the faculty of homeopathy newsletter april 2010 … · the faculty of homeopathy newsletter april...
TRANSCRIPT
IN THIS ISSUE:News 1-4
Research update 6International focus 8-9Case studies 10-15
Events 17-19
s m leThe Faculty of Homeopathy Newsletter April 2010
The Faculty of Homeopathy, along withthe British Homeopathic Associationhas responded in detail to therecommendations in the recentlypublished House of Commons Scienceand Technology Report which calls forthe withdrawal of NHS funding forhomeopathy.
The two organisations are currentlyformalising a complaint to Parliamentand have approached key MPsincluding Secretary of State for HealthAndy Burnham (pictured). They willargue that the Department of Healthwhich is responding on behalf ofgovernment should note that theReport was flawed and that there isresearch evidence that demonstrateshomeopathy to be effective.
The BHA and the Faculty will pointout that it is unfair and undemocraticfor the Science and TechnologyCommittee to put forwardrecommendations that misrepresentedscientific evidence to the detriment of homeopathy especially as Phil Wills,chair of the committee, went on recordlast year to say that the review was not an investigation into whetherhomeopathy worked or not. But in the recent report he did the exact
opposite by restricting the investigationto the narrow remit of RandomisedControlled Trials.
Cristal Sumner, chief executive ofFaculty of Homeopathy, said: “Thecommittee did not entertain evidenceof effectiveness, which is actually whatpatients care most about. Patientreported outcome studies from NHShospitals have been positive towardshomeopathy. In a study of 6,500patients at Bristol HomeopathicHospital more than 70% recordedclinical improvement followinghomeopathic treatment.”
She added: “One might think fromthe recommendations that everythingin medicine has solid evidence besideshomeopathy. However, according tothe British Medical Journal, only 40%of conventional treatments areevidence based and 12% arepotentially harmful. In actualityhomeopathy has a firmer base ofevidence than other interventions andcosts very little.”
The BHA and Faculty will be alsoquestioning the government onwhether it is fair for a minority of MPSto make a decision that will impact thehealth and welfare of thousands ofpatients. Only four out of 14 membersof the Select Committee were involved
in the report, one of whom dissentedon the recommendations was IanStewart. In addition, of the three thatvoted in favour one is long termdetractor Evan Harris and another MPwas brought on to the committee inJanuary after the hearings.
Sara Eames, President of theFaculty of Homeopathy, said theFaculty and the British HomeopathicAssociation would continue to fight toretain NHS funding of homeopathy andfor funding for more research to beconducted in this area of medicalintervention. “I understand the NHShas to look at how it spends itsresources. By treating the patients wesee –with half a dozen conditions andlist of investigations and drugs as longas your arm – we probably save theNHS money.”
The European Committee forHomeopathy concurred with the BHAand the Faculty that the conclusionsand the recommendations of theScience and Technology Committeewere completely unfounded and notreflective of current EU or globalpractice. It said: “We fully endorse therobust and comprehensive response bythe British Homeopathic Association.”
For more log onto:www.facultyofhomeopathy.org
Photo: istockphoto.com
/Chris Schmidt
Flawed report misrepresents homeopathy
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•• editorial
The Faculty of HomeopathyNewsletter
The scientific community’s continuedreliance on randomised clinical trials asthe gold standard for evidence-basedmedicine (not only for complementarymedicine but also inappropriately forcertain interventions used in orthodoxmedicine) is most unsatisfactory. Therobust nature of the Faculty and BHAresponse to the flawed conclusions isto be applauded. We provide guidanceon how you can support the fight (seepage 5). As might be expected therehas been a flurry of media interestmostly negative – even the RoyalPharmaceutical Society got in on theact. However, I did catch sight of amore supportive article in Bellamagazine. I should make it clear thatthis was a chance encounter in thedental surgery waiting room – I do notread this publication on a regular basis.
It is pleasing to see the researchsuccesses (see page 3). The VeterinaryRecord has published the Facultyfindings of an equine data collectionstudy Encouraging results also fromSao Paulo on the treatment of mild to moderate depression withindividualised LM (Q) potencies. As well as the positive therapeuticoutcome, the study illustrated themethodological feasibility of carryingout randomised controlled double-blindtrials of homeopathy in depression,
One of my second year under -graduate students told me last week. ‘I don’t understand this opposition tohomeopathy. If patients say it helpsthem, why should it not be madeavailable?’ I was at a bit of a loss toanswer a question that some of myorthodox colleagues might consider to be naïve and based on a lack ofknowledge of the principles of socialmedicine. I found it refreshingly honest!The student was relieved to hear that the debate was not about whetherhomeopathy should be banned in theUK, but about whether it shouldcontinue to be available under theNational Health Service. I have heardothers express this misconception.I explained that in some areas it wasalive and kicking – in Scotland forexample, the Government hasreaffirmed its support for homeopathy.
There are potentially other modelsfor the supply of homeopathic services;for example some existing NHS
services (including dental and optical)are fully or partly funded by the patient.Could this offer a way forward forhomeopathy? If one wants to upgradewalking aids or spectacles, onecontributes. There is already a chargeper item for homeopathic and othermedicines supplied on prescription inEngland and, for a little while longer,Scotland, although many people qualifyfor exemption. I can already hear someof you reaching for your keyboard totake issue with this suggestion! Ourletter pages await your contribution.And while you are in the writing mode,we could do with some more casestudies.
I thought the Faculty AGM was wellattended this year. Colleagues seemedto like the venue. In the RichardHughes Memorial Lecture, ECHPresident Dr Ton Nicolai suggested thathomeopathy could profit by ‘jumping onthe bandwagon of CAM and IntegrativeMedicine.’ and concluded that althoughhomeopathy was still scientificallycontroversial, its future was ‘bright’(see report on pages 7 and 12). I amsure that is true, although for a varietyof reasons the situation here is ratherdifferent to that in the rest of Europe.There is no doubt in my mind that toprogress further the homeopathiccommunity needs statutory recognitionand we should continue to worktowards this goal.
The recently published WHOdocument entitled ‘Safety issues in thepreparation of homeopathic medicines’has been a long time in the making.Interestingly, WHO considershomeopathy to be Traditional Medicineand has produced the document insupport of a resolution adopted in 2009.This urged Member States to“formulate national policies, regulationsand standards, as part ofcomprehensive national healthsystems, to promote appropriate, safeand effective use of traditionalmedicine”. This resolution would alsoseem to be relevant to the argumentabout the availability of homeopathyunder the UK NHS discussed above.
Our international feature focuses onRussia (see pages 8 and 9). I wasfascinated to learn that thedisintegration of the Soviet Unionstimulated the development of
We lead this issue on the House of CommonsScience and Technology Report that calls for the withdrawal of NHS funding forhomeopathy. s m le
Editor: Steven Kayne
Assistant Editor: Keren Sall
Faculty of HomeopathyHahnemann House29 Park Street WestLuton LU1 3BE
Tel: 01582 408680
Fax: 01582 723032
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.facultyofhomeopathy.org
All the material in this publication iscopyright and may not be reproducedwithout permission. The publishers donot necessarily identify with or holdthemselves responsible for contributors’,correspondents’ or advertisers’ opinions.
Design: Wildcat [email protected]: Burlington Press, Cambridge
homeopathy. Reading Valeri’s articlereminded me of attending a conferencein Moscow in the early 90s – my fellowpresenters included JacquesBennveniste who was still involved inthe major international controversyfollowing publication of his paper inNature. This described the action ofvery high dilutions of anti-IgE antibodyon the degranulation of humanbasophils, findings that appeared toprovide a mechanism for homeopathy.On one memorable night he and I,together with some Russian malecolleagues, ended up in a sauna in themiddle of a forest drinking non-homeopathic amounts of vodka andwhisky. It is probably advisable not topursue this account any further in orderto preserve any professional credibilitythat I may still enjoy.
Steven [email protected]
•• news
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The practice of homeopathyhas come under fiercescrutiny in the past year asnever before and left somepractitioners feeling undersiege and even a bitdespondent about the future.All is not lost and there ismuch to take pride in and behopeful about. This year’sCongress will be a focal pointfor the community and willshow that while homeopathyfaces unique challengesthere are equally greatopportunities.
Aptly entitled ‘ChangingPerceptions: an integrativeapproach to serious illness’this year’s BritishHomeopathic Congressshould not be missed. It takesplace from 11-14 November inthe historic city of Cambridge.Several distinguishedspeakers are included in thisyear’s programme.
They include Dr RaymondSevar, the dean of the Faculty,who will present a case reporton Squamous carcinomabronchus and how a 58 yearold female benefited from the integrative approachwhich incorporatedhomeopathy into the overalltreatment package.
Dr David Reilly willexamine the gap betweenthose calling for evidence-based care and those taking a more holistic andintegrative approach. He will explore this topic and ask what opportunities andchallenges this brings to thehomeopathic community.
