Homeopathy for Swine Flu

What is Swine Flu / H1N1 Influenza?

-Dr. Manish Bhatia

Swine Influenza (swine flu) is a respiratory disease of pigs caused by type A influenza virus that regularly causes outbreaks of influenza in pigs. Swine flu viruses cause high levels of illness and low death rates in pigs. Swine influenza viruses may circulate among swine throughout the year, but most outbreaks occur during the late fall and winter months similar to outbreaks in humans.

The 2009 flu outbreak in humans is due to a new strain of influenza A virus subtype H1N1 that derives in part from human influenza, avian influenza, and two separate strains of swine influenza. The origins of this new strain are unknown. It passes with apparent ease from human to human, an ability attributed to an as-yet unidentified mutation. The strain in most cases causes only mild symptoms and the infected person makes a full recovery without requiring medical attention and without the use of antiviral medicines.

Why is there so much panic about Swine Flu? After all it’s just a flu!

The most significant flu pandemic occurred in 1918/1919. The global mortality rate from the 1918/1919 pandemic is not known, but is estimated at 2.5 to 5% of those who were infected died. With 20% or more of the world population suffering from the disease to some extent, a case-fatality ratio this high would mean that about 0.5-1% or 50 million to 100 million people worldwide were killed. In 1957, an Asian flu pandemic infected some 45 million Americans and killed 70,000. Eleven years later, lasting from1968 to 1969, the Hong Kong flu pandemic afflicted 50 million Americans and caused 33,000 deaths, costing approximately $3.9 billion. In 1976, about 500 soldiers became infected with swine flu over a period of a few weeks.

The scare and panic about the bird flu and swine flu have occurred because people now know what a simple flu can lead to and are afraid of the consequences – not just to the human capital but also to the global financial health.

Swine Flu / H1N1 Influenza Symptoms

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

• Fever
• Muscle aches
• Lethargy
• Coughing
• Headache
• Sore throat
• Runny nose
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Lack of appetite

Complications Of Swine Influenza

Those at higher risk of catching influenza in general include those with the following:

* Age of 65 years or older
* Chronic health problems (such as asthma, diabetes, heart disease)
* Pregnant women
* Young children

But the past epidemics and pandemics of flu have shown that during pandemics most people who succumb are healthy young adults.

Complications of Swine Flu can include:

* Pneumonia
* Bronchitis
* Sinus infections
* Ear infections
* Death

Transmission of Swine Flu (How does Swine Flu spread?)

As with other flu like illnesses, Swine influenza is spread as follows:

• Coughing
• Sneezing
• Kissing
• Touching infected objects
• Touching nose, mouth and/or eyes with infected hands
• Swine flu does not spread by eating pork.

Treatment of Swine Flu / H1N1 Influenza

Swine Flu Vaccination / Swine Flu Shot

The protective ability of influenza vaccines depends primarily on the closeness of the match between the vaccine virus and the epidemic virus, so the presence of non reactive H3N2 SIV variants suggests that current commercial vaccines might not effectively protect pigs from infection with a majority of H3N2 viruses. The current vaccine against the seasonal influenza strain H1N1 is thought unlikely to provide protection. The director of CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases said that the United States’ cases were found to be made up of genetic elements from four different flu viruses—North American swine influenza, North American avian influenza, human influenza A virus subtype H1N1, and swine influenza virus typically found in Asia and Europe.

What You Can Do to Prevent H1N1 Influenza / Swine Flu?

There are everyday actions people can take to stay healthy.

* Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.
* Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze. Alcohol-based hands cleaners are also effective.
* Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs spread that way.
* Try to avoid close contact with sick people.
* Influenza is thought to spread mainly person-to-person through coughing or sneezing of infected people.
* If you get sick, CDC recommends that you stay home from work or school and limit contact with others to keep from infecting them.

Above all. Don’t get stressed by the fear of getting the swine flu. Stress can undermine your immune system. The flu doesn’t kill everyone and in most cases may prove benign. Mild exercise, meditation or yoga and healthy nutritious diet can help keep your immune system in good condition and able to ward of any infections. Not every ‘infection’ becomes a full blown ‘disease’. Most infections are taken care of by your body even before you know that you were infected. Most infections affect gravely those people who are vitally deranged. So instead of panicking about the flu, stay calm and focus on becoming a healthy ‘you’.

Natural Remedy

Homeopathy Remedies for Swine Flu / H1N1 Influenza

Why Homeopathy?

Homeopathy was very successful in dealing with the 1918-19 flu pandemic. Here is a quote from the famous historian Julian Winston:

Perhaps the most recent use of homeopathy in a major epidemic was during the Influenza Pandemic of 1918. The Journal of the American Institute for Homeopathy, May, 1921, had a long article about the use of homeopathy in the flu epidemic. Dr. T A McCann, from Dayton, Ohio, reported that 24,000 cases of flu treated allopathically had a mortality rate of 28.2% while 26,000 cases of flu treated homeopathically had a mortality rate of 1.05%. This last figure was supported by Dean W.A. Pearson of Philadelphia (Hahnemann College) who collected 26,795 cases of flu treated with homeopathy with the above result.

The most common remedy used was Gelsemium, with occasional cases needing Bryonia and Eupatorium reported. Dr. Herbert A. Roberts from Derby, CT, said that 30 physicians in Connecticut responded to his request for data. They reported 6,602 cases with 55 deaths, which is less than 1%. Dr. Roberts was working as a physician on a troop ship during WWI. He had 81 cases of flu on the way over to Europe. He reported, “All recovered and were landed. Every man received homeopathic treatment. One ship lost 31 on the way.”

Homeopathic Remedies

Considering that the Swine Flu virus produces symptoms similar to the human influenza virus, the following homeopathy medicines may prove useful in cases of swine influenza:

#Gelsemium. [Gels]
This remedy corresponds to the commencement of the trouble, when the patient is weak, tired and aches throughout the body. It removes speedily the intense aching and muscular soreness. There is constant chilliness and the patient hugs the fire; the fever is less acute than that of Aconite, and the cough is hard and painful. There are paroxysms of sneezing with excoriating discharge, and great torpor and apathy. Extensive experience with this remedy in the great Epidemic of 1918 proved its usefulness. Simple cases were speedily cured. Aconite will sometimes prove the better remedy for children, but the drug will never be a prominent one in influenza. Still it may be prescribed when indicated; it will, perhaps, soothe and moderate the subsequent attack, but its action is not quick here as in simple fevers, as we have to deal with a blood affection.

