Re: Homeopathy-FYI

August 2, 2006

Just an FYI.

I'm not a homeopath, just a personal story. 3 years ago, I was reading a

book on herbal remedies by a local author. She happened to mention, in the

forward the benefits of arnica (homeopathic pills) for severe bruising, but

recommended taking it hourly, not just 4x/day as recommended on the bottles.

Well, just so happens, 2 weeks later, I got bucked off a horse, landed on a

very rocky new road. My hubby (former EMT) was right there, and noted that

when I 'thought' I was wiggling my left foot, it wasn't moving. . . ice pack

and 45 mile drive to the ER later, learned I'd fractured 2 vertebra

(hairline/on outside edge). . .

Well, I was scheduled to go to a conference 4 days later, so on the 'chance'

that it would help, I got some arnica pills and lotion. Took 3-4 pills

hourly. . .

The day after, I was bruised all over 1/2 my back. . . hurting so much, that

it was excruciating to move just to go to the bathroom. . . and that was on

Vicoden! For 2 days, I could barely move, due to severe pain . . .but,

continued taking arnica. By the 3rd day, pain was so much reduced that I drove

45

miles " to town " to shop for a suit for the conference. The following day, I

got on the airplane, carrying my carry-on bag. After 2 days, I was off the

vicoeden and just taking ibuprofen for pain - (I hated the way the vicoden made

me feel and missed my mind!)

I was SERIOUSLY surprised at how fast I healed. . .the major bruising was

gone in 5 days, just turned yellow and disappeared, and just minor pain for a

couple weeks.

I have never recovered from severe bruising that quickly, so had to give

credit to the homeopathic arnica. . . Would use again without hesitation.

Just my story, and honestly, I didn't expect it to help.

Jan Patenaude, RD

In a message dated 7/31/2006 7:53:48 A.M. Mountain Daylight Time,

nrord@... writes:

Homeopathy: Natural Approach or All a Fake? By Kathleen

Doheny

HealthDay Reporter

Sun Jul 30, 7:10 PM ET

SUNDAY, July 30 (HealthDay News) -- To believers,

homeopathy is a natural approach to medicine, a holistic

therapy that takes the entire patient into account.

Homeopaths believe that " like cures like " -- in other

words, when diluted to microscopically tiny levels in

water, small quantities of substances that in bigger doses

would cause symptoms can now cure them.

But debate over homeopathy's effectiveness -- or lack

thereof -- rages, with kinder critics calling homeopathy

nothing but a placebo effect and harsher ones labeling it

just plain fake.

Few dispute that sales of homeopathic products are rising.

Sales of homeopathic remedies are up 20 or 30 percent over

the past year, said Gold, a spokesperson for the

National Center for Homeopathy (NCH) in andria, Va.

Solid statistics are hard to come by, but way back in 1995

U.S. retail sales of homeopathic products had already

reached $230 million, according to data from

Marketresearch.Mark

Homeopathic medicines are drug products made by specialty

homeopathic pharmacies, as described in the Homeopathic

Pharmacopoeia of the United States. The practice dates back

200 years to an 18th-century doctor from Germany, Dr.

Hahnemann, who first described homeopathy.

According to advocates, the practice centers on an attempt

to stimulate the body to recover itself, taking a very

close look at the nature of symptoms and the " whole

person. " For instance, if someone has a cough, a

homeopathic practitioner will note whether the person with

the cough gets worse when he breathes cold air or if it

sounds like a deep bark. Those two different symptoms might

require very different homeopathic substances to treat

them, practitioners say.

Homeopathic medicines are made from plants such as

dandelion, minerals such as sodium chloride, animal

products such as snake venom or even more familiar

medicines, such as penicillin.

" Homeopathy addresses each person in his or her totality,

as opposed to treating physical symptoms alone, " said Sue

Gelber, a homeopathic practitioner in , Calif. She

said each remedy is first " proven " : the method by which a

homeopath discovers the primary and secondary actions of

each remedy.

First, she said, the remedy is administered to healthy

people until symptoms appear. Then the subjective and

objective symptoms of each of these " provers " are detailed

and recorded. Then, a homeopathic practitioner " listens " to

symptoms and matches them to those recorded in the library

of provings.

Janet Shultz, a homeopathic practitioner in El Segundo,

Calif., offered up one example. She said that for a person

with seasonal allergies, she picks from 15 or 16 remedies,

based on symptom information provided to her by the person.

" There are over 3,000 remedies and over 12 popular

potencies, so that is 36,000 possibilities. This is where

it takes extreme knowledge and expertise in questioning,i

Shultz said.

Well-known skeptics were contacted by HealthDay for their

views on homeopathy, but declined to participate in the

article. Their reasoning? Most said that any article that

includes the viewpoint of homeopathy advocates is giving

the practice more legitimacy than it deserves.

