Update April 2010 Homeopathy a systematic review finds no evidence that homeopathy has effects beyond placebo. Dr. Steven Barnett's article, Homeopathy: The Ultimate Fake reviews the status of homeopathy in the United States. Homeopathy lists the critiques published of homeopathy in April, 2010. homeopathyThere's Nothing In It, the 10:23 campaign.
Where The Tough Get Going: Homeopathy and Life-Threatening Conditions
Type One Diabetes
Here is conventional Western medicine's description and treatment:
Type 1 diabetes mellitus, more commonly known as type 1 diabetes, is a disease in which the pancreas produces too little insulin to meet the body's needs. Insulin is a hormone that helps control the level of glucose in the blood. Glucose is the main form of sugar in the body.
If a person with type 1 diabetes goes without enough insulin for too long, the glucose level within the cells can fall dangerously low. .When the cells in the body cannot get enough glucose, the body starts to burn fat for energy. This produces waste products known as ketones. High levels of ketones can result in too much acid in the body, called diabetic ketoacidosis. [snip]
Immediate medical attention is needed to prevent coma and death.
Treatment for type 1 diabetes is focused on controlling blood glucose levels. This is done with insulin shots. Insulin can be injected under the skin a certain number of times per day, or may be given with an insulin pump.
In other words, the CWM treatment, from a homeopathic point of view, ignores the underlying cause (the pancreas's inability to produce glucose), and (wrongly) focuses on treating the symptom: providing the missing insulin. Now, according to what we have learned about the theory of homeopathy, diabetes type 1 surely should be a disease in which the homeopathic approach would excel. Remedies would be used to return the pancreas to health and proper function of excreting insulin.
Here is what I was able to find about homeopathic treatment of diabetes type I:Nightingale Health Centers: Homeopathy in Conditions
Diabetes, Type-I (Juvenile onset)
There are not any known cases of Type-I diabetes ever having been successfully cured by homeopathy or related global systems of natural medicine.
It may be that by the time the child shows symptoms, destruction of pancreatic islet-cells is all but complete. However, natural nutrition and sound nursing measures such as patient education can be of great value in the long term management. In familes where diabetes is common, a "pre-emptive" evaluation and constitutional treatment may prevent Type-I diabetes, although there is currently no proof of this.Dr. Lockie, a British homeopath, says, Orthodox treatment consists of daily insulin injections (insulin taken by mouth would be destroyed in stomach), and a strict timetable of meals and snacks so that glucose level in blood remains more or less constant. Constitutional homeopathic treatment is recommended in addition to orthodox treatment, and is compatible with it."
An index of homeopathic treatment merely says Diabetes: Not all conditions will respond to homeopathic treatment.
It seems that, compared to conventional western medicine, homeopathy fails to treat diabetes type I.
Malignant Melanoma
The National Institutes of Health describe the disease and treatment as follows:
Malignant melanoma is the most deadly form of skin cancer. While less common than other types of skin cancer, the incidence of malignant melanoma is steadily increasing. It is the leading cause of death from skin disease. In the year 2000, almost 50,000 cases of malignant melanoma were expected, and in the United States 1 in 85 people developed melanoma at some point in their life....Malignant melanoma involves cancerous changes to the skin cells that produce the skin's pigment, which is known as melanin. Melanoma may appear on normal skin or arise from a nevus (moles) or other abnormal skin area that has changed in appearance.
[Treatment ] Surgical removal of the tumor, with a margin of normal skin, is usually required. Surgical removal of nearby lymph nodes or a procedure called a "sentinel lymph node biopsy" may accompany removal of the tumor. The vast majority of malignant melanomas are cured if treated early. The risk of recurrence increases as the depth of the tumor increases and when lymph nodes are involved. When tumor has spread to other organs, the likelihood of cure is small and most patients die of their disease.
How can homeopathy treat malignant melanoma?
Homeopathy is widely used among patients with melanoma, and warrants scientific investigation. An experienced homeopath considers your individual case and recommends treatments that address both your underlying condition and any current symptoms.
This statement is repeated at a number of hospital and sites. I cannot tell who originated it; the original citation is to "Integrative Medicine", which may license their content to medical facility sites. At any rate, I have not been able to find out what treatments are used and for what ends
The Cancer Cure Foundation is a non-profit organization that has been collecting and providing information on alternative/integrative therapies, including referrals, since 1976.
The Cancer Cure Foundation does not recommend the abandonment of conventional therapies in favor of alternative therapies. That is a matter of personal choice based upon one's view of the nature of cancer. You should exercise caution before using any cancer treatment, whether conventional or alternative. Every therapy may have potential side effects and should not be used without consulting a health-care practitioner, especially if you are already using another form of therapy, or if you are pregnant or nursing.
