s m leThe Faculty of Homeopathy Newsletter July 2013

The Faculty of Homeopathy is now an official designated body for therevalidation of doctors. This follows thepassing of new legislation relating tothe professional appraisal of doctorsdrawn up by the Department of Health.

Revalidation is the process bywhich the General Medical Council(GMC) confirms the continuation of adoctor's licence to practise in the UK,which is carried out by a designatedbody. Being on the GMC’s approvedlist of designated bodies is recognitionof the Faculty’s professional standingand the culmination of the detailedwork carried out over a number ofyears by Dr Sara Eames, Dr DavidOwen and Faculty Chief Executive,Cristal Sumner.

Faculty Council has appointed Dr David Owen as its ResponsibleOfficer, who will oversee the appraisalprocesses and make recommendationsto the GMC about revalidation ofFaculty members. His responsibilitieswill include ensuring there is anintegrated system for monitoringdoctors’ performance, recognisinggood practice, and encouragingdevelopment and learning.

Significant developmentBecoming a designated body willprimarily affect those members whoare solely in private practice, asdoctors have to be revalidated throughtheir main places of work. Doctorswho have attained their MFHom, orwho are Specialist Registrants orFellows, and practise privately with no NHS practice have a prescribedrelationship with the Faculty and areable to select it as their designatedbody. Doctors from the above groupshave already been contacted and todate it appears 24 members will seekrevalidation through the Faculty, withthis number expected to rise over thecoming months.

Faculty President, Dr Sara Eames,said: “Gaining designated body statusis a significant development as it goessome way towards ensuring medicalhomeopathy as a career pathway inthe future. Inevitably it will entail extrawork and responsibility for the Faculty,

but I regard it as the sort of work weshould be doing.

“One of the obligations which we now have as a designated body is to keep up-to-date records for alldoctor members, regardless of theirdesignated body, who have aprescribed connection to the Faculty.This is because an appraisal covers theentire scope of a doctor’s work and ifthere are any issues raised within theFaculty about a doctor's practice theyhave to be communicated to theappropriate designated body. This isonly a formalisation of what we aremeant to do anyhow under theguidelines for good medical practice.”

Generous grantA network of appraisers from withinthe Faculty is being developed and anappraisers’ training day attended by aguest speaker from the GMC’srevalidation team has already takenplace. The idea of arranging appraisalworkshops for any members who mayfeel slightly intimidated by therevalidation process is also beingconsidered.

The British HomeopathicAssociation has kindly provided agenerous grant to assist the Faculty insetting up its processes, to fundtraining and to allow the ResponsibleOfficer to attend meetings and givethe necessary time to the importantwork of establishing an excellentappraisal and revalidation system.

All doctors are reminded that it isthe responsibility of the individual toensure that they have an annualappraisal, and from 2013 this has to bedone in accordance with the widelypublicised Medical Appraisal Guidelines(MAG) which is based on the GMC’sGood Medical Practice. Any memberseeking advice or further informationon revalidation should contact CristalSumner or Dr David Owen using thededicated revalidation email address:revalidation@facultyofhomeopathy.org.

The Faculty achieves designated body status

IN THIS ISSUE:News 1, 3Editorial 2Feature 6Viewpoint 8

Case studies 12, 15, 16Research update 17

What’s on 19

The Faculty’s Responsible Officer, Dr David Owen.

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•• editorial

Faculty council recently decided thateach council member should take it inturns to write the editorial for simile,and for this issue that honour orhardship (I’ve yet to decide) has fallento me. As the Faculty’s Treasurer I’mwell aware of the financial constraintswithin which the organisation has tooperate. These are economicallydifficult times, but I’m pleased toreport that through prudent budgetingand other measures the Faculty looksset to achieve a sustainable financialbasis on which to build for the future.Nevertheless, any ideas you mighthave to increase the Faculty’s incomewould be warmly received.

The vitality of any organisationdepends on its membership, and asChris Day mentioned in April’s editorial,your participation is extremely valuableand desired. The more we all activelyparticipate in the Faculty’s affairs, themore vibrant our organisation will be.We are a relatively small communityand therefore everyone is encouragedto contribute, in whatever shape orform, as this will create an even moredynamic organisation and also help topromote homeopathy, the discipline

we love. So if you have any ideas whynot contact your local representative or share them through more informalchannels. You probably read in the lastissue of this newsletter that we have a number of vacancies for regionalrepresentatives. Why not get involvedin this way and help to shape theFaculty’s future?

Reading and hearing about all thechallenges homeopathy continues toface, started me pondering on whichmiasm we as a community might fallunder and Sankaran’s Ringwormmiasm definitely comes to mind. Forthose of you who are not familiar withRajan Sankaran’s expansion of miasms,the Ringworm miasm is characterised

by trying and giving up; the keywordbeing “trying”. For aren’t we tryinghard again and again to correct, inform, raise awareness etc. Anotherpart of the Ringworm miasm is“accepting” which alternates withtrying; “accepting” alternating witheffort. Another characteristic of thismiasm is “irritation”. There certainlyseems plenty of that!

Or is the pathology deeper? Do wetry to do the utmost, the impossible,stretch beyond our capacity and try todo the superhuman to prove what wedo and convince? Often only to admitthat it has been to no avail anddestruction is happening before oureyes like in the Cancer miasm.

At other times we might fall moreinto the Sycotic miasm: hiding whatwe do, being a little secretive aboutour work, avoiding confrontation andmaybe, I suspect, even feeling guilty.And some of us, I am sure, experienceour community from the viewpoint ofthe Malaria miasm which Sankarancharacterises as feeling stuck withintermittent attacks. Feelingpersecuted, hindered, obstructed and harassed are key words for thismiasm. Feeling unfortunate like avictim is common too.

However, healing might be taking

A voice from the Faculty Council

Andrea Wiessner

place and we might be moving moretowards Psora. Being hopeful, recoveryis possible and in sight – so let’sremind ourselves of some of thereasons why we should feel hopeful.

As you will have read on page 1, the Faculty has been appointed adesignated responsible body forrevalidation. This is an importantdevelopment as it gains greaterrecognition for the Faculty and itsprofessional role from the medicalestablishment. We must thank ourPresident, Sara Eames, ChiefExecutive Cristal Sumner and our newResponsible Officer, Dr David Owen,for all their hard work in securing thismomentous achievement.

Something else has made me very hopeful for the future. Recently I participated in the Congress forComplementary Medicine Research in London and was blown away by the variety of research that is going on in this field. Apart from some greathomeopathic research and basicscience into how homeopathy mightwork, there were studies of otherCAM disciplines, as well asdiscussions about spirituality andmindfulness. With papers beingpublished in conventional medicaljournals on acupuncture, mindfulnessand spirituality, doesn’t this indicatethat the medical world is beginning to look at more holistic approaches to treating patients? And I’ve heardglowing reports about the quality ofthe research presented at theHomeopathic Research Institute’s very first international conference inBarcelona. Maybe even more reasonfor members to engage in researchinto homeopathy.

These are just a few reasons why I’m optimistic about the future; a future where the true value ofhomeopathy is recognised.

Dr Andrea WiessnerFaculty Treasurer

Editor: John BurryConsultant Editor: Cristal Sumner

Faculty of HomeopathyHahnemann House29 Park Street WestLuton LU1 3BE

Tel: 01582 408680Fax: 01582 723032Email: simile@facultyofhomeopathy.orgWeb: www.facultyofhomeopathy.org

All the material in this publication is copyrightand may not be reproduced without permission.The publishers do not necessarily identify withor hold themselves responsible for contributors’,correspondents’ or advertisers’ opinions.

Design: Wildcat Designwildcat1@ntlworld.com

Printing: Berforts Information Press

s m leThe Faculty of Homeopathy

Newsletter

“through prudent budgeting… Faculty looks set to achieve a sustainable financial basis

on which to build for the future.”

•• news

3

that 72 per cent of all thosewho responded were againstthe service continuing to befunded by NHS Lothian with27 per cent in favour of retain -ing funding and 1 per centundecided. However, thosewho campaigned to save theservice have questioned thevalidity of the consultationprocess and in particular howthe survey was conducted.

“NHS Lothian’s decisioncomes as no surprise,” saidJohn Cook, Chairman of theBritish Homeopathic Associa -tion. “The health board hasbeen predisposed to with -drawing the service from theoutset of its farcical consult -ation process; a consultationthat many patients were

unaware was taking place.” He went on to say the

health board failed to listen toactual patient feedback in theform of general correspond -ence and feedback at publicmeetings, instead concentrat -ing only on the flawed onlinesurvey which was hijacked byanti-homeopathy campaignersliving outside of Lothian. This,he says, skewed the survey’sresults. Mr Cook also high -light ed that of the writtenresponses – where peopleincluded a local address –85% wanted funding for theservice to continue.

Immediately after thehealth board’s announcement,the BHA and local campaignersstarted work to explore ways

to get NHS Lothian to reinstatethe service, and severalmembers of the ScottishParliament have offered theirsupport. The battle to savethe service is over: the battleto restore NHS homeopathyfor the people of Lothian hasonly just begun.