Homeopathy's image did take a well-publicized hit last

August with the publication of a major study in the

prestigious medical journal The Lancet. That study found

that, despite the fervent beliefs of practitioners,

homeopathy's effect on patients is probably mostly placebo.

In their study, researchers from the University of Bern,

Switzerland, and elsewhere compared 110 placebo-controlled,

randomized trials of homeopathic remedies against 110

conventional medicine trials. They also matched them for

disorder and type of patient outcome. The trials included

studies of treatments for respiratory infection, surgery

and anesthesiology.

The authors concluded that there was " weak evidence " for a

specific effect of homeopathic remedies, but very strong

evidence for effects of conventional treatment.

To no one's surprise, the article triggered outrage in the

homeopathic community. Many homeopaths claimed the study

had fundamental flaws in its design.

In any case, individuals who decide to try out homeopathy

should seek out an experienced practitioner, according to

the NCH's Gold.

While stressing that the NCH is " not a licensing body, " he

noted that the center's Web site does include a directory

of practitioners. And he added that many homeopathic

providers come from a wide variety of backgrounds -- some

may be chiropractors by trade, others pharmacists, dentists

or acupuncturists. That's why it's important to find out

specifically what their training is in homeopathy, Gold

said.

More information

Experts at the U.S. federal government's National Center

for Complementary and Alternative Medicine offer their own

perspective on homeopathy.

Check Nutrition at:

Nutrition.teach-Nutrition.

Ortiz, RD

_nrord@..._ (mailto:nrord@...)

Man prefers to believe what he prefers to be true. "

--Francis Bacon,

English philosopher and scientist

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Jan Patenaude, RD

Director of Medical Nutrition

Signet Diagnostic Corporation

_www.nowleap.com_ (http://www.nowleap.com/)

(toll free)

Fax:

DineRight4@...

Disease Management Programs for Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Migraine and

Fibromyalgia caused by Food Sensitivity

IMPORTANT - This e-mail message is intended only for the use of the

individual or entity to which it is addressed, and may contain information that

is

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you have received this message in error, you are hereby notified that we do not

consent to any reading, dissemination, distribution or copying of this

e-mail message. If you have received this communication in error, please notify

the sender immediately by e-mail and telephone ( toll free) and

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E-mail transmission cannot be guaranteed to be secure or error-free as

information could be intercepted, corrupted, lost, destroyed, arrive late,

incomplete, or contain viruses. The sender therefore does not accept liability

for

any errors or omissions in the contents of this message, which arise as a

result of e-mail transmission.

August 2, 2006

I don't doubt your experience with Arnica, however I had opportunity to

check it out a while ago at a patient request, and thought I would pass

along a report from ConsumerLab.com.

Robin

RD @DLC

Hartford Hospital

Scientific Evaluations of Homeopathic Remedies for Bruises

Homeopathic Arnica is so widely believed to be an effective treatment

for bruises and other minor traumas that it is found in the medicine

cabinets of millions of people, especially in Europe. However, there is

as yet no consistent scientific evidence that it is effective.4

For example, two very preliminary clinical trials were performed to

test whether homeopathic Arnica montana can reduce the size or

discomfort of a bruise caused by injury.1 The first study tested 10m

potency Arnica (equivalent to a dilution of a whopping one part in

1,020,000!); the second used a 30c dilution. A total of about 25

subjects were enrolled in the two trials.

In these unpleasant-sounding experiments, the subjects allowed

themselves to be bruised on the inside of their forearms by a 2.3-pound

(1,041 g) weight, which fell from about a foot and a half (44 cm) above

the arm. Participants were given either Arnica or placebo before the

experiment and then were bruised on one arm. Subsequently, they were

given a second dose of whatever they had just received and were then

followed for a period of 3 to 4 days. The goal was to see whether the

bruises treated by Arnica got better faster than those treated by

placebo.

Researchers found a hint of benefit in the first study, but none in the

second study. Unfortunately, the numbers of participants in each study

were too small to allow for the results to have much statistical

meaning.

Arnica has also been studied to see if it can reduce bruising caused by

surgery. However, in a double-blind trial of 130 people undergoing

treatment for varicose veins, researchers found no benefit with

homeopathic Arnica at 5x potency, as compared to placebo.2 Another study

of people undergoing treatment for varicose veins, along with a study of

people undergoing hand surgery also failed to find benefit.5-6 A more

recent study, involving face-lift surgery, found equivocal benefits at

best.7

Finally, researchers have attempted to discover whether homeopathic

Arnica 10x has any effect on the ability of the blood to clot, as

measured by laboratory tests. In a double-blind study of 18 healthy male

volunteers, Arnica was indistinguishable from placebo regarding blood

coagulation.3

Traditional Homeopathic Treatments for Bruising

Homeopathic practitioners traditionally give Arnica to treat traumatic

injuries. The classical homeopathic symptom picture for Arnica includes

the presence of black-and-blue spots, a bruised feeling, and difficulty

in finding a comfortable position. It isn't hard to recognize this as a

description of minor injury.

