Category Archives: Homeopathy for the Family

Got Acid Reflux? Addressing acid reflux with homeopathy

Acid reflux, Chronic illness, Digestive health, Homeopathy, Homeopathy for the Family, Total Health, , , , , ,

Acid Reflux – Article summary:   Acid reflux affects many people. What is acid reflux? What is GERD? Foods that aggravate acid reflux, what increases your chances to get acid reflux. The causes for acid reflux. Dangers of low stomach acid. Antacid medications linked to serious health problems.  Homeopathic remedies for acid reflux. 

Acid reflux is a common condition that makes life very challenging for many people.  One out of five people experiences heartburn or acid regurgitation on a weekly basis, and two out of five people experience heartburn or acid regurgitation at least once a month. 2 The number of people having acid reflux has increased in the past decades. 3

woman patient with acid reflux

What is acid reflux?

Acid reflux is a condition where stomach contents flow backward into the esophagus. The esophagus is a muscular tube that connects the throat with the stomach.  The stomach contains gastric juices, a mixture of hydrochloric acid, mucus and enzymes, that will irritate any other tissue outside the stomach. There is a mechanism in our body that prevents influx of the stomach contents back into the esophagus. Lower esophageal sphincter (LES) seals off the esophagus from the stomach. LES only opens when we swallow or belch. If the sphincter becomes relaxed in the wrong time, the stomach content goes back into the esophagus, and we experience unpleasant sensation called acid reflux.

Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)

If the root cause for acid reflux is unaddressed, the condition can worsen and from occasional event acid reflux might start happening twice a week or more. When that happens, it becomes a more severe form of acid reflux called Gastroesophageal reflux disease or GERD. 15-30% of the US population has GERD. 1  One of the symptoms of GERD is heartburn, but other symptoms might be present as well, chest pain, persistent sore throat, hoarseness, difficulty swallowing, dry cough and bad breath.

Certain foods can aggravate the symptoms of acid reflux.

Foods that can aggravate acid reflux:

  • Citrus
  • Tomato sauce
  • Chocolate
  • Coffee
  • Tea
  • Fried food
  • Rich food
  • Spicy food
  • Alcohol

Risk factors for acid reflux:  

  • Being overweight, being pregnant, overeating
  • Anxiety medications, antidepressants, antibiotics, high blood pressure medications, osteoporosis medications, painkillers 8
  • Smoking
  • Low level of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori)7
  • Being older than 40

What causes acid reflux?

Heartburn is the most frequent symptom of acid reflux. It is unpleasant and can be limiting your activities and foods. Acid reflux affects not only quality of life, it can also have long term consequences. Chronic acid reflux causes the scarring of esophagus that makes swallowing food difficult, and can cause esophageal cancer if left unaddressed for long time. Conventional theory is that the damage to the esophagus occurs because stomach acid is caustic and causes scarring of the esophagus. That is why the goal of conventional medicine is to reduce stomach acid by antacids.

Many acid reducing medications, antacids like Tums, Rolaids, Mylanta, Pepto-Bismol, Zantag and Pepcid (Histamine-2 Receptor Antagonists),  Prevacid, Prilosec and Protonix (Proton pump inhibitors)  are readily available.

The study4 done in 2009 showed that the damage to the esophagus starts from deeper layers of esophageal tissue, not the superficial esophageal tissue layers. That means that the mechanism by which acid reflux causes damage is not really from stomach acid itself but rather because the stomach contents does not belong in the esophagus. When the stomach contents is regurgitated up to the esophagus, the immune system builds a reaction which in turn triggers the damage of deep layers of esophageal tissue. Eventually, the immune reaction proliferates and the cells of superficial esophageal tissues are damaged as well. The study suggested “an alternative concept for the development of reflux esophagitis in which refluxed gastric juice does not directly damage the esophagus, but rather stimulates esophageal epithelial cells to secrete chemokines that mediate damage of esophageal tissue.”4 Chemokines are a special type of cytokine (protein, signaling molecule) that attract white blood cells to infected or damaged tissues.

