Chronic Sinusitis ~ a Clinical Study

Homeopathic treatment of patients with chronic sinusitis:
A prospective observational study with 8 years follow-up!

Background:
An evaluation of Homeopathic treatment and the outcomes in patients suffering from sinusitis for ≥12 weeks in a usual care situation.

Results:
The study included 134 adults (mean age 39.8 ± 10.4 years, 76.1% women), treated by 62 physicians. Patients had suffered from chronic sinusitis for 10.7 ± 9.8 years. Almost all patients (97.0%) had previously been treated with conventional medicine. For sinusitis, effect size (effect divided by standard deviation at baseline) of complaint severity was 1.58 (95% CI 1.77; 1.40), 2.15 (2.38; 1.92), and 2.43 (2.68; 2.18) at 3, 12, and 24 months respectively. QoL improved accordingly, with SF-36 changes in physical component score 0.27 (0.15; 0.39), 0.35 (0.19; 0.52), 0.44 (0.23; 0.65) and mental component score 0.66 (0.49; 0.84), 0.71 (0.50; 0.92), 0.65 (0.39; 0.92), 0.74 (0.49; 1.00) at these points. The effects were still present after 8 years with SF-36 physical component score 0.38 (0.10; 0.65) and mental component score 0.74 (0.49; 1.00).

Conclusion:
This observational study showed relevant improvements that persisted for 8 years in patients seeking Homeopathic treatment because of sinusitis.

Source: Institute for Social Medicine, Epidemiology and Health Economics, Charité University Medical Centre, D-10098 Berlin, Germany. Karl and Veronica Carstens-Foundation, Am Deimelsberg 36, D-45276 Essen, Germany.
Published by: BMC Ear, Nose and Throat Disorders 2009, 9:7doi:10.1186/1472-6815-9-7

How would you estimate your sensitivity to homeopathic remedies in general?

Protocol for a phase 1 Homeopathic drug proving trial

By: Michael Teut, Ute Hirschberg, Rainer Luedtke, Cristoph Schnegg, Joern Dahler1, Henning Albrecht,C laudia M Witt. (Teut et al. Trials 2010).

Source: Teut et al. Protocol for a phase 1 homeopathic drug
proving trial. Trials 2010 11:80.


Abstract

Background: This study protocol adapts the traditional homeopathic drug proving methodology to a modern clinical trial design.

Discussion: Homeopathic drug proving trials using the terminology of clinical trials according GCP and fulfilling current requirements for research under the current drug regulations is feasible. However, within the current regulations, homeopathic drug proving trials are classified as phase 1 trials, although their aim is not to explore the safety and pharmacological dynamics of the drug, but rather to find clinical indications according to the theory of homeopathy. To avoid bias, it is necessary that neither the subjects nor the investigators know the identity of the drug. This requires a modification to the informed consent process and blinded study materials. Because it is impossible to distinguish between adverse events and proving symptoms, both must be documented together.

Methods

Study design: The homeopathic drug proving trial is to be conducted as a multi-centre, randomised, double-blind, placebo controlled phase 1 trial. Subjects and investigators are not only blinded to the group allocation process but also to the identity of the drug.

Subjects: Volunteer medical students or medical doctors are invited to take part in the trial by their investigators via
email or phone. Subjects can be included if they fulfil the following
criteria: Medical doctors or medical students, over 18 years of age, who are not being treated for any acute or chronic diseases on the day of inclusion, plus written
informed consent.

Investigators: The investigators are homeopathic medical doctors with knowledge of HDP and who have at least three years practical experience in homeopathic therapy.

Questions to subject:
A) "How would you estimate your sensitivity to homeopathic remedies in general?" - possible answers: strong reaction/reaction/slight reaction/no reaction;
B) "How do you expect to react to the homeopathic drug?" - answers: a very high number of symptoms/many symptoms/low number of symptoms/no symptoms.

Questions to investigators:
A) “How would you estimate your subject’s sensitivity to homeopathic remedies in general?”
B) “What is your expectation about your subjects reaction to the homeopathic drug?”

After starting the trial, subjects are required to document daily any new or uncommon symptoms in a semistructured trial diary accessed through a secure internet connection. It will provide a head-to-feet structure to be filled in with free text. Every third day each subject will be contacted by phone by his or her investigator. This optimizes the homeopathic quality of documentation,which is considered crucial.