A study of thePapavaraceae (poppy family)will be given by trio Drs JulieGeraghty, Jonathan Hardyand Trevor Thompson. Theywill illustrate how the miasmof the remedy influences itspicture and the way in whichthe patient experiences thethemes and sensationsdifferently according to their miasmatic state. Thepresentation will cover cases,as well as other remedies in the group.
Dr Jeremy Swayne willdiscuss how he believes thehomeopathy community canearn greater interest andrespect from the medical andscientific community, and asa result increased acceptanceof its therapeutic importance.
Speakers from across all disciplines will discussfrontline experiences ofhomeopathy. Presentationswill be given by JaneGreenwood, Lee Kayne andJohn Saxton.
Dutch homeopathy author Frans Vermuelen and American homeopathLinda Johnston will present a paper entitled “Plantfamilies and their use toimprove homeopathicprescribing”.
The Congress will not just be an educationalgathering, it is an idealopportunity for networkingand exchanging ideas withlike-minded individuals.
On the Friday night delegates can punt on theriver with mulled wine andthen take part in a UniversityChallenge Question quiz atHomerton College. On theSaturday night there will be a Gala dinner followed by music from the EmeraldThieves Band.
To register please call theFaculty of Homeopathy on+44 (0) 1582 408680, [email protected] download the form fromthe Faculty website www.facultyofhomeopathy.org
A Congress like no other to unite us in challenging times
The World Health Organizationhas just published “Safetyissues in the preparation ofhomeopathic medicines”.
The technical documentwas produced as a responseto requests andrecommendations made byrelevant World HealthAssembly resolutions, byMember States, as well asinternational conferences ofdrug regulatory authorities,and is a part of theimplementation of the WHOTraditional Medicine Strategyand the WHO MedicinesStrategy.
WHO states thathomeopathy is usedworldwide, but that thenational regulatoryframework and the place ofhomeopathy within thehealth care system differ
from country to country. Thedocument aims to provideguidance to Member Stateson technical aspects of theproduction and manufactureof homeopathic medicinesthat potentially haveimplications for their safety.It states that this is ofrelevance for establishingnational quality standards and specifications forhomeopathic medicines, aswell as for controlling theirquality. The document doesnot address issues of efficacyor clinical utilization.
Financial support for thedevelopment and publicationof the document was providedby the Regional Governmentof Lombardy. Around 400reviewers from more than105 countries and nationalregulatory authorities in over
101 countries contributedtheir input to the report,including Steven Kayne.
The document can be downloaded from the WHO website. www.who.int/medicines/areas/traditional/prephomeopathic/en/index.html
Photo: Faculty Library
WHO releases – Safety issues in the preparation of homeopathic medicines
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•• news
Fancy yourself a bitof a photographer?
Do you like to take pictures of:
Plants? People?Objects?
Would you like to win a prize for your talent and at the same time help us promote homeopathy?The Faculty, Society of Homeopaths and Nelsons are looking for digital photos for promotional use as we have a
shortage of new and original photos for leaflets, magazines and other important promotional needs.Nelsons has kindly agreed to provide prizes for the best photos in three categories:
Photography contestover £750 worth of prizes!
• Patients and practitioners(patients, practitioners, students,the consultation room)
• Original remedy sources(animal, mineral, plant)
• The remedy making process(pills, bottles etc)
Overall prize: The overall prize is a £130 Nelsons Homeopathic Pharmacy voucher.Prizes for each category:
1st prize is an £80 Nelsons Homeopathic Pharmacy voucher, 2nd prize is a £50 Nelsons HomeopathicPharmacy voucher and 3rd is a £30 Nelsons Homeopathic Pharmacy voucher
Runners up: There are also six goody bags of health and beauty products, worth £26, available for the runners upPlease note that for regulatory reasons Nelsons are not able to redeem vouchers against medicinal products
The deadline for the contest will be 30 June 2010. If you would like to find out more, go to the members only part of the website today to get details and the entry form.
Alternatively contact Lisa at [email protected]
THE PRIZES
A recent study has shownhomeopathy to be effective intreating childhood eczema.
Using a comparative, non-randomised, multi-centre, studydesign, it examined the effective-ness, safety and costs of homeo-pathic versus conventional treat-ment of childhood eczema in usualcare. 135 children (homeopathy n= 48 vs. conventional n = 87) withmild to moderate atopic eczemawere included.
The primary outcome was the SCORAD (Scoring AtopicDermatitis) at six months. Further outcomes at monthsand 12 months included quality of life of parents andchildren, use of conventional medicine, treatment safety
and disease-related costs. The adjusted mean SCORADshowed no significant differences between the groups atboth 6 months (homeopathy 22.4 vs. conventional 18.2; p = 0.290) and 12 months (17.4 vs. 17.2; p = 0.974).Adjusted costs were higher in the homeopathic than in the conventional group: for the first 6 months 935 eurosvs. 514 euros (p = 0.026), and for 12 months 1,524 eurosvs. 721 euros (p = 0.001).
Quality of life was not significantly different betweenthe groups. The authors conclude, “homeopathictreatment was not superior to conventional treatment forchildren with mild to moderate atopic eczema”. Nor washomeopathy inferior to conventional medication.
Reference:Witt CM, Brinkhaus B, Pach D, et al. Homoeopathic versusconventional therapy for atopic eczema in children: medical andeconomic results. Dermatology 2009; 219: 329–340.
Homeopathy may be equivalent to conventional medicine in childhood eczema
The fight goes on…
Accusing homeopathy professionalsof deceiving their patients byprescribing homeopathic medicines is not a clever move especially whenthose professionals have spent yearsqualifying to provide conventionalmedical treatment, as well ashomeopathy.
Homepathy sceptics care littleabout this. What they are proposing isno more than a paternalistic approachto healthcare patients offering onlyone choice – conventional medicine.This is what the recent reportpublished by the Science andTechnology Committee intends to do.It recommends that the governmentcease NHS funding of homeopathyand that further research is notneeded. Additionally it concludes thatthe Medical and HealthcareRegulatory Agency (MHRA) should nolonger license homeopathic medicine.
Naturally, the report put homeopathyunder the media spotlight. Nationalmedia – TV, radio and print all hadsomething to say about the Scienceand Technology Report. However,while some coverage was balanced,other reports inaccurately stated that a decision had already been made tocease NHS funding of homeopathy.This in fact is not true. No decisionhas been taken by the governmentand in fact the Department of Healthsaid the Government welcomed thepublication of the report and will give it,and any recommendations made, fullconsideration over the coming weeks.A spokesman for the Department said:“we would reiterate that weappreciate the strength of feeling bothfor and against the provision ofhomeopathy on the National HealthService. Our view is that the localNHS and clinicians, rather thanWhitehall, are best placed to makedecisions on what treatment isappropriate for their patients – this
includes complementary or alternativetreatments such as homeopathy.”
Media reports also omitted tomention none of the members of thecommittee have any expertise orunderstanding of homeopathy. Itseemed blatantly to be biased againstthis branch of medicine. Evan Harris,despite being a medical doctor, seemsto have complete disregard for anyevidence in favour of homeopathy. He has stridently campaigned againsthomeopathy and continued to do soeven in the period between thehearings and the publication of thereport. Graham Stringer is an analyticchemist. Brian Iddon, professor ofchemistry, and Tim Boswell a farmer.
It must also be pointed out thatthe chair of the Science andTechnology Committee was PhilWillis, a former history teacher who,has gone as far as urging Primary CareTrusts to abandon NHS funding ofhomeopathy and offering them help to do this.
Willis seemed to have forgottenthe pains he had gone to last year toduring oral testimony to say that theevidence check was not to be aninvestigation into whether homeopathyworked or not. He has done preciselythe opposite. He chaired a committeewhich restricted the investigation tothe narrowest of remits and boundedto illogical conclusions, one of whichis there is no evidence that homeopathy
is more than a placebo. Finally it must be noted that Ian
Stewart’s call for an amendment notto ratify the report as it stood but tocall upon government to fund arigorous research programme intohomeopathy was not passed. So thereport was ratified by just three MPs,Harris, Cawsey and Naysmith, as Tim Boswell chose to abstain.
The report ignores large areas ofevidence which were mentioned inwritten submissions and oral evidencesuch as systematic reviews and meta-analyses of randomised controlledtrials of homeopathy for specificconditions and group of conditions, as well as systematic reviews ofbiological models of homeopathicresponses.
With the general election on thecards soon, now is the time for you toget involved.• Ask your MP to sign EDM 908. Justlog onto the Faculty website to dothis in a few clicks.
• Invite patients to spread thismessage by talking to the mediaabout their case.
• Write to your MP or candidatevoicing your concern and asking fortheir position on this election issue.
• If you are a BMA member you canexert pressure to ensure thathomeopathy is portrayed fairly andaccurately within medicine.
•• comment
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Media coverage
• Charlotte Mendes de Costa appeared on Sky News andwas also filmed with homeopathy sceptic DavidColquhoun on BBC News 24.