NHS homeopathy axed in Lothian

The Society of Homeopaths has honoured theFaculty’s chief executive, Cristal Sumner, withan Outstanding Achievement Award. Cristalreceived the award in recog nit ion of her workin helping to unite the homeo pathicprofession in the UK, so that the professiontogether can meet the challenges it faces.

Philip Edmonds, chair man of the Societyof Homeo paths, said: “Over recent years I have had the pleasure of working moreclosely with Cristal and have been hugelyimpressed with her commit ment tohomeopathy; her drive and determination to make sure that we in the homeo pathic

community recognise that we have every -thing to gain by working together towardscommon goals.

“Cristal is a woman of many talents andsets a standard and an example for us all tomatch. I look forward to working with her formany years to come in our common cause ofbringing good quality homeopathic treatmentto the attention of as broad an audience aspossible.”

Accepting the award Cristal said she wassurprised and honoured to be acknow ledg edby the Society for her work. She thankedthose Society members with whom she hasdeveloped a close working relationship,saying she had only played a small part inhelping to promote unity.

She went on to add: “It is glorious to seehow the homeopathic community has cometogether to unite into one powerful voice. As a profession we have made significantstrides over the past two years, which can be seen in the growing confidence we have in sharing our messages, defending what we do and managing our collective reputation.If we are patient and continue to work together, we will in time silence the critics and succeed in placing homeo pathy at thecentre of people’s approach to healthcare.”

Introduced in 2010, the OutstandingAchievement Award is awarded to those whohave made a major contribution in the field of homeopathy over the previous two years.The award was presented to Cristal at theSociety of Homeopaths AGM in Bristol.

NHS Lothian has announcedit is to withdraw funding forhomeopathy. The decisionwas made by NHS Lothian’sboard at their June meetingand is based solely on theresults of a recent surveycarried out as part of a publicconsultation.

Professor Alex McMahon,NHS Lothian’s Director ofStrategic Planning, Perform -ance Reporting and Informat -ion, said: “We have consultedthe public and listened to theirviews and the survey resultsare clear in showing that themajority of people who tookpart are against us continuingto provide homeo pathicservices.”

The survey results showed

Faculty Chief Executive, Cristal Sumner

Faculty chief wins award

BHA Chairman, John Cook

The Faculty is delighted toannounce two new represent - at ives have joined theMembers’ Committee. AnneO’Reilly and Dr Margaret Reidwill be representing theinterests of veterinarymembers and those membersliving and practising in NorthEast England respectively.

Dr Trish Ridsdale, Mem -bers’ Committee convener,extended a warm welcome to the new recruits, sayingtheir contributions andrepresentation would be most welcome.

The Members’ Committeestill has vacancies for regionalrepresentatives in South EastScotland, Central Scotland,South Wales, East Anglia and South West England. A vacancy also exists for a representative from theFaculty’s podiatrist group.

Anyone interested in theabove vacancies shouldcontact the MembershipOfficer, Tracey Simmons at tsimmons@facultyofhomeopathy.org or call 01582 408681.

New repsannounced

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•• news

Attempts to change the biasedand prejudicial informationabout homeopathy thatappears on the UK’s biggesthealth website, NHS Choices,have met with intransigencefrom the website’s editors.

The content on the homeo -pathy page currently serves asnothing more than propagandafor the sceptic movement andastonishingly even includes a link to the anti-homeopathycampaign group Sense AboutScience. Why this link wasconsidered relevant for inclus -ion became clear, however,when it transpired that theeditor of the page is a supporterof Sense About Science,frequently retweeting theirTwitter messages, and haseven had an article publishedon the group’s website.

Even as answers werebeing sought to concernsabout the NHS Choiceshomeopathy page and theeditor’s impartiality, the editorbrazenly took to Twitter todeclare: “Happy to state that I have an interest in evidence-based medicine and debunkingwoo: no-we-won’t-be-watering-down-NHS-homeopathy-info.”

While this clearly suggeststhe editor is predisposedagainst homeopathy andunable to produce a balancedoverview of the complement -ary medicine, NHS Choicesdisagrees saying the contentwas independently approvedby a GP. But even though NHSChoices editorial policy insistson having the website’s con -tent reviewed by an expert inthe appropriate field, they haveconfirmed they don’t know thedetails of the experience orqualifications – and thereforethe suitability – of the doctorwho carried out the review of its homeopathy page.

The British Homeopathic

Association (BHA), as thepatients’ advocate, wrote tothe Department of Health (DH)complaining about the lack ofobjectivity of the NHS Choiceshomeopathy page and inparticular the omission of thegovernment’s response to thenegative conclusions made inthe 2010 Science and Tech -nology Evidence Check intohomeopathy, which featuresprominently on the page.Surprisingly, despite thewebsite being funded by theDH, they replied that “contentmust be checked for consist -ency with the policy position of the Department on healthissues, but that the Depart -ment does not make decisionsabout what NHS Choicescontent should be – NHSChoices is independent fromthe Department.” So it appearspublicly funded NHS Choicescan write what it likes!

Undeterred, the BHA isseeking to resolve this issuethrough other channels. A letter has been sent to theSecretary State for Health,Jeremy Hunt, highlighting thelack of balance and objectivityof the homeopathy pageproduced by NHS Choices.The letter asks the minister to compare the homeopathypage to other pages for similartherapies. The other pagesstart with a fairly lengthy,objective description of thetherapy/treatment and withoutassigning a value.

By contrast the homeo -pathy page opens with a neg at -ively phrased description withthe word “treatment” inquotes. It goes on to inaccurat -ely describe homeopathy as“dilute substances”; and thenuses the word “claim” inrelation to its therapeuticeffects, which is dismissiveand not represent ative of

clinical studies and patientreported outcomes. This isthen followed by the negativefindings of the Science andTechnology Committee reportand a flippant comment madeby Dame Sally Davies, thechief medical officer, dismiss -ing homeopathy as “rubbish”.The letter points out that noother page on NHS Choicesbegins in such a way.

The letter goes on to statethat while the BHA acceptsthe editor is entitled to heropinions and to express themfreely, personal views shouldnot undermine the balance andimpartiality of the content thatappears on NHS Choices. For if the website provides abiased viewpoint on homeo -pathy, how can the public besure of the accuracy of theinformation on other NHSChoices pages?

In a further development,the BHA has contacted theInformation Standard question -ing the right of NHS choices to continue to carry its qualitymark. The Information Stand -ard is an independent certific -ation scheme commiss ionedby NHS England for all organ -isations producing evidence-based health and care inform -ation for the public. Any organ -is ation awarded the Informat -ion Standard is said to haveundergone a rigorous assess -ment to ensure the inform -ation they produce is clear,accurate, balanced, evidence-based and up-to-date.

It is the BHA’s position that the NHS Choices homeo -pathy page fails to meet anumber of these criteria andshould therefore have itsquality mark suspended. The Information Standard has responded saying it isinvestigating the BHA’scomplaint.

Homeopathy AwarenessWeek (14-21 June) saw the launch of a new logodesigned to identify allprofessional homeopathswho are members of one ofthe registering bodies, as wellas to serve as a symbol of theunity within the profession.

The “H” logo was speciallydesigned by Pentagram, aninternationally renowned firmwhich has designed some ofthe world’s most iconic logos.Homeopaths registered withthe Alliance of RegisteredHomeopaths, HomeopathicMedical Association, Society of Homeopaths and the Facultywill be able to use the logo.

The new logo is notreplacing the Faculty’s logo or is it designed to be usedinstead of the medical andhomeopathic qualificationsmembers have attained andproudly list after their names.But it is hoped all practitionersfrom the registering bodieswill adopt the logo and assistthe public in finding a qualifiedand regulated homeopath,including private practitionersfrom the Faculty.

All members areencouraged to support thisinitiative and display the new logo – along with theFaculty’s own emblem – onyour stationery, websites andother promotional materialand help to promote homeo -pathy as a unified profession.

A brand book has beenproduced to offer guidelineson how to make effective useof the new logo, along with arange of promotional materialdemonstrating how it can bedisplayed.

New logolaunched

NHS Choices objectivity questioned

New membersThe Faculty is delighted to welcome andcongratulate several new members who have attained their MFHom in recent months. From the UK Dr Charlotte Batchelor, Dr Iveta

Mikova, nurse Mr Saran Zeb and vets Miss Caroline Cutmore, Miss Clare Povah andMrs Ann Wood. From abroad we welcome Dr Ester Cela (Luxembourg), Dr Silvia EstivalMedina (Spain) and vet Ms Lori Leonard (USA).

that so many users of homeo -pathic remedies are confidentabout them relieving theirsymptoms suggests thatonce people have used theseproducts and experienced the effect iveness, they maybe more inclined to use themin the future. Therefore, a key marketing message

to convince non-users to try these products, such asincluding users talking abouttheir positive experienceswith the products, couldprove effective.”

