Posted on Times Wellness on Saturday, April 10, 2010
Tiny white pills in small glass bottles - that's homeopathy to the ignorant. Uncork the bottles and you'll find remedies to ailments as different as cold and cancer. For many, homeopathy is akin to hearsay. Others believe it was born in India, like Ayurveda. On the occasion of World Homeopathy Day, we seek to demystify this science and find out what those white pills can really do.
Potent pills
The roots
Ancient Greek physician Hippocrates, the founder of Western medicine, first mooted the idea of curing 'like with like' over 2,500 years ago. The Chinese, Indians, Greeks, Mayans and Native American Indians also used the law of similars. But it was German physician Samuel Hahnemann who created the alternative medical practice in 1796.
Treat the person, not the disease
Homeopath, Dr Madhuri Gurjar says, "We look at treating the person, not just the disease, while allopathy seeks to treat the symptoms of the disease. When a patient comes in for consultation, we get into his/her case history and find out his/her entire physical/mental make-up. If there are 10 typhoid patients, we will not give the same remedy for all 10. We'll look at them individually and suggest treatments accordingly."
"Like cures like"
While translating William Cullen's A Treatise on the Materia Medica in 1790, Hahnemann found the claim that cinchona, the bark of a Peruvian tree, was effective in treating malaria because of its astringency. Hahnemann decided to test cinchona.
Noting that the drug induced malaria-like symptoms in himself, he concluded that it would do so in any healthy individual. This led him to postulate a healing principle, simila similibus curentur (like cures like), which is the central doctrine of homeopathy.
"We believe in treating the patient with the minimum dose of the medicine that produces the same effect or symptoms in the patient as the disease," explains Dr Parag Buch who has been practising homeopathy for 20 years.
Samuel Hahnemann, the founder of Homeopathy
The law of dilution
Minimal dosage is key to homeopathy. "We believe in boosting the body's immune system to fight off the disease. There are cases where just a single dose of homeopathic drug administered accurately has cured the patient," Dr Gurjar says.
Back in the 1790s Hahnemann had found that ingesting substances to produce noticeable changes in the body resulted in toxic effects. He then attempted to mitigate this problem through exploring dilutions of the compounds he was testing. He claimed that these dilutions, when prepared according to his technique of succussion (systematic mixing through vigorous shaking) and potentization (successive dilutions of the mother tincture), were still effective in alleviating the same symptoms in the sick.
It's these dilutions that have come under scrutiny of scientists and medical experts. In her book Suckers, medical writer Rose Shapiro notes such dilutions can be equivalent to "one drop of remedy in four Olympic-sized swimming pools". How effective can that be?
Dr Buch responds, "This principle of homeopathy will be understood once there is greater awareness of how nanotechnology works. If you'd tell an earlier generation that you can have a camera the size of a ball-point pen's tip, they would have laughed. But now it’s possible to conceive. The same is for these dilutions. Homeopathy is ahead of its time. How it works is a grey area. But if something has been curing people for almost 300 years, it can't just be all water, right?"
One drop of tincture in 4 swimming pools!
What are those pills?
"The problem that most people have with homeopathy is that all pills look alike. Many believe they're made sucrose or lactose but they're actually globules made from goat's milk. We put one drop of the actual medicine onto these pills," says Dr Gurjar.
Why aren't any of the ingredients listed on the bottles? "To prevent self-medication. All homeopathic drugs are available over the counter. People simply read books and buy medicines without consulting with a homeopath about the correct dosage or whether they really need to take the medicine. There is a great risk of side-effects if you combine two or three medicines without proper knowledge of the science. By not giving away the ingredients of the medicines, we are in turn forcing them to go for proper counselling," says Dr Gurjar.
Stepping in where allopathy fails
For Shreyasi Majumdar, homeopathy has done "loads of good" since she started the course in February this year. "I have seen significant positive changes with regards to the gynaecological/hormonal and dermatological problems I was trying to address and the effects of the medication have far surpassed those I have experienced with traditional allopathic medicine."
For a good cause
"There have been cases where there is no allopathic treatment for the disease but homeopathy has found a cure," notes Dr Buch. "If you have tonsillitis, your allopath will suggest surgery. But surgery is not treatment. Homeopathy can cure you of tonsillitis in few weeks."
It takes too long!
Dr Farokh Master, one of the world's leading classical homeopaths, says, "People complain that homeopathy takes too long but in most cases they come to the homeopath only at a very late stage of the disease. If you've been suffering from diabetes for 20 years and have been taking allopathic therapy and if a homeopath tells you that a treatment will take five years to be effective, you make a huge hue and cry!"
The steroid question
Many medical experts allege that homeopathic remedies that give results quickly often contain steroids. "This is absolutely untrue," noted homeopath Dr Jugal Kishore writes on his website. "A good homoeopathic prescription which is geared towards stimulating and helping the body's defense system and works as an immuno-modulator, gives very satisfying results in acute cases as well. Homoeopathic remedies which are by and large derived from the plant kingdom do have certain alkaloids that are as effective as steroids and these are extracted and made into homoeopathic medicines. These however are not steroids and do not give rise to any steroid-like side-effects," he says.