#Baptisia.
Influenza with marked gastro-intestinal symptoms may need this remedy, especially when there are putrid diarrhoea stools. Clarke considers this remedy the nearest specific for the disease; he prefers the 30th potency. Hughes also praises it, but uses it in the 1x and 2x dilutions, which seem to have more extensive testimony as to their efficacy.

#Eupatorium perfoliatum.
This remedy has much soreness and aching of the entire body; hoarseness and cough, with great soreness of the larynx and upper respiratory tract. Coryza with thirst. Drinking causes vomiting. The cough is a very shattering one, hurts the head and chest, and as in Drosera, the patient holds the chest with the hands. The breakbone pains are characteristic of the remedy. Add to these symptoms acute bilious derangements, and it is all the more indicated. Many physicians rely on this remedy in influenza / flu almost exclusively in the early stages.

#Sabadilla. [Sabad]
Sneezing is the great keynote of this remedy. Sneezing and lachrymation on going into the open air. The throat is swollen and the pain is worse on empty swallowing; the sneezing is excessive, shaking the whole body. Shudderings, with gooseflesh chills creeping upwards, are also prominent symptoms. Frontal headache, dryness of mouth, without thirst and cough, worse on lying down, are additional symptoms. It suits well many cases of the catarrhal form of flu; other remedies having sneezing are Cyclamen and Euphorbia.

#Arsenicum. [Ars]
This remedy covers more phases of flu than perhaps any other remedy. Hughes believes that it will cut short an attack, especially when there is a copious flow, prostration and paroxysmal coryza. Its periodicity makes it suitable to epidemics, and it suits the early symptoms when the affection is in the upper portion of the respiratory tract. The burning dryness and copious watery excoriating secretion and the involvement of the conjunctiva are unmistakable indications. Langour and prostration are prominent symptoms.

#Arsenicum iodide.
Chills, flushes of heat and severe fluent coryza, discharge irritating and corrosive, sneezing and prostration. It corresponds to true influenza and is highly recommended by Hale. Sanguinaria nitrate is especially valuable when the trachea and larynx are affected. Phytolacca is specific when the throat is inflamed and spotty, with great hardness and tenderness of the glands.

#Dulcamara. [Dulc]
This is one of our best remedies in the acute form; the eyes are suffused, the throat is sore and the cough hurts because of the muscular soreness. If brought on by damp, cold changes in the weather, so much the surer is Dulcamara indicated.

#Bryonia.
The trouble here is largely bronchial and going downward. When a person is very grumpy and feels miserable with the flu, wanting only to lie still and be left alone, this remedy is likely to be useful. Headache, muscle aches, and cough or stomach pain may be the major symptoms. Everything feels worse from even the slightest motion. The person’s mouth usually is dry, with a thirst for large cold drinks.

#Phosphorus may be indicated, especially when the trouble moves towards the chest. It is a very useful remedy for the debility following la grippe, as it is usually of the pure nervous type. It is the great post-influenza “tonic.”

#Rhus toxicodendron. [Rhus-t]
Influenza, with severe aching in all the bones, sneezing and coughing. The cough is worse evenings and is caused by a tickling behind the upper part of the sternum. Especially is it useful in cases brought on by exposure to dampness. There is much prostration and depression, and the patient may have some symptoms which are suspicious as pointing towards typhoid fever, such as burning tongue, stupor and delirium. Aching pains and nightly restlessness are keynotes symptoms. Causticum, like both Rhus and Eupatorium, has a tired, sore, bruised sensation all over the body and soreness in the chest when coughing, but it has in addition involuntary urination when coughing.

#Allium cepa. [All-c]
Profuse catarrhal coryza; the nose runs freely, there is sneezing, irritability cough, the face is swollen and looks inflamed. Camphora. This remedy is often sufficient at the outset to cut short an attack, or at least modify the severity.

#Sticta. [Stict]
Nasal catarrh; headache, thirst, nightly expectoration, great watering of eyes, running at nose, hoarseness of voice, frontal headache and depression of whole system. Tuberculous subjects attacked by influenza. “There is no better remedy,” says Dr. Fornias,”for the incessant wearing, racking cough of this class of patients.” Tuberculinum is an excellent prevention of recurring attacks of influenza / flu in those who have annual attacks.

#Ipecac
Adapted to cases where the gastric symptoms predominate; tongue clean or slightly coated. Nausea: with profuse saliva; vomiting of white, glairy mucus in large quantities, without relief; sleepy afterwards; worse from stooping. Low thirst. Cough: dry spasmodic, constricted, asthmatic. Difficult breathing from least exercise; violent dyspnoea, with wheezing and anxiety about the stomach. Cough, with rattling of mucus in bronchi when inspiring; threatened suffocation from mucus. Pains as if bones were all torn to pieces.

#Veratrum album
Adapted to diseases with rapid sinking of the vital forces; complete prostration; collapse. Cold perspiration on the forehead (over entire body, Tab. ) with nearly all complaints. Thirst: intense, unquenchable, for large quantities of very cold water and acid drinks; wants everything cold. Diarrhoea: frequent, greenish, watery, gushing: mixed with flakes: cutting colic, with cramps commencing in hands and feet and spreading all over; prostrating, after fright; < least movement; with vomiting, cold sweat on forehead during and prostration after. Vomiting: excessive with nausea and great prostration: < by drinking ( Ars. ); by least motion ( Tab. ); great weakness after.

Do's and Don'ts for homoeopth

1.
 Do not offer advice or medicine unless you are asked. Do not offer free advice or medicine. the value of anything that is given free is generally not well-realized.

2.
 Do not ring up and inquire about the patient. Let the patient and his relatives inform you themselves.

3.
 Refrain from offering your patients any refreshments in your consulting rooms. Also avoid accepting any food or drink in the patient's house when you have gone for professional work.

4.
 Do not tell lies to the patients. If he comes to know, he will never trust any word from your mouth.

5.
 Do not criticise any other doctor. If the patient criticises any Doctor, try to defend or at least keep quiet.the  patients who criticises someone else today will criticise you tomorrow.

6.
 If any other doctors has committed a mistake do not comment on it. We ourselves make many mistakes unknowingly. If we could see or realise all our mistakes and defects , we would be horrified.