Research carried out by marketresearch analyst Mintel estim ates U.S. retail sales of homeo pathic and herbalremedies reached $6.4 billionin 2012, up almost 3% from2011, which means the markethas grown 16% over the pastfive years.

There is more good newsfor the homeopathic andherbal remedies sector too,with Mintel forecasting salesto continue to increase over the next few years. By 2017 sales are expected to reach $7.5 billion, as moreAmericans become proactiveabout their health and theavailability of these medicinesincreases through massretailers.

Emily Krol, health and well ness analyst at Mintel,explained: “Recalls oftraditional OTC (over-the-counter) remedies, a holisticapproach to health, and more availability in traditionalretailers all helped to fuelgrowth in this market. Thesector is primed for continuedsuccess as U.S. consumersincreasingly seek productsthat are natural and organic,particularly as it relates tohealthcare. This is especiallytrue for families with smallchildren as many OTC medic -at ions are unsafe for childrenunder the age of two.”

She continued: “The fact

US sales of homeopathicand herbal medicines

The Faculty’s membershipofficer, Tracey Simmons, isgetting on her bike to raisemoney for the British Homeo -pathic Association. During themonth of August, come rainor shine, Tracey is abandoningher car and cycling back andforth to work, a daily round tripof eight miles which will total176 miles over the month.

Tracey is not a keen cyclistand confesses not to haveridden a bike regularly sinceshe was a teenager. She ispreparing for her challenge bycycling a few miles a coupleof evenings a week and atweekends, but still admitsshe is not looking forward tothe homeward journey eachday as it is generally uphill allthe way.

“I decided to take on thischallenge for two reasons,”says Tracey. “To raise moneyfor the BHA and also highlighthow important fund-raising isto the charity. Hopefully, myefforts will encourage othersto do something they enjoy,or maybe a complete achallenge, to help raise funds.

As a charity, the BHArelies on generous donationsand the fund-raising efforts of

its supporters to enable it tofulfil its aims:• Promote wider access tohomeopathy for everyone

• Encourage more research• Provide high qualityinformation to the public

• Educate healthcareprofessionals abouthomeopathy

To support Tracey’s 176 milecycle challenge, visit http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/TraceySimmons Alternatively,email tsimmons@britishhomeopathic.org or call heron 01582 408681.

Tracey gets on her bikefor homeopathy

Veterinary Dean The Faculty of Homeopathy is seeking applications for

the position of Veterinary Dean. To commence office in January 2014.

Any veterinary member with a VetMFHom is welcome toapply. Deadline for applications is the 31 October 2013.

If interested in this position, please contact Cristal Sumnerat csumner@facultyofhomeopathy.org or call 01582 408674.

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•• news

largely left unchanged between thissurvey and the survey in 2006.

Summary of changes from 2006 studyRoughly two-thirds of the responses toquestions on this study were essentiallyunchanged from the results of theprevious study. The changes noted,however, can be used to examine thechange in the homeopathic communityin the last seven years.

DemographicsThe survey found there are still far morewomen homeopathic practitioners(74.6%) than men, while the averageage of practitioners rose from 49 to 55.Practitioners are predominantly white(86.2%) with the greatest concentrationof homeopaths found in California(19.8%), New York (10.6%), Arizona(10.2%) and Minnesota (7.2%). Three-quarters (76%) of all practitioner operatefrom a solo practice.

There is evidence that more peoplefrom healthcare professions are beingattracted to homeopathy, as there was a20% increase in the number of respond -ents who said they previously had acareer in health related occupations.This is supported by the dramatic rise in the number of MD homeopaths thatappears to have occurred since the2006 survey: 26.4% in 2013 comparedwith 10.2% seven years ago.

However, among the respondentsthere were few from the otherconventional medical professions: NursePractitioner (NP) 3.5%; Registered

maximum amount of data. We made aneffort to minimize respondent fatigue,however despite this, the response rateby the end of the survey was only 60%of that at the beginning (this was similarto the results from the 2006 survey).General response to the survey waspositive, although some found certainquestions ambiguous.

The following targeted groups wereincluded: • All North American homeopathicmembership organisations

• All North American homeopathicschools (alumni and faculty)

• Homeopathic software companymailing lists

• Homeopathic pharmaceuticalcompany mailing lists

• Homeopathic conference directors• Homeopathic certificationorganisation mailing lists

• State homeopathic licensure mailinglists

• State homeopathic associationmailing lists

• National homeopathic booksellermailing lists

• Forwarded emails from homeopathicpractitioners

In all there were approximately 600homeopathic practitioner respondentsto the survey, although not everyparticipant filled out all of thequestions. This compared to the 1,164homeopathic practitioner respondentsin the 2006 survey. Questions were

This article presents data from the NorthAmerican Homeopathic PractitionerSurvey completed this spring (2013) bythe research department of the Amer -ican Medical College of Homeopathy(AMCH). The results are compared to aprevious US Homeopathic PractitionerSurvey completed in 2006.

DescriptionA research study consisting of a surveyof homeopathic practice was conductedby the AMCH from January 2013 toMarch 2013. The study consisted of 48questions and was done in an onlineformat. The survey took approximately15 minutes to complete. The questionscovered six primary areas: Demograph -ics, Homeopathic Training, Nature ofPractice, Style of Practice, Success inPractice and Continuing Education/Service. The research was approved bythe AMCH Institutional Review Board(IRB).

The purpose of this study was todevelop a picture of homeopathicpractice as it occurs in North Americatoday. It was our hope that this studywould help the homeopathic communityto better assess its strengths and weak -nesses and to better plan its futurecourse. In addition, the purpose was toexamine how homeopathic practice haschanged in the last seven years since theprevious study we conducted in 2006.

This survey was difficult to design.The work group that constructed it madeevery effort to keep the survey asshort as possible, while garnering the

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•• feature

Dr Todd Rowe is the president and a founder of the American Medical College of Homeopathy where hetrains medical students in classical homeopathy. He is a licensed homeopathic physician who has beenpractising homeopathy for more than 20 years. Dr Rowe has recently conducted a survey of homeopathicpractitioners in North America and kindly agreed to summarise the results for a UK audience.

Evolution of homeopathic practice in the results of a North American homeopathic

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•• feature

ment they provide patients, withfigures very similar to those from2006. Almost half of respondents saidthey achieved an “Exceptionally goodresponse in multiple domains”. Intreating the chief complaint 42.3%reported an “Exceptionally goodresponse”. Partial response to treat -ment was recorded in 22.9% of cases.On average negative reaction to treat -ment or no response to treatment wasreported in 2.6% and 7.5% of casesrespectively. Patient reported satisfactionalso remains extremely high.

Validation and limitationsThere was a fairly high concordancebetween the results of this study andthe one performed seven years ago.This would argue for validation of theresults of this study. Generally therewas also a higher response rate on thissurvey than the previous survey by 20%.

The primary limitation of this study

was a decline in participation bymembers of the homeopathiccommunity. Our initial study includedapproximately 1,200 participants. Thisstudy included only 600 participants.Since the data was less robust, it madeit impossible to study some of the subpopulations examined in the previousstudy with statistically meaningfulresults. In particular, participation fromCanada was limited which made inter -pretation of Canadian data less reliable.

Our hope is to repeat this study inten years and that this study will serveas a baseline of comparison. The fullresults of this survey research andthose of the 2006 survey can be foundat www.amcofh.org/research/community

Dr Todd RoweMD MD(H) CCH DHt

from health insurance companies wasrecorded at 14%, up from 11% in 2006.However, the amount of pro bono (with -out payment) work that homeopathic

practitioners do decreasedby 28%.

In 2006 over half (51%) ofpatients had been referredby other patients. Althoughthis is still the primary sourceof patient referral, providing

homeopaths with 38% of their patients,more people are finding a homeopathvia the internet and the rate of onlinereferrals to homeo pathic practitionersincreased by 46%. There was also a 45%rise in the number of patients referred bythe healthcare professions. Interestingly,it appears 10% of patients arrive in thehomeopaths consulting room after hear -ing a public talk about the healing art.

LM prescribing is becoming increas -ingly popular and is replacing the usageof higher potencies (200c and above).

This form of prescribing saw a 61%increase compared with 2006 and isthought to be partly due to its use incomplex cases.

Practitioners are now treating manymore children and older people. Thesurvey found the number of childrenbeing seen by homeopaths increased by33% and the number of elderly patientsvisiting a homeopath increased by astaggering 178%.

The survey also found that there arean increasing number of homeopathspractising “clinical homeopathy”. For thepurpose of this study “clinical homeo -pathy” refers to graduates of the Boironcourse for physicians, which Boirondescribe as training in clinical homeopathy.

ResultsHomeopaths continue to report highlevels of positive responses to the treat -

Nurse (RN) 4.8%; Doctor of VeterinaryMedicine (DVM) 3.4%; Doctor ofDental Surgery (DDS) 0.7%; andRegistered Pharmacist (RPh) 0.4%.

