unwanted effects.

In the next issue of thenewsletter, we will look at

the second part of Collins''definition' of homeopathy, andsee what is meant by 'similar'

symptoms.

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Or go to www.a-r-h.orgclick ‘Find a Homeopath’

and search by town, county or postcode

Your nearest homeopath is:

Homeopathy, Healthy Medicine - April 2010

ARHThe price the public pays

With GlaxoSmithKline (GSK)currently battling a governmen-tal lawsuit in the US over theproduction and marketing ofAvandia, a drug for diabetes, itis little wonder that some mem-bers of the public have becomedisillusioned with the pharma-ceutical industry. A report by theSenate Finance Committee hasstated that GSK knew Avandiawas linked to thousands of heartattacks but despite this, hid theinformation from the public andattempted to intimidate doctorsand researchers that ques-tioned the drugs safety. Accord-ing to a study published in theNew England Journal of Medi-cine in 2007, patients who tookAvandia were 43% more likelyto have cardiovascular prob-lems. In addition, the currentreport by the Senate FinanceCommittee has stated that bytaking an alternative “safer”drug, 500 heart attacks and 300cases of heart failure everymonth in the US would havebeen prevented. Naturally, thiscase highlights the duty thatpharmaceutical and healthcarecompanies have to warn pa-tients about potential side-ef-fects and adverse reactions. Atthe same time, this appears tosuggest that some organisa-tions are prepared to go toconsiderable lengths in order toboost their profits.(The Wall Street Journal; NaturalNews)

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If you don’t ask, you don’t get!

Since the NHS’s inception in 1948, Homeopathy has been availa-ble on the health service at a current cost of just £4 million a year.Within the UK, over 400 GP’s practice homeopathy, all of whomare regulated by the General Medical Council (GMC) and mostare members of the Faculty of Homeopathy. Annually, they treataround 200,000 patients with a range of conditions from insomniato gangrene. In addition, there are currently four NHS homeopath-ic hospitals across the UK in Bristol, Glasgow, London and Man-chester. And while the NHS recorded that 70% of follow-uppatients at these hospitals reported an improvement in theirsymptoms after receiving homeopathic treatment, many pa-tients are not being informed about the availability of homeopathyon the NHS. Those patients who do enquire through their localGPs, often face a difficult struggle to have their voice heard, evenwhen homeopathy is the treatment option of their choice.(The Sunday Telegraph, 31st Jan 2010; British Homeopathic Associationwebsite; More4News, June 2009; The Guardian)

There are serious calls by medi-cal professionals for the NHS toscale back its involvement withhomeopathic therapies, despiteits long-standing affiliation andthe positive success rates thatpatients have found. As part ofthis new and potentially destruc-tive initiative, homeopathic hospi-tals including The Royal LondonHomeopathic Hospital (picturedleft) have been threatened withclosure. Naturally, this proposalundermines Governmental policyby denying patients the right tochoose a treatment option suita-ble to them. If you would like toget involved and participate incampaigning against the propos-al for the NHS to cease funding tohomeopathic outlets, please visitor register to become a memberof the League of Friends at TheRoyal London Homeopathic Hos-pital.

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Homeopathy, Healthy Medicine - April 2010

ARH

21% of people surveyed by National Friendlyfelt they were subject to long waiting queueswhen booking a Doctors appointment. Thislead many to self-diagnosis via the internet.

ing theme from the research suggests that the public are looking for faster and more informative ways ofanswering their health queries with 35% of those questioned feeling that the internet fulfills this requirement.But with the public placing so much emphasis on generic internet websites or untrained friends, surely this isthe time for the NHS to actively inform the public about other therapies, including homeopathy, that arereadily available to them.

(National Friendly website; Stylist magazine)~~~

Exams!! It’s that time of the year again!

With Easter holidays drawing to a close, it can only mean one thing - the exam season is just around thecorner! And with the dreaded assessments looming, many a student will be pre-occupied over the comingweeks with revision and practising old past papers. As a result, stress and anxiety levels are bound to be ona high and so while you or your loved ones are getting ready to hit the books, we asked some homeopathswhat remedies they suggest to calm the nerves and make sure the exam season goes as smoothly as possible.Please note the following homeopathic remedies are only a guideline that you may find helpful. As you willsee, each remedy is known by their Latin name and for ease, we have detailed key symptoms that you maybe experiencing and for which the remedy may help to alleviate.

�Aconite – fear (rabbit in headlights!), panic, restlessness, very thirsty�Anacardium  Orientale – brain fag and exhaustion from studying�Arg Nit – craves sweets, diarrhoea, thinks he/she will fail�Cocculus Indicus – dizzy from too much studying in to the small hours,nausea�Gelsemium – shakes like a jelly, butterflies in the stomach, feeling of aband around the head, feels better for urinating�Kali Phos – worn out from too much studying, nervous, feels betterhaving eaten�Lycopodium – lacking in self esteem, feels dyslexic, irritable, domineer-ing, indecisive�Phos Ac – mental exhaustion through studying, homesick, indifferent

Can’t get a Doctors appointment? You’re not alone.