Stomach acid by itself does not open LES. Increased pressure between stomach and esophagus causes stomach contents to go back up. That pressure can be created from being overweight, pregnant, overeating, or bacterial overgrowth and/or low digestive motility. Smoking relaxes LES making it easier for stomach content to go up.  Certain medications, like antibiotics,  antidepressants, osteoporosis medications (Fosamax),  pain relievers and some others8   irritate esophageal lining and cause heartburn. Research showed that after eradicating H. pylori with antibiotics people who have low rate of  H. pylori bacteria have a higher rate of GERD.7

Dangers of low stomach acid

Reducing stomach acid does nothing to address the root cause of the problem, and low stomach acid can actually cause serious health problems including acid reflux.5

Low stomach acid causes malabsorption of nutrients from foods. Inability to absorb vitamins and minerals causes heartburn, indigestion, osteoporosis, fatigue, and anemia. Stomach acid also plays an important role in protecting gastrointestinal tract from microorganisms, fungi, bacteria,  that are in the food we eat. When the stomach acid is low, candida and bacteria like clostridium difficile and other unfriendly bacteria11 can proliferate and cause bloating, nausea, constipation, diarrhea and other digestive disorders.

Antacid medications are linked to a variety of serious health problems

Prolonged use of Histamine-2 Receptor Antagonists (H2A) antacids medications is associated with cognitive impairment16 and interferes with sleep and other medications absorption.21 H2A antacids effectiveness wears with time, and another class of drugs – proton pump inhibitors,  is being used often in chronic cases.

More and more research link popular heartburn drugs called proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), medications that include Lansopazole (Prevacid), Omeprazole (Prilosec), Pantoprazole (Protonix) to a variety of serious health problems. Originally, PPIs were recommended to be used for 2 weeks only, but now millions of people take PPIs for very long time. Long term use of PPIs causes gut dysbiosis12,  serious kidney damage10, bone fractures13, dementia15, heart attacks17, osteoporosis14, pneumonia18, cancer19 and is associated with an increased risk of death.9

To reduce discomfort from acid reflux:

  • Do not overeat
  • Avoid trigger foods
  • Avoid tight-fitting clothes
  • Exercise
  • Stop eating three or four hours before bed time
  • Keep your head elevated

How to avoid acid reflux  

The best way to address acid reflux issues is to address the root cause. In most cases the core reason for acid reflux is impaired digestion.  Restore your digestion with the help of natural homeopathic remedies – improve digestive motility, address dysbiosis ( bacterial overgrowth or imbalance), improve microbiome diversity, detoxify your body. Restore your digestion, and acid reflux will be the problem of the past.

Homeopathic remedies for occasional acid reflux:

Abies nigra- relieves stomach pain after eating, sensation of pain on the top of the stomach, feels as if one swallowed a rock or an egg. Worse after eating.

Carbo vegetabilis- relieves heartburn due to stomach bloating with gas. Slow digestion. Worse rich foods, exhaustion. Better belching, cool air.

Nux vomica- relieves heartburn due to overindulgence in food and/or drinks. Craves spicy foods, alcohol, coffee, tobacco. Worse tight clothes, after eating, cold. Better warm drinks.

Robinia pseudoacacia- relieves heartburn with water brash. Burning in the whole digestive tract. Worse at night and in bed. Worse fat and flatulent foods. Sour belching.

To relieve occasional discomfort consider homeopathic remedies listed above. If you have tried 3-6 doses of a homeopathic remedy and you do not see expected results, or to address chronic acid reflux contact your homeopathic practitioner for more specific suggestions.

References:

  1. https://www.healthline.com/health/gerd/facts-statistics-infographic#5
  2. https://www.aboutgerd.org/prevalence.html
  3. https://abcnews.go.com/Health/acid-reflux-rise-study-finds/story?id=15208938
  4. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19660463  Gastroenterology. 2009 Nov;137(5):1776-84. doi: 10.1053/j.gastro.2009.07.055. Epub 2009 Aug 4.  Gastroesophageal reflux might cause esophagitis through a cytokine-mediated mechanism rather than caustic acid injury.Souza RF1, Huo X, Mittal V, Schuler CM, Carmack SW, Zhang HY, Zhang X, Yu C, Hormi-Carver K, Genta RM, Spechler SJ. Department of Medicine, VA North Texas Health Care System and University of Texas Southwestern Medical School, Irving, Texas, USA. rhonda.souza@utsouthwestern.edu
  1. https://link.springer.com/article /10.1007%2Fs00535-012-0634-8?utm_medium=affiliate&utm_source=commission_junction&utm_campaign=3_nsn6445_brand_PID4003003&utm_content=de_textlink Journal of Gastroenterology , February 2013, Volume 48, Issue 2, pp 214–221 | Cite as Gastric hypochlorhydria is associated with an exacerbation of dyspeptic symptoms in female patients, Wataru Iwai , Yasuhiko Abe, Katsunori Iijima, Tomoyuki Koike, Kaname Uno, Naoki Asano , Akira Imatani, Tooru Shimosegawa; Original Article—Alimentary Tract, First Online: 25 July 2012
  1. https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/proceedings-of-the-nutrition-society/article/ageing-and-the-gut/A85D096755F5F7652C262495ABF302A0  Volume 72, Issue 1 , February 2013 , pp. 173-177  Ageing and the gut, Edward Britton (a1) and John T. McLaughlin (a1) (a2) ,  DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0029665112002807 Published online by Cambridge University Press: 12 November 2012
  1. “Missing microbes. How overuse of antibiotics if fueling our modern plaques“, Martin J. Blaser, MD, director of the New York University Human Microbiome Program  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4214321/
  1. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/gerd/expert-answers/heartburn-gerd/faq-20058535 ” GERD: Can certain medications increase severity?, Michael F. Picco, M.D.
  1. Yan Xie, Benjamin Bowe, Tingting Li, Hong Xian, Yan Yan, Ziyad Al-Aly. Risk of death among users of Proton Pump Inhibitors: a longitudinal observational cohort study of United States veterans. BMJ Open, 2017; 7 (6): e015735 DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2016-015735
  1. Tigran Makunts, Isaac V. Cohen, Linda Awdishu, Ruben Abagyan. Analysis of postmarketing safety data for proton-pump inhibitors reveals increased propensity for renal injury, electrolyte abnormalities, and nephrolithiasis. Scientific Reports, 2019; 9 (1) DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-39335-7
  1. Cristina Llorente, Peter Jepsen, Tatsuo Inamine, Lirui Wang, Sena Bluemel, Hui J. Wang, Rohit Loomba, Jasmohan S. Bajaj, Mitchell L. Schubert, Masoumeh Sikaroodi, Patrick M. Gillevet, Jun Xu, Tatiana Kisseleva, Samuel B. Ho, Jessica DePew, Xin Du, Henrik T. Sørensen, Hendrik Vilstrup, Karen E. Nelson, David A. Brenner, Derrick E. Fouts, Bernd Schnabl. Gastric acid suppression promotes alcoholic liver disease by inducing overgrowth of intestinal Enterococcus. Nature Communications, 2017; 8 (1) DOI: 10.1038/s41467-017-00796-x
  2. Dig Dis Sci. 2018 Nov;63(11):2940-2949. doi: 10.1007/s10620-018-5122-4. Epub 2018 May 24. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29796911  Gut Microbiota Composition Before and After Use of Proton Pump Inhibitors. Hojo M1, Asahara T2,3, Nagahara A4, Takeda T5, Matsumoto K4, Ueyama H4, Matsumoto K4, Asaoka D5, Takahashi T2,3, Nomoto K3,6, Yamashiro Y2, Watanabe S4.