Education, training and researchThere was an increase in the level ofeducat ion in the respondents. Forexample, the rate of doctorallyprepared homeo pathic practitionersincreased by 50%.

On average undergraduate homeo -pathic training now comprises of 664hours attending lectures and 381 hoursclinical training. But there has been adecrease of 45% in the use of distancelearning technology in homeopathictraining, highlighting how homeopathiceducation in America has yet to embraceonline learning.

On the subject of continuing educat -ion or continued professional develop -ment (CPD), respondents on averageattended 45 hours of conferences andseminars, as well as completing 72hours of self-study. However, theamount of time practitioners are settingaside for research has fallen by 60%,as they appear to be more focused onclinical practice.

In practiceRespondents to the survey reported anaverage of 11.1 new patient visits permonth, which is marginally up on 2006.The average number of follow-up visitsincreased slightly from 36 per month in2006 to 44.9 in 2013. The average lengthof the initial consultation rose from 106minutes to 110.8 minutes, while theaverage time spent with a patient at afollow-up visit increased by one minuteto 43 minutes.

The fees charged by Americanhomeopaths have risen steeply; onaverage homeopaths charge $265.28(£171.16) for an initial consultation, and $96.30 (£62.13) for a follow-upappointment: increases of 29% and26% respectively. The average annualincome for practitioners has also risensignificantly from $49,508.08(£31,942.66) in 2006 to $79,953.28(£51,585.94) in 2013, an increase of61%. However, the size of thisincrease may be due in part to thenumber of medical doctors who tookpart in the 2013 survey.

Practices receiving reimbursement

North America: practitioner survey

fig.1 – Measles • Deaths per million • All ages • England and Wales 1901-1999Source: ‘20th Century Mortality’, Office for National Statistics, England

8

•• viewpoint

“Epidemic … Mass Vaccinations …Children in Grave Danger”, screamsthe media. What is causing thesealarming headlines? Is it typhoid,cholera or smallpox? No, they aretalking about measles – a regularchildhood illness that most children sail through.

According to the World HealthOrganisation (WHO) there wereapproximately 158,000 measles deathsglobally in 2011, but the organisationstates: “More than 95% of measlesdeaths occur in low-income countrieswith weak health infrastructures …Most measles deaths are caused bycomplications associated with thedisease.”

The WHO goes on to say: “Severemeasles is more likely among poorlynourished young children, especiallythose with insufficient vitamin A, orwhose immune systems have beenweakened by HIV/AIDS or otherdiseases. As high as 10% of measlescases result in death among populationswith high levels of malnutrition andlack of adequate health care.”1

Are children in Europe and the UnitedStates suffering from malnutrition? Dothey have HIV/AIDS? If not, why all thefuss?

Measles in the UKIn the UK measles used to occur inepidemics about every two years,starting in the autumn with the peakbeing in April and then waning foranother two years.2 In the nineteenthcentury when social conditions –malnutrition, poor housing, drinkingwater contaminated with sewage –were similar to those in poorer countriestoday, it used to be a feared killer herealso. But all that changed long ago. In England and Wales the death ratedeclined from over 1,100 per millioncases in the mid-nineteenth century to a level of virtually zero by the mid-1960s.

Was this due to vaccination? No,99% of the reduction in deaths due to measles in England and Walesoccurred before the introduction of themeasles vaccine in 1968 and hascontinued to fall since then. (see Fig1)

In 1964, Dr David Miller, who at the time was Deputy Director of theEpidemiological Research Laboratory in Colindale, Middlesex, stated: “In this country at least, measles is nowusually regarded as a minor childhoodillness through which we all mustpass, rather than as a public healthproblem.”3

In fact measles and other childhoodinfections were so much regarded aspart of normal childhood developmentthat in the 1960s mothers sent theirchildren off to measles, mumps, chickenpox and rubella “parties” so theywould get them at the best time – inchildhood. Whereas today these samediseases are described as so likely tocause death or disability that the onlysensible choice is to vaccinate.

The introduction of the measlesvaccine in 1968 was widely credited forthe lowering of measles notifications inthe UK. However, the uptake was only33% in that year and the level did notget above 55% until 1980 whenincidence was already well down.4

The MMR vaccination was intro -duced in the UK in 1988, with a second

dose added in 1996. Nevertheless, in 2012 the number of laboratoryconfirmed measles cases in Englandand Wales had risen to 2,016.5

This has been attributed to parents’concerns about the possible side-effects from the MMR vaccination, but it is also an acknowledged fact that about 5% of immunocompetentchildren receiving their first dose ofMMR vaccine will have mild measleswith fever and rash.6

What happens, then, whenunvaccinated children get measles?

Measles outbreaks in unimmunisedpeople tend to be mild in those whodo not have underlying medicalconditions. In communities whichgenerally do not immunise, the attackrate in infants less than one year of

One million Britons urged to ‘get a jab’ to avert measles crisis

Measles –why all the fuss?Dr Jayne Donegan gives her personal

and draws similarities with the

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age is low because of protection by thesuperior maternal antibodies derivedfrom natural infection compared tothose derived from vaccination.7, 8, 9

Almost without exception, deathsoccur in those with underlying medicalconditions or poor nutrition or in thosereligious groups who refuse timelymedical care when complicationsoccur.10, 11 Those most at risk ofcomplications from the disease arealso those least likely to produce agood antibody response from beinggiven the vaccine.

The French outbreakFrance has had the MMR vaccinesince 1986 with coverage of over 90%for the first dose and 40-70% for thesecond dose.12 So instead of childrenbeing able to get measles, mumps and

rubella at a beneficial age an epidemicof measles swept across the countryin 2010-11 where 8% of cases wereunder one year old and 34% were over20 years, when complications are morecommon.13

In France, from having less than 50reported cases of measles per year,there was an increase to 600 in 2008;1,500 in 2009; 5,000 in 2010 and15,000 cases in 2011. As we know,having measles is not a problem initself. The problem is the associatedcomplications such pneumonia andencephalitis, which in France causedtwo deaths in 2010 (1 death/2,500notified cases) and six deaths in 2011(1 death/2,500 notified cases). Therehaven’t been case fatality levels likethis in the UK since the 1950s! Interms of health outcomes, we seem tobe going backwards.

The measles cases were not comingfrom outside the EU. The EuropeanCentre for Disease Prevention andControl states that less than 10% ofEuropean Union (EU) cases wereimported and more than 60% of thosecame from another EU country.14 Sowe are talking about generally well fedand well housed people with a cleanwater supply.

Then why are some patients suffer -ing complications that can result indeath? As colleagues will know, onmeet ing a virus whether you get infectedat all or have a mild, disabling or evendeadly episode will depend on the stateof your immune system when you meetit and how you treat the ill ness. What -ever the state of your immune system,you get complications from not treatinginfectious diseases correctly.

The first step in this process is torecognise that the infection is not yourenemy but your friend. From a holisticpoint of view, diseases causing feverand rashes are regarded as detoxifyingprocesses, enabling the body to cleanitself out and go up a developmentalstep. Suppression of such processes is thought to lead eventually to longterm, chronic illness.

The most important part in thisprocess is fever. There is a substantialbody of evidence indicating that feveris a beneficial response to infectionwhich improves the ability of theimmune system to carry out itsfunction and that reducing fevers canincrease morbidity and mortality insevere infection. Heinz Eichenwald,Professor of Paediatrics at the SouthWestern Medical School, University of Texas, states in the Bulletin of theWHO:

“Fever represents a universal,ancient and usually beneficial responseto infection, and its suppression undermost circumstances has few, if anydemonstrable benefits. On the otherhand, some harmful effects have been shown to occur as a result ofsuppress ing fever. It is clear, therefore,that the widespread use of antipyreticsshould not be encouraged either indeveloping countries or in industrialsociety.”15

TreatmentBut it appears no-one knows how tonurse a case of measles any more. The WHO’s guidance for treatingmeasles is clear: “Severe complicationsfrom measles can be avoided throughsupportive care that ensures goodnutrition, adequate fluid intake andtreatment of dehydration with WHO-recommended oral rehydration solution.Antibiotics should be prescribed totreat eye and ear infections, andpneumonia.”

Is this what happens? No!The first thing that children are given

is paracetamol or ibuprofen to reducetheir fever – despite the fact that theWHO doesn’t recommend it and theNICE Guidelines 2007 state.

“Antipyretic agents should notroutinely be used with the sole aim ofreducing body temperature in childrenwith fever who are otherwise well …”and they should only be considered“… in children with fever who appeardistressed or unwell.”

They also stress: “Antipyretic agentsdo not prevent febrile convulsions andshould not be used specifically for thispurpose.”16

Doctors warn of measles 'epidemic'as parents shun MMR jab

UK hit by measles outbreakview on the measles outbreak in Swansea

outbreak in France in 2010-11.

Photo: Luiscar74/ Shutterstock.com

Is immunisation the answer?