No one treatment for all
Homeopathy isn't about cause and effect. Dr Master explains, "You should sit in a chair you fit in. I am a doctor, not a carpenter. If you ask me to alter the shape of the chair to fit you in, I can't. Unfortunately, commercial homeopaths don't realise that. Homeopathy has its limitations. It doesn't cure everything under the sun, as many modern homeopaths tell their clients. Hair-fall can have a wide variety of causes. If you prescribe the same medication for all, then why call yourself a homeopath? It's just an allopathic treatment using homeopathic medicine. That beats the very purpose of homeopathy where you talk with your patient over a period of time and diagnose the disorders the patient is suffering from and then go in for the prescribed remedy."
There are side-effects
"The benefit of homeopathy is that it is proved on humans and not guinea pigs so the side-effects, if any, show up as symptoms in humans. However, where it lacks is in statistics and standardisation because few pharmaceutical companies have come forward to sponsor such research," Dr Gurjar says.
While many homeopaths claim these remedies have no side-effects, Dr Master cautions, "Homeopathy can be very dangerous if not done properly. I am worried about the current trend of homeopathic colleges mushrooming everywhere. There is a lot of money in this line and people tend to prescribe textbook medication and label themselves as homeopaths. There are plenty of homeopaths around with degrees from dubious colleges. The crucial element in a patient-doctor relationship is trust and in the case of a homeopath, that is absolutely essential."
Majumdar stresses on the "importance to find a good homeopath though, since my experiences with other homeopaths in the past have not been very savoury as far as long lasting effects go. I would suggest going to a well-known homeopath, with a good number of positive testimonials. I have become a firm believer in alternative medicine paths and as far as those go, homeopathy has proved most effective for me.”
Greater awareness
With people becoming increasingly aware of this science through media, homeopaths hope there'll be more people coming in for treatments for acute and not just chronic ailments. "It's refreshing to see more paediatric cases coming in year after year," Dr Buch says while Dr Gurjar claims her patients have increased three-fold over the last four years. "It's only among the uneducated where homeopathy has failed because they prefer injections that can cure them in 24 hours instead of pills they have to take regularly," she says.
Will allopathy and homeopathy ever work together? Dr Buch breaks into a smile, "If it helps thousands of patients, then why not?"
Tiny white pills in small glass bottles - that's homeopathy to the ignorant. Uncork the bottles and you'll find remedies to ailments as different as cold and cancer. For many, homeopathy is akin to hearsay. Others believe it was born in India, like Ayurveda. On the occasion of World Homeopathy Day, we seek to demystify this science and find out what those white pills can really do.
Potent pillsThe roots
Ancient Greek physician Hippocrates, the founder of Western medicine, first mooted the idea of curing 'like with like' over 2,500 years ago. The Chinese, Indians, Greeks, Mayans and Native American Indians also used the law of similars. But it was German physician Samuel Hahnemann who created the alternative medical practice in 1796.
Treat the person, not the disease
Homeopath, Dr Madhuri Gurjar says, "We look at treating the person, not just the disease, while allopathy seeks to treat the symptoms of the disease. When a patient comes in for consultation, we get into his/her case history and find out his/her entire physical/mental make-up. If there are 10 typhoid patients, we will not give the same remedy for all 10. We'll look at them individually and suggest treatments accordingly."
"Like cures like"
While translating William Cullen's A Treatise on the Materia Medica in 1790, Hahnemann found the claim that cinchona, the bark of a Peruvian tree, was effective in treating malaria because of its astringency. Hahnemann decided to test cinchona.
Noting that the drug induced malaria-like symptoms in himself, he concluded that it would do so in any healthy individual. This led him to postulate a healing principle, simila similibus curentur (like cures like), which is the central doctrine of homeopathy.
"We believe in treating the patient with the minimum dose of the medicine that produces the same effect or symptoms in the patient as the disease," explains Dr Parag Buch who has been practising homeopathy for 20 years.
Samuel Hahnemann, the founder of HomeopathyThe law of dilution
Minimal dosage is key to homeopathy. "We believe in boosting the body's immune system to fight off the disease. There are cases where just a single dose of homeopathic drug administered accurately has cured the patient," Dr Gurjar says.
Back in the 1790s Hahnemann had found that ingesting substances to produce noticeable changes in the body resulted in toxic effects. He then attempted to mitigate this problem through exploring dilutions of the compounds he was testing. He claimed that these dilutions, when prepared according to his technique of succussion (systematic mixing through vigorous shaking) and potentization (successive dilutions of the mother tincture), were still effective in alleviating the same symptoms in the sick.