7.
 Do not make any contract with the patient.

8.
 Do not give any guarantee to the patient because you can not guarantee even your own life.

9.
 Do not boast. Let your actions speak.

10.
Do not criticise hardly any other system of medicine.

11.
Subscribe for good journals and read them. Good books are good investments.

12.
Always have a receptive mind. Ever be ready to understand, appreciate and learn.

13.
Learn from everyone. from everywhere,from every source,from every incident.Learn,apply and utilize. Life is a glorious opportunity. Utilize this opportunity to the maximum so that we can say at the end as Hahnemann said, "non inutilis vixi"(I did not live in vain.)

by Rajan sankaran

Do’s and Don’t of Homeopathy

1. Touching Homeopathic Medicines: 

Do not touch the homeopathic medicines; do not take on to your palm before taking it, as handling of medicines reduces the potency of the medicines. It also spoils the medicines by exposing it to unhygienic conditions. Always take the medicines by using the cap of the medicine bottle or a plain paper. If you are going to use a paper then see to it that it does not contain any print. As ink can also spoil the medicine.

2. The half an hour rule:

 Do not eat or drink anything half an hour before and after taking the medicines. That means if you wish to take medicine at 10 o'clock then do not consume anything from 9.30 to 10; take the medicine on 10 o' clock and then till 10.30 do not consume anything. The only exception to this rule is water. Drinking water is permissible after or before five minutes of taking the medicines.

3. Addictions: 

Do not smoke, chew tobacco, and drink alcohol while you are taking homeopathic medicines, as it may have nullifying effects on the medicines.

4. Coffee? 

A debatable topic when it comes to homeopathy. With recent research studies it has been explained that if you follow: not to have anything half an hour before and after the medicine rule then coffee does no harm even if you are taking homeopathic medicines BUT for some homeopathic medicines coffee acts as an antidote; as there are medicines prepared by using coffee in the crude as well as in the roasted form. That is why your homeopath will be a right person to guide you whether coffee will do or not along with the homeopathic medicines you are taking.

5. Onion, garlic, ginger and other strong smelling substances:

Once you are following the half an hour rule then you can eat raw onion, garlic, ginger, and other strong smelling substances along with the homeopathic medicines.

6. Other dietary restrictions: 

It is not mandatory for homeopathic treatment to follow certain dietary restrictions exceptionally for homeopathic medicines. BUT for diseases like bronchial asthma, allergic rhinitis, gout, or the disease which the intensity of which increases after taking a certain food items you need to follow the dietary restrictions for some period till you start responding to the homeopathic line of treatment. Once you respond curatively to homeopathic line of treatment there is no need to keep on the dietetic restrictions. That is the actual cure what homeopathy gives.

7. Other medications:

Allopathic: if you are a blood pressure, diabetes, epilepsy patient and if you are taking certain medicines for longer period of time then it is not advisable to stop the medicines abruptly as you may encounter problems if you do that. Once you start responding positively to homeopathic treatment then your homeopath will advise curtail down of your medicines.

Ayurvedic: Most of the Ayurvedic medicines and homeopathic medicines have the same source only the preparation differs. Because of that it is better to confront your doctor which Ayurvedic medicine (along with the contents of it) you are taking. If the medicines have adverse reactions to each other then your homeopath will advise you to stop the Ayurvedic medicines..

Homeopathy -- India's traditional system of medicine

India is a unique country of great cultural diversity and social plurality. People talk in different languages in different places, and practice different religions, traditions and customs. Such diversity is also visible in the practice of medicine and its acceptance by the people. Even though India is the seat of one of the richest ancient medical practices, ayurveda, a large number of people follow homeopathy.

Origins

The word homeopathy was coined by the German physician Samuel Hahnemann in 1807. In India, homeopathy was introduced around 1810 by Frenchman John Hoingberger, a disciple of Hahnemann who visited Calcutta (now Kolkata).   

     People found a reflection of their beliefs and cultures in homeopathy's philosophy and principles. In the beginning, the system was practiced by amateurs in civil and military services. Hindus then recognized the "law of similars," which underpins homeopathy, as a treatment principle. In the Bhagwat Purana, written in Sanskrit, homoeopathy took root and flourished.

Behind homeopathy

Homeopathy's law of similars can be described as "like cures like." In other words, a substance that causes symptoms of any disease when taken in large doses can be used in small quantities to treat the same symptoms. For example, drinking too much coffee can cause sleeplessness. According to this principle, when coffee is made into a homeopathic medicine, it could be used to treat people that struggle to sleep.

     This concept is also used in conventional medicine. Cutting onions causes eyes to water. The likely remedy for a cold or allergies that cause runny noses and eyes to water is to treat with Allium cepa, which is made from onions. This principle of "like cures like" dates back to Hippocrates in ancient Greece. In its current form, the rule has been used for more than 200 years.

     In homeopathic medicines, substances are used in ultra-high dilutions that makes them nontoxic. These medicines are prepared by specialist pharmacies using a careful process of dilution and succussion (vigorous agitation). Science has not been able to explain the mechanisms that make the ultra-high dilution in homeopathy work. However, research has suggested that such substances have biological effects.

     Some data support the claim that homeopathic medicine becomes more effective with each additional dilution-succussion step, and that this increases the safety of the medicine. During the production of a homeopathic medicine, dilution and agitation steps cause interactions between the substance used for treatment and a water-alcohol mix. This creates tiny nanostructures that are present after the process of dilution.

     Ideally, homeopathic treatment is tailored to each individual. In practicing homeopathy, the physician selects medicines based on the complete history profile of a patient, including their lifestyle, emotional and mental states and physical condition. A single medicine should cover all symptoms that afflict the patient. Physicians first prescribe small doses of the medicine and observe its effect on the patient. If it has results, infinitesimal doses are prescribed after

Myths and realities

Homeopathy is among the most controversial of alternative medical therapies. The solutions are often so diluted that, in many cases, not a single molecule of the active compound remains in the completed substance. Scientists have been arguing about the therapeutic value of homeopathy. Some contend that homeopathy works because it has a placebo effect, or that patients simply get well over time. Double-blind studies involving homeopathic treatment have yielded variable and conflicting results. The scientific community criticizes homeopathy as unethical quackery. But some clinical trials have produced positive results.

Its popularity and education

The Indian government has recognized homeopathy as a medicine and set up the Central Council of Homeopathy (CCH) to regulate its education and practice. At present, homeopathy is the third most popular method of medical treatment in India, after allopathy and ayurveda. There are over 200,000 registered homeopathic doctors, with around 12,000 more joining the profession every year.