Severe measles is more likely among poorly nourished young children – WHO

10

However the NHS Choices websiterecommends them as first line. “If yourchild has measles, you may find thefollowing advice useful: use liquid babyparacetamol or ibuprofen to relievefever, aches and pains.”

Some GPs recommend antipyreticssix hourly, in hospital they are givenfour hourly, alone or in combination(even though NICE advise againstusing paracetamol and ibuprofentogether). Antihistamines are given for itches and coughs; antibiotics are given when there is no bacterialinfection – just in case. And childrenare fed, over heated and kept in stuffyrooms. Is it any wonder that they getcomplications?

In 2010, 30% of French measlescases were hospitalised (38 % underone year of age, 47% over 20 years).In 1963, 1% of cases in the UK weresent to hospital and 13% of thosewere for “social” reasons. Even moreincredible, of the cases admitted toFrench hospitals, only 30% hadcomplications!12 If they don’t havecomplications (and even if they do)why on earth would anyone in theirright mind send someone withmeasles to hospital?

When you have measles – thedisease or the vaccine – it lowersactivity of your cell-mediated immunesystem.17, 18 You therefore becomemore susceptible to infection by thetuberculosis bacillus, viruses andsubsequent bacterial super-infection,so the very last place you should be ifyou have measles is in a hospital full ofsick people, infectious diseases andMRSA. The main complications ofmeasles are infections. Six out of tendeaths from measles are frompneumonia.

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References

1. www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs286/en/2. Brincker JA, A Historical, Epidemiological and Aetiological Study ofMeasles (Morbilli; Rubeola): (Section of Epidemiology and StateMedicine) www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2076936/?tool=pubmed

3. Miller DL Frequency of complications of measles, 1963. Report ona National Inquiry by the public health laboratory service incollaboration with the society of medical officers of health. Br MedJ. 1964 www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1815949/pdf/brmedj02558-0019.pdf

4. Immunisation Uptake Rates – completed primary course: two yearrate England and Wales 1966-77, England only 1978-195/6.Department of Health Statistics Division, Communicable Diseasessurveillance Centre, UK

5. Number of laboratory confirmed measles cases in England andWales www.hpa.org.uk/web/HPAweb&HPAwebStandard/HPAweb_C/1223019390211

6. George SMC, Sen M and Elliman D. BMJ 2012;345: e69737. Sutter RW, Markowitz LE, Bennetch JM, Morris W et al,Measles among the Amish: a comparative study of measlesseverity in primary and secondary cases in households, JInfectious Diseases 1991;163:12-16

8. Outbreak of measles in a religious group – Montreal, Quebec,Canada Communicable Disease. Report 1995 ;1:1-5

9. Lennon JL, Black FL, Maternally derived measles immunity inera of vaccine-protected mothers, J Pediatrics 1986;671-6

10. Novotny T, Jennings CE, Doran M, March RC et al, Measlesoutbreaks in religious groups exempt from immunization laws,Public Health Reports 1988;103:49-54

11. Rodgers DV, Gindler JS, Atkinson WL, Markowitz LE, High attackrate and case fatality during a measles outbreak in groups withreligious exemption to vaccination, Pediatric Infectious DiseaseJournal 1993;12:288-92

12. Parent du Châtelet I et al Spotlight on measles 2010: update onthe ongoing measles outbreak in France, 2008-2010, EuroSurveill. 2010 Sep 9;15(36). pii: 19656 http://www.eurosurveillance.org/ViewArticle.aspx?ArticleId=19656

13. Epidémie de Rougeole en France, Donées de déclaration obligatoire

Photo: gary yim

/Shutterstock.com

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Measles rash

A blessing in disguise?Are there any benefits to havingmeasles? A study conducted by theDanish epidemiologist Tove Rønne andand published in The Lancet in 1985found that having measles with atypical rash was associated with alower incidence of developing immuno -reactive diseases, sebaceous skindiseases, diseases of bone, cartilageand certain tumours in adult life, unlikethe “atypical” variety with suppressedrash that occurs in people with immunedisorders and after vaccination.19

In 1995, the results of another studyappeared in The Lancet that foundhaving measles was associated with a reduction in risk of the skin testingpositive to house dust mite at age 14-21 years.20 Another study found thatsensitivity to house dust mite was lessfrequent in children with a history ofmeasles than in those without. Ahistory of nebulized salbutamol use inA&E in the previous 12 months was

less frequent in the measles group.Inhaled corticosteroid use was morecommon in the group without measles(these all indicate lower incidence ofasthma in the measles group).21

Furthermore, a statistically significantinverse association between measlesvaccination and atopic (allergic)sensitization was found in relation toallergen-specific serum IgE level of 3.5kU/L.22 This clearly identifies that thosewith measles had less allergy.

Then in 2000, Thorax includedresearch highlighting how earlyexposure to measles and family sizemay be associated with a lower risk ofadult onset doctor diagnosed asthma.23

Paracetamol use is also associatedwith increased wheeze and diagnosedasthma in the countries with thehighest sales.24 There were 1,131deaths from asthma in the UK in 2009(12 were children aged 14 years orunder).25 There haven’t been that manydeaths from measles since 1941.

By trying to eradicate measles and suppress fevers are we trading a generally benign childhood illness fora chronic disease with a higher deathrate?

A study of a measles outbreak in1997-8 in a Steiner community inGloucester, England, reported that therewere no severe cases. Moreover, 62%of the respondents to a questionnairereported a strengthening and maturingof their child both mentally andphysically after the measles infection.Dr Duffell from Gloucestershire HealthAuthority remarked:

“The findings of low levels ofmorbidity associated with measles aresimilar to previous studies in theUnited Kingdom and support thenotion that measles is not a severeillness in most children. These caseswere, however, in fit, well-nourishedchildren from a community thatadvocates a healthy lifestyle and therewere insufficient numbers of cases toobserve many of the rarer sequelae.”

However, it appears advocating ahealthy lifestyle is not an option thatthe Department of Health or GPs offerto parents who ask what they can useas a viable alternative to measlesvaccination.

A version of this article first appearedin The Informed Parent in 2011. Thefull article can be read at www.jayne-donegan.co.uk/measles-2013

Dr JLM Donegan MBBS DRCOG DCHDFFP MRCGP MFHom

Please note that almost every referencereferring to measles quoted in thisarticle recommends that children arevaccinated against measles.

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en 2010 et donées provisoire pour début 2011 www.invs.sante.fr/surveillance/rougeole/Point_rougeole_220311.pdf

14. Annual Epidemiological Report on Communicable Diseases inEurope 2009 ECDC p25p172 www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/publications/Publications/0910_SUR_Annual_Epidemiological_Report_on_Communicable_Diseases_in_Europe.pdf

15. Eichenwald HF Fever and antipyresis Bull World Health Organ[online]2003; 81(5) 2003:372-74 http://www.scielosp.org/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S004296862003000500012&lng=en&nrm=is

16. NICE Guidelines 2007 Feverish illness in children. Assessmentand initial manage ment in children younger than 5 years pp 8 &27 http://www.nice.org.uk/nicemedia/live/11010/30523/30523.pdf

17. Shaheen SO, Aaby P, Hall AJ, Barker DJP et al, Cell mediatedimmunity after measles in Guinea-Bissau: historical cohort study,BMJ 1996; 313:969-74 (6a)

18. Aaby P et al ‘Long-term survival after Edmonston-Zagreb measlesvaccination in Guinea-Bissau: Increased female mortality rate’The Journal of Pediatrics 1993:122:904-8.

19. Rønne T, Measles virus infection without rash in childhood isrelated to disease in adult life, Lancet 1985 Jan 5;1(8419):1-5

20. Shaheen SO, Aaby P, Hall AJ, Barker DJ, Heyes CB, Shiell AW,Goudiaby A. Measles and atopy in Guinea-Bissau. Lancet. 1996Jun 29: 347(9018):1792-6

21. Kucukosmanoglu E, Cetinkaya F, Akcay F, Pekun F. AllergolFrequency of allergic diseases following measles. Immunopathol(Madr). 2006 Jul-Aug: 34(4): 1469 www.elsevier.es&lan=en&fichero=105v34n04a13091040pdf001.pdf

22. Rosenlund H et al,.Allergic disease and atopic sensitization inchildren in relation to measles vaccination and measles infection.Pediatrics. 2009 Mar: 123(3):771-8. www.pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/123/3/771.full.pdf+html

23. Bodner C, Anderson WJ, Reid TS, Godden DJ. Childhoodexposure to infection and risk of adult onset wheeze and atopy.Thorax. 2000 May: 55(5):383-7. www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1745751/pdf/v055p00383.pdf

24. Newson RB, Shaheen SO, Chinn S, Burney PG. Paracetamolsales and atopic disease in children and adults: an ecologicalanalysis. Eur Respir J. 2000 Nov: 16(5):817-23.www.erj.ersjournals.com/content/16/5/817.long

25. www.asthma.org.uk/news_media/media_resources/for_journalists_key.html

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•• case study

Just describe this again. Don’t worryif you’re repeating yourself.P: I’ve got to fill it. It’s like havinganother organ in the body. I need enoughenergy for the body and for the fibroids.