  1. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22294756  BMJ. 2012 Jan 30;344:e372. doi: 10.1136/bmj.e372.  Use of proton pump inhibitors and risk of hip fracture in relation to dietary and lifestyle factors: a prospective cohort study.  Khalili H1, Huang ES, Jacobson BC, Camargo CA Jr, Feskanich D, Chan AT.  Gastroenterology Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA.
  1. http://www.cmaj.ca/content/179/4/319  Use of proton pump inhibitors and risk of osteoporosis-related fractures   Laura E. Targownik, Lisa M. Lix, Colleen J. Metge, Heather J. Prior, Stella Leung and William D. Leslie  CMAJ August 12, 2008 179 (4) 319-326; DOI: https://doi.org/10.1503/cmaj.071330
  1. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26882076  JAMA Neurol. 2016 Apr;73(4):410-6. doi: 10.1001/jamaneurol.2015.4791.  Association of Proton Pump Inhibitors With Risk of Dementia: A Pharmacoepidemiological Claims Data Analysis.  Gomm W1, von Holt K1, Thomé F1, Broich K2, Maier W3, Fink A4, Doblhammer G5, Haenisch B1. German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, Bonn, Germany.
  1. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2860609/  J Am Geriatr Soc. Author manuscript; available in PMC 2010 Apr 28.  J Am Geriatr Soc. 2007 Aug; 55(8): 1248–1253. doi: 10.1111/j.1532-5415.2007.01270.x PMCID: PMC2860609 NIHMSID: NIHMS190446 PMID: 17661965 The Association Between Cognition and Histamine-2 Receptor Antagonists in African Americans   Malaz Boustani, MD, MPH,  Kathleen S. Hall, PhD, Kathleen A. Lane, MS, Hisham Aljadhey, PharmD,‖ Sujuan Gao, PhD, Frederick Unverzagt, PhD, Michael D. Murray, PharmD, MPH, Adesola Ogunniyi, MD,and Hugh Hendrie, MB, ChB, DSc (Med)
  1. https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0124653  Proton Pump Inhibitor Usage and the Risk of Myocardial Infarction in the General Population  Nigam H. Shah , Paea LePendu , Anna Bauer-Mehren, Yohannes T. Ghebremariam, Srinivasan V. Iyer, Jake Marcus, Kevin T. Nead, John P. Cooke, Nicholas J. Leeper  Published: June 10, 2015;https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0124653
  1. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21731913   World J Gastrointest Pharmacol Ther. 2011 Jun 6;2(3):17-26. doi: 10.4292/wjgpt.v2.i3.17.  Proton pump inhibitor-associated pneumonia: Not a breath of fresh air after all?   Fohl AL1, Regal RE. Alexander L Fohl, University of Michigan Hospitals and College of Pharmacy, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-5008,, United States.
  1. https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/7/10/e017739  BMJ Oncology Research Maintenance therapy with proton pump inhibitors and risk of gastric cancer: a nationwide population-based cohort study in Sweden Nele Brusselaers1, Karl Wahlin2, Lars Engstrand3, Jesper Lagergren2,4
  1. https://gut.bmj.com/content/67/1/28  BMJ Long-term proton pump inhibitors and risk of gastric cancer development after treatment for Helicobacter pylori: a population-based study  Ka Shing Cheung1, Esther W Chan2,  Angel Y S Wong2, Lijia Chen1, Ian C K Wong2,3, Wai Keung Leung1
  1. https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/medicine-and-dentistry/h2-antagonist  Drugs That Disturb Sleep and Wakefulness   Paula K. Schweitzer, in Principles and Practice of Sleep Medicine (Fifth Edition), 2011