Qualitative analysis: In the homeopathic community there is no consensus to date on how to qualitatively analyse the trial data which consists of large bodies of text. Criteria defining proving symptoms exist, but it is unclear how to analyse them and how reliable these criteria are.
In this paper we suggest the use of content analysis, according to Mayring, to analyse the texts, because it fulfils five basic criteria:
1. the opportunity to categorise, 2. a combination of fixed and open categorisation, 3. the applicability to the homeopathic terminology, 4. the possibility to use software and 5. the possibility to reproduce the analysis.
However, this method is used for homeopathic purposes and it is unclear whether the chosen methodology will be fully suitable.
Indeed, this is a very crucial point: The qualitative analysis is necessary following any quantitative analysis. If it fails, all statistical results (including p-values), are potentially biased.
Therefore, we will test for reliability of the coding of the primary outcome parameter characteristic proving symptoms, which will be performed independently by two experienced homeopaths. Therefore the results are also dependent on the experience of the coding raters.

To optimally fulfil homeopathic criteria according to Hahnemanns Organon (§143), we will use characteristic proving symptoms as the primary outcome parameter.
We feel that this aligns with the homeopathic philosophy of emphasizing the superior role of individualistic and peculiar symptoms.

Source: Teut et al. Protocol for a phase 1 homeopathic drug
proving trial. Trials 2010 11:80.

Image by: Peter Macdiarmid/Getty

Dr. Sara Eames

By: Wellcome Collection - The Best of Medicine

Interview with Sara Eames, GP and President of the Faculty of Homeopathy

"I’m Dr. Sara Eames and I’m the President of the Faculty of Homeopathy and I’m also a fully trained GP and I’ve worked in psychiatry as well. And I’m here this evening to tell you why I use homeopathy in my work and I think that it’s the best idea ever in medicine. I’m going to divide my argument into three cases really. First of all that it’s the best idea in the past, when Dr Samuel Hahnemann first developed the idea of homeopathy, then I’m going to say why it’s the best idea in present-day medicine and also looking into the future, why it’s such a brilliant idea for the future of medicine as well.Well I think when Samuel Hahnemann first developed homeopathy, there wasn’t really much competition about was the best idea in medicine. Conventional doctors at the time were doing things like bloodletting, leeching and treating people with mercury and other poisonous substances. So I think any medicine that used other less injurious things was going to win the day. But in fact he developed a lot of very modern standing concepts way back at the end of the 18th century and the beginning of the 19th century, things like ideas of public health and epidemics and infectious agents and the idea of genetics and inherited predispositions to diseases. All sorts of really interesting things that we think are much more modern.In the present day I like to use homeopathy because it really helps my patients in some ways that conventional medicine doesn’t. I don’t use it exclusively, but I do use it in a large percentage of patients and it certainly works in ways that I haven’t found anything else to be nearly assuccessful for. Some of the things are that it can actually cure more than one problem at the same time, it can deal with physical and emotional problems at the same time and it helps people, not only make sense of their illness, but also take responsibility for their own health and cure.
In the future I think it’s just great because actually we’re developing a healthcare service that no one can afford, we can’t even afford it in the Western world, let alone thinking about what’s happening in Africa and Asia and other countries. So I think you have to incorporate something like homeopathy, which is cost-effective and safe and people can often use quite a lot on their own, that has really to be incorporated into a healthcare system if there’s every going to be any sort of social equity and an affordable healthcare service for the whole world in the future. And homeopathy’s also very well primed to be ready to treat any epidemics in the future, it’s got a very strong record of evidence for having been quite successful in the treatment of epidemics such as cholera, epidemics in the past."

HOMEOPATHY is UNIVERSAL:

By: Alexander Ostrovsky

The epidemic's intensification and the difficulties in treating cholera compelled the Russian medical community to send a letter to Dr. Hahnemann. The letter contained a detailed description of the symptoms of the disease, as well as a request to indicate appropriate remedies. In 1830 statistics on cholera treatment by allopathic remedies were published the by Foreign Ministry (63 percent mortality) and by homeopathic treatment (11 percent mortality).


About this image:
Vladimir von Ditman 1842 – 1904 MD was a Russian orthodox physician who converted to homeopathy against vituperous opposition from allopathic colleagues, and who was granted a Homeopathic Hospital in St. Petersberg by Tsar Alexander III

Another Inspiring Homeopathy Project

The vision of Ghana Homeopathy Project
Source: www.ghanahomeopathy.org

"Our vision is the establishment of homeopathy as a recognised part of the health care system in Africa and Ghana in particular. Our charity's main objective is the relief and prevention of disease working closely with local community developments and initiatives. Further, we support the development of homeopathic education and vocational training facilities together with local partners, in conjunction with established health workers and local practices. Our vision extends to make homeopathy available to deprived communities as a valid and affordable form of treatment and to initiate health education."