Say about sucking up your blood.P: The worse thing about fibroids isthat they are just something which isdoing nothing, growing and sapping myenergy.

Say more about doing nothing.P: It’s pressing on my arteries and I’mgetting recurrent bladder infections.The fibroids are pressing on absolutelyevery organ of my body so they’recausing damage. They’re pressing inevery direction and externally. I thoughtafter the myomectomy “OK it’s undercontrol” but then they just came back.

What are your periods like?P: Enormous blood clots: thick and dark.So I know the fibroids are not dead!They’re not sitting there doing nothing.They’re active! The worst thing is thepressure. I feel I need to make a hole inmy abdomen to release the pressure.

Her husband is with her and he says:“She is working very long hours andit’s a similar situation to before whenshe had Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.”

P: So I’m falling apart!

Say more about that.P: I am exhausted. And I feel depressed.

Can you describe yourself to me,please?P: I’m described as honest, energetic

P is a 45-year-old woman. Her chiefcomplaints are chronic phlebitis andrecurrent uterine myomas. She writeson her form:

A blood clot caused by fibroidspressing on the main artery and vein inmy leg has affected the valve in theveins in the right leg. A Doppler testlast year confirmed that the valve isnot working and therefore a reflux ofblood occurs. I need compressionstockings to contain the pain.

She says: “My leg’s been gettinggradually worse. The pain is constantand severe. It’s worse when I’mwalking, standing and when I get tired.I think that nothing can fix this.” Onexamination her greater saphenousvein is visibly swollen and inflamed.

Do you have any other problems?P: I have uterine fibroids. I have hadtwo embolisations but the fibroidsappear to be aggressive. They keepreturning. My abdomen feels bloatedand inflated.

After a period I feel like a balloon.There’s definitely a link with the leg.My leg is more painful around myperiod time. I had a myomectomy sixyears ago, but after one year thefibroids had returned just as badly.

How are they affecting you?P: My period is not painful but I’mhaving big clots. They were better for a few months after the myomectomy.During the period I eat more – I’mfeeding that part of the body.

Say more about “feeding that partof the body”.P: They are very aggressive … it allseems to be linked … I know I eat moreduring a period. I have to eat more.

Say more about having to eat more.P: I feel hungry. I need to havesomething to eat – it’s a feeling I needto feed. It’s like having a part of thebody you need to feed.

Say more about that.P: I compare the fibroids to aliens. Atthe end of the day a fibroid is made ofblood, it sucks up my energy. I need tofill it.

Say more about that.P: I need the food to eat.

Say more about aliens.P: A fibroid is just a ball of blood andmuscle. Those things suck up myblood and my energy.

The alien inDr Jonathan Hardy offers a case of a woman who feels she has a parasite inside her, draining her of blood and energy.

13

being hidden from me. The pace neverstops. You can’t have people sittingthere waiting for something to happenand doing nothing.

Say more about that.P: I have these people working underme and they are just not doing theirjob. It really stresses me. I cannotstand it when nothing is moving on,when these people are just sittingthere doing nothing.

Case analysis

See the comparison chart of animaland parasite themes overleaf.

Specific Hirudo symptoms:Mind: depressed, sad, sluggish.Abdomen: severe and painful

distensionExtremities: inflammation: blood

vessels. Thrombophlebitis

The most fascinating part of this caseis the correspondence between thepatient’s perception of her physicalcondition and the stress of work. Shetalks about the fibroids as if they areliving things, sucking her blood andenergy. Specifically, she says: “They’renot sitting there, doing nothing”. Thething that stresses her most at work isher staff “Sitting there, doing nothing”.So this must be the point of concord -ance in her case, the meeting point ofbody and mind and the disturbancewhich needs to be healed.

Prescription: Hirudo medicinalis 200c,one dose every two weeks. Hirudo is themedicinal leech. The remedy is madefrom a tincture of the animal.

Follow-up appointment at one month:P: I’ve been better. I’m not needing thestocking.

How’s your appetite?P: It’s slightly less.

Prescription: continue one dose everytwo weeks.

Follow-up appointment at ten weeks:P: My leg is fine. It’s not troubling me. My period was different. Muchless clotting. My appetite is muchbetter. I’m not craving food. Thediscomfort in my abdomen is muchless. I’m less bloated. Things seem to be going well.

Follow-up continues.

and helpful. I’m stubborn. If I know I’mright I’ll push it. I do speak my mind.I’ve been getting a lot of stress andpressure because of people not doingtheir work. I’m trying to make peopleunderstand their responsibilities.

Say more about that.P: I’m kind and helpful up to a certainpoint, but if people abuse it they’ll feelthe pain!

What is the biggest stress you haveat work at the moment?P: The problem is the work is meant tobe done by some people working underme and they have “slopey” shoulders– they’re not facing up to their responsi -bilities. Everything is hitting me in alldirections. (She does a hand gesture ofher hands coming towards herself.)

Say about the stress.P: I shout at them. Nothing happens ifI’m not involved.

What makes you good at your job?P: The job gets done. I’m always tryingto resolve the problems. I don’t just sitthere and do nothing. Inaction – I don’tlike inaction. I want things moving.

Say more about that.P: I want things to move on. I don’tlike things piling up. There’s real pacewith our current job and it’s very quick.

What would the opposite of this be?P: Everything at a standstill whennothing’s happening.

Say more about that.P: I probe more to find out what’s

side

Photo: A

lexey Fursov/ Shutterstock.com

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Hirudo medicinalis

The medicinal leech (Hirudo medicin -alis) is an animal which falls betweenbeing a parasite and a predator. Itdoes not kill its victim. And althoughit feeds from the victim’s body, it doesnot live in or on the victim as do trueparasites.

In medieval and early modernmedicine, the medicinal leech wasused to remove blood from a patientas part of a process to “balance thehumours”. The use of leeches beganto become less widespread towardsthe end of the 19th century butleeches are now making a comebackin conventional medicine, especiallyin microsurgery. They provide aneffective means to reduce bloodcoagulation, to relieve venouspressure from pooling blood (venousinsufficiency), and in reconstructivesurgery to stimulate circulation inreattachment operations for organswith critical blood flow, such aseyelids, fingers and ears.

Hirudo medicinalis has beenapproved by the United States Foodand Drug Administration as aprescript ion medical device. Otherclinical applications of medicinalleech therapy include varicose veins,muscle cramps, thrombophlebitisand osteoarthritis. The therapeuticeffect is not from the blood taken in the meal, but from the continuedand steady bleeding from the woundleft after the leech has detached, as well as the anesthetizing, anti-inflammatory and vasodilating proper -ties of the secreted leech saliva. Themost common complication fromleech treatment is prolonged bleeding,although allergic reactions andbacterial infections may also occur.

Other parasite remedies include:Pulex irritans (common flea); Cimex(bedbug); and Pediculus humanus(common louse).

There are a number of commonthemes in Parasite remedies:• Greedy, in eating and in life• Selfishness, ambition• Photophobia, averse to light, nightcreatures

• Uneven appetite – may eat rapidlyand avidly or not eat for days

• Cold – physically cold and coldemotionally

• Desire meat, raw steak, bloody food

Parasitic remedy characteristics inpatients:• Clinging or need to be intimatelyclose to another, attachment

• Putting their own needs first,indifferent to the needs of others

• Subverting the behaviour of anotherto their own needs

• Very demanding people• Wanting to “suck” from others• Materialistic – only satisfied bymaterial things

• Disgust• Problems with water: internally i.e.the urinary system, externally egdislike of swimming, andsymbolically i.e. emotionally

• Self-centred, only talk aboutthemselves

• Complaining

In some cases, as in this one, thepatient is not the one in the role ofparasite but perceives their state fromthe point of view of being parasitized.

Dr Jonathan HardyMA BM FFHom*

Uterine fibroids

Animal themes Parasite themes

They are aggressive Sitting there doing nothing

Aliens I have to feed them

Sucking my blood and energy Sucking up my blood

Hitting me in all directions Sucking up my energy

Sapping my energy

They’re not dead

GrowingPhoto: W

ikimedia

/ Hic et nunc

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15

First consultationIn mid-December, Micky suffered asevere colic attack, with muchflatulence and pain but no obviouscause. Initially he refused his breakfastand the colic developed a few hourslater. The owner had self-prescribedCarbo vegetabilis and Nux vomica 30c.The situation eased and by eveningMicky was eating again. He haddiarrhoea overnight and was thencompletely normal.

The same thing happened 10 dayslater and he was treated in the sameway. The owner reduced his foodslightly and because he had a tendencyto gobble it down, she had started todivide each meal into two courses.