• Sara Eames featured on all TV channels.
• Brian Kaplan appeared on Radio Live 5 and Sky Evening News.
• Cristal Sumner was on Three Counties Radio andquoted in the broad sheets.
Comparing numbers
• Annual NHS budget – £100 billion • Annual bill for homeopathy – approximately£4 million
• Annual bill for management consultants– £300 million
• Annual bill for NHS drugs – £11 billion• Annual bill for inpatients with adverse reactionsto drugs – £446 millionReference: www.britishhomeopathic.org
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•• news
•• research update
unproven”. In the text ofreview, the authorsquestioned the biologicalplausibility of homeopathyand thus, by extension, theimplications of associatedresearch evidence that ispositive.
Nevertheless, they alsocommended the researchmethods of one of the RCTs,which found an importantdifference in EEG patterns inpatients who received ahomeopathic remedycompared with those whoreceived a placebo pill. Theneed for more work in thisarea is obvious.
Reference:Perry R, Terry R, Ernst E. Asystematic review of homoeopathyfor the treatment of fibromyalgia.Clin Rheumatol 2010; Jan 23[Epub ahead of print].
Review concludes homeopathy forfibromyalgia “remains unproven”This paper by Exeter Universityis a critical evaluation ofpublished randomisedcontrolled trials (RCTs) ofhomeopathy as a treatmentfor fibromyalgia.
The literature searchidentified 4 RCTs, whichincluded 2 feasibility studies.Three studies were placebo-controlled; the fourth studycompared the homeopathicpackage of care with usualcare. Invariably, the RCTresults suggested thathomeopathy was better thanthe control intervention inalleviating the symptoms of fibromyalgia.
None of the RCTs wasfound to be without seriousflaws, and so the reviewconcluded, “the effectivenessof homoepathy as asymptomatic treatment forfibromyalgia remains
Faculty research
Clinical data collection in homeopathicveterinary medicine published
The Faculty findings ofequine data collection studywere published on 20February in The VeterinaryRecord. It is the second timein less than 12 months thatthe Faculty has succeededin publishing its work in thisprestigious veterinaryjournal. A paper reportingthe data from cats and dogshas been submitted to a
different journal, and the Faculty is currently awaiting theassessments of the peer-reviewers.
Clinical data collection in homeopathicpodiatry and dentistryThe Faculty is continuing the analysis and interpretation of results from the data collection survey in periodontalhomeopathy. The ongoing project in homeopathicpodiatry remains on schedule for completion at the endof June this year.
Homeopathy as effective as Prozac in treatment of depressionA study by the University ofSao Paulo has shown thathomeopathy is as effectiveas fluoxetine in treatingsufferers of moderate tosevere depression.
The Brazilian researchproject investigated the non-inferiority and tolerability ofindividualised homeopathicmedicines (Q-potencies) inacute depression, usingfluoxetine as active control.
91 outpatients withmoderate to severedepression were assigned to receive an individualisedhomeopathic medicine orfluoxetine 20 mg per day in a randomised, double-blind,single-centre trial.
The primary efficacymeasure was the analysis of the mean change in theMontgomery & AsbergDepression Rating Scale(MADRS) scores. Mean
MADRS scores differenceswere not significant at the4th and 8th weeks oftreatment.
Non-inferiority ofhomeopathy was indicated
because the upper limit ofthe confidence interval (CI)for mean difference inMADRS change was lessthan the non-inferioritymargin: mean differences
(homeopathy-fluoxetine)were 3.04 (95% CI -6.95,0.86) and -2.4 (95% CI -6.05,0.77) at the 4th and 8th week respectively. Therewere no significantdifferences between the side effects rates, although a higher percentage ofpatients treated withfluoxetine reportedtroublesome side effects.
This study indicates thatindividualised homeopathicQ-potencies are not inferior tofluoxetine in acute treatmentof outpatients with moderateto severe depression.
Reference:Adler UC, Paiva NM, Cesar AT, et al. Homeopathic individualizedQ-potencies versus fluoxetine formoderate to severe depression:double-blind, randomized non-inferiority trial. Evid BasedComplement Alternat Med 2009;Aug 17 [Epub ahead of print].
Photo: gettyim
ages.com
Photo: photos.com
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•• case studies•• news•• events
It was an inspired choice to ask Dr TonNicolai to give this year’s AGM lecture.As the president of the EuropeanCommittee for Homeopathy he has aninternational perspective and offered asurprisingly optimistic outlook in histalk provocatively titled: Is there afuture for Homeopathy?
There have been two dominanttraditions in western medical historysince Hippocrates: The EmpiricalSchool that relies on accumulatedexperience of empirical physicianswhile the Rationalist School usesformal logic and analysis as a source of knowledge.
The two schoolsEmpiricists see the organism as anadaptable, flexible, living system in adynamic equilibrium; disease asdisturbed life process with a failure inthe individual’s natural restorativepower and causes of disease asmultiple, interacting causes, conditionsand correspondences. The holisticunderstanding of the individual isessential to suggest therapies whichpromote health and resilience.
Rationalists separate the mind froma body which is a complex machinethat functions as a result ofphysiological laws. Disease is like ageneric entity, extraneous to thephysiology of the organism and needsto be defeated; the individual as awhole is largely ignored.
Rationalists like Robert Koch andLouise Pasteur put the emphasis oneradication of disease causing micro-organisms. Empiricists like ClaudeBernard saw disease only taking hold if the terrain is ready to receive it. Max Josef von Pettenkofer drank alarge amount of a culture from a fatalcase of cholera without falling ill toprove this point.
Dominant rationalism viewThe dominant rationalistic view hasproduced an arsenal of drugs which arelargely eradicating alien pathogenicbacteria and other microbes orinterfering with pathophysiological
processes to suppress diseasesymptoms. This was very successful inshort term acute diseases. Potentiallyharmful long term effects of thesetherapies on the individual were largelyignored. The WHO recognises“medicine morbidity” as one of themajor health problems. Up to 200,000Europeans die of drug adverse effectsin hospitals every year. More and more
prescription drugs are withdrawn fromthe market because of adverse effects.While antibiotic resistance is rising,pharmaceutical companies lose interestto a rather small, specialised andtherefore unprofitable antibiotic market;the rising awareness of the limitationsof drug therapy and its potential longterm harmful effects have driven upthe development costs to astronomicallevels. The hype for human genetherapy has cost billions of researchdollars without any significanttherapeutic development so far.
Chronic diseases on the upThe prevalence of chronic diseases hasdoubled between 1985 and 2005 whilethe proportion of patients with four ormore chronic diseases increased by300% in this period! The Rationalisticview seems poorly equipped to dealwith these challenges. The healthcaresystem is dysfunctional with spiraling
costs and too much emphasis onscience and technology whiledevaluating the doctor patientencounter. There is a growingawareness that this is not sustainableand more emphasis needs to go toprevention. The focus needs to shift tobetter understand why some peopleare more resilient and suffer less inspite of all the endemic pathogens.
Aaron Antonovsky coined the term“salutogenesis” and focused onpeople’s resources and capacity tocreate health. This concept isincreasingly gaining a more centralposition in public health.
Complexity science, system biologyand psychoneuro-immunology areemerging more holistic trends inscience which seem better equipped tounderstand chronic diseases.
The soaring popularity of Comple -mentary and Alternative Medicine(CAM) is a historically specific andunprecedented social phenomenon!Professor David Eisenberg’s two USsurveys exposed a very significant useof CAM by the public which shockedthe medical community andgovernment agencies. It concluded thatfederal agencies, private corporations,foundations, and academic institutionsshould adopt a more proactive postureconcerning CAM in 1998! In Europe up
The Richard Hughes Memorial Lecture:Is there a future for Homeopathy?Dr Ton Nicolai, President of the European Committee for Homeopathy
REPORT:
CONTINUED ON PAGE 12 >
Photo: R
oger Neville S
mith
Faculty members discuss the day’s proceedings at the AGM reception at the Royal College of Physicians
•• news
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old! It started at the beginning of the90s rather rapidly. Many trainingcourses in homeopathy sprang up; ahomeopathic pharmacy opened andattacks on homeopathy from themedical establishment stopped. In1995 a special order was issued by theMinistry of Health that gavehomeopathy rights comparable withthe official medicine. Doctors whograduated from the therapeutic,paediatric or stomatologicaldepartments of medical schools wereallowed to practice homeopathy afterhaving taken the basic training coursesin homeopathy (216 hours of training)and having got the standard statecertificate. Such doctors gained theright to license their practice ashomeopathic doctors after they hadsubmitted to the License Commissiontheir certificate of a specialist in theirmain medical specialty (therapy,surgery, neurology, etc.). It was a great
In the last 10-15 years we have seenthe growth of interest in homeopathyand complementary medicine all overthe world. This pattern has also beenobserved in Russia. Public opinion pollsin 2004 in the four big cities of thecountry (Moscow, St. Petersburg,Nizhni Novgorod and Rostov-on-theDon) showed that about half of theinterviewees believe in theeffectiveness of homeopathy. Around46% of the interviewees said theybelieved in the therapeutic effect ofacupuncture, 45.6% – of manualtherapy and 43.6% – of homeopathy.
