Planet Homeopathy

After having returned from a Community Health Board meeting where I was updated about the measures taken by the Government to deal with the recent outbreak of Swine flue in Mexico, having spread to USA and now to Canada, I got a call from one of my patients from New York, in my Clinic, who spoke in a panic about suggesting some Homeopathic preventive for this new disease which has caused World Alert. The patient informed me about the closure of her child’s school on account of a influenza case noted by the school. I have been reading various Health updates in this regard and have not taken this so seriously until on reading the current news in daily news papers and listening to the news channels while driving. After having done some research on the signs and symptoms of this Swine flue, I told my patient in New York to buy a homeopathic medicine from the nearest drug store and take the medicine as preventive, as per instructions. While doing so I always advise my patients to keep in touch with their family physicians if they notice any noticeable signs/symptoms. This is how we work in India where Homeopathy has been practiced in in the  integrated health care system and we have best  inter-professional relations.

The patient called me after 15 minutes and informed that the drug store who sells the prescribed homeopathic medicine have refused her to sell the same on the context that the homeopathic medicine asked for has not yet proved to be preventive for the Swine flue and despite various requests refused to sell the medicine.  I had then given her new telephone contact for a well known homeopathic chain to procure the said medicine to whom I am known.  It was therefore a shock for me to know how the pharmacies tries to control the drugs with a view to push the sale of the profitable conventional anti viral drugs which are kept in their  stock to prevent and  treat the Swine flue,  in case of its outbreak. As per latest news, besides other countries, USA have already stock piled the antiviral drugs and in Canada there are 55 million doses of anti-viral drugs stockpiled with another 12 million doses accessible to use them in the event of outbreak. In some countries the stockpiling these conventional drugs have even given hope of some economic boost which can only be achieved by selling them to the consumers. But as the world is going through the global recession, the help of Homeopathy would definitely offer a very cost effective and safe treatment to combat the pandemic as it has shown in the past.

Homeopathy has been around for more than 200 years, the founder was a German physician Samuel Hahnemann (1755-1843) who had great success in treating epidemics of scarlet fever Villages treated with his prophylactics entirely escaped dreaded epidemics, including the plague. The Journal of the American Institute for homeopathy in May 1921 reported the success of the homeopathic approach in the flu epidemic. A Dr McCann, from Dayton, Ohio reported that 24,000 cases of flu treated allopathically had a mortality rate of 28.2 per cent while 26,000 cases of flu treated homeopathically had a mortality rate of 1.05 per cent. The most common remedy which were used during this epidemic were Gelsemium, with occasional cases needing Bryonia. [http://www.hpathy.com/papersnew/winston-homeopathy-epidemics.asp] 

Homeopathy is a system of medicine which is based on the principle of “symptom similarity” i.e. it treats the patient with a medicine which is capable of producing similar symptoms when given to a healthy human being. One of the merits of the Homeopathy is that even a new or unknown disease can be correctly and successfully treated when the symptoms of the disease are unknown. This happened in case of Asiatic Cholera, when Dr. Hahnemann without having seen or treated a single case of cholera mentioned the remedies that would be useful and his statements were subsequently verified. The same is verified from our day to day Clinical Experience. Homeopathy is the 2^nd largest system of medicines in the world as per W.H.O. Looking at its efficacy and high demand, the Government of Ontario have since already initiated the process of re-regulating Homeopathy vide Homeopathy Act, 2007.

For more information on the updates of the Swine Flue in Ontario, please go the following link: http://www.health.gov.on.ca/english/public/updates/archives/hu_09/swine_flu.html

The World Health Organization has since declared that the Swine Flue is on its way in becoming pandemic, if not checked and that it could take four to six months before the first batch of vaccines are available but some anti-viral drugs (which have been stock-piled by many countries- Tami flue & Relenza, do work once someone is sick.

Signs & Symptoms of Swine flue(influenza)

The symptoms of Swine flue in people appears to be similar to the symptoms of regular human influenza and include fever, lethargy, lack of appetite and coughing. Some patients with Swine flue also have reported runny nose, sore throat, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. However the Symptoms of Swine flue may include all or some of the following symptoms:-

- fever – Runny nose – Coughing – Sore throat – Muscle aches- Lethargy – Nausea – Vomiting

- Lack of  appetite – Diarrhea

Complications of Swine Flue: Pneumonia, Bronchitis, Sinus Infections, Ear Infections, Death.

Those at higher risk of catching Swine flue are :

• Patients under 5 or over 50 years old
• Children and adolescents on long-term aspirin therapy who might be at risk for Reye syndrome after flu virus infection
• Pregnant women
• Adults and children with underlying comorbidites.
• Adults and children who have immuno-suppression, including that caused by medications or by HIV
• Residents of nursing homes and other chronic-care facilities

[However, deaths from the current H1N1 outbreak in Mexico suggest that the virus attacks younger adults, possibly because of exaggerated immune response. But the past epidemics and pandemics of flue have shown that during pandemics most people that are affected are health young adults,]

Conventional Treatment of Swine Flu

Swine Flu Vaccination / Swine Flu Shot

The best way to keep the disease from spreading is by taking everyday precautions such as frequent hand washing, covering up coughs and sneezes, and staying away from work or school if not feeling well and reporting to the family physician.

We, homeopaths should therefore, brace up to take up the challenge to deal with this impending pandemic and reveal evidence based homeopathic cure in such cases. 

Homeopathic Remedies for Swine Flue.

Some homeopaths have suggested the names of the Medicines which would be effective in dealing with the present Swine flue and they are : Arsenicum Album, Canthraris, Phosphorus , Cuprum-met, Camphora, Veratrum-Album, Ipecac or Carbo Veg. However, Homeopathic remedies need strict individualization and are given as specifically prepared, non-toxic, micro-dose homeopathic potencies. Consult a qualified homeopath before taking any homeopathic remedy for Swine flu / influenza.

Past flu pandemics