Cruising with Homeopathy

Education in Homeopathy, Homeopathy, Homeopathy for the Family, Sleep, Total Health, travel

Have you ever been on a cruise ship?

Aconitum Napellus

My friend Luisa and her husband recently went on a cruise for the first time. The night before they were to leave, her daughter Lora, an avid news reader and watcher, could not sleep. She fell asleep but woke up an hour later and went downstairs where Luisa was finishing packing. Lora went to the refrigerator, gulped a cup of cold water and looked anxiously at her parents’ luggage.

She sat on the edge of a chair, then stood up, then sat again. She asked Luisa to tell her more about the trip, although it was discussed in detail weeks ago. “When will you be back?” Lora kept asking. She shared with her mother how scared she was that they were leaving her alone with her grandparents. Luisa was a bit surprised, but after her daughter mentioned that while her parents were busy packing, she watched a scary story on TV right before her bed time, Luisa decided to give her homeopathic remedy Aconitum Napellus. Lora fell asleep in minutes after the remedy and slept soundly through the night.

Arnica Montana

In the morning after goodbye hugs to Lora and Luisa’s parents, a taxi brought Luisa and her husband to the port. The line to get to the checkpoint and the ship was long, and while Luisa was excited about the cruise, her husband – not so much. Lenny was worried that he will be bored with two days at sea, on a ship with nowhere else to go, and no email to read. Luisa had convinced him not to pay for Wi-Fi access to have a real vacation without any googling, facebooking or emailing. Lenny found himself thinking about that last email he had no time to answer before they left, and missed a step, almost fell over his bag and hit his big toe trying to keep his balance. ‘That’s great’, he thought, but Luisa had it under control. “Here”, she stretched out her hand with a tube of homeopathic  remedy Arnica Montana. By the time Lenny stepped on the deck of the ship, he forgot about his toe discomfort.

Nux Vomica

The ship was amazing – multiple levels, beautiful atrium where people have already gathered for drinks and music, amazing view of the port and ocean. The food was plenty, big buffet with multiple choices of food and drinks, several restaurants with tasty foods, from filet mignon to burgers and French fries, and all for free, 24 hours a day! Needless to say, bored Lenny entertained  himself with different foods and drinks while Luisa was busy running from a show to a concert, from bingo games to gaze at the ocean. She was enjoying every moment while Lenny was trying to settle on the ship. By the evening he felt a bit irritated and nauseous, but he recognized the remedy since it happened to him once before – homeopathic remedy Nux Vomica to the rescue! Nux Vomica is an excellent remedy for over-indulging with food or drinks, or a hangover. Lenny felt better right away and even accompanied Luisa to the late evening show. The theater was cold and roomy, the show entertaining, and all in all the day ended well.

Calendula

In couple days the ship reached sunny Bermuda. Luisa works with computers and does not spend much time outside during work week. She likes walking outside, but in New England there is no way to get ready for sunny weather with occasional short walks. She sighed and reached for her sun block, the most natural sun block she could find but still. She also got her hat with a wide brim, oversized sun glasses and a cover dress to use on the beach. Luisa was very careful on the beach trying not to expose her un-tanned skin to the sun too much. The beach sand was so soft, the turquoise water so clear and enticing,  that  Luisa could not get enough of jumping in the waves,  and waking on the beach. By the time they came back to the ship, she felt her skin burning a little, then a little more. Luisa reached for homeopathic Calendula cream and quickly applied couple layers several times until the burning subsided.

Petroleum

The weather was perfect when the ship started on its way back. Luisa was sad to leave the beautiful island but it was time to go home. Even Lenny had to admit that they had a great time on the beaches, walking trough old town of St. George, and going down the Crystal cave. The weather started to change in the evening, and by the morning the wind was blowing harder and harder creating high ocean waves, and making walking on the ship a bit tricky. It was funny  to watch each other walking with a wide stance, but after a while Luisa felt uneasy. She really wanted to play bingo in the concert hall located at the end of the ship. It was not the game of bingo that attracted her, really, but rather the show the ship’s entertainment crew put together during the game. In the middle of the game Luisa felt really nauseous and weak, and after the game ended, she went directly to her cabin. She took homeopathic remedy Petroleum, lay down for half an hour and went to dinner, the waves did not bother her anymore.

Coffea Cruda

On the last day of the cruise Luisa and Lenny sat in the Jacuzzi, watched 2 shows, listened to some ‘oldies’ music, danced, and took as many pictures as they could. Lenny could not fall asleep – after trying to keep up with Luisa he drank 5 or 6 cups of coffee!  Homeopathic remedy Coffea Cruda saved the night, after 2 doses he felt asleep and when he awoke, the ship was already docking.

Travel naturally with your trusted homeopathic remedies!

What is Homeoprophylaxis?

Acute Illnesses, Cold & Flu, Education in Homeopathy, Featured Post, Health Freedom, Homeopathy, Homeopathy for the Family, Homeoprophylaxis or "Homeopathic Vaccinations", Total Health, , , , , , , , , , , ,

“Homeoprophylaxis (HP) is the use of potentized substances in a systematic manner to prevent the development of the characteristic symptoms of disease.”- Dr. Golden

Homeoprophylaxis (HP) is a safe way to “educate” the immune system against infectious and contagious diseases, and it has been successfully used for more than 200 years. HP is based on homeopathic approach and addresses the whole person to promote health and prevent diseases.