The health insurers, National Friendly, recently conducted a survey toinvestigate the public’s attitude towards the NHS and the service theyreceive from their GPs. From the findings 21% of those surveyed feltthey were unable to access Doctor’s appointments within a suitabletimeframe. This frequently meant that a vast proportion of those sur-veyed (83% in fact) admitted to researching their symptoms on theinternet before even arriving at the Doctor’s surgery.

Since it is commonly believed that the10-minute allotted appointmenttime is not long enough and GPs are often deemed too dismissive whendiscussing their patient’s health concerns, it comes as no surprise to findthat 28% of the survey participants felt more comfortable listening to adiagnosis from a colleague or friend than actually visiting their GP. WithBritish lifestyles becoming far more hectic over recent years, the emerg-

In addition, you may also find Rescue Remedy to be a useful source when trying to achieve a sense of calmand focus in any stressful situations from exams to interview nerves. Rescue Remedy is available in mosthealth shops and some high street pharmacies.

Other helpful tips to combat exam anxiety include:� Staying focused on the task in-hand; prepare clear revision plans and stick to them� Remain positive throughout the exam season; an optimistic attitude will go a long way� Keep things in perspective and don’t bottle your feelings up� Refrain from drinking too much caffeine, carbonated soft drinks or processed food with a high sugar

content or preservatives. Instead indulge in fresh fruit and vegetables that is said to help reduce stress� Continue to exercise during the revision period, preferably in the fresh air. Also make sure you maintain a

regular and suitable sleeping pattern

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Homeopathy, Healthy Medicine - April 2010

ARHNHS targets overshadow patients care

A string of reports, commissioned by the former health minister LordDarzi, showed that hospitals and NHS trusts spend more time worry-ing about meeting Governmental targets than actually treating pa-tients with the compassion, dignity and respect they deserve. Thesestudies identified how hospitals regularly ignore basic hygiene forin-patients in order to meet waiting-time targets and this has subse-quently resulted in dirty wards, increased infection and more deaths.There is also growing scrutiny over the neglect of patients where“most targets and standards appear to be defined in professional,organisational and political terms, not in terms of patients’ experienceof care”.

(The Sunday Times, 07 March 2010)

Cuban retreatEach year, during hurricane season, many people throughout the world face flooding, homelessness andoften disease; and Cuba is no exception. When the hurricanes hit each Autumn, flooding can oftencontaminate drinking supplies and the bacteria found in the water can frequently lead to Weil’s disease,otherwise known as Leptospirosis which regularly results in a variety of symptoms including fever, muscleaches, jaundice, headaches, abdominal pains, diarrhoea and sometimes even death.

As Cuba is still subject to heavy embargoes from the United States, theyhave been economically restricted to sustain themselves on minisculebudgets throughout all areas including health. With an annual problemof Weil’s disease and limited finance to provide all those potentiallyaffected with allopathic vaccinations, the Ministry of Public Health,embarked on distributing homeopathic remedies to 2.4 million Cubansin the most affected regions of the country. This campaign comprised ofadministering two doses of a preventative treatment to these inhabitants.

From this mass research, it became apparent there were several keyadvantages to this method over conventional treatment. Firstly, the costof the campaign was US$200,000 - significantly lower than the custom-ary vaccination of US$3,000,000. Simultaneously, producing the home-opathic treatment was far quicker than that of a vaccine (the 5 milliondoses required for the project was manufactured within a week), whilstmanaging the distribution of the doses did not require medical assist-ance and hence it was more efficient when accessing affected areas.

Most importantly, however, was the success of the study in terms ofrecorded illnesses and deaths attributed to Weil’s disease. According toreports, there was an 80% reduction in the prevalence of Weil’s diseasein the affected regions where the homeopathic remedies were distribut-ed, with only 10 cases of the infection recorded, in comparison to theusual several thousand whilst no deaths were documented.(Homeopathy In Practice, Autumn 2009)

Homeopathy, Healthy MedicinePublished by the Alliance of Registered Homeopaths, Millbrook, Millbrook Hill, Nutley, East Sussex, TN22 3PJ.

Tel: 01825 714 506 Email: hhm@a-r-h.org Website: www.a-r-h.org.

DisclaimerAll material in this publication is provided for your information only, and should not be construed as medical advice or instruction. No action or inactionshould be based solely on the contents of this information. Readers should always consult with an appropriately trained and qualified healthpractitioner on any matters relating to their health and wellbeing. While every care is taken in preparing this material, the publisher cannot accept anyresponsibility for harm or damage caused by any treatment, advice or information contained in this publication. Published material represents theviews of the author, and does not necessarily reflect the opinions of Homeopathy, Healthy Medicine, or the Alliance of Registered Homeopaths. Nopart of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, in any form, without the written consent of the publishers, except for the purpose ofreference or review, where small extracts may be used. These extracts shall include reference to both author and publisher.© Alliance of Registered Homeopaths 2010

Havana, Cuba

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