From within , without in production – A film about Homeopathy

From Within, Without -- Fundraising Trailer from laurel chiten on Vimeo.

Laurel Chiten has been an independent filmmaker for over twenty years.

Laurel Chiten's most recent film is Twisted, a documentary about people with the neurological disorder, dystonia was broadcast on PBS's series Independent Lens January 30th 2007. Twisted was honored with Outstanding Achievement in a Documentary film from the Mass Access Awards.

As a filmmaker Laurel  believes in the importance of telling a true story, even if it challenges conventional medicine notions of what is and isn't possible. Homeopathy was invented over 200 years ago, and it is still being practiced all over the world. Isn't that something worth looking at?

The story of the film is about   a boy with a devastating modern day illness? Can  Homeopathy find its way towards the cure of his illness , Can it be the answer for depression? Chronic Fatigue Syndrome? Asthma? From Within, Without focuses on this mysterious and controversial treatment that many people have decided to trust.

The film unfolds like a mystery as we follow patients from around the country going through homeopathic treatment for physical, mental and emotional conditions. From Within, Without brings alive the rich history of homeopathy, the science and the philosophy. Ultimately, the film illuminates the connection between emotions and illness, mind and body.

The Characters:

The story of a mother desperately trying to save her son and a doctor passionately trying to save humanity. The journey of a boy with autism.

Nancy Korn had one dream in life–to become a mother. She and her husband Evan wanted a big family. After six years of trying, they finally got pregnant and gave birth to a healthy little boy, Lucas. His development was normal. But when he approached his first birthday, Lucas began to act strangely. By age two, Lucas was diagnosed with autism. Nancy and Evan were devastated.

They set out on a mission to bring their son back. Finding few answers in conventional medicine, they turned to alternative therapies. Some helped. Nothing cured. Lucas was still autistic. He still could not talk. One day, Nancy read about a doctor in Los Angeles who was using a centuries-old medical system, homeopathy, to treat autism. The physician, Dr. Luc De Schepper– affectionately known as ‘Dr. Luc’ -- is a medical doctor, licensed acupuncturist and homeopath, an author of 15 books, and a respected teacher and lecturer worldwide. Despite his impressive credentials, the method—and the doctor—were controversial. But Nancy had a feeling. A week later she and her mother-in-law found themselves flying across the country to meet with Dr. Luc. After starting homeopathic treatment, Lucas begins to improve. The film follows their story over the next year to see if Lucas becomes free of his autism.

Homeopathic Silica - The Gardener's Friend

Courtesy :  www.Homeopathyplus.com  & www. Homeopathyheals.me.uk

Which homeopathic remedy has the power to:

• Strengthen weak and spindly plants
• Turn deserts into fertile fields,
• Kill weeds
• Convert water repelling soils into moisture loving ones
• and more?

Silicea!

No other remedy does so much, at so little cost, for so many plant and soil problems. Silica, known within homeopathy by its Latin name of Silicea, should have pride of place in everyone’s garden shed because once tried, no farmer or gardener wants to be without it. Let’s find out why.

How it Began.

Homoeopathic silica has long been used for human and animal health problems but knowledge of its ability to treat plant and soil sickness is relatively new. In people (and animals) it is used for: lack of confidence, dry skin, weakness, fatigue, delayed development, slow healing of wounds, infections and abscesses, and failure to thrive. When homoeopaths realised these symptoms seemed to also occur closer to the ground in plant form, they began to wonder if Silicea could have a wider use. It was not long before its important role in horticultural and agricultural problems when used for Silicea-like symtoms was discovered.

Silicea for Strong and Healthy Plants.

Without the presence of naturally occurring silica in the soil, plants would be unable to stand upright or even grow. It acts on every cell and tissue, giving strength and ‘grit’. It regulates all cellular processes, including reproduction, and brings a healthy resilience to brittle growth. When silica is missing from the soil, or when plants have trouble using it, homoeopathic silica makes a world of difference - puny plants with weak and straggly growth, or those prone to fungal attacks, grow strong and vigorous within days of being sprayed.

Silicea as a Soil Tonic

Silica is difficult to add to soil as either a nutrient or supplement, and in truth it is rarely missing from it - but when it is, a spraying of homoeopathic silica improves plant health, helping them to absorb the little that is there. On top of this, homeopathic silica changes the ionisation of soil particles so they are capable of absorbing  and retaining moisture (more on this later).

Silicea Prevents Transplant and Other Shocks

Plants that are in shock will stop growing, wilt in the sun, drop their leaves, and be at risk of dying. Shock mainly happens with transplantation but also occurs from things such as damage to the root ball or extreme changes in temperature. A single spray of Silicea, before or after transplant, will strengthen the plant, relieve stress and prevent exhaustion.

Silicea Strengthens Plants against Pests and Diseases

Homoeopathic silica helps plants protect themselves against fungi, moulds, mildews, root sliminess, and some forms of rust. It also strengthens plants against pests such as aphids, budworm, citrus mite and dried fruit beetle. But be careful - one spray is all that's needed.

In his book, Homeopathy for Farm and Garden, Kaviraj recounts one instance of a sapling being affected by dieback. It only had one quarter of its bark left and even that was loose and drying out. Within a day of being given a dose of Silicea the bark was reattaching itself to the cambium (the layer of cells lying between the wood and bark from which new bark and wood cells are produced), and after one week the top branches were growing new shoots and leaves. With dieback being such a problem in many countries of the world, a method of preventing or treating this disease is welcome news indeed.

Silicea Stimulates Seed Germination.

A single dose of Silicea is usually sufficient to help germinate the seeds of perennials and biannuals so they lead healthy lives right from the moment they are sown. Just soak the seeds before planting in some water to which some Silicea has been added. The seeds will subsequently sprout strong roots and firm shoots. They will also be resistant to damping off and less prone to insect attack.

Silicea Produces Beautiful and Prolific Flowers.

One spray of Silicea as flower buds are forming has been shown to increase the size and number of flowers produced.

Silicea Eradicates Weeds.

Annual weed problems can be safely cleared once and for all with Silicea. As weeds produce their juvenile flower heads, spray them once then again, 10 days later. The heads will flower prematurely without setting any of the seeds that would normally produce next year's crop of weeds. Farmers (or home gardeners) can also take advantage of the positive effects Silicea has on seed germination by sowing their own seeds with the final spraying.

Silicea Sets Fruit and Stops Fruit Fall.

If sprayed at the beginning of flowering, Silicea will help trees or plants set their fruit and prevent them from dropping it during early development. Only spray once, though, or the reverse can happen – just like the weeds the tree will fail to produce a harvest.

Silicea Makes Water-repelling Soil Absorbent.

Some soils just hate water. Potting mixes, sandy soils, dusty soils, and soils high in organic matter are the worst in this regard. They absorb water so poorly that it simply rolls off the top of them, leaving the plant dry and thirsty. Silicea changes that. Once watered or sprayed onto the soil, the ionisation of the soil particles changes. As if by magic, they start to attract and bind water, creating highly absorbent and moist soil.

Note: Silicea will not improve absorption when compacted soil is the problem. In this instance you still have to get out your spade and do a bit of digging break up the ground.  

Silicea Greens a Desert.

One of the most exciting things about Silicea is its capacity to green desert-like areas in a remarkably short space of time. One treatment, watered in, produces desert sand capabale of holding large amounts of water for long periods – up to 6 weeks even in the absence of rain. The subsequent addition of mulch and good organic matter will then further improve the soil.

Kaviraj speaks of an early experience during the 1990s when he was in Western Australia. On one farm north of Perth he and a small group of men began a tree planting project. The land was arid and almost completely sand. First, they sprayed the ground with homeopathic silica and then left it to rest for 6 or so weeks. On their return to plant several hundred saplings, they found the soil was so moist that wet sand clung to their spades as they pulled them from the ground. On their next visit, 6 weeks later, they were met by an army of thriving young saplings that were larger, stronger, and more vigorous than could have been expected for the soil in which they were planted  – and all from a single spray of Silicea. To Kaviraj’s knowledge, that once arid piece of land remains green to this day.