>>> 08/02/06 4:36 PM >>>

Just an FYI.

I'm not a homeopath, just a personal story. 3 years ago, I was reading

a

book on herbal remedies by a local author. She happened to mention, in

the

forward the benefits of arnica (homeopathic pills) for severe bruising,

but

recommended taking it hourly, not just 4x/day as recommended on the

bottles.

Well, just so happens, 2 weeks later, I got bucked off a horse, landed

on a

very rocky new road. My hubby (former EMT) was right there, and noted

that

when I 'thought' I was wiggling my left foot, it wasn't moving. . .

ice pack

and 45 mile drive to the ER later, learned I'd fractured 2 vertebra

(hairline/on outside edge). . .

Well, I was scheduled to go to a conference 4 days later, so on the

'chance'

that it would help, I got some arnica pills and lotion. Took 3-4 pills

hourly. . .

The day after, I was bruised all over 1/2 my back. . . hurting so much,

that

it was excruciating to move just to go to the bathroom. . . and that

was on

Vicoden! For 2 days, I could barely move, due to severe pain . .

..but,

continued taking arnica. By the 3rd day, pain was so much reduced that

I drove 45

miles " to town " to shop for a suit for the conference. The following

day, I

got on the airplane, carrying my carry-on bag. After 2 days, I was off

the

vicoeden and just taking ibuprofen for pain - (I hated the way the

vicoden made

me feel and missed my mind!)

I was SERIOUSLY surprised at how fast I healed. . .the major bruising

was

gone in 5 days, just turned yellow and disappeared, and just minor pain

for a

couple weeks.

I have never recovered from severe bruising that quickly, so had to

give

credit to the homeopathic arnica. . . Would use again without

hesitation.

Just my story, and honestly, I didn't expect it to help.

Jan Patenaude, RD

In a message dated 7/31/2006 7:53:48 A.M. Mountain Daylight Time,

nrord@... writes:

Homeopathy: Natural Approach or All a Fake? By Kathleen

Doheny

HealthDay Reporter

Sun Jul 30, 7:10 PM ET

SUNDAY, July 30 (HealthDay News) -- To believers,

homeopathy is a natural approach to medicine, a holistic

therapy that takes the entire patient into account.

Homeopaths believe that " like cures like " -- in other

words, when diluted to microscopically tiny levels in

water, small quantities of substances that in bigger doses

would cause symptoms can now cure them.

But debate over homeopathy's effectiveness -- or lack

thereof -- rages, with kinder critics calling homeopathy

nothing but a placebo effect and harsher ones labeling it

just plain fake.

Few dispute that sales of homeopathic products are rising.

Sales of homeopathic remedies are up 20 or 30 percent over

the past year, said Gold, a spokesperson for the

National Center for Homeopathy (NCH) in andria, Va.

Solid statistics are hard to come by, but way back in 1995

U.S. retail sales of homeopathic products had already

reached $230 million, according to data from

Marketresearch.Mark

Homeopathic medicines are drug products made by specialty

homeopathic pharmacies, as described in the Homeopathic

Pharmacopoeia of the United States. The practice dates back

200 years to an 18th-century doctor from Germany, Dr.

Hahnemann, who first described homeopathy.

According to advocates, the practice centers on an attempt

to stimulate the body to recover itself, taking a very

close look at the nature of symptoms and the " whole

person. " For instance, if someone has a cough, a

homeopathic practitioner will note whether the person with

the cough gets worse when he breathes cold air or if it

sounds like a deep bark. Those two different symptoms might

require very different homeopathic substances to treat

them, practitioners say.

Homeopathic medicines are made from plants such as

dandelion, minerals such as sodium chloride, animal

products such as snake venom or even more familiar

medicines, such as penicillin.

" Homeopathy addresses each person in his or her totality,

as opposed to treating physical symptoms alone, " said Sue

Gelber, a homeopathic practitioner in , Calif. She

said each remedy is first " proven " : the method by which a

homeopath discovers the primary and secondary actions of

each remedy.

First, she said, the remedy is administered to healthy

people until symptoms appear. Then the subjective and

objective symptoms of each of these " provers " are detailed

and recorded. Then, a homeopathic practitioner " listens " to

symptoms and matches them to those recorded in the library

of provings.