Homeopathic remedies used in HP are ultra-high dilutions, they do not contain molecules of the original substances, and are non-toxic. HP remedies are made from plant, mineral or animal sources or disease products, and are given before encountering a disease to “educate” the immune system. HP remedy works on energetic level of the body and serves as an information message to the immune system.

Law of Similars is used in homeopathy to choose correct remedies, and is also applied for prevention. A remedy that produces symptoms similar to those of the disease will cure an individual that has that disease.  The same remedy that will cure an infectious disease will prevent or reduce the severity of that infection if the remedy is given before exposure to the disease.

Regular vaccines contain small amounts of infectious organisms or disease products. In addition to the disease causing microbes, conventional vaccines contain multiple adjuvants and preservatives and can cause serious side effects.  Conventional vaccines are injected directly into the blood stream bypassing the body’s natural early defense mechanisms. The goal of conventional vaccines is to produce antibodies. The expectation is that the person who is given a vaccine for a specific disease will develop antibodies to that disease and thus be protected. Dr. Merrill W. Chase made a discovery in 1940s (1) that antibodies or humoral immunity alone do not provide immunity, non-specific, cell medicated immunity that involves action of different types of T-cells is important as well to protect the body from infections.

In contrast with conventional vaccines, HP remedies have no dangerous additives, preservatives, toxins, antibiotics, and no molecules of the infecting virus remain. HP remedies contain only the information frequency of the disease. This frequency is delivered on tiny sugar pellets, by mouth, one disease at a time. HP remedy “educates” the immune system about a specific virus. HP does not rely on antibody production, but on changing the susceptibility of the person to the disease. Microbes are not seen as the main cause of diseases, rather terrain, or individual’s predisposition to a disease is important – absence of the predisposition to a specific disease makes the person immune to it. Homeopathic remedies are able to remove these predispositions.

Homeopathy has a 200 years history of high success rate in healing and providing protection in epidemic diseases. Dr. Hahnemann, the founder of homeopathy, used homeopathic remedy Belladonna to treat patients with scarlet fever. He noticed that those who took the same remedy Belladonna before developing the symptoms of scarlet fever, remained healthy even when coming into contact with the disease. (2) Homeoprophylaxis has been used by many well known homeopathic practitioners like Hering, Boenninghausen, Kent, Allen and Boger, and many other homeopathic practitioners since then.

In recent years large-scale observational studies for homeoprophylactic intervention have been conducted in Cuba for Leptospirosis in 2.3 million persons (3), in Brazil for meningitis in 85,000 people (5),  in India for Japanese encephalitis in more than 20 million people (6).

Dr. Isaac Golden from Australia is the world authority on homeoprophylaxis. In 2004 he completed a research on homeoprophylaxis at the Swinburne University, Melbourne. It was a 20 years Homeoprophylactic Program for disease prevention from 1985 to 2004 where 2,342 responses were collected.  According to the research, the effectiveness of homeoprophylaxis  is 90.4% (95% confidence limits 87.6% – 93.2%). Using national attack rates as a control, HP efficacy for three diseases was:  whooping cough – 86.2%; measles – 90.0%; mumps – 91.6%. (7)

No method of disease prevention can guarantee 100% protection from any infectious disease. When you are considering any aspect of your health and health of your children, it is important to research and review all factors and information. Conventional vaccines do have risks, and can be contraindicated to people with severe illness, suppressed immune system, or history of previous vaccine reactions. Some people have religious or philosophical objections to conventional vaccines. Homeoprophylaxis offers a safe alternative for those groups of people.

Vaccinations are a personal choice and require thoughtful considerations. I do not recommend or discourage regular vaccinations. I recommend clients to do as much research as possible to make sure they feel satisfied with the choice they make. Clients make decisions on their own, and some chose conventional vaccines, and others do not. I respect everyone’s decision. If conventional vaccines are being used, specific homeopathic remedies might be suggested to mitigate negative side effects of traditional vaccinations.