Reasons for the growing popularityof alternative therapeutic methods inour country are the same as the worldover. These include availability,effectiveness, cheapness, as well asthe safety record of complementarymedicine. When some years ago I familiarised myself with the givenresults of the poll I was very much
surprised. The thing is that in contrastto homeopathy, acupuncture andmanual therapy have been used in ourcountry for a rather long time and tens of thousands of specialists havebeened trained. The situation withhomeopathy is quite different.
Homeopathy has been known inRussia for a long time – about twocenturies. It always had its followersamong doctors and patients in spite ofthe pressure from the authorities andaccusations of it being an alien ideologyand unscientific. The HomeopathicCentre has been working in Moscowfor several decades now andhomeopathy is widely used in the Ukrainethanks to the efforts of Demijan Popov.
Homeopathy takes off The disintegration of the Soviet Unionstimulated the development ofhomeopathy. So the new history ofhomeopathy in Russia is only 20 years
Homeopathy in Russia– yesterday, today, tomorrow…
Valeri Dmitriev, director general of Homeopathic Medicine International Teaching Centrein Moscow, gives a short retrospective view of classical homeopathy in Russia
•• international focus: •• RUSSIA P
hoto: istockphoto.com/Gunay M
utlu
•• case studies•• news
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stride toward the legitimation of thehomeopathic method after many yearsof its half- legal existence when it wasneither forbidden nor allowed.
But the permission to licensehomeopathic practice did not meanappearance of homeopathy on the listof medical specialties. That is a doctorwho got training in homeopathy canpractice in the field of his medicalspecialty and use homeopathicremedies in his clinic work. It is betterthan nothing but the lack of specialty“homeopathy” closed access to itslearning in medical schools and its wide use in practice. In the 90s thesolution to this problem was not inhomeopathy’s favour but in 2006 theMinistry of Health asked the FederalCentre of traditional methods ofdiagnostics and treatment to arrange aworking group to preparesubstantiation to include “traditionalmedicine” (with homeopathy as a partof it) in the list of medical specialties.We all were happy but on 27December last year this Centre wasbroken up! Russian homeopathiccommunity is deep in thought now –what can it mean?
EducationDespite the fact that interest inhomeopathy in Russia has never abatedin the last 200 years we can’t declarethe existence of a single homeopathicschool in the country now. The firstserious books on homeopathy of bothforeign and native authors came to theRussian market only in 1994. It tooktime to translate these into Russian.We can’t have school without books,methodology of training and qualifiedspecialist who can teach young people.We had been isolated from the worldof homeopathy for 70 years so westarted from nothing!
It was clear that we had to beginwith publishing work. In the last 15 yearswe translated and published books byclassical authors such as Hahnemann,Kent, E B Nash, Lippe, Boerike, Tyler,Clarke, as well as works by modernhomeopaths – Vithoulkas, Vermeulen,Bailey and Bentley, Vijayakar, and others.The catalogue of our publishing companyincludes about 100 books now.
Faculty helpIt was at the beginning of our activitiesthat we thought about solving our otherkey problem which was arrangingeducational work. In 2001 we madecontact with the London Faculty ofHomeopathy and concluded anAgreement with it to arrange a seriesof lectures in Russia by its teachers.The ex-president of the Faculty Dr BobLeckridge did a great job developing aPHCE syllabus and also a block ofaccessory materials for us. Since thesyllabus included also part of the MFHomcourse it turned to be of interest notonly to the beginners, but also toadvanced homeopaths. The work wasmethodically adjusted and focused onmain things. He along with Dr Antonvan Rhijn and Dr Jon Allan provided uswith our first series of lectures.
We used our first intake not only toteach students, but also to train ourown teachers. In year four our teacherswere successful in sitting the MFHomexam. This main programme is stillbeing realised in Moscow; we areenrolling students for the 9th intakenow. We are also arranging a series oflectures in the three big Russian citiesof Cheljabinsk, Ekaterinburg andNovosibirsk).
We arranged about 40 Internationalseminars in recent years. Many of ushave fond memories of excellentseminars given by Drs Sevar, Malcolm,
Rieberer, and Geraghty. Each seminarcontributed much to our knowledgeand made us feel more and moreconvinced in choosing homeopathy.Some years after beginning theeducational process it became clearwhat we had to make our programmemore informative and widely available.Now we are working on modules fordistant learning which Dr RussellMalcolm is helping to develop.
We have to mention one otherimportant Russian educationprogramme – it is the Branch of theInternational Academy of Homeopathycreated by George Vithoulkas. Well-qualified teachers who were onceVithoulkas’s students are helping tomake this programme a success.
In spite of the progress of Russianhomeopathy in the last ten years westill have many unresolved problems.
The main ones are as follows:• The 216 legal hours required forstudying homeopathy are not enough.We need longer lasting programmes.
• We have plenty of home-bred,primitive programmes whose ideasoften do not reflect the basicprinciples of homeopathy.
• In some programmes of classichomeopathy a great emphasis isgiven to Sankaran’s concepts so thestudents may never learn adequatelythe core principles of homeopathy.
• The tuition of some courses of “classichomeopathy” is devoted only to thelearning of composite remedies.
• We still don’t have a system ofqualification levels. The length ofwork in homeopathy is an indirectindex and it often does not relate tothe level of a doctor’s knowledge.
The history of development ofhomeopathy in Russia does not lookvery optimistic, but we don’t want tobe overly pessimistic as we havemanaged to take the first steps on theway to method development withoutany government support. Our task is tojoin the efforts of the homeopathiccommunity and solve our problems.Only in such a way can we meet thefuture of Russian homeopathy.
Valeri Dmitriev is the director general ofHomeopathic Medicine publishing companyand International Teaching Centre ofclassical homeopathy in Moscow.
Photo: Valeri D
mritiev
10
•• case studies
This case report presents an outcomewhich at first glance to the healthcareprofessional appears unfavourable,however to the patient who initiatedthe intervention it demonstrates afavourable outcome. It offers aninteresting topic of discussion aroundmeasuring the success of anintervention especially when researchoften expresses the need to identify anindividual remedy to treat a particularcondition.
BackgroundA 27 year old female healthcareprofessional was referred by a podiatrycolleague for homeopathic treatment ofstubborn, painful verrucae (VPs) onboth feet. This referral followed anadverse reaction to salicylic acidpreviously used. However, the mainreason for pursuing this particulartreatment was that the patient ‘justwanted rid of the verrucae’ as one wasextremely painful when applying thefoot to the accelerator pedal whilstdriving, plus she had heard thathomeopathy was a safe, and effectivetreatment for VPs.
Initial consultationThe medical history revealedhypotension, irritable bowel syndrome(IBS), occasional hay fever symptoms,and dry eyes. Circulatory, neurological,and musculoskeletal assessments ofthe foot and lower limb wereuneventful. Dermatological enquiresrevealed a pigmented macular, papulararea on the left upper arm. A skin tagwas awaiting removal from the leftupper eyelid. On the left lower leg adermatofibroma was apparent. The VPswere situated on the plantar metatarsalarea of both feet; with a large solitarymyrmecia type sited on the plantaraspect of the left great toe.
Treatment options were discussedand in consultation it was agreed that
the most beneficial option was tocomplete a full homeopathicconsultation to elicit a constitutionalhomeopathic remedy, alongside thetopical use of Marigold Therapy.
Treatment plan• Patient pre homeopathic consultationdiary.
• Full homeopathic consultation,including video.
• Digital images of the VPs.• Consent for publication of casehistory.
• Outcomes tool – Measure YourselfMedical Outcomes Profile (MYMOP).1
• Filing the lesions with an emeryboard, followed by the application oftincture and oil from the anti-viralrange of Marigold Therapy products.
• Return follow-up visits approx. 2-3months, to a maximum of 12 months.
ObservationThe patient was very loquacious, with ahappy, bright demeanour. She had redhair, with pale skin and freckles.
Some of patients’ narrative;‘The verruca is very painful when I’mdriving, I have to take the car out ofgear to prevent the pushing pain, and itfeels like it’s too big for my shoe. MyIBS is worse when I’m stressed, afteralcohol, time of the month, and afterprocessed foods. The only way I canfall asleep is with a DVD. I hate thecold and the heat, and when it’s breezy.I love chicken, fizzy drinks and willcrunch ice cubes. I have lots of friends.I love fireworks, things make me jump.I’ve had ‘out of body’ spells. I amgenerally better at night, and find itdifficult getting up in the morning.’
Patients DiaryHer diary revealed stress at work,sadness about the loss of agrandparent, elements of excitement
and fear. She enjoyed close contactwith family, and loved interaction withpatients at work, and seeing themimprove. There was a mention offeeling fat and wanting to diet.