The Cancer Cure foundation makes no mention of homeopathy being used in the treatment or cure of malignant melanoma; they report that alternative approaches being tested include: Dendritic cell vaccines, antigen vaccines, herbal products like Hoxsey, Gerson therapy, and salves. Also used are glycoalkaloids - one product that uses this is Skin Cancer Answer by Lane Labs. Clinical trials are also being done by Burzynski's Clinic using antineoplastons for stage IV melanomas.
It seems again that homeopathy is not widely used, nor is it effective, against malignant melanoma.
Appendicitis
Here are what a sampling of homeopaths have to say on homeopathy in the care of appendicitis. [Note that the added emphasis is mine]
Belladonna and Bryonia are classic homeopathic remedies often used for an inflamed appendix. Using the appropriate homeopathic remedy along with conventional Western medicine may relieve your symptoms and help clear up appendicitis more quickly. However, no scientific literature supports the use of homeopathy for appendicitis. An experienced homeopath would consider your individual case and may recommend treatments to address both your underlying condition and any current symptoms.
This statement is repeated at a number of hospital and sites. I cannot tell who originated it; the original citation is to "Integrative Medicine", which may license their content to medical facility sites. At any rate, I have not been able to find out what treatments are used and for what ends
Homeopathy
Homeopathic treatment for appendicitis is directed at supporting recovery from surgery. It is not meant to be a substitute for surgical treatment. If you suspect appendicitis, seek professional medical treatment for your child immediately.
Adam Perlman, a medical doctor who is director of integrative medicine at St. Barnabas Ambulatory Care Center in Livingston, N.J. .says "There is anecdotal evidence that [homeopathy] works, and I won't argue with that," says Perlman, "But if you try to hold homeopathy to the same standards that we hold the rest of Western biomedicine, the evidence isn't there yet." While homeopathy may work for patients seeking holistic, preventive care, Perlman strongly advises against using it for major emergencies like appendicitis.
Emergencies like acute abdominal complaints, i.e., acute appendicitis, twisted bowel, fractures and accidents, should first be treated surgically, as should congenital anomalies like harelip, or clubfoot.
Homoeopathy: Better substitute to Antibiotics.:
Homoeopathy is an effective alternate to antibiotics in infectious diseases, producing no toxic side effects and bringing about rapid recovery. Homoeopathy has definite treatment for most of the infectious disease such as Sinusitis....Homoeopathy is not against surgery. Surgery is an art and science by itself. Surgery is called forth in the conditions where medicines have limited or no role, and where surgical aid such as an operation can cure or improve the condition. There are number of diseases which are labeled as 'surgical', where homoeopathy works curatively and can avoid surgery. Some such ailments are : Septic recurrent Tonsillitis, Piles, Fissure-in-ano, Fistula, Appendicitis (except gangrenous), Chronic ear discharge, Vocal cord nodules, Polyp in nose-ear, Kidney & Biliary (small) stones, small size Uterine Fibroid, Ovarian Cysts, Warts , Corns, etc.
So it seems that the consensus of opinion in the United States is that homeopathy cannot effectively treat appendicitis. In part four, we will look at who benefits from homeopathy.
One recent German study[2] did compare a remedy (Belladonna C30) to a placebo. Those who received the placebo reported even more symptoms than those who received the remedy. The symptoms reported included minor aches and pains in various parts of the body. Did the patient mistakenly assume that a normal ache or pain must be related to the remedy? It is possible that the ache or pain was the result of a confounding factor such as not enough sleep.
Citation: Wallach H. Does a highly diluted homeopathic drug act as a placebo in health volunteers? Experimental study of Belladonna 30C in double-blind crossover design -- a pilot study. J Psychosom Res. 1993; 37(8): 851-860.
There are published opinions in this world in support of and contrary to everything. If you want to know for sure if it works, try it.
Posted by: Richard | Friday, June 24, 2005 at 12:44 PM
Richard is incorrect. One-trial experiments prove nothing--too many confounding variables, too many things that can "make you better" -- including the passage of time.
Having a well-designed experiment in which many people with the same illness are treated with the same treatment is the only way to determine if a given treatment is effective.
Homeopathy has flunked, time and again.
Posted by: liz | Saturday, June 25, 2005 at 02:02 PM
Quote from:
http://www.familyfront.com/html/what_is_homoeo/homeo_philosophy.asp
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"The physician is a preserver of health if he knows the things that disturb it, that cause and sustain illness, and if he knows how to remove them from healthy people"
Samual Hahnemann, M.D.
The principles of Homeopathy are based on a pharmacological law, the "Law of Similars." This principle states that "any substance that produces symptoms in a healthy person when given in full-strength will cure a sick person with the same symptoms when given in a very dilute form."