While not exactly desert areas, Kaviraj says that similar results can be achieved with bowling greens and similar courses - patches of bare ground and ‘fairy spot ring’ will be rapidly replaced by thick healthy turf if given a dose of Silicea.

He concludes with the following statement, “This greening of the desert can add tremendously to our surface of arable land and thus increase the CO² uptake by another 30 to 40%. It will also help in alleviating world hunger and provide enough food for all the world's inhabitants - provided of course we divide the benefits equally.”

Caution!

Sometimes there can be too much of a good. Farmers and gardeners who practice agrohomeopathy will be quick to tell you that repeated and unnecessary doses of Silicea can be counter-productive. For example, when a healthy tree is repeatedly sprayed with Silicea, its bark can be crippled - the balance has been tipped too far and the remedy is starting to produce in the tree the very symptoms it can treat. (This phenomenon is explained in tutorials 1, 6, 15, and 16 where the Law of Similars, provings and remedy responses are discussed).

The same is true for fruit and seed setting. If plants are sprayed more than once at the time of flowering, fruit and seed production will be halted rather than helped. While this may be an advantage for weed eradication, it is obviously not desirable for growing fruit.

And finally, while Silicea can also green a desert, it will just as quickly create one if it is over-used. One dose is all that is needed to start the greening process – more will be too much. Remember, homeopathy always works best when only as little as needed is used rather than as much as possible.

How is Silicea Used?

For general garden use, add one pill of Silicea 6C to a spray bottle of 200 ml of water, shake vigorously, and then spray or water onto your plant or soil until wet. Easy! For farm use, proportionally increase the volume of water and number of pills. Remember, unless trying to eradicate weeds, one spraying will be sufficient

To stimulate healthy germination of seeds just dissolve one pill in a bowl of 200 ml of water and soak the seeds for approximately 20 minutes; then plant as normal.

Bringing it all Together.

In short, one single application of homeopathic silica has been shown to have profound effects of long duration on soil productivity and every stage of a plant’s life. It is able to:

• Antidote manganese toxicity in soils
• Change the ionisation of soil particles in water-repelling soils so water is easily absorbed
• Stimulate seed germination of grasses, plants and trees
• Help plants survive and even thrive in low rainfall or desert areas
• Strengthen weak and struggling plants
• Produce trees with hard and dense timber that is more resistant to termite attack
• Prevent and treat dieback
• Increase plant resistance to disease and pests
• Produce larger and more prolific fruits and flowers
• Replace brittle stems and leaves with those that are resilient and supple
• Stimulate healing and recovery from tree cancer, galls, injuries, and ulcerating wounds caused by pruning, storms or mechanical damage.
• Aid recovery from transplant shock and stress

Silicea achieves these remarkable things with plants and soil exactly the same way it does with humans and animals. All that is needed is for Silicea-like symptoms to be present. The remedy then strengthens the underlying health of the troubled plant so it is in a position to effectively deal with its own problems - just as nature intended. The only requirement for success is to check that the plant's sickness matches those of Silicea symptoms and arises from a general 'failure to thrive' state. This is then homeopathy.

So, if you have plants with any of the above problems, and if the cause seems to be a lack of stamina, resilience, or ‘grit’, why not give them a dose of homeopathic silica? The results can be amazing.

Resource

Vaikunthanath, D. K. (2006). Homeopathy for Farm and Garden: Toward a Homeopathic Agriculture. Mark Moodie Publications: United Kingdom. (This book is available from the Homeopathy Plus shop)

International seminar on ‘Recent Advances in Homoeopathy’ at Science Auditorium, Kolkata from 19 -21 February 2010

‘National Institute of Homoeopathy,  Kolkata is going to organize an International seminar on ‘Recent Advances  in Homoeopathy’ at Science Auditorium, Kolkata from 19 -21 February 2010 in  collaboration with Centre for Advance Studies in Homeopathy (C.A.S.H.), New  Delhi and various other Government institutions like Central Council for  Research in Homoeopathy, Central Council of Homoeopathy and Homoeopathic  Pharmacopoeia Laboratory.

“The  NIH, Kolkata is an autonomous institution under the Department of AYUSH,  Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India. It is a model  academic institute of Homoeopathy in the country. The institute has been  thriving for the excellence in homoeopathic education, outstanding patient  care and research. It imparts both Under Graduate (BHMS) and Post Graduate  (MD) courses in Homoeopathy”.
The main  agenda of this seminar is to bring the current status of Homoeopathy in one  platform and to discuss about future prospect for the growth & development  of Homeopathy. The theme of discussion shall be on recent advances in research  and development in clinical areas. The focus shall be given on treatment of  Cancer, HIV/AIDS, and Malaria etc.  This is one of the major initiatives  with the patronage of the Government of India and almost all the available  resources have been pooled to make the event memorable. This shall be a unique  opportunity for the professionals to meet the experts from various countries  and interact with them to upgrade their skill and knowledge.

This seminar would be followed by a two days workshop by international homooepathic physician team at NIH OPD. The certificate of participation will be given to all the delegates participating in this seminar by NIH (National Institute of Homoeopathy), Government of India.

The details are available HERE .

North Eastern Institute of Ayurveda and Homeopathy in Shillong to Take off Next Year

Mumbai, Nov 9 : A proposal for setting up of the North Eastern Institute of Ayurveda and Homoeopathy (NEIAH) at Shillong, Meghalaya, is finally ready to take off as the Department of Ayush has initiated efforts to commence civil works for the facility. The civil works for the institute, which has been in files for more than two years, is expected to commence in early 2010, according to a top official from the department.

The Department of Ayush has assigned HSCC (India) Ltd, a consultancy organisation under Government of India operating to render quality services in healthcare and other social sectors, to find eligible candidate to build the facility and the latter has floated a tender for the purpose last month. Ayush, which received approval for the institute from the central government in the beginning of 2008, is expecting to identify a contractor in the beginning of December, this year, and to commence the Rs 67.51 crore project soon, said the official who does not wanted to be quoted.

The NEIAH will be set up as an autonomous organization under the Department of Ayush at the premises of North Eastern Indira Gandhi Regional Institute of Health and Medical Sciences (NEIGRIHMS), another autonomous institute under the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

The institute is designed to facilitate promotion of Ayurveda and Homoeopathy, the expansion of health care, improvement in the doctor-population ratio and R&D on bio-resources in the North East. Though the proposal has been prepared two to three years ago, work on the project was in slow pace till recently. The Department-Related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Health and Family Welfare, headed by the Member of Parliament, Amar Singh, has been repeatedly seeking the department to put adequate interest into setting up of the institute and has even expressed its displeasure on the dismal performance of the department in utilisation of the allocated funds for the North East.

“The Committee is not happy about the dismal performance of the Department in utilization of the
allocated funds for the North East. It is very disturbing to note that the provisions made could not be utilized fully even in respect of a single scheme,” said the committee in its report laid on the table of Lok Sabha in the end of April 2008.

At present, the presence of Ayurveda and homoeopathy institutions in North East are apparently minimal. Only one Ayurvedic College in Assam and three Homoeopathy colleges in Assam and Arunachal Pradesh are there in the North East.

Other states of the North East do not have even a single teaching institution, even though there is considerable demand for Ayurveda and Homoeopathic systems in North Eastern states. It is to improve the condition of Indian Systems of Medicines in this region, the Government of India has proposed a North Eastern Institute of Folk Medicine (NEIFM) in Arunachal Pradesh and North Eastern Institute of Ayurveda and Homoeopathy (NEIAH) in Meghalaya.