HP remedies are suitable for infants, children and adults. HP remedies can be used for people who travel to countries where they may be exposed to infectious diseases not present in their home country. HP is based on sound homeopathic principals, is safe and effective, and has been used successfully by many people around the world.

If you are considering homeoprophylaxis for yourself or your children, please contact Vera.

REFERENCES:

  1. “Merrill W. Chase, 98, Scientist Who Advanced Immunology”,By Anahad O’Connor, Jan 22, 2004, NY Times,  http://www.nytimes.com/2004/01/22/nyregion/merrill-w-chase-98-scientist-who-advanced-immunology.html?_r=2
  1. Hahnemann S. 1801. “The Cure and Prevention of Scarlet Fever”, p. 369-384, The Lesser Writings of Samuel Hahnemann, republished by B. Jain Publishers, 1993, New Dehli.
  2. Bracho, G, Varela, E, Fernandez, R, et al. “Large-scale application of highly-diluted bacteria for Leptospirosis epidemic control.” Homeopathy. 99 (2010): 156-166.,            https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20674839
  1. Dr. Golden, Isaac. “Homeoprophylaxis-A Fifteen Year Clinical Study: A Statistical Review of Efficacy and Safety of Long Term Homeoprophylaxis.” Gisborne. Vic. 2004
  2. Mroninski, Adriano, Mattos. Homeopathic Links, Winter 2001, Vol 14(4)), Influenza (International Journal of High Dilution Research 2011; 10(36):174-176
  3. Srinivasulu, G. “An Open Observational Study on the prevention of Japanese Encephalitis through Miasmatic Prescription”, Journal of Homoeopathy, January 2014 Volume 103, Issue 1, Pages 78–79,  http://www.homeopathyjournal.net/article/S1475-4916(13)00125-2/abstract
  1. Dr. Golden, Isaac http://immunizationalternatives.com/clinical-research/

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REFERENCES FOR FURTHER STUDY

Copyright © 2016 –, Vera Volfson, CCH

History of Homeoprophylaxis

Acute Illnesses, Cold & Flu, Education in Homeopathy, Featured Post, Health Freedom, Homeopathy, Homeopathy for the Family, Homeoprophylaxis or "Homeopathic Vaccinations", Total Health, , , , , , , , , , , ,

General and historical review of the long term and historical use of homeoprophylaxis over the last 200+ years