Initial MYMOP2 scoresSymptom 1 ‘verruca on big toe’ 4Symptom 2 ‘Irritable Bowel Syndrome(IBS)’ 3Activity ‘Badminton’ 4Wellbeing 3Had symptom 1 for ‘1 – 5 years’Medication for problem ‘no’ and ‘veryimportant to avoid taking medication’
Remedy prescribed200C Phosphorus split single dose,taken over 12 hours. 15ml spray bottle tincture anti-viralMarigold Therapy tincture
Measuringsuccess
Jane Greenwood looks at a podiatryintervention with surprising results
11
•• case studies•• case studies
Photo: istockphoto.com
/efenzi
15ml spray bottle tincture anti-viralMarigold Therapy oil
First follow-up appointment(two months later)Patient’s narrative;‘I feel much better, and I’ve lost a fewpounds. I’m taking on less work. Therash has gone from my arm, but I had arash appear on my feet. My verruca isstill painful.’
Digital images revealed no changes in VPs.
MYMOP2Symptom 1 ‘verruca on big toe’ 3Symptom 2 ‘Irritable Bowel Syndrome(IBS)’ 4Activity ‘Swimming’ (patient changedactivity as no longer played badminton) 1Wellbeing 1
Decision made to watch and wait, asdirection of cure correct.
Second follow-up appointment(three months later)Patients’ narrative;‘IBS completely cleared. VPs are still there, but not painful at all now. I don’t need to file or use the oil and tincture. Completely forgottenabout them, but I’m sure they’ll go soon.’
Digital images showed a slightflattening of the main lesion ascompared to the initial digital image.
MYMOP2Symptom 1 ‘verruca on big toe’ 1Symptom 2 ‘Irritable Bowel Syndrome(IBS)’ 0
Activity ‘Swimming/badminton’ (patientreported unable to attend either due tobad weather) Wellbeing 1
A joint decision was made to dischargethe patient at this point.
ConclusionThis case is a useful discussion pointaround measuring success forhealthcare interventions. If you askedthe healthcare professional was theintervention successful; then as far asthe resolution of the VPs go, no itwasn’t. If you asked the patient; thenas there was a marked improvement ofthe chosen symptoms, yes it was.Albeit, the full treatment plan timingwas cut short. The point had beenreached whereby the patient washappy to move on.
Therein lays the problem with tryingto fit this particular approach into theconventional system. Trying to make itfit the formula; remedy x for situation yresults in outcome z. Maybe, if a morelocal, symptomatic remedy had beenchosen, or indeed polypharmacy hadbeen used then there may have been a speedier regression of the VPs whichwould fit the formula better, hence theconventional system. Who knows?
Ultimately, the practitioner washappy that the patient was happy, andthe patient did promise to send an imageof the foot when the VPs had resolved.
Reference:1. Patterson, C (1998) MYMOP2 MeasureYourself Medical Outcome Profile.Available from; [Accessed 23rd February2010] http://sites.pcmd.ac.uk/mymop/files/MYMOP_administration_&_scoring.pdf
Successful cases?The BHA would like to hear about them
Do you have satisfied patients thatare happy to talk to the media
about how homeopathy has helped them?
Good case studies are a vital part of getting positive mediacoverage. A simple case study
information sheet can be obtainedby emailing Keren at:
Please use it to tell us about yourhomeopathic successes,
and help the BHA to promotehomeopathy more effectively.
12
•• events
to 70% of the population has usedsome form of CAM; up to 60% in thelast year, up to 20% have seen a CAMpractitioner. A declining faith thatpotentially toxic new drugs would helpto deal with the rising chronic diseasesdrives this process. People want to feelin control and have an increasedinterest in wellness and personalspirituality. The core values of the moreholistic CAM therapies includinghomeopathy embody this trend:healing originates within the patientwith the physician being a guide,teacher or coach. The aim is tooptimize homeostasis without doingharm emphasizing individuality whilereducing therapeutic dependency.
In 1997 the European Parliamentacknowledged the upsurge of CAMand took the position that policies andregulations on CAM should beformulated and implemented. In 2003the WHO urged Member States toformulate and implement nationalpolicies and regulations on CAM and itsintegration into national healthcaresystems. To date 16 Europeancountries have legislated on CAM, 15have a statutory registration ofhomeopathy. Professorial chairs ofCAM including homeopathy have beeninstalled in Germany, Hungary, Italy andSwitzerland.
Homeopathy as a part offamiliarization courses on CAM areprovided in the medical undergraduatecurriculum at several universities inFrance, Germany, Hungary, Italy, theNetherlands, Romania, Spain and theUK; as a separate subject at someuniversities in Belgium, Bulgaria,Germany and Romania. Postgraduatetraining courses in homeopathy fordoctors are provided at universities inBulgaria, France, Germany, Greece,Italy, Lithuania, Poland, Romania andSpain. Approximately 45,000 medicaldoctors in the EU have taken trainingand education in homeopathy and 99%of them practice on the continent. Thiscompares to 25,000 eye specialists.
Active patient participationIntegrative Medicine is not synonymouswith CAM, but has a far larger meaningand mission in that it calls forrestoration of the focus of medicine on health and healing, emphasizing the centrality of the doctor-patientrelationship. It makes use of allappropriate (conventional and CAM)therapeutic approaches, healthcareprofessionals, and disciplines to achieveoptimal health and healing. Patients areactive participants in their healthcarewhile the physician is more in the roleof a mentor or even role model. Itapproaches illness first by trying tosupport and induce the self healingprocess before opting for more high-impact, high-cost biomedical interventions;a synthesis of the best of the empiricaland rational medical tradition.
Integrative Medicine is rapidly gainingsupport internationally. Large managedcare organizations like Kaiser Permanenthave accepted CAM with open arms.Any therapy, either conventional orcomplementary, when shown to be asafe and effective method of care, isintegrated into their total medical careprogram. Proof of its efficacy is less ofan issue because such trials are oftentoo artificial to translate into costsavings under real conditions. Lessneedless medications and medicalprocedures and more prevention andpersonal lifestyle changes can add upto big financial savings and bigimprovements in quality of life.
The Consortium of AcademicHealth Centers for Integrative Medicine(CAHCIM) includes 44 academicmedical centers in the USA, includingStanford University, Yale University,Johns Hopkins University, HarvardUniversity, Mayo Clinic, etc. CAHCIMaims to “help transform medicine andhealthcare through rigorous scientificstudies, new models of clinical care,and innovative educational programsthat integrate biomedicine, thecomplexity of human beings, theintrinsic nature of healing and the rich
diversity of therapeutic systems.” In Europe centers for Complementary
and Integrative Medicine are beingfounded at some hospitals anduniversities. The third EuropeanCongress for Integrative Medicine willtake place in November in Berlin.
The future is brightBecause homeopathy is still scientificallycontroversial, it can profit by jumpingon the bandwagon of CAM andIntegrative Medicine. Collaborationwith other CAM organizations iseffective at attaining political goals.After intense lobbying by the CAMcommunity, CAM was included into theSeventh Framework Program of theEuropean Community for research,technological development anddemonstration activities. The EuropeanCommission has selected a pan-Europeanconsortium of researchers at Europeanuniversities to carry out the CAMbrellaproject (2010-2012), which aims
• to develop a network of researchinstitutes in CAM
• to develop terminology of CAMinterventions
• to review the current legal status andpolicies governing CAM provision inthe EU
• to explore the needs, beliefs andattitudes of the EU citizens withrespect to CAM
• to create a prioritized EU researchroadmap for CAM.
It consists of 16 top institutions outof 12 member states. The secondPublic Health Program (2008-2013)includes the following phrase: “The program should recognize theimportance of a holistic approach topublic health and take into account,where appropriate and where there isscientific or clinical evidence about itsefficacy, complementary andalternative medicine in its actions.”
In spring 2011 a conference on theadded value of CAM and IntegratedHealthcare for the EU Public HealthAgenda will be held, supported by theEuropean Commission. Clinical legitimacyhas proven to be more important thanscientific legitimacy: principally apolitical decision, rather than solelybased on scientific evidence.
Homeopathy is likely to benefitfrom that situation, its future is bright!
Report from Helmut Roniger, FFHom
For more on the Richard Hughes Memorial Lecturelog onto the Members area of the Faculty website.
Left to right Lynne Fish and Helen Idle who were awarded theirMFHom(Nurse) certificates at the AGM from Facultypresident Sara Eames.
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 7
13
•• case studies•• case studies
CONTINUED ON PAGE 15 >
I read Raymond Sevar’s article onCrotalus Horridus in the October 2009issue of Simile with interest. Hedescribes a phenomenologicalapproach in which observations to hisown reactions become part of theanalysis for remedy selection: “Hepinned me – a preditor”. In the casepresented the transference is lessdramatic but still suggests a snakeremedy. It was (also) the observationson how I felt with this patient thathelped me select the following remedy.My case shows Crotalus Horridus in adifferent light.