     Homoeopathy in India has been fully integrated into the public health system and its practice is legal. In 1978, a Central Council for Research in Homoeopathy was established. Uniform Education in Homoeopathy was enforced by the Indian government in 1983. A large number of hospitals, teaching institutions and registered practitioners are under the Department of Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy (AYUSH) system. According to recent statistics, there are 3,360 hospitals with 68,155 beds, 21,765 dispensaries, 485 colleges and 725,568 practitioners under AYUSH in India.

     The Indian government has written standards for Good Manufacturing Practices in homeopathy, and there are more than 600 makers of drugs using these methods. A considerable amount of homeopathic drugs are now imported from Germany. According to 2010 estimate, the size of the homeopathic market in India was about 26 billion Indian rupees ($419 million), with demand growing at an annual rate of 25-30%.

SOURCE:asia.nikkei.com

What Homoeopathy is Not

Homeopathy is not a miracle medicine:

Many people believe that homeopathy is a miracle science, it can make magical cure in even most incurable diseases such as cancer, comatose stages, paralysis, etc. Actually, it is not. Homeopathy is simple a science based on certain laws (law of similars, comparable with that of vaccinations); with its own scope and limitations. There are rules, parameters and methods of application, which determine the scope of treatment.

Homeopathy is very effective but please do not expect magic or miracles.

Homeopathy is not a panacea:

One of the myths about homeopathy is that it is a cure for all, a panacea. It is not. Homeopathy enjoys all the joys of scope of its application, as well as the limitations of the science. No medical science can be a panacea.

Homeopathy can cure early stages of Rheumatoid arthritis but not the deformities, which go with it, as an example.

Homeopathy is not just the mind-based medicine:

One of the hardest concepts about homeopathy is that homeopathy is based largely on the understanding of the mind. The homeopathic fraternally is also not fully saved of this mis-belief. The study of the mental attitudes, the emotions and the mind-set is one of the important aspects of patient-study in homeopathy. However, it is not the sole determining factor.

Many homeopaths, especially in the western world, have a delusion that homeopathy is almost identical with mind-medicine. Homeopathy study encompasses, actually, the disease, the nature of pathology, the kind of immunological or hormonal changes, the physical components (perspiration, thermal preference, sleep, etc) and the mental sphere; all or most of them put together, depending on the case.

Homeopathy is more than psychosomatic:

Many homeopaths tend to relate disease or pathology in patients to some emotional parameter, almost always as cause and effect phenomenon. For example, diabetes due to stress in relationship or arthritis due to grief due to death of a loved one, etc. Psychosomatism is profoundly comprehended and valued in homeopathy; however, not necessarily as a causal phenomenon, but more as a part of the totality. There is no need to forcibly connect major emotions as the cause for development of every disease in all patients.

Homeopathy is not spiritual:

Since homeopathy is based on potentised (incredibly minute) dose of the physical substance, which cannot be measured with the current scientific methods, many have theorized and connected homeopathy with spirituality. It seems interesting to read some correlation between the two; however, it may be detrimental for the growth of homeopathy if taken away from science and towards spirituality. Comparing ‘vital force’ with ‘sole’ and miasms with ‘Buddhism’ will take homeopathy away from scientific growth.

Homeopathy is not-yet-fully-understood science, so, to some, it might look like some form of spirituality.

Homeopathy is not placebo therapy:

The skeptics have always criticized homeopathy as placebo therapy, due to lack of adequate research as per modern medicine guidelines. Since the results using homeopathic medicines are fairly reproducible, measurable and documentable, I would strongly say that homeopathy is far beyond placebo therapy.

Homeopathy is not faith healing:

Next label from skeptics is that homeopathy is nothing but faith healing. Homeopathy has worked million times for those who did not believe in it. Also, babies, domestic and wild animals, respond to homeopathy; proving homeopathy to be more than placebo therapy.

Cases of Hepatitis C, for example, where objective parameter such as drastic reduction in viral load after homeopathic medicines; is very hard to achieve with faith healing.

The skeptics should try out homeopathy, I suggest.

Homeopathy is not necessarily ‘single remedy’ magic:

The homeopathic professionals have been taught to be dogmatic about the use of ‘single remedy’ at a time, for all patients, all the time. It is very hard to break this fixity and evolve from this rigid shell; which even the father of homeopathy, Dr Hahnemann, could not outgrow in his time. The homeopaths tend to be either emotional when it comes to talking about the use of more remedies in a give case or shy away from discussing about it. The profession has yet to enter into a scientific discussion about so-called poly-pharmacy (multiple medicines).

No complex case be cured using a single remedy forever, barring only a few exceptions.

I deal with very severe pathologies such as Ulcerative colitis, Ankylosing spondylitis, Trigeminal Neuralgia, Nephrotic Syndrome, etc. where it is not possible to administer a single remedy and wait. Every delay could be detrimental and not justified.

Homeopathy is not just ‘single dose’ therapy:

‘Single remedy, single dose’ are the magic phrases found in homeopathic textbooks; no more relevant in today’s medical practice. I have practiced the said phrases very religiously for over a decade and half; and have evolved from the dogmatism.

Sticking to the idea of single remedy and single dose could even lead to criminal intransigence.

Homeopathy is not dream-based treatment:

Some teachings have led to create a cloud of delusion amongst some homeopaths, which believe that the practice of homeopathy can be based on the understanding of patient’s dreams. Study of dreams is one of the twenty odd parameters in homeopathy; one of the most unreliable, indeed. Its importance should not be over emphasized.

Most treatments do not lead to suppression:

Over importance to the theory of suppression of diseases in homeopathy is misleading, vey often. Yes, use of immunosuppressive medicines such as corticosteroids, etc. leads to suppression of immune system, eventually taking the disease to deeper levels. This is very well understood in homeopathic philosophy.

However, extension of the concept of suppression, whereby some believe that anti-fever (paracetamol, Tylenol), pain killers, antibiotics, always lead to suppression; and must always be avoided. This is not true, in my opinion. This calls for scientific debate.

Homeopathy is not that slow:

The proponents of homeopathy claim that homeopathy is not slow. Actually, this is partly true and partly not. Homeopathy is not slow in chronic diseases. It relatively slow in acute diseases and could be very slow in the treatment of critical diseases.

Homeopathy is not very fast acting medicine:

Homeopathy is not very fast, either. Let me be honest. Homeopathy is neither very fast nor very slow. We need research to make homeopathy faster, I would say.