Delhi now has a dedicated website for homeopathic treatment

New Delhi, Sep 24 (IANS) Making homeopathic treatment more accessible to people, Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit Thursday launched a dedicated website for homeopathy that will provide online treatment facility and give advice to people.
The website www.homeo.delhigovt.nic.in will have details of all the Delhi government homeopathic dispensaries, general homeopathic medicines and remedies for various diseases.
“Homeopathy enjoys a high reputation and its remedies have been used traditionally in Indian families for over 150 years. Day by day the popularity of homoeopathy is increasing as it cures the disease from the roots in the safest, harmless, gentle and simple way,” said Dikshit.
Dikshit said during the last five years around 7 million people were treated in homeopathic government dispensaries and her government was committed to furthering the popularity of the branch of medicine.

Source : http://www.sindhtoday.net/news/1/53708.htm

Can Homeopathic Arsenic Remedy Combat Arsenic Poisoning in Humans Exposed to Groundwater Arsenic Contamination?: A Preliminary Report on First Human Trial

Courtesy :  oxford journal

Can Homeopathic Arsenic Remedy Combat Arsenic Poisoning
in Humans Exposed to Groundwater Arsenic Contamination?:
A Preliminary Report on First Human Trial
Anisur Rahman Khuda-Bukhsh1, Surajit Pathak1, Bibhas Guha1, Susanta Roy KarmakarJayanta Kumar Das1, Pathikrit Banerjee1, Surjyo Jyoti Biswas1, Partha Mukherjee,Nandini Bhattacharjee1, Sandipan Chaki Choudhury1, Antara Banerjee1, Suman Bhadra,Palash Mallick, Jayati Chakrabarti and Biswapati Mandal
Department of Zoology, University of Kalyani and
Directorate of Research, Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalaya,
Kalyani-741235, West Bengal, India

Groundwater arsenic (As) has affected millions of people globally distributed over 20 countries. In parts of West Bengal (India) and Bangladesh alone, over 100 million people are at risk, but supply of As-free water is grossly inadequate. Attempts to remove As by using orthodox medicines have mostly been
unsuccessful. A potentized homeopathic remedy, Arsenicum Album-30, was administered to a group of As affected people and thereafter the As contents in their urine and blood were periodically determined. The activities of various toxicity marker enzymes and compounds in the blood, namely aspartate
amino transferase, alanine amino transferase, acid phosphatase, alkaline phosphatase, lipid peroxidation and reduced glutathione, were also periodically monitored up to 3 months. The results are highly encouraging and suggest that the drug can alleviate As poisoning in humans.

Download Link :

                                                   Link 1

                                                    Link 2

Keywords: arsenic toxicity – Arsenicum Album-30 – enzyme biomarkers – homeopathy –
human trial – remedy

Hospital turns to homeopathy over H1N1

Source : Express News Service

BANGALORE: The Rajiv Gandhi Institute for Chest Diseases (RGICD) on Tuesday started using homeopathy for treating people with the H1N1 virus.

The move comes in the backdrop of 21 more people in the state testing positive for swine flu, with 15 of them from Bangalore and three each from Belgaum and Davangere.

Of the 21 cases, 11 were of category A, six of category B and four of category C.

The first day of the new initiative saw more than 300 people with mild symptoms of the disease being screened at the homeopathy counter at RGICD by six doctors of the Government Homeopathy Medical College (GHMC).

“Homeopathic medicine has a history spanning more than 300 years. Based on the core principle that similar cures similar, very dilute solutions are administered to cure the diseases and H1N1 patients are getting relief from our medicines. “The diluted globules help them improve their immunity,” Dr Dassappa of GHMC told Express.

“The integration of allopathy and homeopathy will not only cure the patient but also help strengthen the immunity level to fight the virus,” Dr Sahshidhar Buggi, medical superintendent, RGCID said.

Homeopathic World Community

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Click HERE to join Homeopathic World Community

Courtesy : Debby Bruck

Swiss take an holistic approach towards CAM

SWITZERLAND BECAME the first country in Europe to enshrine complementary medicine into its constitution when more than 67 per cent of national voters opted in favour of a new constitutional article on complementary medicine last week.

That result, which followed a public campaign, will now make it more likely that certain complementary therapies will be re-instated into the basic health insurance scheme available to all Swiss citizens.

Therapies including homeopathy, herbalism and traditional Chinese medicine were removed from the basic health insurance scheme in 2004 and put into additional optional private health insurance schemes.

The constitutional article on complementary medicine is also likely to speed up standardisation of training for complementary therapies in Switzerland. Currently, each canton regulates the complementary therapists within its region.

“The constitutional text itself is very short – it states that the Federal government and the cantons will ensure that, within the scope of their jurisdiction, complementary medicine is taken into consideration,” explains Alexander Harbaugh, a spokesman for the public campaign which brought the complementary medicine proposal to parliament.

In Switzerland, a new constitutional article can be proposed to the Swiss parliament if it is supported by 100,000 signatures gathered within 18 months.

In this case, the parliament rejected the initial proposal on complementary medicine and put forward its own counterproposal on complementary medicine which was then put to a vote.

A majority of citizens in all cantons voted in favour of adopting this new constitutional article. Historically, counter-proposals have been three times more likely to be voted in by the public than original popular proposals.

“It shows that we are beginning to come out of the two camps – one for orthodox medicine and the other for alternative medicine. In the future, hopefully, it will mean that medical students will study complementary therapies as part of their medical training and be able to integrate some of them into their practice,” says Harbaugh.

One of the aspirations of the pro-complementary therapy lobby group is that professorships of complementary medicine will now be created in Swiss universities.

“The parliament will decide what concrete measures will be taken on complementary medicine in the next few months,” says Mona Neidhart from the Swiss Federal Office of Public Health. She expects that the representative bodies of specified complementary therapies will submit new applications to gain approval for inclusion in the basic health insurance scheme.

“Complementary therapies can currently apply for inclusion in the basic health insurance scheme but up to now, they haven’t managed to be included. This vote will mean the parliament can change the criteria for inclusion,” explains Neid-hart.

The current criteria requires that the therapy benefits the patient, that it is cost-effective and appropriate for the patient’s condition.

Commenting on the vote, Daniel Kieffer, president of the European Association of Naturopathy, said naturopathy was already prominent although not widely accepted in Switzerland. “This vote puts naturopathy on the road to freedom and is a model for all other European countries,” he said.

Dutch pharmacist turned naturopath Jan de Vries worked for years with the Swiss naturopath, Alfred Vogel. He says Switzerland has a long tradition of homeopathy and herbal medicine. “A lot of regulatory work on complementary therapies has already been done in Switzerland and there is greater recognition for complementary therapists. I wish the same thing would happen in Germany because then other European countries could benefit from it,” he says.

De Vries, who has worked in Ireland for 40 years, says, “There is a great longing for natural medicine in Ireland. Irish people are very interested in finding out more about natural forms of medicine.”

In Ireland, the 2006 report of the National Working Group on Regulation of Complementary Therapies represents the current state of play in Ireland in this area.

This report recommended that statutory regulation be put in place for so-called high risk therapies.

These therapies are acupuncture, traditional Chinese medicine and herbalism. It recommended that practitioners of other complementary therapies form federations and self-regulate their practitioners and standardise their training courses. Therapies such as yoga and homeopathy currently follow this model.

Earlier this year, the Higher Education and Training Awards Council (HETAC) began the process of validating complementary therapy courses in acupuncture, herbal medicine and traditional Chinese medicine as the first step towards statutory regulation of these therapies.