Case A 47-year-old female came to see meabout problems with her eyes. Shewas very anxious, talking at quite arapid rate, changing subject repeatedly.She was fearful that she might lose hereyesight. I was familiar with thispatient and in the past I always felt shehad a seductive manner (coquettish?). I consider her attractive, intelligent,engaging and lively. She is lean,average height and usually wearsfashionable colourful clothes.
An ophthalmologist had seen her afew days prior with a posterior vitreousdetachment in her left eye (due tomyopia), which resulted in a secondarypara-macular haemorrhage. This haddeveloped rapidly and her eyesight haddeteriorated with blurring of vision,floaters and “streaks of light”. Thedanger now was for the developmentof a spontaneous retinal tear or theformation of a choroidal neovascularmembrane. Needless to say this iswhere she anticipated that homeopathymight help for her.
She suffers from a familial myopiccondition (-15). The contraction of hereyeballs as a result puts excessivestrain on the inner layers of her eyechamber.
RubricsThe rubrics from the synthesisrepertory I looked at were:EYE - BLEEDING from eyes - Retinalhemorrhagearn. Bell. both. Crot-h. glon. ham.LACH. led. Merc-c. Phos. Prun. sal-ac.sul-ac. sulfa. Sulph.EYE - INFLAMMATION - Retina -hemorrhagicarn. BELL. CROT-H. DUB. LACH.MERC-C. PHOS.
As one can see from the rubrics thereare several possible remedies. I chooseCrotalus horridus.
The initial dose was crot-h M. Thiswas repeated weekly for a month.
RemedyThe remedy was primarily prescribedon the physical pathology of the case.Crot-h has as its main characteristic:haemorrhages slow, with oozing ofdark thin blood, not clots (phatak). As well as the main pathology thepatient was in a regressed mental(flight and fright) state, which shedescribed as feeling “isolated” and“falling apart”. She had severeanxieties and fears. She also had quitea speedy, accelerated mental pattern,was excitable, loquacious and changed from one subject to another. Thismade me lean more towards thesnake remedies.
Follow upThe patient did quite well and shedescribes the remedy as having acalming effect. The fears subsided, shefeels more laid back and confident inherself.
Further case taking revealed thefollowing story. The patient is an artistand is currently studying to be an arttherapist. She is divorced and lives withher two sons who are in their early
20’s. I notice she is quiteconfrontational and easily angered. Shegets uncomfortable when talking aboutemotional issues. This makes meaware that there may possibly be somepainful feelings and makes me askabout her childhood. That is difficult asshe gets quite defensive and I senseanger is not far away. She says:
“I suppose bringing yourself upmakes you quite reactionary, not havingthe support and protection and the kindof care that I need around me. I had tobe strong and perhaps defensive.Relationships, communicationsbetween my own siblings is verydifficult, I would love for us tocommunicate but it won’t happen. Myparents died quite young and we havenever been together since, no sense offamily. I find that very hard.
“When my father died 20 years agothey forgot to invite me to the funeral,that is how bad it was. They just didnot want me there. I still can’t believeit. As a child I felt different to myfamily. I look different, I feel different, Inever felt I belonged.”
“My parents separated when I was7. Once dad came into the house andattacked my mum with a knife. Therewas blood everywhere. I was terrifiedand conscious of protecting my siblingsfrom seeing this.”
She suffers from stress headachesand bad PMT.
Further discussionSnake remedies are often described indramatic pictures by contemporaryhomeopaths. Not all cases are asexplicit and presentations may besubtler. On closer inspection many ofthe symptoms presented in the abovescenario may be within the realms ofsnake remedies.
According to Massimo MangialavoriCrotalus-horridus is the only snake that
CrotalusHorridus
– a cure for myopia?Bastiaan van Eynatten from Cork shares a Crotalus Horridus case
Photo: w
ildlifenorthamerica.com
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•• book review
This book is a real delight both to thesenses and to the intellect. Jo Evansmanages to balance philosophy, art andscience to bring clarity and a deeperunderstanding to the sea remedies.This was the goal of Hahnemann in thelast edition of The Organon and likewiserequires “subtle, unprejudiced reading”.Given the outstanding beauty of thephotographs and the luxurious textureof the book, this is not a difficult task.
The book is divided into severalsections. The principle of correspond -ences is introduced. Most readers willbe more familiar with the Doctrine ofSignatures as expounded by Paracelsus.Emmanuel Swedenborg, who heavilyinfluenced Kent and his followers,coined the phrase “correspondences”to describe the link between the naturalworld and its spiritual meaning.Although ridiculed by many scientists asmere superstition, it is, at the veryleast, a helpful aide memoir when
confronted with the enormity oflearning our diverse and complexmateria medica. Mythology can also aidthe deeper understanding of the humanpsyche, as demonstrated by Jung.Homeopathy strives to bring aboutbalance in the individual, in mind andbody. In order to achieve this goal thepractitioner must combine art andscience, thus balancing their own rightand left brain thinking. This book willappeal to polymaths as it intertwines somany different threads of knowledgeinto a comprehensive theme.
Each sense is then examined indetail, both in evolutionary terms aswell as its psychological, emotional andspiritual meaning. Jo Evans alludes toProust’s “Remembrance of TimesPast” to demonstrate the emotivestrength of smells, and the recall ofmemories. She is then able to clearlyexplain the neuro-anatomical pathwaysthat allow for this to occur. This is oneof the book’s greatest strengths, theability to blend scientific facts andtheories and more philosophicalconcepts. Mythology lies comfortablyalongside cutting edge research intomarine toxicology.
The book abounds with illustrativequotes from the worlds of philosophy,literature and science. It comes as nosurprise that many quoted followed thephilosophical teachings of Swedenborg.
The book is thoroughly researchedand well presented. It requires slowreading as it is so thought provoking. Itneeds to be savoured, consideredcarefully and fully assimilated. There ismuch to appeal to the scientists andequally to the philosophers and artistsin our midst.
The materia medica is dividedaccording to Linnean classification ofmarine life. Polar opposites in their viewof the world, Linnaeus and Swedenborgwere indeed cousins, one following theschool of Aristotle, the other of Plato.Both have greatly influenced modernthinking. Jo Evans has taken the themeof duality to its ultimate conclusion byuniting these apparent divergentschools of thought to enrich ourunderstanding of marine life.
The remedies are described fully,using the familiar format with extremelyhelpful additions. Each remedy has asummary of salient points, then a
zoological classification, details of theproving, remedy relationships, then aclear materia medica including clinicalguides. In addition clinical data, medicaluses both historical and modern, marinebiology, evolution, and research aredetailed, all alongside stunningillustrations. There are extensivereferences for further reading.
In total twenty three remedies arecovered in detail, from the familiarSepia and Calcarea Carbonica to thenewer remedies such as Acanthasterplanci (Crown of Thorns Starfish) andOnychoteuthis banksii (ClubhookSquid). There is much to learn from thisbook even about the polycrests. Onecan glean a far deeper understanding ofwell known and relatively unknownremedies. As the preceding chaptersdetailed the evolution of marine life, it isfar easier to differentiate and fullyappreciate the innate differencesbetween the sponges and the molluscs,the cephalopods and the marinearthropods, as well as theirrelationships to land animals.
Following the materia medica section,there is a further section on philosophyblended with evolutionary science tofurther elaborate on the aforementionedconcepts and remedy profiles. A veryextensive bibliography is included andthe book concludes with an immenselyuseful thematic repertory and index.
With the current conflict betweenthe proponents of scientific medicineand holistic medicine it may beopportune to reflect on the words ofNiels Bohr: “There are two kinds oftruth, small truth and great truth. Youcan recognize a small truth because itsopposite is a falsehood. The opposite ofa great truth is another truth.”Homeopathy is enriched by thephilosophy, mythology and art within it.It was derived from a quest forscientific knowledge, a rational methodof treating the sick. Art and science arenot mutually exclusive. They are bothtruths as reflected in homoeopathicpractice. The deep truth is that theycan, and should, co-exist in a cohesiveunified form as exemplified by JoEvan’s excellent work.
Sea Remedies was reviewed byMarysia KratimenosMB BS FRCS(Ed) FFHom
Sea Remedies Evolution of the SensesAuthor: Jo Evans • Publishers: Emryss Publishers • Price: £58 • ISBN: 978-90-76189-23-9
Photos: E
mryss P
ublishers
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•• case studies
lives in large groups. They have thefeeling they have to support every onein the family. They are sympathetic anddictatorial: you must be helped by me.They are dutiful in this respect andperhaps even forceful and obsessive.Superficially crot-h may be confusedwith phosphorus: sympathetic andcommunicative. Certainly the abovepatient had strong phosphoruscharacteristics.
One of the patient’s biggest wishesis for her siblings to start communicatingagain. She has made many attemptsfor this to happen but is left withrejection and isolation. We can see theforsaken feeling in this and rejection ofher wish to support her family.