  • 1799: Scarlatina epidemic in Germany was managed successfully by Belladonna.
  • 1801: Hahnemann wrote an article, “The prevention and cure of scarlet fever” in his lesser writings. Also published a pamphlet called ‘Cure and Prevention of Scarlet Fever’, along with each pamphlet, a vial containing Belladonna was distributed. In his footnote to § 73, he wrote, “scarlet fever founds its preventive and curative means in Belladonna.”
  • 1808: In the subsequent scarlatina epidemic in Germany, Aconite was proved effective.
  • 1808: Published a paper, “Observation on the scarlet fever,” in which he described the individual features of the two previous epidemics.
  • 1813: Hahnemann mentioned in his ‘Chronic Diseases’ about Bryonia and Rhus tox for the acute miasm of typhus.
  • 1831: Hahnemann selected Camphor, Cuprum and Veratrum album for the prevention and cure of Asiatic cholera.
  • 1849:  Boenninghausen  successfully used preventives during the cholera epidemic in Europe. The mortality rate was 54-90% in conventional medicine, whereas homeopathy had only 5–16% mortality. In his lesser writings, he had mentioned about his experience on Thuja for the prevention of small pox. Once he said, “Variolinum 200 is far supreme to crude vaccinations and absolutely safe.”
  • 1833, Constantine Hering: He  suggested Psorinum to prevent an infection of itch miasm.
  • 1884, J C Burnet: He suggested Vaccinum 30 as a preventive for small pox.
  • Dr. H. C. Allen: He used Diptherinum for 25 years as a preventive
    of Diptheria.
  • William Boericke: In his Materia Medica, under Baptisia, he writes, “Baptisia in lower dilutions produces a form of antibodies to the bacillus typhosus. It raises the natural body resistance to the invasion of bacillary intoxication.”
  • Dorothy Shepherd: Confirmed the effectiveness of Pertussin in the prevention of whooping cough.
  • Francisco X. Eizayaga. His protocol of homeopathic prophylaxis was successfully used for four decades in Buenos Aires.
  • 1820 – 1904, Dr. Dudgeon: He reported that 10 allopathic doctors  used homeopathic doses of Belladonna on 1646 children as a preventive for scarlet fever, and only 123 cases had the infection. At the same time, 90% of people who had not taken Belladonna got the infection.
  • 1838, Dr. Hufeland: He supported the use of Belladonna as a preventive against scarlet fever, hence, the government of Prussia made its use mandatory in 1838 during an epidemic of scarlet fever.
  • 1907, Dr. Eaton: In 1907, he collated the results of several doctors in Iowa during a smallpox epidemic. As a prophylaxis to small pox, 2806 persons were given Variolinum 30. Out of these 2806 people, 547 persons had definite exposure to small pox. The response was very encouraging. Only 14 cases got the infection, which means the prophylaxis was 97% effective.
  • 1918, W. A. Pearson:  W. A. Pearson of Philadelphia collected 26795 cases of influenza treated with Gelsemium by various homeopathic physicians. The mortality was only 1.05%, but the mortality of cases treated by conventional medicine was 30%.
  • 1988 – 1994, Dr. Isaac Golden:  Conducted a survey among the customers who had purchased his prophylactic kit against diseases like pertussis, diphtheria, mumps, measles, influenza, tetanus, and poliomyelitis. He then conducted a follow-up survey by sending a questionnaire between 1988 to 1994 to each of the parents. He received 879 replies, out of which, only 2% of the children got the infection. Out of 188 children who had definite exposure, only 20 got infected, that too with fewer troubles. There were no adverse effects from the program. The repeated doses actually helped for the long-term prevention.
  • 1974, Brazil: Guarantingueta in Brazil had faced an epidemic of meningitis. As a prophylaxis, Meningococcinum 10C was given to 18640 children. At the same time another group of 6,340 children did not receive the nosode, hence used as control. Out of 18,640, only 4 cases developed meningitis. And, among 6,340 children, 43 cases developed the disease.
  • USA: The homeopaths who worked for the public health departments in USA gained great experience by using the nosodes against smallpox epidemics.
  • 2007, Cuba: In October – November 2007, researchers at Finlay institute, Cuba, reported on their successful use of homeopathic remedy for the prevention of Leptospirosis. They prepared a 200C nosode from various strains of the organism, which was given to 2.4 million people. There was a dramatic decrease in morbidity and reached to zero mortality of hospitalized patients.
  • India: In almost all states in India, homeopathic preventive medicines were distributed during the epidemics of Japanese encephalitis, Swine flu, Chinkungunya, Chickenpox, Conjunctivitis, Dengue fever, etc. The responses from the various sources are quite favorable. The success story of prophylaxis from Andhra Pradesh was a much-discussed topic in the public media. The Central Council for Research in Homeopathy (CCRH) is always vigilant on the outbreak of epidemic. They have special research centers to conduct studies on prophylaxis. CCRH also conducted studies on the efficacy of prevention of Japanese Encephalitis in states like UP,  WB, AP, Assam (1986-1999). The result was excellent. In India, homeopathic preventives are also distributed by NRHM, State Government departments, Homeopathic colleges, organizations and practitioners. The Government of Kerala has got a special body called RAECH (Rapid Action Epidemic Control cell Homeopathy), which is under the control of the department of homeopathy. It includes medical officers, members from various organizations and also private practitioners in each area. The RAECH has conducted many studies on the efficacy of HP.

Adapted from an article on Homeoprophylaxis by Dr. Muhammed Rafeeque, BHMS, India, Presented for the first time at LIGA 1st – 4th December 2011
Article Published in the March 2012 issue of Homeopathic Heritage, http://californiahomeopath.com/issue/the-california-homeopath-volume-17-3/article/an-attempt-to-solve-the-controversies-in-homoeopathic-prophylaxis1