Courtesy : Irish Times & I heal

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Research Supporting Homeopathy

Source: http://www.healthnews.com/blogs/melanie-grimes/natural-health/alternative-medicine/research-supporting-homeopathy-2596.html

 

The first double-blind crossover study ever performed was conducted by homeopaths in 1906. This study was run concurrently in eleven different cities on fifteen subjects. The documentation of this experiment consisted of 665 pages, published as Research Provings of Belladonna. Also at the turn of the nineteenth century, a book on homeopathic research was published called The Logic of Figures or Comparative Results of Homeopathic and Other Treatments. This book provided dozens of charts comparing disease and death rates in homeopathic and allopathic (mainstream) hospitals. This research also investigated statistics on the epidemic diseases of scarlet fever, yellow fever, and typhoid. The research showed that homeopathic hospitals had an average of 50 to 80 percent fewer deaths per 100 people, depending on the disease compared.
During World War II, an early double-blind study of homeopathy was sponsored by the British government. The experiment demonstrated that those given homeopathic remedies experienced a significant improvement in burns from mustard gas compared to those given placebo.
Many modern clinical trials are currently underway, looking for evidence of the efficacy of homeopathy from controlled trials in human subjects. More than 100 clinical trials have been conducted, some published in highly prestigious journals such as Lancet and JAMA. In 1997, K. Linde and W. Jonas, directors of the Alternative Medicine Evaluation Department of the National Institute of Health, co-signed a meta-analysis which evaluated 186 clinical trials on homeopathic therapies. Among the 105 trials whose results could be interpreted, 81 presented positive results, while homeopathy did not have a positive effect in 24 others. The authors concluded that, "the results of this meta-analysis are incompatible with the hypothesis that the clinical effects of homeopathy are due exclusively to a placebo effect."
Proliferation of interest in the area of clinical research abounds. In April 2003, a two-day conference was held in London on the topic of clinical research. Dick Koster  reports: "Those who are opposed to homeopathy…base their conclusion on the last negative study…. Followers of homeopathy herald all positive news and complain about serious design flaws in negative studies…. Both sides claim their successes and failures as definitive while in reality, new research…would only add or subtract a small effect to or from the already existing evidence…of homeopathy being true." This being said, Koster goes on to say that "homeopaths look at their patient results and believe that no amount of negative research could topple their belief in homeopathy."
A recent double-blind study has shown the antiviral effect of homeopathic remedies. Eight of the ten remedies tested inhibited viruses in chicken embryos from 50 to 100 percent depending on the potencies used. German scientists at a Veterinary College showed use of the homeopathic remedy Chelidonium lowered serum cholesterol when given twice a day to rabbits on a cholesterol rich diet.
The British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology published a double-blind experiment on patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Of those given a homeopathic medicine, 82 percent experienced some relief of symptoms, while only 21 percent of those given a placebo experienced any similar degree of improvement.
Research has also been conducted in the use of homeopathy in cancer. In 77 mice that received a transplant in fibrosarcoma, 52 percent survived more than a year when treated with homeopathic remedies. The 77 untreated mice died within 10-15 days.
Many critics of homeopathic research site flaws in the designs of the studies, weakness in reporting and measuring techniques, small numbers of study participants, and the difficulties in replicating results. Homeopathy works and the proof is in the pudding. Because the science is based on one remedy for one person, it is difficult to construct studies and judge the results. Clinical results have noted homeopathic cures taking place around the globe for over 100 years. The miniscule doses are still immeasurable by today’s science, but in the future, equipment will be designed that can adequately measure the healing effects of homeopathy.

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Homeopathic sweet pill turns bitter for millions-The big question of expiry date in Homoeopathic Medicines under GMP

 

courtesy : IndiaToday.In & http://drprabhattandon.wordpress.com/2008/12/30/question-of-expiry-date-on-homeopathic-medicines-under-gmp/

Millions of homeopathic patients throughout the country will be without medicines if West Bengal takes the lead and sets an example by regulating or banning all medicine manufacturers who do not follow the Good Medicine Practice (GMP) norms of the Central Health Ministry.

At present, just six of the 264 medicine manufacturers of homeopathy follow the norms and have received the GMP certificates. The drug controller has given the rest time till March 31 to adhere to the norms or face closure.

Dr Sajal Roy Chowdhury, Drug Controller, Bengal circle, told India Today that they would look at the problem from "human angle" and were thus giving a time extension. "However, if they do not fulfil the conditions, we will come down heavily on them." Since the figure in Bengal itself is so high, it can well be understood what can possibly be the picture in the rest of the country, particularly the suburbs and villages, where the use of the sweet pills are rampant.

Dr Chowdhury said there were various criteria like area, surroundings, utensil classifications, potency and documentation regarding homeo medicine which were totally different from allopathic measures. "Ïn allopath, we have standard rules and ways to verify them. Sadly, throughout the world, there is no regulatory body involving homeopathy medicine and its dilution which can make or mar a medicine batch."

He said strict inspection was now in progress. There are around 2,200 outlets selling homeopathy medicines in Kolkata alone.

He said the doctors were not complaining but it was time the government on its own took some step. "We need labs to standardise these medicine norms. Since homeopathy is now being used even for ailments like cancer, we must see to it that norms are followed. Otherwise, there may be a calamity one day."

Internationally famous homeopath Dr Pratip Banerjee said, "The main problem is that we have to rely on our instincts for dilution purposes on which the practice of homeopathy depends. Every medicine has 10 to 12 potency and dilution variations. That needs to be monitored."

He said if the government does finally come down heavily on manufacturers then there would be a catastrophe. "Nowadays, I can say with responsibility that 60 to 70 per cent of patients throughout India depend largely on homeopathy for various diseases. We get 1,000 patients a day at our clinic. Our popularity is because homoeopathy can be used alongside allopathy medicine. For example, if a patient is being treated by allopathy for diabetes, there is no harm in taking our medicines for ulcers."

Dr Banerjee said that if the rules come into force, then the drug manufacturers will be more careful about the norms. "This caution may work out to our advantage. But it is a shocking figure that only six manufacturers have the certificate. This needs to be looked into seriously."

He said homeopathy was gaining popularity every day because of its easy availability, cheapness, safety and also because administering it required no cumbersome process. "In a short time, homeopathy will be the king," he added.

Dr Gopal Ghosh, registered at the Council of Homoeopathic Medicine, said right now the state has 28,000 practitioners and there are around 600 licensed pharmacists who could manufacture medicines apart from the big medicine supply houses. "Even they will be affected since they will also have to stick to the norms," he said. Dr Ghosh said that homeopathy was the principal mode of treatment in India till a few decades back when every village headmaster was a homoeopath."

Some Recent Publications of " Homeopathy "

Homeopathy is an international journal aimed at improving the understanding and clinical practice of homeopathy by publishing high quality articles on clinical and basic research, clinical audit and evidence-based practice of homeopathy. Click on the links below to read what's  going on in the latest issue of Homeopathy .

The 2005 meta-analysis of homeopathy: The importance of post-publication data Rutten ALB, Stolper CF : Click here for the Press release.