Over Christmas and New Year therehad been further attacks. The owner,on her own initiative, started givingCarbo vegetabilis 30c once weekly inthe hope of preventing the problem.This was unsuccessful and similarattacks continued at between 10 and14 day intervals. During attacks theabdomen was hard and tender to the

touch. There was never any vomiting.The diarrhoea contained varying amountsof mucus but no blood. Micky wasunwilling to move during the attacksand lay stretched out on either side.Movement produced some arching ofthe back. Flatus was passed but morecould always be heard in the abdomen.Other than during the attacks he wasnot a “windy” dog. There was totalloss of interest in both food and water.Micky’s growth had been good andsteady in spite of the attacks, withsatisfactory weight gain.

Diet was a tinned organic commer -cial food, described as “a growth form -ulation” augmented with goat’s milk andvegetables as available. The appetitewas classed as “excellent” and histhirst as “normal”. He showed nointerest in any food other than his own.He would sometimes eat grass but the owner felt that this was essentiallyplayful, and there was no increasedtendency to eat it linked to the attacks.Other than linked to the colic his motionsappeared normal and laboratory examin -ation found no abnormality.

Micky had some fear of noise butcould be easily reassured. He apparent -ly enjoyed heat but “was never still longenough to get too hot”. He was happyto be outside in the cold, rain or wind. Heenjoyed fussing but was too energeticto remain still for long. At the time ofexamination there had been an attack

Micky, a five-month old Boxer, presentedwith repeated attacks of colic. The onlypup in his litter, he had been bought atsix weeks old. His owner was committedto homeopathy; hence he received noconventional vaccinations. He receiveda combined canine nosode 30c, twicedaily for five days at eight weeks, thenfour weekly doses from 12 weeks,followed by monthly doses until sixmonths of age. This regime was stillbeing followed at the time of the firstconsultation but there did not appear to be any time connection between the attacks and the administration ofthe nosode.

Routine checking at eight weeksfound no abnormalities. The only animalin the house, he was an extremelylively, friendly puppy, even for a boxer.He had been weaned at three weeksold and had received a proprietarywormer from the breeder. He wassubsequently given a prescriptionwormer at 12 weeks old, 48 hrs priorto the nosode. No ill-effects were seenand no worms produced.

Colic attack!Veterinary surgeon John Saxton presents a case of recurring canine colic.

Photo: Jana B

ehr/ Shutterstock.com

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three days previously but all appearednormal once more. There were noother health problems.

TreatmentThe owner was advised to withdrawgoat’s milk from the diet and move tothe food’s adult formulation and ceasethe routine use of Carbo Veg. Magphos 200c was supplied for acute use.

Another attack two weeks laterfollowed the usual pattern. Theaccompany ing diarrhoea was sent forlaboratory examination but, apart fromthe presence of mucus, was normal. Theprescription was changed to MorganBach 30c twice daily for four days.

There were two attacks after that:a mild one six days after completingthe remedy and a second moderateattack one week later. The acuteremedy was changed to Colchicum30c and the owner was requested tomake further enquires about theweaning process.

In the next month there were twoattacks of moderate intensity. The patternremained unchanged and Colchicumseemed not to accelerate recovery. It transpired that Micky’s mother hadproduced minimal milk and had beenunwilling to let him suckle. Micky hadbeen clearly unsatisfied, and hadimmediately been moved onto artificialfeeding. He had been introduced tosolids at three weeks of age andcompletely weaned by five weeks.

A prescription of Lac caninum 30c,twice daily for three days was given. A severe attack occurred after thesecond tablet so his owner had stoppedthe Lac caninum, giving only acuteremedies. The attack resolved as usual.

Micky was fine until a mild attack10 weeks later. The owner had givenone dose of the Lac caninum and all hadsettled. Another mild attack occurredafter four months and the Lac caninumwas repeated. After that there were no further problems.

ConclusionExperience shows that Lac remediesshould be considered wherever thereis a history of early weaning and/ornursing failure. Lac bovinum hasproved useful for mastitis problems in dairy herds where standardmanagement procedures involveseparation of mothers and calves 24 hrs after birth, the remedy beingused on both animals.

John SaxtonBVetMed MRCVS VetFFHom

Case taking with Dr Raymond SevarThe first consultation with this patienttook place in January 2001. E is anattractive 27-year-old lady with greeneyes, long dark brown hair, who has avivacious and open manner.

E: I have had allergies for the past twoyears. At my parents’ home there are alot of cats and dogs. Whenever I go tovisit I start sneezing as soon as I seethe cats and my nose blocks. I can’tbreathe and I’m wheezing and tired forthe next two weeks. I have had ablocked nose for two years and lately I have been worse when vacuuming – I wheeze. I have been having lots ofcolds and chest infections and had lotsof antibiotics and steroids which help abit but I am back to square one whenthey stop. My whole face feels blockedwith catarrh. I have stopped theinhalers as they don’t work.

Analysis point 1Isopathic treatment with cathair/dander may be useful at somestage in her management.

E: I have not been well since I went toNew York two years ago. I was reallyawfully ill with Salmonella. I had all thetests and I definitely had Salmonella. I was very ill for about four days then. I was so tired and just not well formany months and my allergies havebeen bad since then.

Analysis point 2She has never been well since Salmon -ella enteritis and the diagnosis ofSalmonella was confirmed by culturingSalmonella enteritides from her stoolsample. Therefore the indication forGaertner is clear and since the indicationfor Gaertner is so clear, then therelated remedies also become clear.

E: I work ridiculous hours – usually 11hours a day for almost two years. I have been a vegetarian for 14 yearsbecause I just became averse to eatingmeat. I have had an allergy to fish sinceI was five years old – I get a red rash all over. I have become allergic topenicillin these last two years. If a catsits on my legs I get a rash and myeyes stream with tears and I wheezefor two weeks. I am always chilly. Myfather says my house is far too hot. I sneeze with warm air heaters. Myenergy level feels only 50%, but I stillmanage a five mile run twice a week.

I was on the oral contraceptive pill forten years but have been off for a yearbecause I got a brown mask on myface. Before the Pill my menses werevery painful and I would faint from thepain, and I was very hot and groggy forthree days before and during thebleeding. I love eggs and milk andcheese and hate celery. I am alwaysthirsty. If I miss a meal I get incrediblyhungry and get a bit dizzy if I stand still.

Usually I am very bubbly and positiveand cheerful and open and friendly andenthusiastic. I am always out with myfriends and I love loud buzzing parties. But I get depressed every time I take a course of steroids and lately I havefelt like a crumbling tired shadow of my old self.

I am really scared of spiders andmice – if either of them was to runacross the floor I would just freak out,and I am absolutely terrified of fish,even dead fish floating in the sea.

Analysis point 3She communicates clearly and a pictureof Phosphorus emerges. She is vulner -able to suppression and may require atubercular nosode at some time.

TreatmentGaertner (Bach) 200c, one pill, threedoses 12 hours apart. Then two weekslater, Phosphorus 12c, one pill daily.

Consultation – March 2001E: I feel so much better in myself eventhough we are having an attic convertedand there is dust everywhere. I feel Ihave more energy and I am going to thegym again. There is less catarrh and itis looser and I feel less congested. Thisis the best I have felt in a long time.

I went to my parents’ house andthe cats didn’t really bother me much – I didn’t wheeze or gasp. I am stillworking the long hours but my energylevel is up to 90% and I’m now notfeeling finished from 4 pm. I don’t feelso chilly but it is spring. Before mymenses I had no symptoms. I was nothot or sleepy or faint and the bleedingwas OK. I am still thirsty.

I advise the patient to continue withPhosphorus 12c daily until she forgetsto take it. Then in July 2001 the patienttelephones me to cancel her review.

E: I am so well that I don’t need to seeyou. Everything is fine.

Dr Raymond SevarBSc MBChB DCH MRCGP FFHom*

17

•• research

Further work onnanoparticles

This paper presents an updatedevidence-based model for the natureand mode of action of homeopathicremedies.

Recent studies reveal thathomeopathic remedies containnanoparticles (NPs) of source materialsformed by “top-down” mechanicalgrinding in lactose and/or succussion(forceful agitation) in ethanol solutions.Silica nanostructures formed duringsuccussions in glass and/orbiosynthesized by specific plant extracttinctures also may acquire and conveyepitaxial information from remedysource materials into higher potencies.NPs have enhanced bioavailability,adsorptive capabilities, adjuvantreactivity, electromagnetic andquantum properties compared withtheir bulk forms. NPs induce adaptivechanges in the organism at non-toxicdoses (hormesis), serving as salient,low level danger signals to thebiological stress response network.Activation of stress response effectors,including heat shock proteins,inflammasomes, cytokines andneuroendocrine pathways, initiatebeneficial compensatory reactionsacross the interconnected networks ofthe organism as a complex adaptivesystem. Homeopathic remedies act bystimulating hormetic adaptive ratherthan conventional pharmacologicaleffects.

The authors conclude that updatingterminology from “homeopathy” to“adaptive network nanomedicine”would reflect the integration of thishistorical but controversial medicalsystem with modern scientific findings.