I think snake remedies are relatedto the more primitive (fright and flight)structures of our brains. Early childhoodtrauma is probably quite common insnake remedy pictures and may haverepercussions on these brain structuresdevelopmentally. Survival was probablydependent on this. In this case we alsosee glimpses of early childhood trauma(in witnessing the violent father) andalso the need to rely on her ownresources from an early age. (Thesethemes may be confirmed in theliterature).
Snake poisons may have differenteffects on the physiology. Typical forthe Crotalidea poisons is the productionof local tissue damage, blood cellchanges, coagulation defects, bloodvessel injury, changes in vascularresistance and neurological defects.Bites are typically marked by swellingand oedema.
More follow upAbout five months later a similarincident happened with this patient’sright eye. She developed blurring ofvision and floaters and went to theemergency department of the hospitalwhere an emergent acute posteriorvitreous detachment was diagnosed.crot-h 10m was started this time. Thecondition stabilised without any furthermishaps. Again she feels the remedyworked well for her.
ConclusionAlthough perhaps more subtle thanwhat is popularly expected from snakeremedies this patient does displaymany of the snake characteristics. This includes attractiveness, seduction,vivacity, forsaken feeling, earlychildhood (flight, fright) trauma, retinalhaemorrhage, retinal oedema, andconstriction of the eyeball.
She did develop a second vitreousdetachment of her right eye five monthsafter having received the remedy, butI think this was inevitable consideringher myopic condition that puts extremestrain on the eyeball.
Bastiaan van [email protected]
Reptile-like themes– Massimo Mangialavori
• Seductive
• Forsaken
• Duality – one sided
• Constriction and congestion
• Thermal regulation
Photo: istockphoto.com
/Tobias Ott
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 13
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•• book review
A homeopathic doctor is now required to continue a very busy private practice on the outskirts of St Helier in Jersey.
The practice currently runs four days a month, from Tuesday to Saturday. There are regular 35 minute flights to Jersey from Gatwick, Exeter,
Bristol and Birmingham. Free parking on site.
If you are interested in continuing this practice, please get in touch with Max Deacon on 0207 6021 006 for further information.
Homeopathic doctor needed for practice in Jersey
If you want to put argumentative meaton the bones of your visceral, thoughunreasoned uncertainty about‘statistical significance’ in medicine asthe one true guide toward treatment – truth? This is the book for you.
The authors are academiceconomists, which would be a majorturn-off if they didn’t write with suchpassion and verve and didn’t include intheir many examples a lot of medicaltrials. But they do, so I was riveted.
The authors oppose two extremesof 20th century statistical thinking andshow us that ‘statistical significance’ as promulgated by R.A.Fisher (1890 – 1962), has taken over most areas ofhuman activity which purport to be‘sciences’. They (of course) show how
this has deeply affected economics,with most of the papers in topeconomic journals in the last 30 years being entirely to do with the‘significance’ of results. They also show how psychology has based itsclaims to be ‘scientific’ to a very largedegree on the testing of ‘significance’of experimental results, using Fisher’s procedure of assuming that an observation is untrue (the Nullhypothesis) unless it achieves a‘significance level’ usually set at 5% (p < 0.05). This stance takes no accountof how big the effect is or how muchdoes the effect matter and clinically,how relevant is this effect to anindividual sufferer. The authors dub this attitude ‘the sizeless stare ofstatistical significance’. What is specialabout 5% probability? It turns out thatthis is a piece off guesswork fromFisher. The authors do take you on awelcome tour of areas in the historyand philosophy of science and ofstatistics and I learned a lot.
They contrast this ‘stare’ withstatistics derived from William SealyGosset (1876 – 1937). We all know him.His pen – name was ‘Student’ and intwo articles in 1908, he invented andintroduced a statistical test which bearshis name. He was a Brewer forGuinness in London and Dublin, latterlyhead-brewer and designed the test inthe context of field-trials of Barley on aneconomic need-to-know basis. Heconsistently emphasised the questionof ‘how big is the effect? (‘Oomph’ in
the authors’ terms). He corresponded alot with Fisher. Gosset was apparentlyextremely unassuming and goodnatured, so when asked, he calculatedhis test tables and sent them to Fisher.It would seem that Fisher thencopyrighted them for himself, appliedhis own standards to Gosset’sstatistical methods and ended uplauding sampling precision only and soleading to the cult of statisticalsignificance which took over science inthe 20th century.
The authors have a lot of time forstatistics based on Bayes theorem,which invokes prior probabilities andlooks at the likelihood of somethinghappening, given a human experiencethat it happened before.
Some may find the accumulation ofdetails and examples of just how muchthis ‘significance thinking’ has beenallowed to permeate our lives all a bittoo much to take, or even embarrassing– how can we all have been taken in forso long? There are major signs of hopein medicine though, with some journalslooking for effect size as well as ‘p’values as a prerequisite for publicationand the chair of NICE embracingBayesian statistics (a bit). In this book,Fisher is cast as an ‘evil genius’opposing the mild reasonableness ofGosset. It is certainly a most enjoyableand revelatory read and I stronglyrecommend it.
Tom Whitmarsh, MA, MBBS, FRCP,FFHom Faculty Specialist Register
The Cult of Statistical Significance:How the Standard Error Costs Us Jobs, Justice, and LivesBy Stephen T. Ziliak and Deirdre N. McCloskey • Publishers: University of Michigan Press
352pp • Price: £48.95 and £16.50 • ISBN: 9780472070077 and 050079
•• events
17
The Bristol Masterclass meetings areemerging as a remarkably accessable,high quality resource for homeopathicprescribers wishing to augment theirtraditional homeopathic case taking andcase analysis skills. The teaching whilstbased in traditional homeopathy drawsextensively on the understandings ofmodern teachers such as MassimoMangiolavori, Jan Scholten, RajanSankaran and other leaders of the“Bombay group”. One of the greatstrengths of this format is that it neverlooses sight of real cases, which arepresented often extensively throughvideo or paper records. As usual themeeting was at Penny Brohn CancerCare on the outskirts of Bristol. Thesurroundings here are beautiful andcalm, and the food extremely healthy.
Mineral kingdomJulie Geraghty has led several of thesedays, and overall in the last two yearsthe series has covered vast areas ofthe mineral kingdom, with days on theCarbon series, on the Hydrocarbonremedies, on the Silver and Ferrumseries also. This day on the Siliconseries (elements from Sodium throughto Neon) covered ions and elementscentral to homeopathy: the natrums,especially the natrum salts of other rowthree elements such as phosphoroussulphur and chlorine, the magnesiums,aluminums, and Silicon itself. Thosewho had attended the carbon andhydrocarbon days in preceding monthswere able to contextualise theirknowledge and clarify points of potentialconfusion between these elements.
Julie manages to convey the specialnature of each remedy and eachelement as well as the themes of theseries overall without loosing sight ofthe subtlety, and elusiveness of thepicture that emerges in realconsultations, and without overemphasising either the similarities ordifferences.
Elizabeth Kubler RossShe started the day with a quote fromElizabeth Kubler Ross which conveyedmany of the issues faced by a normalchild in development as an individual,and with which patients needing Siliconseries remedies continue to struggle.Elizabeth was one of identical triplets
and said “my whole life had been astruggle for my own identity … I hadno identity apart from my sisters …mother didn’t know which child waswhich … my whole childhood wasspent attempting to figure out who Iwas … I had to work 10 time harderthan every one else and do 10 timesmore to prove myself worthy”.
When Elizabeth was given her owndoll after she was severely ill withpneumonia, and because the doll wasblack it was clearly distinguishable fromher sister’s white dolls. It allowed herto feel special and different andrecognised as such.
“my whole childhoodwas spent attempting to figure out who I was”
The deep issues lying at the centre ofthe case of patients who respondcuratively to these silicon seriesremedies are: the need for individualattention, nuture, care, warmth, love,understanding, recognition, and choice.The difference between the need forcare and nurture expressed by thesepatients differs from those needingcarbon series remedies in that thelatter need something more to do withthe body: simple nourishment, physicalcontact, containment as in thesituations of gestation and earlymothering. Silicon series patients needthis to be about their own identity, asdistinct from others. The care andnurture is less primal and has to betailored to the individual.
Newer understandingAs the day progressed we had thepleasure of seeing how traditionalmateria medica teaching closelymeshes with (historically of course ithas given rise to) the newerunderstandings of these elements.Thus the desperate isolation of natrum,the fear of collapse of support andrecognition of magnesium, theconfusion of aluminium, the brittleclarity of silicon, the sensitivity andoutgoingness of phosphorous, the
disgraceful ebullience of sulphur andthe bitterness of chlorum were allbeautifully situated within the theme ofdeveloping identity. I certainly cameaway feeling much more confident inclarifying the differences betweenthese remedy states which can betricky when the picture is not the “textbook” one or where an unusual salt iscalled for.
The masterclass series continues thisyear with Geoff Johnson leading aday on Sea Creatures on 8 May.