• Lipid peroxidation, erythrocyte antioxidants and plasma antioxidants in osteoarthritis before and after homeopathic treatment
  Publication year: 2008
  Source: Homeopathy, Volume 97, Issue 4, October 2008, Pages 185-189
  S., Pinto , A.V., Rao , A., Rao
  Objective: This study attempts to evaluate the status of oxidative stress in osteoarthritis (OA), by measuring some parameters of oxidant stress and antioxidant defenses in blood, before and after homeopathy treatment, and to asses the role, if any, of homeopathic treatment in modulating free radical toxicity in OA. Methods: Erythrocyte lipid peroxidation (LP), erythrocyte antioxidants viz., glutathione (GSH), glutathione reductase (GR), superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CT) and plasma antioxidants viz., ceruloplasmin, glutathione-S-transferase (GST), vitamin C, total antioxidant activity (AOA) were determined in eighty one patients with OA and fifty three normals. Forty seven patients, who were treated with homeopathic remedies were considered for...
• Effects of a homeopathic complex in Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus L.) on performance, sexual proportion and histology
  Publication year: 2008
  Source: Homeopathy, Volume 97, Issue 4, October 2008, Pages 190-195
  M., Valentim-Zabott , L., Vargas , R.P.R., Ribeiro , R., Piau Jr. , M.B.A., Torres , ...
  This study aimed to evaluate the effects of the homeopathic complex Homeopatila RS® (REAL Homeopathy, Brazil), in the performance, sexual proportion and gills and liver histology of the Nile tilapia fish (Oreochromis niloticus L.). 4,800 post-larvae were treated for 45 days, in 12 tanks (500L), in a closed environment, with density of 400 larvae per tank. Three treatments were given: alcohol 30%, negative control (C); hormonal, positive control, 17α-methyltestosterone (H); homeopathic, Homeopatila RS®, in ethanol (HH), with four replications. Mean values for length, weight, liver somatic index, condition factor, survival rate, average values of histological alterations and sexual proportion were...
• A nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy comparison of 3C trituration derived and 4C trituration derived remedies
  Publication year: 2008
  Source: Homeopathy, Volume 97, Issue 4, October 2008, Pages 196-201
  Izel, Botha , Ashley H.A., Ross
  Background: Trituration of base substances, commonly to the 3cH level, is the cornerstone of the homeopathic pharmaceutical process or insoluble solutions.1 Becker and Ehrler claim that trituration to 4cH gives a new, spiritual dimension to the homoeopathic medicine picture.2 Aim and method: This study sought to establish whether the claim that C4-derived potencies possess different physicochemical qualities to the homoeopathic medicines derived from a 3cH trituration is valid. All potencies were produced by hand according to the German Homoeopathic Pharmacopoeia (GHP). Five different samples were analysed using Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) Spectroscopy. Results: The results indicated a significant difference between the 12cH samples of potassium...
• A randomized controlled trial of homeopathic treatment of weaned piglets in a commercial swine herd
  Publication year: 2008
  Source: Homeopathy, Volume 97, Issue 4, October 2008, Pages 202-205
  F.R.M., Soto , E.R., Vuaden , C.dP., Coelho , N.R., Benites , L.V., Bonamin , ...
  Aim: To evaluate the zootechnic performance and occurrence of diarrhea in piglets in the week post-weaning comparing supplementation with sucrose saline which contained or did not contain added homeopathic medicine. Method: Animals were randomly divided into three groups of 24 piglets each. The control group did not receive any treatment. Another group received sucrose saline, and the third group received sucrose saline with homeopathic medicine added, in the period of zero to seven days post-weaning. The homeopathic treatment consisted of Echinacea angustifolia, Avena sativa, Ignatia amara, Calcarea carbonica, all 6cH. Piglets were weighed daily for weight gain or loss, and observed for diarrhea...
• Homeopathic practice in Intensive Care Units: objective semiology, symptom selection and a series of sepsis cases
  Publication year: 2008
  Source: Homeopathy, Volume 97, Issue 4, October 2008, Pages 206-213
  M.Z., Teixeira , S.M., Leal , V.M.F.A., Ceschin
  Homeopathy has been used for more than two hundred years to treat chronic disease using various approaches in a wide range of diseases. However, for acute disease and critical illness, application has been limited by inadequate training of homeopathic physicians and the small number of pertinent clinical studies. In view of the difficulty of practising homeopathy in Intensive Care Units (ICU), a protocol was developed to facilitate description of objective homeopathic symptoms with a ranking of symptoms appropriate for these situations (Protocol for Objective Homeopathic Semiology). Examples of favorable results with individualized homeopathic treatments for a series of cases of...
• How can we change beliefs? A Bayesian perspective
  Publication year: 2008
  Source: Homeopathy, Volume 97, Issue 4, October 2008, Pages 214-219
  A.L.B., Rutten
  How can Randomised Controlled Trials (RCTs) change our beliefs? The fact that they do update prior beliefs to different posterior beliefs is explained by Bayesian philosophy.Crucial points in Bayesian analysis include setting the first prior expectation right and sequential updating of the prior in the light of new evidence. Bayesian analysis depends highly on the evidence included.RCT evidence can only falsify the placebo hypothesis, it cannot indicate which mechanism of action could be responsible for an intrinsic effect and therefore cannot overturn existing beliefs. Bayesian reasoning could structure further discussion, but subjectivity is an inherent element of this process. In...
• 20 years ago: The British Homoeopathic Journal, October 1988
  Publication year: 2008
  Source: Homeopathy, Volume 97, Issue 4, October 2008, Pages 220-222
  S.T., Land
• Sheilagh Creasy, Integrity of Homeopathy Price: € 34, 00 , Verlag Peter Irl, Buchendorf, Germany (2007) ISBN 978-3-933666-19-2.
  Publication year: 2008
  Source: Homeopathy, Volume 97, Issue 4, October 2008, Page 223
  David, Owen
• Frederik Schroyens, Editor, The Essential Synthesis, Homeopathic Book Publishers, UK (October 2007) ISBN-13: 978-09557151-0-5 £65.00.
  Publication year: 2008
  Source: Homeopathy, Volume 97, Issue 4, October 2008, Pages 223-224
  M., Jørgensen
• Elizabeth Wincott 1941–2008
  Publication year: 2008
  Source: Homeopathy, Volume 97, Issue 4, October 2008, Page 225
  Tom, Whitmarsh

Homeopathic medical practice: long-term results of a cohort study with 3981 patients.

Homeopathic medical practice: long-term results of a cohort study with 3981 patients.

Witt CM, Lüdtke R, Baur R, Willich SN.

Institute for Social Medicine, Epidemiology and Health Economics, Charité University Medical Center, D-10098 Berlin, Germany. claudia.witt@charite.de

BACKGROUND: On the range of diagnoses, course of treatment, and long-term outcome in patients who chose to receive homeopathic medical treatment very little is known. We investigated homeopathic practice in an industrialized country under everyday conditions.

METHODS: In a prospective, multicentre cohort study with 103 primary care practices with additional specialisation in homeopathy in Germany and Switzerland, data from all patients (age > 1 year) consulting the physician for the first time were observed. The main outcome measures were: Patient and physician assessments (numeric rating scales from 0 to 10) and quality of life at baseline, and after 3, 12, and 24 months.

RESULTS: A total of 3,981 patients were studied including 2,851 adults (29% men, mean age 42.5 +/- 13.1 years; 71% women, 39.9 +/- 12.4 years) and 1,130 children (52% boys, 6.5 +/- 3.9 years; 48% girls, 7.0 +/- 4.3 years). Ninety-seven percent of all diagnoses were chronic with an average duration of 8.8 +/- 8 years. The most frequent diagnoses were allergic rhinitis in men, headache in women, and atopic dermatitis in children. Disease severity decreased significantly (p < 0.001) between baseline and 24 months (adults from 6.2 +/- 1.7 to 3.0 +/- 2.2; children from 6.1 +/- 1.8 to 2.2 +/- 1.9). Physicians' assessments yielded similar results. For adults and young children, major improvements were observed for quality of life, whereas no changes were seen in adolescents. Younger age and more severe disease at baseline were factors predictive of better therapeutic success.

CONCLUSION: Disease severity and quality of life demonstrated marked and sustained improvements following homeopathic treatment period. Our findings indicate that homeopathic medical therapy may play a beneficial role in the long-term care of patients with chronic diseases.

The facts about an ingenious homeopathic experiment that was not completed due to the “tricks” of Mr. James Randi.

The facts about an ingenious homeopathic experiment that was not completed due to the “tricks” of Mr. James Randi.

Courtesy : Dr vithoulkas

In 2002 the BBC Horizon program presented a documentary that showed that the Benveniste experiment about homeopathy was a fake one and therefore... homeopathy was also fake! http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/2512105.stm

Does homeopathy work?

James Randi believes homeopathy is a delusion

The American illusionist James Randi offered a million dollars to anyone able to prove that homeopathic remedies can really cure people. The producer of the BBC's Horizon programme explains why he took up the challenge.

Mr.Vithoulkas had repeatedly stressed in many communications that the experiment was in any case a falsely conceived one from its very beginning (see the correspondence). The opponents of homeopathy basing in this false experiment by Benveniste their hypocritical arguments maintained that homeopathy was simply placebo effect.