Bell IR, Schwartz GE. Adaptive networknanomedicine: an integrated model forhomeopathic medicine. Front Biosci (ScholEd) 2013; S5: 685–708.

This study was designed to evaluate theefficacy of Cinchona officinalis 30c andChelidonium majus 30c in combinationtherapy against lethal murine malaria. Fivegroups of 12 BALB/c mice each wereadministered orally with 0.2 ml/mouse/dayof different drugs, and their antimalarialpotential was evaluated by Peter’s 4-daytest. The combination of Chin. 30 andChel. 30 exhibited complete parasiteclearance by the 28th day post-inoculation,which was similar to the positive control[artesunate (4 mg/kg)+sulphadoxine-primethamine (1.2 mg/kg)] group. Boththe groups exhibited enhanced meansurvival time (MST) 28±0 days, whereasmice of the infected control groupsurvived up to 7.6±0.4 days only. Thepreventive and curative activities of thecombination in comparison to thepositive controls [pyrimethamine (1.2mg/kg) and chloroquine (20 mg/kg),respectively] were also evaluated. Thecombination had a significant preventive

activity (p<0.0005), with 89.2% chemo-suppression which was higher than thestandard drug, pyrimethamine (83.8%). Italso showed a moderate curative activity,with complete clearance of parasite in50% of surviving mice, and enhancingthe MST of mice up to 26.8±2.8 days.The authors conclude that the combinat -ion of Chin. 30c and Chel. 30c hasefficacy against Plasmodium berghei.

Rajan A, Bagai U. Antimalarial potential ofChina 30 and Chelidonium 30 in combinationtherapy against lethal rodent malariaparasite: Plasmodium berghei. JComplement Integr Med 2013; 10: 1–8.

Our systematic review and meta-analysis of placebo-controlled trials ofindividualised homeopathic treatment is proceeding well. The synthesis ofresults is being carried out according to the study protocol published in theBHA website’s Research section (Our systematic review programme). Thecorresponding review and analysis of clinical trials in veterinary homeopathy is also well underway. Our work on model validity of homeopathy trials waspresented recently at the International Congress for Complementary MedicineResearch in London and at the Homeopathic Research Institute’s conference in Barcelona.

Robert Mathie, Research Development Adviser, British Homeopathic Association

BHA research

Antimalarial potential of China 30c andChelidonium 30c

•• research update

From the journals

Cinchona officinalis

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Chelidonium majus

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/ H. Zell

18

•• events

•• examinations calendar 2013

Members-only area

Valuable new information is now available in the Members’ area of the Faculty website.

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EXAM EXAM DATE VENUE CLOSING DATE FOR APPLICATIONS

MEMBERSHIP EXAM – OPEN TO NURSES AND DOCTORS WHO HAVE PASSED THE PHCE

MFHom / MFHom (Nurse) TBA TBA 20 September 2013

SPECIALIST REGISTRATION – OPEN TO DOCTORS WHO HAVE GAINED THE MFHom

Assessment 11 October 2013 Glasgow 9 August 2013

Assessment 18 October 2013 Luton 16 August 2013

DENTAL MEMBERSHIP EXAM

MFHom (Dent) 13 September 2013 Luton 12 July 2013

•• case studies

19

•• events

•• what’s on

International Conference onHomeopathy in Agriculture– II ICHA 2013Event Date: 07/09/2013 – 08/09/2013The 2nd International Conference onHomeopathy in Agriculture (II ICH 2013) willbe held at the State University of Maringá(UEM), Maringá – PR, Brazil. Over the twodays, leading researchers in the field ofhomeopathy for agriculture will discuss thelatest developments in homeopathic sciencein both its scientific and practical aspects.• Contact: Professor Carlos Moacir Bonato(Conference Coordinator)Biology Department (DBI)State University of Maringá – UEMAv. Colombo, 5790Contact phone: +554430115290 or +554430113789Event e-mail: 2013icha@gmail.comFor more details visit:www.homeopatiavegetal.com.br/ii-icha-2013/en/invitation

Materia Medica of the futureEvent Date: 28/09/2013 – 05/10/2013This is the first part of our lecture series of a new Materia Medica Pura course, which isplanned to run for several years!This year’s course week will take place inNiendorf/Timmendorfer Strand at the BalticSea, Germany. A new course project with Dr André Saine.• For more information visit:www.facultyofhomeopathy.org/events/data/materia_medica_of.html

Complementary therapies in dentalpracticeEvent Date: 04/10/2013What does the future hold? (B Teall, PWander, PDarby), Practical uses of cellularmedicine in general health and dentistry (RWilson), Basic Homeopathy for beginners (KHajikakou), Classic Homeopathy (S Farrer),Experiences in Holistic Dental Practice (D Sutcliffe), Acupuncture (T Thayer),

Hypnosis (V Walters), Traditional ChineseMedicine for dentists and their patients (L Hua)

• Venue: British Orthodontic Society12 Bridewell Place, London EC4V 6AP

Cost £95 Hygienist / £125 DentistReserve your place by email:catherinedomanski@positivecomm.com

The Canadian Homeopathic Conference2013 (3rd annual event)Dynamic HarmonyEvent Date: 18-20 October 2013Venue: Crowne Plaza Toronto Airport Hotel,Toronto, CanadaFor more information visitwww.chconference.ca

Gifts of the Mother: the matridonalremediesEvent Date: 19/10/2013 from 9:30am to 5:00pmThe seminar will study the themes of thematridonal group, the provings of theindividual remedies and will feature a numberof cured cases on video.Speaker: Dr Jonathan Hardy Venue: The Unitarian Cross Street ChapelCross Street, Manchester M2 1NLThe seminar is open to medical and non-medical homeopaths of all levels. 6 CPDhours. Price: £60.00 (refreshments included)

• For more information or to book a place,please contact: Dr Eftihia Metallidou on0161 4747301 weekdays 12-4.00pm oremail at: eftmet@gmail.com

69th Congress of Liga MedicorumHomoeopathic InternationalisEvent Date: 16-19/07/2014Homeopathy on the move: strategies,healing, simillimum, simile.Venue: Palais des Congres – Paris, France.

• For more information visit:www.lmhi2014.org

Regular meetingsW Surrey & W Sussex Homeopathic Group20/08/2013; 17/09/2013; 15/10/2013 and 19/11/2013 – Event Time: 20:00 until 22:00Members include doctors, vets, dentists and pharmacists. The aim of the group is to actas a forum for ongoing learning and support, covering all aspects of homeopathy andmedical practice.The Punch Bowl, Oakwood Hill, nr Ockley, Surrey RH5 5PU.• Charles Forsyth on 01737 226338 (office), 01737 248605 (home), 07802 293006 (mobile)or charles@dr-forsyth.com

Leeds Homeopathic GroupRegular meetings in the Ramada Jarvis Hotel, Adel, north Leeds.• Jutta Prekow on 0113 203 7329 or at jutta.prekow@bradford.nhs.uk

Manchester-Liverpool Homeopathic GroupMeetings for discussing homeopathic cases and other matters relevant to homeopathy.Open to doctors, vets, nurses, pharmacists of all levels. Location varies, so contact in advance for details:

• Dr Eftihia Metallidou on 0161 4747301 weekdays 12-4.00pm or email: eftmet@gmail.com

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l Sara Eames, President:sara.eames@uclh.nhs.uk

l Liz Thompson, Vice-President:Elizabeth.Thompson@ubht.swest.nhs.uk

l Christopher Day, Veterinary Dean:cd@alternativevet.org

l Patricia Donnachie, Nursing Dean:patriciadonnachie@blueyonder.co.uk

l Jonathan Hardy, Independent PracticeRepresentative:drjonathanhardy@havant-homeopathic.co.uk

l Lee Kayne, Pharmacy Dean:lee.kayne@nhs.net

l Tariq Khan, Podiatry Dean: tariq.khan@uclh.nhs.uk

l Russell Malcolm, Dean:russellmalcolm@hotmail.co.uk

l Patricia Ridsdale, Members’ Committee Convener:trish@lastmango.co.uk

l Helmut Roniger, NHS Secondary CareRepresentative:helmut.roniger@uclh.nhs.uk

l John Saxton, Immediate Past-President: john.saxton@talk21.com

l Ralf Schmalhorst, NHS Primary CareRepresentative:londonralf@aol.com

l Jane Greenwood, Promotions Convener:holisticfoothealth@gmail.com

l Andrea Wiessner, Treasurer:andrea.wiessner@uclh.nhs.uk

l Cristal Sumner – Chief Executive:csumner@facultyofhomeopathy.org01582 408674

l John Burry – Communications Officer:jburry@facultyofhomeopathy.org01582 408682

l Robert Mathie – Research Development Adviser:rmathie@facultyofhomeopathy.org01582 408683

l Nilesh Mulji – Financial Controller (part-time):nmulji@facultyofhomeopathy.org01582 408678

l Tracey Rignall – Membership Officer:trignall@facultyofhomeopathy.org01582 408681

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