Homeopathy is not simply ‘constitutional medicine’:

Any contradiction to concept of the constitutional medicine is a potential trigger for third world war, amongst homeopaths at least. After twenty-five years of intense homeopathic practice, I believe that the ‘constitutional medicine’ is a hype created in the profession. It calls for a review and re-evaluation. It is a huge topic, cannot be discussed in length here.

In brief, I would say, all cases may not find a constitutional medicine and can still be treated with success.

Homeopathy is not suitable for all acute and critical diseases:

One school of thought is that homeopathy can cure each a every acute and critical disease such as cerebral malaria, bacterial meningitis, acute renal failure, severe pneumonia, acute myocardial infection (heart attack), and the like.

I strongly opine that it is not true. Homeopathy is a science having a limitation whereby severe acute and critical disease situations cannot be consistently treated with success. Please read the word ‘consistently’ with emphasis. Success with some cases, on some occasions, may not be enough. The results have to be comparable with the modern medicine; in order that we ethically claim success of homeopathy in severely acute and critical illnesses.

Every disease is not curable, even if the remedy is right

Many people and some homeopaths believe that if symptoms of the patient match with some medicines, every disease becomes curable. In other words, if the medicine selection is perfect, the cure is certain; irrespective of the nature of the disease. This is not true. The curability of any disease depends on several factors such as 1. Nature of the disease. For example, hepatitis (inflammation of liver) may be curable; while cirrhosis (scarring) of liver is not curable. 2. Extent of pathological change. For example, a fewer patches of Alopecia Areata (hair loss patches) are curable; but total hair loss (Alopecia totalis) is not curable. 3. Reversibility of the disease process and outcome. Inflammatory arthritis can be helped but Osteoarthritis (bony overgrowth) cannot be reversed. 4. Selection of the correct homeopathic remedies. 

Homeopathy is not beyond the modern medical science:

The well-evolved medical knowledge acquired by medical science is very much required for the evolution of homeopathy. Homeopathy does not claim to be beyond the modern medical science. In fact, it is high time to understand that homeopathy and medical science are not distinctly different as far as the ‘medicine’ is concerned. They are not contrary but complementary and collaborating; belonging to the same medical science.

Homeopathy is not against the modern medicine:

Some may believe that ‘modern medicine’ and homeopathy against each other, contrary; kind of enemies! I have always wondered, how such concepts have grown in the minds of medicos, homeopaths and lay-people. Homeopathy is just a science; a part of medical science.

If we look at the evolution of engineering sciences, do we believe that computer engineering is contrary to the electronics; mechanical engineering opposing to electrical or civil engineering’s? Not really. They all are complementing each other. Why don’t we have maturity when it comes to medical sciences?

Homeopathy is not against surgery:

One of the myths among laypeople, modern medicos, as well as the surgeons is that homeopathy is against surgery. Surgery is a part of homeopathy. Surgery is a science and art by itself. Surgery is neither a property of modern medicines nor of homeopathy. It has to be understood that homeopathy is a therapeutic method of treating diseases in certain manner. Surgery is a method of treating diseases in a different manner, without medicines. Both are complementary to each other. Precisely, therefore, the homeopathic training in India trains every homeopath for basic surgery, at undergraduate level, as much as it trains a modern medico. Every qualified homeopath in India is a physician and a surgeon. This is not a case in the western world, though.

source:life force

50 Facts about Homoeopathy

1) Fact 1 – Hippocrates ‘The Father of Medicine’ of Ancient Greece said there were two Laws of Healing: The Law of Opposites and the Law of Similars. Homeopathy treats the patient with medicines using the Law of Similars, orthodox medicine uses the Law of Opposites, e.g. antibiotics, anti-inflammatories, anticonvulsants, antihypertensives, anti-depressants, anti-psychotics.

Logical fallacy (3): Argument from authority, argument from antiquity, strawman.

Errors: Hippocrates’ ideas as to disease treatment have no (as in zero) applicability to how we understand medicine. Also, medicine does not treat by the Law of Opposites, and using the ‘anti’ prefix as an understanding of how a process works is just weird. Its like finding significance in assume making an ‘ass’ of ‘u’ and ‘me’. Antibiotics, for example, work by targeting very specific bacterial chemical pathways to kill the organism. Anti inflammatories block a specific enzymes in the inflammatory pathway to decrease inflammation etc etc. There is no Law of Opposites in modern medicine. That is either a profound misunderstanding or a misrepresentation.

Fact 2 – Homeopathic theories are based on fixed principles of the Laws of Nature which do not change — unlike medical theories which are constantly changing!

Logical Fallacy: Strawman.

Error: Homeopathy is based on nonsense, and there are no fixed “Laws of Nature” upon which it is based (I do like the the capitals, makes it seem so much more authoritative). What “Law” outside the fictions on Hanneman (he pulled his Laws out the his, well, imagination), is homeopathy based on? None. All the Laws of chemistry, physics, physiology, biology etc would suggest that homeopathy is unequivocal nonsense.

That medicine is changing is its strong suit. Ask yourself this (not applicable if you are Amish or a Homeopath) is there any part of your life where you would prefer to operate under the concepts and technology of the mid 1800’s? Modern medicine progresses. Homeopathy is not only nonsense, it is stagnant nonsense.

Fact 3 – Homeopathy is an evidence-based, empirical medicine.

Logical Fallacy: Non-Sequitur, moving goalpost.

Error: none. Unfortunately all the evidence based, empirical data demonstrates that homeopathy is totally useless.

Fact 4 – Homeopathy is both an art and a science.

Logical Fallacy: Non-Sequitur, moving goalpost.

Error: It is an art, like other works of the imagination. As to science, not so much. Homeopaths denies the applicability of all the basic sciences to homeopathy, especially chemistry and physiology. It does occasionally misinterpret quantum mechanics as applicable to its mechanism of action, but misapplying science does not a science make, in this they share a close kinship with the science of intelligent design.

Fact 5 – The Homeopathic provings of medicines are a more scientific method of testing than the orthodox model.

Logical Fallacy: Unstated Major Premise.

Error: This is only true if you think non randomized, uncontrolled, unblinded anecdotes based on unknown or unproven physical principles are more scientific than randomized, controlled, double blind studies based on therapies that have biologic plausibility. This statement is the same as postulating astrology is better science than astronomy.

Fact 6 – Homeopathic medicine awakens and stimulates the body’s own curative powers. The potentized remedy acts as a catalyst to set healing into motion.

Logical Fallacy: Non-Sequitur? There needs to be a logical fallacy for using scientific terminology that seems to make sense, but doesn’t. I call it the “Say What? logical fallacy.