As an example, exposure to a flu virus may cause a healthy individual to develop the flu. However, a small, diluted form of the flu virus may be used to treat a sick individual with the flu. The remedy works by stimulating your body's immune system to overcome the illness. This Homeopathic principle is similar to a treatment in conventional medicine when a healthy person is given a vaccination. However, Homeopathic remedies are chosen according to a person's mental, emotional, and physical response to a particular illness. Two people may develop the flu from the same virus, but their symptom picture may be entirely different. Therefore, it is important to have the remedy individualized for you.
Philosophy in Homeopathy
"Philosophy represents the highest ideal towards which the human mind is imbued with a desire to struggle. Philosophy is not only the highest of all sciences, it is also the basis and the fundamental of all others. No science can exist without philosophy, for without its help it falls to the level of a handicraft or at any rate of a subsidiary subject. THIS IS TRUE ABOVE ALL OF MEDICINE."
Samual Hahnemann, M.D.
Posted by: Syed Aleyali | Wednesday, August 24, 2005 at 05:21 AM
Quote from:
http://www.myhomeopathic.com/html/what_is_homoeo/homeo_philosophy.asp
===================================================================
"The physician is a preserver of health if he knows the things that disturb it, that cause and sustain illness, and if he knows how to remove them from healthy people"
Samual Hahnemann, M.D.
The principles of Homeopathy are based on a pharmacological law, the "Law of Similars." This principle states that "any substance that produces symptoms in a healthy person when given in full-strength will cure a sick person with the same symptoms when given in a very dilute form."
As an example, exposure to a flu virus may cause a healthy individual to develop the flu. However, a small, diluted form of the flu virus may be used to treat a sick individual with the flu. The remedy works by stimulating your body's immune system to overcome the illness. This Homeopathic principle is similar to a treatment in conventional medicine when a healthy person is given a vaccination. However, Homeopathic remedies are chosen according to a person's mental, emotional, and physical response to a particular illness. Two people may develop the flu from the same virus, but their symptom picture may be entirely different. Therefore, it is important to have the remedy individualized for you.
Philosophy in Homeopathy
"Philosophy represents the highest ideal towards which the human mind is imbued with a desire to struggle. Philosophy is not only the highest of all sciences, it is also the basis and the fundamental of all others. No science can exist without philosophy, for without its help it falls to the level of a handicraft or at any rate of a subsidiary subject. THIS IS TRUE ABOVE ALL OF MEDICINE."
Samual Hahnemann, M.D.
Posted by: Syed Aleyali | Tuesday, June 13, 2006 at 02:04 PM
The effectiveness of homeopathy may be relative to the person's response towards the alternative treatment and to the period of an illness' detection. It may offer temporary relief but still it is necessary to seek professional medical advice. For minor illnesses, I have proven it to be as effective, but less expensive, as the prescription drugs.
-Kris
Posted by: homeopathy | Wednesday, October 24, 2007 at 06:32 AM
Researchers estimate that about 10 percent of Americans will develop diabetes during their lifetime and about twice that number will develop a milder form of diabetes called impaired glucose tolerance, or pre-diabetes. Diabetes and pre-diabetes often do not present any symptoms until a complication arises, making the disease difficult for patients to detect.
Posted by: Alexis Kenne | Saturday, April 26, 2008 at 01:44 PM
Althoug there may not be effective homeopathic treatment for Type 1 diabetes because it is a failure of the pancreas to produce insulin, there are a number of natural treatments that can prevent or even cure type 2 diabetes. First and formost is to lose weight. Second is control your diet.
Posted by: Natural Diabetes Treatment | Wednesday, September 30, 2009 at 09:05 AM
There are some good natural treatments for type 2 diabetes but europe is having some fantastic results with stem cells. Our scientists need to get the results from this european treatment and get our government to move on with this stem cell treatment that the europeans are having so much success with! Keep up the hard work with your site.
Posted by: Diabetes/Doug | Friday, January 29, 2010 at 07:06 PM
I was just reading another blog discussing the fact that there is a new study going on that will look at the genetic factors that determine the onset of diabetes as opposed to the "environmental" factors. This ought to provide some important insight into thei indicators that bring about Type I diabetes.
Posted by: Nopalea | Tuesday, June 08, 2010 at 04:17 PM
Diabetes type 1 is very common among children and no possible cure so far. Unlike diabetes type 2, if a person with diabetes can change his lifestyle like exercise regularly, control diet and maintain an ideal weight, this is a possible cure.
Posted by: Keranamu Gula | Thursday, June 10, 2010 at 04:01 AM
Desmoplast Malignant Melanoma observed at head, Neck, lungs and liver VI segment . very less at liver and lungs
Posted by: K V S Prasad | Monday, August 16, 2010 at 11:13 AM
Homeopathy is advantageous to those suffering from type 2 diabetes and pre-diabetes as these can both be greatly improved if not totally reversed in some cases. Type 1 however is failure of the pancreas to produce enough, if any, insulin. When an organ has failed, it's failed.
Posted by: NancyD | Monday, September 20, 2010 at 05:34 AM