"At the clinic we work as a team of three including Christopher and Gideon. We take cases and reptertoirize together and then move to the Materia Medica to make sure the remedy selection is good for the patient. We keep the clinic open twenty four hours without any break and sometimes work at midnight during emergencies." - Emperor

All the best to Ghana Homeopathy Project!

Chelone Glabra / Snake-Head

This is a picture of Chelone Glabra that I took from my garden. It is also known as Snake-head! no wonder, take a good look at the shape of its leaves.

I would like to share with you the MEDICINAL benefits of this plant. But please be aware that although this is a natural remedy, natural doesn't mean safe, thus do-not self-prescribe and consult your Homeopath/Natural-Medicine Health Care Provider before using it.

Here is the list:

* for Liver and Gallbladder disorders.
* to relieve nausea and vomiting.
* for treating anorexia nervosa.
* as a laxative.
* to expel parasites/worms.

In Homeopathy, it is used for treating:

* Dyspepsia.
* Hepatic diseases.
* Jaundice.
* Soreness of external parts.
* Parasite cleansing.

Isn't it amazing? ...remedies prescribed by nature!

Have a healthy day.

Image and Article by: Iman Navab
To purchase this tincture, please visit www.dynamise.ca

How Homeopathic remedies limit over-exposure to sun

By: John Sherman, Homeopath (Tel: 1 250 764 2487)
Many thanks to John Sherman, for his informative article.


Sun over-exposure is exposure to enough UV radiation to cause the skin to burn.

Sunburns greatly increase the risk of freckled skin, wrinkles, leathery skin later in life and skin cancer.

The use of tanning beds and lying out in the sun result in long-term damage to the skin if done over several years.

It has probably happened to most of us at one time or another—we fall asleep in the sun or we forget to slather on the sunscreen; then we burn.

First, a few things need to be said about our obsessive “sunscreenism.”

In fact, there are a few things you may have never even considered about that sunscreen your skin absorbs.

There is a pair of doctors from the University of California who are the foremost opponents of the use of chemical sunscreens, Drs. Cedric and Frank Garland.

They point out that, although sunscreens do protect against sunburn, there is no scientific proof that they protect against melanoma or basal cell carcinoma in humans.

The Garland brothers strongly believe that the increased use of chemical sunscreens is the primary cause of the skin cancer epidemic.

They emphasize that people using sunscreen tend to stay longer in the sun because they do not get sunburn—they develop a false sense of security.

Chemical sunscreens are formulated to absorb UVB radiation; they let most of the UVA rays through.

UVA rays penetrate deeper into the skin and are strongly absorbed by the melanocytes, which are involved both in melanin production (sun tanning) and in melanoma formation.

UVA rays also have a depressing effect on the immune system.

Anyone who has had unusual reactions to any sunscreen in the past should be cautious before using one.

You should be particularly careful if you have any allergies to foods, dyes, preservatives, or other substances, especially the following: Artificial sweeteners; anesthetics such as benzocaine, procaine, tetracaine, hair dyes; sulfa medicines; water pills; and cinnamon flavouring.

Derivatives of these substances are common ingredients in most sunscreen formulas.

You also need to be especially careful when using diabetes medicine by mouth because tropical preparations can increase the side effects of these medications.

However, there are some excellent homeopathic treatments for these acute situations.

After being over-exposed to the sun a few years back, I experienced first-hand how well these remedies work and now would not be without them.

Glonoine: An excellent remedy after over-exposure to sun that borders on sunstroke.

Belladonna: The person needing this remedy will most likely have a very red, hot face and a very bad, throbbing headache accompanied by sensitivity to light.

Cuprum metallicum-Severe: Muscle cramping or twitching after over-exposure to the sun.

Urtica urens: Is a good remedy for just ordinary sunburn.

All of the above remedies you can take a 30CH potency every 15 minutes for five or six doses.

If relief is not experienced, find the next best remedy or consult your homeopath.

Although sunscreen is not a substitute for commonsense, just as seat belts and airbags are not substitutes for good driving practices, they do have their place and may save you a lot of grief later on.

Remember that true sunstroke may require immediate medical attention.

If the body temperature rises too rapidly, this can lead to collapse.

Belladonna or Glonoine can be administered if this happens while waiting for help to arrive.

Remember to drinks lots of pure water, not caffeinated beverages or sugar-laden sodas.

Stay cool.

This subject matter is provided for general informational purposes only and is not intended to be relied upon as medical advice. John Sherman is a professional homeopath in Kelowna.