Error: Which curative power and how it is stimulated and what is catalyzed is never said. It sounds impressive until you ask for details. Vague homilies, no meat. Potentized is homeopathy speak for really dilute and shaked/shook/shooken really well.

Fact 7 – Homeopathic medicines work by communicating a current/pattern/frequency of energy via the whole human body to jump start the body’s own inherent healing mechanisms

Logical Fallacy: say what?

Error: This makes no sense as I understand the world. The phase “communicating a current/pattern/frequency of energy via the whole human body” really has no content in reality based medicine. Like Oakland, there is no there there. Much of alt med is often all sound and fury, signifying nothing. Big, impressive words and concepts that when analyzed carefully say nothing.

Fact 8 – Homeopathy assists the body to heal itself, to overcome an illness which brings the patient to a higher level of health. Orthodox medicine suppresses the illness, bringing the patient to a lower level of health.

Logical Fallacy: strawman.

Error: There is a presumption in alt med that the people have a perfect level of health they should be at all the time. Probably not true, as evolution has given us a system that mostly functions reasonably well, but is far from perfection. Next time I cure a heart valve infection, or my cardiology colleague limits the damage of heart attack, or my surgical colleague takes out that cancer, I tell the patient, sorry. I have only suppressed your illness, your level of health is now less.

Fact 9 – The homeopathic practitioner endeavours to search for and treat the cause of the disease in order to heal the effect.

Logical Fallacy: strawman.

Error: this is the big lie (Big Lie to make it more authoritative) of all alt med. This is what “orthodox” medicine excels at, and what alt medicine, because it is grounded in magic, superstition and faulty understanding of the physical world, can never do. Real doctors find and fix the root cause of illness, homeopaths cannot and do not do any such thing.

Fact 10 – Outcomes of homeopathic treatment are measured by the long term curative effects of prescribing and complete eradication of the disease state for preventing numerous diseases.

Logical Fallacy: false dichotomy.

Error: none. however, when you diagnose and treat based on magic, you can define cure and prevention in non-verifiable ways.

Fact 11 – The homeopathic practitioner treats the whole person, believing all symptoms are interrelated and seeks to select a medicine which most closely covers them all.

Logical Fallacy: strawman.

Error: Again, being grounded in nonsense and magical thinking, homeopathy can only have an erroneous and faulty understanding of the whole person. See https://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/?p=137 for an extended rant.

Fact 12 – Homeopathic remedies are cheap.

Logical Fallacy: none.

Error: Yes, water is inexpensive. However, think for a moment what it takes to make a homeopathic preparation. Take a 25 ml (1.7 tablespoons) bottle of 200C homeopathic preparation. To make such a product you need 495 liters (about 130 gallons, or 1040 pints) of water to make the required dilutions for one bottle (4). That is an amazing waste of water. Environmentally maybe not so cheap.

Fact 13 – Pharmaceutical medicines are expensive.

Logical Fallacy: strawman, non sequitur. false dichotomy, which I like to call the, ‘oh yeah, well you are fat’ fallacy.

Error: some real medications are expensive , some are not. Unlike homeopathy, pharmaceutical medicines are proven to work. Whatever the failings of science based medicine, those failings do not validate homeopathy. Homeopathy has to stand or fall on its own, not on the perceived failings of others. It is like declaring you are thin, because I am fat.

Fact 14 – There are more than 4,000 homeopathic medicines.

Logical Fallacy: strawman.

Error: Homeopathy is one ‘medication’: water.

Fact 15 – Homeopathic medicines have no toxic side-effects.

Logical Fallacy: none

Error: tell that to Percy Bysshe Shelley. Medications can only have side effects if first they have an effect. No effect, no side effect. I wonder. Do homeopaths ever misdiagnose? If so, what is the effect of giving the wrong homeopathic treatment?

Fact 16 – Homeopathic medicines are non-addictive.

Logical Fallacy: none.

Error: you try going without water.

Fact 17 – Every true homeopathic medicine is made using one substance — whether plant, mineral, metal, etc. The exact substance is known, unlike most modern drugs where we are rarely informed of the ingredients.

Logical Fallacy: strawman, false dichotomy.

Error: I could be in error, but I did not know that plants were made of one substance. A quick scan of the periodic chart, oh yeah, there it is: foxglove. Right after belladonna. The first mineral in the mineral database (4442 total minerals) is Anorthite,CaAl2Si2O8, made up of 4 substances. Plants and minerals are made up of many many substances. But I am a reductionist. Again it is true in that all homeopathic medications are water and only water.

As to modern drugs, I guess she has not seen a PDR, where the ingredients of medications are freely available, meticulously detailed and strictly controlled, the opposite, at least in the US, of all alt therapies which have zero oversight as to their composition.

Fact 18 – Any remedy up to a 12c or a 24x potency still contains the original molecules of the substance and this is known as Avogadro’s number.

Logical Fallacy: say what?

Error: “Avogadro’s number, is the number of “elementary entities” (usually atoms or molecules) in one mole, that is (from the definition of the mole) the number of atoms in exactly 12 grams of carbon-12 (Wikipedia).”

As it applies to homeopathy, “According to the laws of chemistry, there is a limit to the dilution that can be made without losing the original substance altogether. This limit, called Avogadro’s number (6.023 x 10-23) corresponds to homeopathic potencies of 12C or 24X (1 part in 1024). At this dilution there is less than a 50% chance that even one molecule of active material remains (5).”

I thought it was the water that had the potency, not the molecule. BTW: who wants to go to a bartender who serves Cosmopolitans made with the principals of homeopathy? A 12 C martini would have 60% chance (6) of one molecule of alcohol in it, but should be more potent than a normal cosmo. At least if it were a homeopathic cosmo.

Fact 19 – Every Patient is Unique so homeopathic medicines are individualized.

Logical Fallacy: ?

Error: homeopathy appears to postulate 6 billion different treatments for each person in the world who has hypertension. And 6 billion different treatments for fever. And 6 billion unique treatments for…. on and on for each of the diseases out there. It is, of course, like the rest of homeopathy, impossible.

And for each individual treatment there are, by Fact 14, over 4000 homeopathic remedies. And you apply 4000 remedies to 6 billion people and make each treatment individualized how? There are over 13,000 prescription drugs. Who do you think is better able to provide an individualized therapy?

Fact 20 – Homeopaths treat genetic illness, tracing its origins to 6 main genetic causes: Tuberculosis, Syphilis, Gonorrhoea, Psora (scabies), Cancer, Leprosy.