Mr Randi after this false experiment (ignoring all other experiments that showed the effect of homeopathy) declared in his website (http://www.randi.org/) that whoever could prove the validity of the action of a homeopathically potentized remedy beyond the Avogadro number would be winning one million $ as a prize.

Mr Vithoulkas challenged this statement and with this idea a new experiment was conceived that would prove that the highly potentized remedies could actually have a biological effect upon the human organism.

The experiment was simple: An individualized remedy would be given to a number of patients in a double blind fashion and half of the patients would receive placebo the other half would get the real remedy. The Greek Homeopathic physicians that would participate in taking of the cases and prescribing the remedies should point out in the end of the experiment the ones that they had got the real remedy.

The protocol was structured by a group of internationally known scientists and the experiment had to take place in one of the hospitals in Athens.

What follows is the real story (with facts in correspondence that transpired) of how through several "tricks", Mr.Randi refused to go through the experiment and rescued his million.

We sent the following statement to Mr. Randi in order to be posted to his website but he refused to post it.

RETRACTION STATEMENT

11.11.2008

INTRODUCTION: This is a retraction statement against the erroneous piece of information published on JREF (James Randi Educational Foundation) website http://www.randi.org/ , concerning the supposedly "withdrawal of Homeopaths" from a experiment (agreed upon between JREF and the Greek homeopathic team of medical doctors) that was devised in order to prove that there is a biological effect on human organism from the ultra high dilutions of homeopathic remedies, beyond the Avogadro number.

BRIEF HISTORY OF THE EVENTS:

- The group of homeopaths led by Prof. George Vithoulkas contracted an agreement with JREF on 2003, with the objective of matching a ``challenge'' posed by JREF, in order to carry out a scientific experiment that proves that the human organism responds to homeopathic ultra dilutions, and claim the 1 million USD challenge prize offered by JREF.

- On 2003, a team of ``skeptics'' was set up, to represent the JREF side in the scientific experiment that would follow. The group of skeptics and the group of homeopaths led by Prof. George Vithoulkas have been conducting preparatory work continuously since then.

- A protocol was drawn up with the title: “Do homeopathic remedies have a recognizable biological effect on the human organism?”

- The venue for the experiment was to be a Greek hospital. Eventually, after several contacts with several hospitals, the municipality hospital "ELPIS" in Athens, Greece had agreed to host the experiment. The pharmacist that would provide the homeopathic remedies for the experiment -Mr. Korres Pharmacy-, was also found and the agreement was finalized on 12.10.2005. At that time Ms. Althea Katz, representative of Mr. Alec Gindis (he was one of the representatives of Mr. Randi) visited the Greek municipality hospital in Athens and discussed all the details about the experiment exhaustively.

- In 26.10.2005, Mr. Alec Gindis informed Prof. Vithoulkas by e-mail that the finances for the experiment were not yet raised and therefore the experiment could not start in spite of the fact that everything else was ready.

- In 17.8.2006, we received a signed agreement from Mr. Randi in which he stated that he was satisfied with the suggested protocol and he waived the claim of a preliminary test.

- As we waited for the finances to be raised, in order to start with the experiment, in 2.2.2006, we were informed that Mr. Randi had a health problem. When Mr. Gindis asked him to assign a representative in order to deal with all the procedures for the starting of the experiment, Mr. Randi refused to do so. As a result of his refusal the experiment was delayed so much until a new Mayor was elected in Athens who replaced the authorities of the ELPIS hospital, something that we had anticipated and repeatedly stressed to the “sceptics” long ago. The new Mayor Dr. Kaklamanis, a conventional medical doctor was indifferent if not hostile to the project. We had repeatedly warned the “sceptics” that if the experiment did not start the latest in the beginning of 2006, the new Mayor will change the key persons in the hospital -the president of the hospital and also the chairman of the scientific committee- and the new people most probably would not respect the decision of the previous scientific committee.

At this crucial time in the beginning of 2006 that the experiment had to start, Mr. Randi declared that he was sick and that his rehabilitation was ...going to last from the beginning of February till July! But this was the crucial period that the experiment should have started in order not to be affected by the new authorities of the hospital.

It is characteristic of the urgency from the exchange of e-mails and more especially the e-mail Mr. Gindis wrote to Mr. Randi: “I want to underline, though, that your participation is critical… As you can imagine, the homeopaths are very concerned about your health. In their eyes you “failed” them by getting sick right when they just about put it all together”.

In 7.4.2006 Mr. Gindis wrote to Mr. Randi in order to signal to him that the homeopathic team was ready to start: “All in all, I am impressed that he (Prof. Vithoulkas) managed to put together such a team, find a sponsoring hospital and find a way to recruit patients with advertising efforts and costs carried by the hospital and participating homeopaths”. But instead Randi suspended all activities of the experiment attributing it to his supposedly state of health!

Mr. Randi knew very well that this period was crucial for us to start the experiment and we had made this urgency explicit by sending several e-mails urging them that it was necessary to go ahead immediately. But Mr. Randi needed ...six months "to recover" denying to assign a collaborator. As expected, in Autumn of 2006 a new Mayor Dr. Kaklamanis M.D. was elected in Athens.

For us, all this extended period of recovery was obviously an excuse for not starting the experiment.

After the election of the new Mayor, a new chairman for the scientific committee and a new president of the hospital were installed.

Immediately we started pressing them to respect the decision of the previous scientific committee or to decide -in a new meeting- in favour of the experiment.

The interesting thing was that on 16.5.2008, Mr. Randi -thinking most probably that we could never succeed in getting a second permission- suddenly became very gallant and wrote: “In any case, it may not be necessary for me to actually be present in person for these tests. I am prepared to assign security and protocol duties to Alec Gindis and to Mr. Gabor, so they can act in my behalf”. But in the mean time and as early as March 2008 was already putting up in his website a text claiming that the "Greek homeopaths have withdrawn from the experiment ...as expected"!!

The important question is: why Mr. Randi delayed the starting of the experiment by the moment everything was in place in 2006, claiming that he...would be recovering for six months and that nobody else could replace him, while the next time, when he thought that we could never succeed in obtaining a second permission from the ELPIS hospital, he became so gallant as to assign a collaborator?!!

He was so sure that we will not succeed in getting a second permission from the hospital that in 16.5.2008 Mr. Randi sent us a... notarized statement saying:

“I intend to go through with the proposed test of the claims of homeopathy, as previously discussed in exchanges between George Vithoulkas and myself. This stance has not changed, and it will not change”. !!! See his new statement later on (17.10.2008) when he knew already that we had the permission!!

- In the end of July of 2008, after a lot of efforts, we obtained for a second time the permission to conduct the proposed homeopathic experiment at the ELPIS hospital.

- On 2^nd and 3^rd September of 2008, there was a final meeting in the International Academy of Classical homeopathy in Alonissos to discuss last details of the experiment. In the meeting were present the representative of Randi, Mr. Hrasko Gabor, Ms Althea Katz (representative of Mr. Alec Gindis), Dr. Menachem Oberbaum, principal investigator of the experiment and Prof. George Vithoulkas. They discussed for two days all the details about the experiment and the discussion was taped officially and also some of it videoed by a professional camera man from Israel.

- A FEW DAYS LATER (during September 2008) WE RECEIVED INFORMATION FROM USA THAT IN RANDI’S WEBSITE WAS APPEARING (since March 2008) A TEXT (under a title ANOTHER WITHDRAWAL) SAYING IN EFFECT THAT THE GREEK HOMEOPATHS HAVE WITHDRAWN FROM THE EXPERIMENT!!

In the document was stated that a major test of homeopathy in Greece has met the expected fate, being abandoned by the homeopathy community!!!!

This information infuriated the group of homeopaths led by Prof. George Vithoulkas and a lot of damage was caused to him as was accused for been associated with such unreliable people.