Silicon’s struggle for identityAndrew Morrice reports on the Silicon Series Masterclass with Julie Geraghty
REPORT:
Photo: Faculty library
PRIMARY HEALTH CARE EXAMEXAM EXAM DATE VENUE CLOSING DATE FOR APPLICATIONS
PHCE/PCVH 21 May Bristol 23 April17 September London 20 August
PODIATRY DIPLOMA – OPEN TO PODIATRISTS WHO HAVE PASSED THE PHCE
EXAM EXAM DATE VENUE CLOSING DATE FOR APPLICATIONSDFHom (Pod) 17 September Luton/London 16 July
VETERINARY LICENCIATE EXAM – OPEN TO VETS WHO HAVE COMPLETED INTRODUCTORY TRAINING
EXAM EXAM DATE VENUE CLOSING DATE FOR APPLICATIONSLFHom Vet 10 September Leeds 9 July
MEMBERSHIP EXAM – OPEN TO DOCTORS, NURSES, DENTISTS & PODIATRISTS WHO HAVE PASSED THE PHCE
EXAM EXAM DATE VENUE CLOSING DATE FOR APPLICATIONSMFHom 26 November Glasgow 24 September
3 December Bristol 24 SeptemberMFHom (Pod) 17 September Luton/London 16 JulyMFHom (Nurse) 22 October Luton/Glasgow 20 August
VETERINARY MEMBERSHIP EXAM – OPEN TO VETS WHO HAVE PASSED THE PCVH
EXAM EXAM DATE VENUE CLOSING DATE FOR APPLICATIONSVetMFHom TBA November TBA 10 September
SPECIALIST REGISTRATION – OPEN TO DOCTORS WHO HAVE GAINED THE MFHOM
EXAM EXAM DATE VENUE CLOSING DATE FOR APPLICATIONSAssessment 11 October Glasgow 13 August (cases and dissertation)
18 October Luton 13 August (cases and dissertation)
18
•• events
•• examinations calendar 2010
Members’ areaThe members’ area of the Faculty website is available to LFHoms and above and is fully secure. You will needyour username and password to login – for a login reminder email: [email protected]
• search for othermembersfind members close to you by searching on postcode,profession, town/city orcountry.
• take part in thediscussion forumask questions and chat with your colleagues online.
• download policystatementsto find out the Faculty’sposition on important topics.
• view local groupinformationto see what’s going on in your area and find contact details.
• sign up for e-newsthrough the update page in your account.
• promote your practice to the publictick the box on the update page in your account.
What’s on the website www.facultyofhomeopathy.org
•• case studies
19
•• events
•• what’s on April – November 2010
Saturday 21 AprilWessex Homeopathic Medical GroupPostgraduate Education Centre, RoyalHampshire County Hospital, Romsey Road,Winchester7.30-9.30pm• Dr Jonathan Hardy on 02392 471757 or:[email protected]
Friday 23 AprilBristol Advanced Study GroupPenny Brohn Cancer Care Centre, Pill 9.15am-4.30pm• Renata Sopiarz at [email protected] or on 0117 9466087
Saturday 24 AprilLondon Homeopathic GroupRosaceae family of remedies –Dr Charlotte Mendes da Costa.1 Upper Wimpole Street, London, W110.15am-12.30pm£8.00 to cover refreshments andadministration.• Anita Davies at [email protected] or Rosie Coles on 020 7935 4271
Tuesday 27 April Tayside Homeopathic GroupPlant FamiliesHomeopathic Clinic ,Victoria Hospital,Jedburgh Road, Dundee DD2 1SP7.30 pm• Norma Ross phone 01382 540202 or [email protected]
Saturday 8 MayBristol MasterclassGeoff Johnson: Creatures of the SeaPenny Brohn Cancer Care Centre, Pill.10.00am-4.00pm • Renata Sopiarz at [email protected] or on 0117 9466087
Monday 17 MayBristol Clinical MeetingJulie Geraghty. Bristol Homeopathic Hospital,8.15-9.45pm• Renata Sopiarz at [email protected] or on 0117 9466087
Tuesday 25 MayTayside Homeopathic GroupPlant FamiliesHomeopathic Clinic ,Victoria Hospital,Jedburgh Road, Dundee DD2 1SP7.30 pm• Norma Ross phone 01382 540202 or [email protected]
Friday 11 JuneBristol Advanced Study GroupPenny Brohn Cancer Care Centre, Pill9.15am-4.30pm• Renata Sopiarz at [email protected] or on 0117 9466087
Saturday 12 JuneLiverpool Homeopathic GroupAnnual Symposium on HomeopathicMedicine – Masterclass on the treatment ofdifficult cases by Dr Pawan Pareek9am to 5pm• Dr E Metallidou or Anne Bainbridgephone 0151 285 3707
Monday 21 JuneBristol Clinical MeetingBristol Homeopathic Hospital, Claire Stanford. 8.15-9.45pm• Renata Sopiarz at [email protected] or on 0117 9466087
Tuesday 22 JuneWessex Homeopathic Medical GroupTime: 7.30-9.30pmPostgraduate Education Centre, RoyalHampshire County Hospital, Romsey Road,Winchester• Dr Jonathan Hardy on 02392 471757 or:[email protected]
Tuesday 22 JuneTayside Homeopathic GroupAllergies Homeopathic Clinic ,VictoriaHospital, Jedburgh Road, Dundee DD2 1SP7.30 pm• Norma Ross phone 01382 540202 or [email protected]
Friday 25 to Sunday 27 JuneBAHVS conference – Animal Energy 2010The application of the ‘new methods’in homeopathy in veterinary medicine,particularly the work of the Bombay Groupand Jan ScholtenHalsway Manor, Quantock Hills, SomersetSpeakers to include Geoff Johnson, StefanKohlrausch, Marc Brunsen, Mark Elliot, PierreFromente, Liesbeth Ellinger• Geoff Johnson at somersetvet@ yahoo.com
Wednesday 15 SeptemberWessex Homeopathic Medical GroupPostgraduate Education Centre, Royal Hampshire County Hospital, Romsey Road, Winchester7.30-9.30pm• Dr Jonathan Hardy on 02392 471757 or:[email protected]
And looking further ahead:
Saturday 30 OctoberBHDA SymposiumBiological Dentistry for the 21st CenturyBirmingham Medical Institute, 36 HarborneRoad, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 3AF• Brian Teall on 01675 481535 or [email protected]
Thursday 11 to Sunday 14 NovemberBritish Homeopathic Congress,CambridgeSee enclosed brochure for more details and to book.
If you are organising anevent and would like itto be included in futurelistings, please contact
Keren Sall [email protected]
Free listings
Regular meetingsLeeds Homeopathic GroupRegular meetings in Morley, Leeds.
• Pauline Price on 0113 252 8849 or at [email protected]
W Surrey & W Sussex Homeopathic GroupMeetings on the third Tuesday of each month, 8.00-10.00pm. Group members includedoctors, vets, dentists and pharmacists. The aim of the group is to act as a forum forongoing learning and support, covering all aspects of homeopathy and medical practice.The Punch Bowl, Oakwood Hill, nr Ockley, Surrey RH5 5PU
• Charles Forsyth on 01737 226338 (office), 01737 248605 (home), 07802 293006(mobile) or [email protected]
● Sara Eames, President:[email protected]
● Julie Geraghty, Vice-President:[email protected]
● Peter Darby, Dental Dean:[email protected]
● Christopher Day, Veterinary Dean:[email protected]
● Patricia Donnachie, Nursing Dean:[email protected]
● Jonathan Hardy, Independent PracticeRepresentative:[email protected]
● Graham Jagger, NHS Primary CareRepresentative:[email protected]
● Lee Kayne, Pharmacy Dean:[email protected]
● Tariq Khan, Podiatry Dean: [email protected]
● Promotion Committee Convener (vacant)
● Tim Robinson, Members’ Committee Convener:[email protected]
● Helmut Roniger, NHS Secondary CareRepresentative:[email protected]
● John Saxton, Immediate Past-President: [email protected]
● Raymond Sevar, Dean:[email protected]
● Andrew Sikorski, Treasurer:[email protected]
● Cristal Sumner – Chief Executive:[email protected] 408674
● Keren Sall – Communications Officer(part-time):[email protected] 408682
● Robert Mathie – Research Development Adviser:[email protected] 408683
● Lisa Peacock – Education andWeb Administration Officer:[email protected]
● Tracey Rignall – Membership Officer:[email protected] 408670
● Catherine Saunders – Education Manager(part-time):[email protected] 408677
● Margaret White – Financial Controller (part-time):[email protected] 408678
● Jacqui Woolsey – Receptionist/Information Assistant:[email protected] 408680
Who to contact at the Faculty
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•• contacts
•• staff
•• faculty council
Faculty of Homeopathy, Hahnemann House29 Park Street West, Luton LU1 3BE
Tel: 01582 408680 • Fax: 01582 723032Email: [email protected]
www.facultyofhomeopathy.org