Logical Fallacy: say what?

Error: Tuberculosis, Syphilis, Gonorrhoea, Psora (scabies) and Leprosy are infections. Infections not genetic illnesses. Thats just stupid. Cancer, may be considered genetic.

Fact 21 – Epidemics such as cholera and typhoid were treated successfully using homeopathy in the 19th century with very high success rates, compared to orthodox medicine (http://www.whale.to/v/winston.html) .

Logical Fallacy: argument from antiquity.

Error: As best I can tell, in 1854 10 of 61 cases of cholera died in a homeopathic hospital, while 123 of the 231 died of cholera in a regular hospital. I am not able to find the details of the therapy and the rigorousness of the diagnosis. I can find insufficient information to comment on the validity of the information. If it is a valid conclusion it has been the only positive study in the 150 years of homeopathy.

Fact 22 – There are thousands of homeopathic books, available at specialist outlets, not sold in the high street.

Logical Fallacy: Appeal to popularity.

Error: none. Reading fiction remains a popular pastime.

Fact 23 – There are 5 homeopathic hospitals in the U.K. — in London, Tunbridge Wells, Bristol, Liverpool and Glasgow. They cost the NHS under £10 million a year compared to the £100 billion for the total annual NHS budget for 2008!

Logical Fallacy: Appeal to popularity.

Error: I do not doubt it is a true fact. No wonder the sun set long ago on the Empire.

Fact 24 – At one of the earliest debates on the NHS Act of 1948 the Government pledged that homoeopathy would continue to be available on the NHS, as long as there were “patients wishing to receive it and doctors willing to provide it”.

Logical Fallacy: Appeal to popularity.

Error: As George Bush II said: “You can fool some of the people all the time, and those are the ones you want to concentrate on.” I bet there are those that wish cocaine had the same criteria for availability from UK doctors: someone wants it and a doctor will sell it.

Fact 25 – There is a campaign by certain U.K. Professors to oust homeopathy completely from the NHS after they wrote on NHS headed paper to all Primary Care Trusts in 2006 telling managers not to refer patients to the homeopathic hospitals.

Logical Fallacy: Appeal to popularity.

Error: none. Certain U.K. professors are better at understanding good healthcare than others and much better than politicians pandering to nonsense with a promise of homeopathy forever.

Fact 26 – The Homeopathic Hospitals are clean, with friendly, well informed staff. The patients are generally pleased with their treatment unlike many orthodox National Health Service hospitals.

Logical Fallacy: Appeal to popularity, false dichotomy.

Error: none. Con men need to please their clients/victims since they have no real service to offer.

Fact 27 – The chances of contracting MRSA or C. Difficile at a Homeopathic Hospital are extremely rare.

Logical Fallacy: ?

Error: I do not doubt this. MRSA and C. difficile are unfortunate (and perhaps unpreventable) complications of doing interventions that work. MRSA most commonly causes a postoperative wound infection from surgery and C. difficile occurs after receiving antibiotics. SInce homeopathy does nothing, it cannot have these complications.

Fact 28 – Unlike orthodox medicine where two thirds of all conventional hospital admissions are due to the side-effects of pharmaceutical medicines, the bill for negligence claims soaring into billions, one U.K. leading insurance company reported only ‘a couple’ of claims against homeopaths in a ten year period!

Logical Fallacy: say what?

Error: ” two thirds of all conventional hospital admissions are due to the side-effects of pharmaceutical medicines”. Where did this number come from? She appears to making stuff up (I bet someone finds it on the whale). Maybe 6% or so of hospitalitzations are due to adverse drug reactions (7). I somehow operate under the assumption that facts have a correlation with real data that can be evaluated and not, like Hahnemann’s Laws, just made up.

Fact 29 – In the United States in the early 1900s there were 22 homeopathic medical schools and over 100 homeopathic hospitals, 60 orphanages and old people’s homes and 1,000+ homeopathic pharmacies.

Logical Fallacy: Appeal to popularity.

Error: And the life expectancy was 48.23 years (8). We abandoned homeopathy and doubled our life expectancy.

Fact 30 – Members of the American Medical Association had great animosity towards homeopathy after its formation in 1847 and it was decided to purge all local medical societies of physicians who were homeopaths.

Logical Fallacy: ?

Error: Curiously, as an MD (but not an AMA member), I have an animosity towards my patients wasting their money and jeopardizing their health on nonsense.

Fact 31 – Big Pharma does not want the Public to find out how well homeopathy works!

Logical Fallacy: Appeal to paranoid delusions (not a standard logical fallacy, but needed here).

Error: its a paranoid delusion.

Fact 32 – In 2005 the World Health Organization brought out a draft report which showed homeopathy was beneficial causing Big Pharma to panic and The Lancet to bring out an editorial entitled ‘The End of Homeopathy’.

Logical Fallacy: Appeal to paranoid delusions.

Error: its a paranoid delusion.

Fact 33 – In 2005 The Lancet tried to destroy homeopathy but were only looking at 8 inconclusive trials out of 110 of which 102 were positive. This was a fraudulent analysis.

“The meta-analysis at the centre of the controversy is based on 110 placebo-controlled clinical trials of homeopathy and 110 clinical trials of allopathy (conventional medicine), which are said to be matched. These were reduced to 21 trials of homeopathy and 9 of conventional medicine of ‘higher quality’ and further reduced to 8 and 6 trials, respectively, which were ‘larger, higher quality’. The final analysis which concluded that ‘the clinical effects of homoeopathy are placebo effects’ was based on just the eight ‘larger, higher quality’ clinical trials of homeopathy. The Lancet’s press release did not mention this, instead giving the impression that the conclusions were based on all 110 trials.” (http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articl…)

Logical Fallacy: Appeal to paranoid delusions.

Error: meta analysis of impossible therapies are medical paradolia, seeing patterns were none exist. See https://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/?p=242 for details. The best quote ever on the topic:

“I see all the homeopathy trials as making up a kind of “model organism” for studying the way science and scientific publishing works. Given that homeopathic remedies are known to be completely inert, any positive conclusions or even suggestions of positive conclusions that homeopathy researchers come up with must be either chance findings, mistakes, or fraud.

So homeopathy lets us look at how a community of researchers can generate a body of published papers and even meta-analyze and re-meta-analyze them in great detail, in the absence of any actual phenomenon at all. It’s a bit like growing bacteria in a petri dish in which you know there is nothing but agar.