But the most outrageous event happened on 17.10.2008, when we actually received an "ultimatum" from Mr. Randi by which he was changing all the previous agreements refusing to go ahead with the experiment as planned.

Here is what he wrote:

“…Forget all previous correspondence exchanged on the subject. …What appears here is the current status. …First, we require that George Vithoulkas submit a regular, properly-filled-out application and submit it –just as we require everyone to do. After that has been received, we’ll go ahead– as with any regular applicant- with the arrangements, including the requirement for the preliminary stage”.

Here you can see his whole statement with some remarks from us in red:

To All Concerned:

The brouhaha that began as a comprehensive homeopathy test In Greece, has been consuming far too much of my time and attention, and of my colleagues, as well. Forget all previous correspondence exchanged on the subject. What appears HERE is the current status. Mr. Randi asked from us to forget all previous correspondence after we discovered the false, slanderous and deceptive posting at his website JREF with the title: “Another Withdrawal”.

We’re starting anew. Bear in mind that WE are offering the million-dollar prize, and WE will control the parameters, in line with the rules of the challenge – which are available to everyone. There will be no more exceptions, which I had – unwisely – granted to certain persons in order to be more accommodating; they have always chosen to be difficult, capricious, and arrogant as a result of this courtesy. No more.

First, we require that George Vithoulkas submit a regular, properly-filled-out application, and submit it – just as we require EVERYONE to do. After that has been received, we’ll go ahead – as with any regular applicant – with the arrangements, including the requirement for the preliminary stage. Mr. Randi changed the terms of agreement when he saw that everything was ready for starting the experiment. While his representatives were discussing with Prof. George Vithoulkas in Alonissos (September 2008), he was publicizing to his website that the Greek homeopaths had withdrawn!!! Since I’m not personally handling the challenge applications, I’m not aware of how many places George Vithoulkas has tried for a venue, but I know that his own country turned him down, as well as some others. Second, we’ll require that Mr. Vithoulkas obtain a venue and all the necessary facilities for conducting a double-blind, correct, acceptable protocol, before we will go ahead – following the receipt of the application.

Mr. Randi pretends that he ignores the fact that we had already the permission and the facilities for a second time though we had informed the “skeptics”.

The protocol used by the Royal Society/BBC tests in the UK – based on Jacques Benveniste’s design, and carefully supervised by the homeopathic community there – would be acceptable for this set of tests.

Mr. Randi wants to change even the terms of protocol that took years to be contracted!!

Don’t contact me personally on this matter. I’ll not entertain any arguments or pleas. It will be handled by Alison Smith, working with others on our staff.

Actually Mr. Randi is dismissing his previous collaborators, Mr. Alec Gindis and Mr. Hrasko Gabor!!!

These 300 words constitute my entire commentary on the matter.

James Randi.

It was clear now for a second time that when everything was in place in order to start the experiment, Mr. Randi didn’t wish to go ahead and found ridiculous excuses for withdrawing.

Consequently, as a least compensation, for the moral damage caused to Greek homeopaths and to the homeopathic community in general, we demand:

1. The apologies from Mr. Randi personally posted at his website.

2. The retraction of the text “Another Withdrawal” from all sites.

3. This document to be posted in the same place in the website of JREF where the "withdrawal statement" was posted.

4. A legal, notarized statement retracting the last statement of 17.10.2008 that has cancelled all Mr. Randi’s previous commitments.

If Mr. Randi fulfils all these conditions we will continue as planned. If these conditions are not fulfilled within a month, we will consider that Mr. Randi has withdrawn from the experiment. In any case, we will go ahead and complete the experiment without Mr. Randi, only with the help of sceptics Mr. Alec Gindis and Mr Hrasko Gabor who really care in seen this experiment finally completed.

OpenRep-free open source homeopathic software

 

OpenRep -free open source homeopathic software :

courtesy : Vladimir Polony

OpenRep is the first truly free Open Source homeopathic software, developed by Vladimir Polony with only one goal - to provide functional and portable homeopathic software that could contribute to the whole homeopathic community. The whole design is driven by the functionality and ease of use, always offering the least complicated way of repertorizing and evaluating a homeopathic case. OpenRep is the first homeopathic software developed in Java, making it the most portable homeopathic software that can be run under a wide variety of operating systems.

The source code of OpenRep FREE is freely available for download making in the world's first and only Open Source homeopathic software.

List of Repertories included  :

Open source repertory model
All the repertories used in OpenRep are open source, which means, that their source code is freely available and can be used in other softwares, publications, etc. provided, that the name of the author of the repertory and the repertory name is always visibly declared. The description of the repertory model of the repertories is available here.

Repertorium Publicum
The first open source repertory. It is based on the latest edition of Kent's Homeopathic repertory and has undergone a lot of changes. For more information on the project, please see the Repertorium Publicum project page.

Short Repertory of Bach Flower Remedies by Vladimir Polony
This repertory was donated by its author Vladimir Polony and is declared to be open source. This means that it is open to any changes and modifications. See also BachFlowerOnline.com

Boenninghausen's Repertory by Timothy Field Allen
This is the original Boenninghausen's repertory composed by Baron Clemens Maria Franz von Boenninghausen and translated by T.F. Allen in 1891, although it is not as complete as Boenninghausen's Repertory from C.M. Boger, it certainly does not lack the originality of approach. In this repertory we can clearly see the original Boenninghausen's approach of dividing symptoms into their components according to Locality, Condition, Modality and Concomitants and repertorizing by putting these symptoms together based on patients symptomatology.

Sensations as if by Herbert Roberts
This is a truly unique repertory containing rare symptoms expressed as Sensations as if. It contains unique symptoms not listed even in the most modern repertories. This repertory is a must for a thorough prescriber.

Homeopathic Repertory by James Tyler Kent
This is a the classic among all the repertories. All the modern repertories have taken to some extent this repertory as their basis. It is the biggest and most complete of the older repertories.

Boenninghausen's Repertory by Cyrus Maxwell Boger
A truly unique repertory that uses the characteristic approach of Boenninghausen. Although this repertory does not contain modern addition, from the point of view of completeness of remedies available in the repertory, it is considered the most complete and homogeneous repertory. The version you can find in OpenRep is the version from 1937 including Dunham's notes.

General Analysis by Cyrus Maxwell Boger
Although small in size, this repertory is considered to be a life-saver when encountering difficult cases. It consists of a small number of very general symptoms with a lot of cross-references that allow to perform a general analysis of a case based on general symptoms and conditions.

Download Links :