It's these dilutions that have come under scrutiny of scientists and medical experts. In her book Suckers, medical writer Rose Shapiro notes such dilutions can be equivalent to "one drop of remedy in four Olympic-sized swimming pools". How effective can that be?
Dr Buch responds, "This principle of homeopathy will be understood once there is greater awareness of how nanotechnology works. If you'd tell an earlier generation that you can have a camera the size of a ball-point pen's tip, they would have laughed. But now it’s possible to conceive. The same is for these dilutions. Homeopathy is ahead of its time. How it works is a grey area. But if something has been curing people for almost 300 years, it can't just be all water, right?"
One drop of tincture in 4 swimming pools! What are those pills?
"The problem that most people have with homeopathy is that all pills look alike. Many believe they're made sucrose or lactose but they're actually globules made from goat's milk. We put one drop of the actual medicine onto these pills," says Dr Gurjar.
Why aren't any of the ingredients listed on the bottles? "To prevent self-medication. All homeopathic drugs are available over the counter. People simply read books and buy medicines without consulting with a homeopath about the correct dosage or whether they really need to take the medicine. There is a great risk of side-effects if you combine two or three medicines without proper knowledge of the science. By not giving away the ingredients of the medicines, we are in turn forcing them to go for proper counselling," says Dr Gurjar.
Stepping in where allopathy fails
For Shreyasi Majumdar, homeopathy has done "loads of good" since she started the course in February this year. "I have seen significant positive changes with regards to the gynaecological/hormonal and dermatological problems I was trying to address and the effects of the medication have far surpassed those I have experienced with traditional allopathic medicine."
For a good cause"There have been cases where there is no allopathic treatment for the disease but homeopathy has found a cure," notes Dr Buch. "If you have tonsillitis, your allopath will suggest surgery. But surgery is not treatment. Homeopathy can cure you of tonsillitis in few weeks."
It takes too long!
Dr Farokh Master, one of the world's leading classical homeopaths, says, "People complain that homeopathy takes too long but in most cases they come to the homeopath only at a very late stage of the disease. If you've been suffering from diabetes for 20 years and have been taking allopathic therapy and if a homeopath tells you that a treatment will take five years to be effective, you make a huge hue and cry!"
The steroid question
Many medical experts allege that homeopathic remedies that give results quickly often contain steroids. "This is absolutely untrue," noted homeopath Dr Jugal Kishore writes on his website. "A good homoeopathic prescription which is geared towards stimulating and helping the body's defense system and works as an immuno-modulator, gives very satisfying results in acute cases as well. Homoeopathic remedies which are by and large derived from the plant kingdom do have certain alkaloids that are as effective as steroids and these are extracted and made into homoeopathic medicines. These however are not steroids and do not give rise to any steroid-like side-effects," he says.
No one treatment for all
Homeopathy isn't about cause and effect. Dr Master explains, "You should sit in a chair you fit in. I am a doctor, not a carpenter. If you ask me to alter the shape of the chair to fit you in, I can't. Unfortunately, commercial homeopaths don't realise that. Homeopathy has its limitations. It doesn't cure everything under the sun, as many modern homeopaths tell their clients. Hair-fall can have a wide variety of causes. If you prescribe the same medication for all, then why call yourself a homeopath? It's just an allopathic treatment using homeopathic medicine. That beats the very purpose of homeopathy where you talk with your patient over a period of time and diagnose the disorders the patient is suffering from and then go in for the prescribed remedy."
There are side-effects
"The benefit of homeopathy is that it is proved on humans and not guinea pigs so the side-effects, if any, show up as symptoms in humans. However, where it lacks is in statistics and standardisation because few pharmaceutical companies have come forward to sponsor such research," Dr Gurjar says.
While many homeopaths claim these remedies have no side-effects, Dr Master cautions, "Homeopathy can be very dangerous if not done properly. I am worried about the current trend of homeopathic colleges mushrooming everywhere. There is a lot of money in this line and people tend to prescribe textbook medication and label themselves as homeopaths. There are plenty of homeopaths around with degrees from dubious colleges. The crucial element in a patient-doctor relationship is trust and in the case of a homeopath, that is absolutely essential."
Majumdar stresses on the "importance to find a good homeopath though, since my experiences with other homeopaths in the past have not been very savoury as far as long lasting effects go. I would suggest going to a well-known homeopath, with a good number of positive testimonials. I have become a firm believer in alternative medicine paths and as far as those go, homeopathy has proved most effective for me.”
Greater awareness
With people becoming increasingly aware of this science through media, homeopaths hope there'll be more people coming in for treatments for acute and not just chronic ailments. "It's refreshing to see more paediatric cases coming in year after year," Dr Buch says while Dr Gurjar claims her patients have increased three-fold over the last four years. "It's only among the uneducated where homeopathy has failed because they prefer injections that can cure them in 24 hours instead of pills they have to take regularly," she says.
Will allopathy and homeopathy ever work together? Dr Buch breaks into a smile, "If it helps thousands of patients, then why not?"
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