The rather sad conclusion I’ve come to is that it’s very easy for intelligent, thoughtful scientists to see signals in random noise. I fear that an awful lot of published work in sensible fields of medicine and biology is probably just that as well. Homeopathy proves that it can happen. (the problem is that we don’t know what’s nonsense and what’s not within any given field.) It’s a warning to scientists everywhere (10).”

Fact 34 – There have been many clinical trials that prove homeopathy works. In the past 24 years there have been more than 180 controlled, and 118 randomized, trials into homeopathy, which were analyzed by four separate meta-analyses. In each case, the researchers concluded that the benefits of homeopathy went far beyond that which could be explained purely by the placebo effect.

Logical Fallacy: none.

Error: The question is are there quality trials that show homeopathy works. Nope. And fact 5 dismisses these scientific trials as inferior to the homeopathic proving, so which is it? It is a case of having your cake and eating it too, which should be a logical fallacy.

Fact 35 – The Bristol Homeopathic Hospital carried out a study published in November 2005 of 6500 patients receiving homeopathic treatment. There was an overall improvement in health of 70% of them.

Logical Fallacy:

Error: association is not causation. They improved and received homeopathic treatment NOT They improved because they received homeopathic treatment. Causality is a tricky thing to prove, at least outside of homeopathy.

Fact 36 – Homeopathy can never be properly tested through double blind randomized trials because each prescription is individualized as every patient is unique. Therefore 10 people with arthritis, for example, may all need a different homeopathic medicine.

Logical Fallacy: the cake and eat it too fallacy.

Error: facts 33 and 34 depend on their validity from double blind randomized trial, which are denied in fact 36 and fact 5. And if 4001 people have arthritis, that 4000 and first is out of luck. See fact 19. She sure isn’t one for consistency in her facts.

Fact 37 – Homeopathic medicines are not tested on animals.

Logical Fallacy: false dichotomy.

Error: If homeopathic medications are more effective on animals (fact 38) and have no toxic side effects (fact 15), then why is this a good thing? It is bad to test on animals because it harms them. If homeopathy is harmless, then there is no moral high ground to be gained from not testing on animals. We know water is safe for animals, especially for fish, who are subject to all the increasingly dilute, and therefore more powerful, homeopathic medications sent down the drain. Is that why the fish stocks are crashing?

Fact 38 – Homeopathic medicines work even better on animals and babies than on adults, proving this cannot be placebo.

Logical Fallacy: say what?

Error: huh? The efficacy of the medication depends on age and species? How is this supposed to work? And if homeopathic medicines are not tested on animals (fact 37), then how do we know they are more effective?

Fact 39 – Scientists agree that if and when homeopathy is accepted by the scientific community it will turn established science on its head.

Logical Fallacy: strawman.

Error: absolutely true. If homeopathy is accepted because to experimental proof, then 500 years of progress in all the sciences have been in error. If homeopathy is accepted without scientific proof, then its back to the dark ages for western civilization, and only the morticians and homeopaths will profit.

Fact 40 – Homeopathic Practitioners train for 4 years in Anatomy and Physiology, as well as Pathology and Disease, Materia Medica, Homeopathic Philosophy and study of the Homeopathic Repertory.

Logical Fallacy: non sequiter.

Error: no argument here. Four years to learn anatomy, pathology and physiology just so you can ignore it later. I wonder if they study chemistry.

Fact 41 – Most homeopaths treat patients who have been referred to them by word of mouth. Most patients seek out homeopathy because conventional treatment has not benefited them or because it poses too great a risk of side-effects.

Logical Fallacy: appeal to popularity.

Error: none.

Fact 42 – The homeopathic community has thousands, even millions, of written case notes that demonstrate the positive benefits of their treatment. Some homeopaths have video proof of their patients before and after treatment.

Logical Fallacy: appeal to popularity.

Error: the plural of anecdote is anecdotes, not data.

Fact 43 – Homeopaths charge patients an average of £50 an hour. Specialist Doctors can charge up to £200 or more.

Logical Fallacy: strawman

Error: one gets what they pay for. You can spend thousands of dollars on a car for transportation, but I bet a unicorn would cost less for the same purpose.

Fact 44 – The popularity of homeopathy has grown in the past 30 years, its revival entirely through word of mouth and estimated to be growing at more than 20% a year the world over.

Logical Fallacy: appeal to popularity.

Error: see George Bush quote above.

Fact 45 – Hundreds of famous people throughout the past 200 years have enjoyed the benefits of homeopathic medicine (www.homeopathicrevolution.com) .

Logical Fallacy: appeal to authority and popularity.

Error: being famous does not make your knowledge of medicine more (or less) valid (9).

Fact 46 – The aristocratic patronage of homeopathy in the U.K. extended well into the 1940s and beyond can be easily demonstrated. In the Homeopathic Medical Directories there are lists of patrons of the dispensaries and hospitals. They read like an extract from Burke’s or Debrett’s.

Logical Fallacy: appeal to authority and popularity.

Error: Like being famous, being an aristocrat does not make your knowledge of medicine more (or less) valid.

Fact 47 – The Royal Families of Europe use homeopathic medicine and Queen Elizabeth II of England never travels anywhere without her homeopathic vials of medicine.

Logical Fallacy: appeal to authority.

Error: since the Queen is a medical authority, as a medical doctor I am an authority on constitutional monarchy.

Fact 48 – Homeopathy is practised nowadays in countries all over the world. In India there are 100 homeopathic medical schools and around 250,000 homeopathic doctors.

Logical Fallacy: appeal to popularity.

Error: none. But Indians have a life expectancy 20 years less than the US. Cause and effect?

Fact 49 – In a recent Global TGI survey where people were asked whether they trust homeopathy the following percentages of people living in urban areas said YES: 62% in India, 58% Brazil, 53% Saudi Arabia, Chile 49%, United Arab Emirates 49%, France 40%, South Africa 35%, Russia 28%, Germany 27%, Argentina 25%, Hungary 25%, USA 18%, UK 15% (http://www.tgisurveys.com/documents/TGI…)

Logical Fallacy: appeal to popularity.

Error: The data is accurate, but does not validate homeopathy. In the USA, 18% was the percentage who trusted Wall Street in 2007 (11).

Fact 50 – The media as a whole has been unwilling to air a defence of the efficacy of homeopathy and the validity of this 250 year old profession.

Logical Fallacy: paranoid strawman.

Error: from my perspective, the opposite is true with the media all too willing to perpetuate nonsense like homeopathy.

https://sciencebasedmedicine.org