Homeopathy & adverse vaccine reaction.

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Homeopathy is worse than witchcraft - and the NHS must stop paying for it

By KATE MAXWELL - More by this author » Last updated at 09:57am on 1st May

2007

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/health/healthmain.html?in_art

icle_id=451908 & in_page_id=1774

LETTERS in response to above article

THIS ONE SEEMS TO HAVE DISAPPEARED

LETTERS - Daily Mail - 3rd May, 2007.

Homeopathy saved my son

I HOPE medical expert Baum or someone close to him

never becomes ill with a disease that, at best, can only be eased by

conventional medicine.

After having his DTP vaccinations as a baby, my son, who is

now six, was hospitalised several times with respiratory and skin

infections which threatened his life.

The medical answer? Sedate him day and night to prevent him

from scratching, cover him in steriod cream and fill him with

antibiotics.

Deeply upset at having to give our beautiful baby a

never-ending regimen of drugs, I eventually turned to homeopathy

three years later. We saw one practitioner who asked lots of

questions and gave us time to talk about our child and the difficulties

that he faced.

He then prescribed one tiny pill, and within a month, the

eczema which had covered my son from head to toe healed without

leaving a scar. We haven't looked back since.

I didn't tell my son that the pill would make him better - I

was sceptical myself - so there was no placebo effect occurring

here. Homeopathy works. It saved our sanity and our child from

potentially enduring a lifetime of pain and medication.

What is Baum so scared of? If a treatment alleviates

suffering, it has to be a good thing. I urge people to make up

their own minds after researching the history of homeopathy and

asking people who have had treatment whether it worked for them.

The facts speak for themselves.

CATHY EDEN, Norwich.

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Here's a sample of the latest comments published. You can click view all to

read all comments that readers have sent in.

Prof Baum makes a number of valid points when commenting on funding within

the NHS but the concept of evidence based medicine being the only medicne

allowed funding within the NHS well what exactly would be funded? We can

all recall the odd patient or rogue doctor who take health related matters

to the extreme - no right minded person would think about treating cancer

with homeopathy only and there is no such thing as a homeopathic

prophylactic for malaria. So should we ban treatments because they are used

incorrectly? The professor is being a little disingenuous when he states

that all 'scientific'trials are published regardless of outcome - since

most scientific trials and 80% of postgraduate medical courses are funded

by the pharmaceutical industry does he really believe we are getting

evidence based medicine? As for evidence for homeopathy what about Dr

D.Reilly's HIT trials published in the BMJ and Lancet? What about the

outcomes data gathered at the Glasgow Homeopathic Hospital?

- Dr. Ralph, Wexford ,Ireland

For those readers who are not convinced by Professor Baum's reductionist

view of health and cure, do look at the Society of Homeopaths' website at

an article which overviews Positive Homeopathy Research and Surveys.

- Judith Mistral, Frome, Somerset

Many London GPs refer patients to the Royal London Homeopathic Hospital

with good results and a reduction of expenditure on prescription drugs. In

time science will be able to explain why homeopathy works as we understand

more about quantum physics. In the meantime, it should be acknowledged that

homeopathy has a role to play within our health system.

- , London, UK

Outcome studies repeatedly show that patients feel better using homeopathic

medecine. I practice homeopathy and have a medical qualification; therefore

safety issues are the equivalent. Patients come to homeopathy out of free

choice and often because they do not get better with a conventional medical

approach. Homeopaths registered with the Faculty of Homeopathy are

registered health proffesionals and only treat a patient with homeopathy

when it is appropriate. The article mixes many issues and is negative

towards homeopathy. More discussion within the medical fraternity and

public as well as properly conducted research are welcomed.

- Neville-, Saltburn-by-the-Sea

I find this article disturbing. Dr Baum obviously feels threatened by

Homeopathy. In Scotland nearly every GP practice has a doctor prescribing

homeopathy, are they all barmy, are they all witches? I don't think so.

Years ago my son was cured of his asthma with homeopathy after conventional

medicine didn't help. If more money was put into homeopathy rather than

conventional medicine I am certain the whole health industry would benefit.

Dr Baum seems to be protecting his pocket rather than looking with an open

mind to other types of medicines that have great benefit to people. I

suggest he embark on a treatment of homeopathy himself or take part in a

homeopathic proving and then make comment. I find it hard to take that a

man like this who has no in depth knowlege of the subject can make so

damning comments. It is shocking. If all our Doctors had such a narrow mind

as his life indeed would be scary.

- Elaine Cairney, Arbroath Scotland

It's a shame that the medical profession cannot be broadminded enough to

take a closer look at homeopathy instead of being closed and threatened by

its growing popularity with the public. If patients were happy with their

medical treatment surely they wouldn't be seeking help and support elsewhere.

- Debbie, Richmond, UK

The Arnica trial was published in the Journal of the Royal Society of

Medicine. It was ill conceived in that Arnica is usually insufficient as a

remedy for post-hystectomy, homeopathically speaking. There is a problem in

the design of clinical trials for homeopathy as I'm sure the author is

aware if she was invited to design a trial. I consider it bad faith to

ignore this problem and accuse homeopathy of failing to provide evidence.

- Cowell, Tisbury

Prof Baum's article on homoeopathy is as outrageous as it is

flawed. It is always good to have an opinion, but surely it should be based

on facts and experience. Homoeopaths do not treat the symptoms instead of

the disease, they take the symptoms into account when treating the whole

person, hence holistic medicine. Homoeopathy has never caused anyone

serious harm, it is safe and gentle and can be used by pregnant women. Its

appeal is in its safety, gentleness and lack of side effects. I became a

homoeopath because of the wonderful treatment I had over the years with

this wonderful benign treatment. As a sufferer of bronchitis for many

years, and a regular user of antibiotics which was all that was on offer, I

turned to homoeopathy. That was in 1989 and I have not suffered with it

since. No homoeopath would never, ever persuade a patient not to have

orthodox medicine if a patient was chronically ill, sometimes a patient

chooses not travel the orthodox route.

- Gillian Mccreadie, Dartford, UK

I decided to train in homeopathy after it completely cured me of ME 12

years ago. This was after my GP had told me it was incurable and that I

should resign from my job. Today, as a trainee homeopath practising under

supervision, I am in the privileged position of being able to help to

effect such cures. The training, over 4 years, is exacting and much

detailed case evidence has to be submitted in order to qualify. Professor

Baum is entitled to his views -but why the hysteria? Let's look at the

evidence instead - there is plenty of it!

- J. Brettingham, Bournemouth, Dorset

Though my comment will only be recorded as anecdotal, it is a fact!.

My Mother was diagnosed with a heart problem and she was told that she

would need to have a heart bypass. Because of her age, I asked her

consultant if we could try Homeopathy as a first measure. The consultant

agreed and my mother was monitored over a six week period. Much to the

consultants surprise and interest, at the end of this period the bypass

operation was no longer required.

The list of remedies given , was asked for by the consultant as he wished

to make further investigations into using Homeopathy in other similar

cases.My mother made a full recovery and lived for a number of years with

no re-occurence of any heart condition.

So far from being crackpot ideas, Homeopathy has a firm place in the

current culture, where GP's over-prescribe drugs and take little notice of

the numerous side effects that these drugs cause.

- London

--------------------------------------------------------

Sheri Nakken, R.N., MA, Hahnemannian Homeopath

Vaccination Information & Choice Network, Nevada City CA & Wales UK

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