List of available versions

OpenRep FREE 1.6 (2008-11-30) MS Windows

OpenRep FREE 1.6 (2008-11-30) all operating systems

Two New Studies Find Anti-Homeopathy Review Wrong

Two New Studies Find Anti-Homeopathy Review Wrong

Source: Natural News

In August of 2005, the prestigious British medical journal the Lancet published a review comparing clinical trials of homeopathy with trials of conventional medicine. The conclusion of this study, which was widely hailed as evidence that homeopathy is worthless quackery, stated that homeopathic medicines are non-effective and, at best, just placebos. What’s more, an accompanying editorial in the Lancet said this “evidence” should close the door on the non-toxic, alternative treatment method, and flatly proclaimed this review should mark “the end of homeopathy”. Now two newly published studies, one in the journal Homeopathy and the other in the mainstream medical Journal of Clinical Epidemiology, have both gone on record to say the Lancet review was enormously flawed and downright inaccurate. Instead of showing homeopathy doesn't work, the conclusion should have been that, at least for some ailments, it is effective.
Homeopathy involves giving very small doses of substances called remedies that, according to homeopathy, would produce the same or similar symptoms of illness in healthy people if they were given in larger doses. The goal of homeopathy is to stimulate the body's defense system in order to prevent or treat illness. Homeopathy treatment is tailored to each individual and homeopathic practitioners work to select remedies according to a total picture of the patient, including not only symptoms but lifestyle, emotional and mental states, and other factors.
The original claim made in the Lancet review that homeopathic medicines are worthless treatments (other than being placebos) was based on six clinical trials of conventional medicine and eight studies of homeopathy. But what trials, exactly, were studied? It turns out the Lancet did not reveal this most basic information and, as the new studies point out, seriously flawed assumptions were made about the data that was presented. There are a limited number of homeopathic studies so it is not difficult to pick and choose facts to interpret selectively and unfavorably, which appears to be just what was done in the original Lancet anti-homeopathy article.
Bottom line: the Lancet’s report showing homeopathy is worthless lacked the academic care and scientific approach called for in medical journals. In fact, it could well be seen as a hack job.
In a statement to the press, George Lewith, Professor of Health Research at Southampton University in Great Britain, stated: “The review gave no indication of which trials were analyzed nor of the various vital assumptions made about the data. This is not usual scientific practice. If we presume that homeopathy works for some conditions but not others, or change the definition of a 'larger trial', the conclusions change. This indicates a fundamental weakness in the conclusions: they are NOT reliable.”
The two recently published scientific papers that investigated the previous Lancet review conclude that an analysis of all high quality trials of homeopathy show positive outcomes. What’s more, the eight larger and higher quality trials of homeopathy looked at a variety of medical conditions. The new studies point out that because homeopathy worked consistently for some of these ailments and not others, the results must indicate that homeopathic remedies can’t be simply placebos. In addition, the studies conclude that comparing homeopathy to conventional medicine was a meaningless apples-and-oranges approach. There are also concerns that the original anti-homeopathy review used unpublished criteria. For example, the researchers didn’t bother to define what they meant by “higher quality” homeopathy research.
The new studies not only cast serious doubts on the original Lancet review, which was headed by Professor Matthias Egger of the Department of Social and Preventive Medicine at the University of Berne, but they strongly indicate Egger and his team based their conclusions on a series of hidden judgments that were prejudiced against homeopathy. So far,Professor Egger has declined to comment on the findings of the new studies in Homeopathy and the Journal of Clinical Epidemiology,
A press statement from the National Center for Homeopathy explains that an open assessment of the current evidence suggests that homeopathy is probably effective for many conditions including allergies, upper respiratory tract infections and flu, but agrees that much more research is needed. To that end, the National Institutes of Health’s National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) has announced it is currently supporting research in these areas:
* Homeopathy for physical, mental, and emotional symptoms of fibromyalgia (a chronic disorder involving widespread musculoskeletal pain, multiple tender points on the body, and fatigue).
* Homeopathy to help relieve or prevent brain deterioration and damage in stroke and dementia.
* Homeopathy (specifically the remedy cadmium) to potentially prevent damage to the cells of the prostate when those cells are exposed to toxins.

The Effectiveness of Homeopathic Therapeutics in Sports Induced Injuries

Thesis Paper

Ontario College of Homeopathic Medicine

By: Bryce Wylde and John vanDyk

Courtesy : Bryce Wylde

Sports medicine is a branch of medicine that specializes in the prevention and treatment of injuries that result from physical training and participating in athletic events. Homeopathy is a branch of medicine that specializes in the prevention and treatment of a vast majority of disease and can include within its scope the treatment of injuries that commonly result from athletic participation. Homeopathy can be effective in treating common sports injuries as well as chronic diseases. It more specifically involves treating the vital life force, which provides resiliency, flexibility and ability to adapt to circumstances that we experience in daily life when under stress. In the case of sports injuries, conventional treatment modalities should also be considered as an adjunct to homeopathy.

Homeopathy should be the initial consideration for sports injuries, as homeopathics are non-toxic and do not have the dangerous side effects that are common with conventional medicine. Homeopathic remedies do not interact with other drugs, are non addictive, and will not affect drug tests that some athletes are required to perform. With the use of homeopathy, healing time can be cut by 50-85 % (American Homeopathy, June 1984). A well prescribed homeopathic remedy can help the body eliminate lactic acid and other toxins that build up during physical exertion and increase the oxygen supply in blood, improving stamina and recovery time. Because treatment of sports injuries is a first aid type treatment we can propose that there is not the same need for the level of individualization found in the treatment of chronic conditions. As in treating first aid conditions, many sports injuries result in very similar symptoms in individual sufferers, so theoretically a single remedy should be equally effective for any person suffering that particular sports injury. But whether the common homeopathic medicines that are well known for specific complaints of sports induced injury should in fact be considered primary and best indicated- even when implementing classical methodology- is an argument of this paper.

When prescribing acutely, it is important to get a remedy that matches the symptoms as closely as possible because it is important that a medicine is found which acts as quickly as possible. In regards to the latter, it is important to note that lower potencies should be used. For more severe pain you may go as high as 30CH. The more your remedy matches the symptoms, the higher you can go with the potency, even if the pain is not so severe. With a well-matched remedy at a high potency, you can expect to see results within the first few hours for most injuries. When initially giving a remedy for an injury, the remedy can be given every hour, or even more regularly, depending on the severity of the pain, and the frequency of repetition can be decreased as the pain decreases to a frequency of one dose every four hours.

Most sports injuries are due either to muscle strains and sprains from overuse or too much effort, injuries to the joints, and tears- all of which frequently result from not doing enough “warm-up” exercises. Among some of the most common sports injuries are runner’s knee, pulled hamstring muscles, Achilles’ tendonitis, ankle strain and sprain, and inflammation of joint connective tissue (bursitis) to name only a few. (Johnson, 1998)

The homeopathic treatment of any individual patient should be carried through using the defined classical homeopathic methods described in the Organon. That is the prescription should always be- based on homeopathic convention- that remedy which best fits the case by holistic symptom analysis whilst remaining unbiased of the “common” or most often prescribed homeopathic medicines and those symptoms recognized solely by physical indication. But it follows that in an acute situation and without any major differentiating or strikingly unusual symptoms, any athlete with a sprained ankle will likely be given that remedy which was prescribed for any other athlete with the same chief complaint. It is without a doubt that classical homeopathy can be effective in the acute relief or chronic recovery of any sports induced injury.

It is therefore the goal of this paper to define sports related injury in relation to classical homeopathy; to investigate anatomical predispositions for sports injury; to define conventional treatment plans; to study the efficacy of homeopathy in the treatment of those patients having suffered from acute or chronic sports induced injury; and finally to decipher whether the common homeopathic medicines that are well known for specific complaints of sports induced injury should in fact be considered primary and best indicated even when implementing classical homeopathic methodology.

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Recent Agrohomoeopathic experiments in Indian state Chhattisgarh

Courtesy : Dr Pankaj Oudhia

To explore the possibilities of using Homoeopathic drugs to develop desired medicinal properties in medicinal trees used in Traditional healing with the help of Traditional Healers on Indian state Chhattisgarh Dr Pankaj Oudhia has conducted number of experiments by using about 40 homeopathic drugs. These experiments were done in different locations from July 2006 to July 2008. The selected drugs were applied on Buchanania lanzan, Tectona grandis, Oroxylum indicum, Diospyros melanoxylon, Mitragyna parviflora, Chloroxylon swietenia, Cleistanthus collinus, Ficus racemosa, Ficus religiosa, Ficus rumphii, Ficus virens, Ficus benghalensis, Azadirachta indica, Ailanthus excelsa, Pterocarpus marsupium, Terminalia arjuna, Terminalia alata, Terminalia bellirica, Terminalia chebula, Gardenia sp., Boswellia serrata, Madhuca indica, Wrightia tinctoria, Semecarpus anacardium, Acacia nilotica etc. After different durations desired plant parts were collected by the Traditional Healers. They tested its medicinal properties through traditional methods and medicinally rich parts were used in Traditional Healing. Such experiments were done for the first time. Many Healers suggested the use of Homoeopathic drugs with Traditional Allelopathic solutions.

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