Janet Shultz, a homeopathic practitioner in El Segundo,

Calif., offered up one example. She said that for a person

with seasonal allergies, she picks from 15 or 16 remedies,

based on symptom information provided to her by the person.

" There are over 3,000 remedies and over 12 popular

potencies, so that is 36,000 possibilities. This is where

it takes extreme knowledge and expertise in questioning,i

Shultz said.

Well-known skeptics were contacted by HealthDay for their

views on homeopathy, but declined to participate in the

article. Their reasoning? Most said that any article that

includes the viewpoint of homeopathy advocates is giving

the practice more legitimacy than it deserves.

Homeopathy's image did take a well-publicized hit last

August with the publication of a major study in the

prestigious medical journal The Lancet. That study found

that, despite the fervent beliefs of practitioners,

homeopathy's effect on patients is probably mostly placebo.

In their study, researchers from the University of Bern,

Switzerland, and elsewhere compared 110 placebo-controlled,

randomized trials of homeopathic remedies against 110

conventional medicine trials. They also matched them for

disorder and type of patient outcome. The trials included

studies of treatments for respiratory infection, surgery

and anesthesiology.

The authors concluded that there was " weak evidence " for a

specific effect of homeopathic remedies, but very strong

evidence for effects of conventional treatment.

To no one's surprise, the article triggered outrage in the

homeopathic community. Many homeopaths claimed the study

had fundamental flaws in its design.

In any case, individuals who decide to try out homeopathy

should seek out an experienced practitioner, according to

the NCH's Gold.

While stressing that the NCH is " not a licensing body, " he

noted that the center's Web site does include a directory

of practitioners. And he added that many homeopathic

providers come from a wide variety of backgrounds -- some

may be chiropractors by trade, others pharmacists, dentists

or acupuncturists. That's why it's important to find out

specifically what their training is in homeopathy, Gold

said.

More information

Experts at the U.S. federal government's National Center

for Complementary and Alternative Medicine offer their own

perspective on homeopathy.

Check Nutrition at:

Nutrition.teach-Nutrition.

Ortiz, RD

_nrord@..._ (mailto:nrord@...)

Man prefers to believe what he prefers to be true. "

--Francis Bacon,

English philosopher and scientist

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Jan Patenaude, RD

Director of Medical Nutrition

Signet Diagnostic Corporation

_www.nowleap.com_ (http://www.nowleap.com/)

(toll free)

Fax:

DineRight4@...

Disease Management Programs for Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Migraine and

Fibromyalgia caused by Food Sensitivity

IMPORTANT - This e-mail message is intended only for the use of the

individual or entity to which it is addressed, and may contain

information that is

privileged, confidential and exempt from disclosure under applicable

law. If

you have received this message in error, you are hereby notified that

we do not

consent to any reading, dissemination, distribution or copying of this

e-mail message. If you have received this communication in error,

please notify

the sender immediately by e-mail and telephone ( toll

free) and

destroy the transmitted information.

E-mail transmission cannot be guaranteed to be secure or error-free as

information could be intercepted, corrupted, lost, destroyed, arrive

late,

incomplete, or contain viruses. The sender therefore does not accept

liability for

any errors or omissions in the contents of this message, which arise

as a

result of e-mail transmission.

August 2, 2006

To understand the debate about the effectiveness of homeopathy one has to

understand homeopathy. It is not western medicine one remedy is not used

for the same disease state over and over again; while certain homeopathic

remedies are often used for common ailments, that is not how it would be

used by a homeopathic doctor. A homeopathic doctor would sort of act like a

dietitian, they would not just ask you what you eat and then tell you what

to eat instead. They would look at your injury or medical problem in the

context of your life, how are you eating, sleeping, what activities do you

do, what other medications or remedies do you take and then they would

prescribe 1 or more remedies. No one medical problem gets the same remedy.

So when you give a drug vs a single remedy and try to see consistent results

with homeopathy you will never prove it works because that is not how it is

supposed to work. It is also not an alternative per se to western

medicine, it is something that can be utilized for some things that perhaps

do not need medication. I encourage you all to learn more about it before

you dismiss or believe it. Homeopathy is not the best option for many

medical problems but it is a good option for many medical problems/physical

ailments, especially since many people worldwide can not afford western

medicine and the drug companies are not exactly going to give their drugs as

cheap as we can get homeopathy. Lastly no single drug is effective in

helping all people with the same ailment/medical problem....let's not forget

it is not 100% effective, nor is it safe and at least homeopathy is safe!

side note, I rarely use homeopathy but have read about it fairly

extensively.

Laschkewitsch RD LD

Dietitian, Legacy Obesity Institute

Re: Homeopathy-FYI

I don't doubt your experience with Arnica, however I had opportunity to

check it out a while ago at a patient request, and thought I would pass

along a report from ConsumerLab.-com.