Homeopathy versus Western Medicine

Homeopathy versus Western Medicine

And the debate continues … which is better, homeopathy or traditional western medicine? The reason why I’m raising this again is that I had a very interesting conversation with a neighbour yesterday who invented some electronic machine that disguised pain, making operations, etc more bearable without chemical intervention. I don’t know the details of the machine, or what it was called, but the machine itself apparently won a number of international awards and prizes. He says that when the pharmaceutical companies found out about it, they took him to court to stop him marketing and promoting this device and he did not have the financial means to continue fighting back (he said he did try for a bit, but soon ran short of funds). Now, bearing in mind that this was idle chit-chat over a braai and that I don’t have any details, the whole story did get me thinking. I’ve looked up the definitions on Homeopathy and Western Medicine:

Homeopathy (also homœopathy or homoeopathy; from the Greek ὅμοιος, hómoios, "similar" + πάθος, páthos, "suffering" or "disease") is a controversial form of complementary and alternative medicine first used in the late 18th century by German physician Samuel Hahnemann. This early work was built on by later homeopaths such as James Tyler Kent; however, Hahnemann's most famous textbook The Organon of the Healing Art remains in wide use today. The legal status of homeopathy varies from country to country, but homeopathic remedies are not tested and regulated under the same laws as conventional drugs.

Usage is also variable and ranges from only 2% of people in Britain and the United States using homeopathy in any one year, to India, where homeopathy now forms part of traditional medicine and is used by approximately 15% of the population. Homeopathic remedies are based on substances that, in undiluted form, cause symptoms similar to the disease they aim to treat. These substances are then diluted in a process of serial dilution, with shaking at each stage, that homeopaths believe removes side-effects but retains therapeutic powers – even past the point where no molecules of the original substance are likely to remain. Hahnemann proposed that this process aroused and enhanced “spirit-like medicinal powers held within a drug”. Sets of remedies used in homeopathy are recorded in homeopathic materia medica, with practitioners selecting treatments according to consultations that try to produce a picture of both the physical and psychological state of the patient. The ideas of homeopathy are “scientifically implausible”, and directly opposed to modern pharmaceutical knowledge. Claims for the efficacy of homeopathy are unsupported by the collected weight of scientific and clinical studies. This lack of evidence supporting its efficacy, along with its stance against modern scientific ideas, have caused, in the words of a recent medical review, “...homeopathy to be regarded as placebo therapy at best and quackery at worst.” Meta-analyses of many clinical trials have shown that any effects are unlikely to be beyond that of placebo, and that studies that suggest genuine homeopathic effects have generally been flawed in design. Homeopaths are also accused of giving ‘false hope’ to patients who might otherwise seek effective conventional treatments. Many homeopaths advise against standard medical procedures such as vaccination, and some homeopaths even advise against the use of anti-malarial drugs. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homeopathy

The definition of traditional medicine is: Medicine is the science and “art” of maintaining and/or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of patients. The term is derived from the Latin ars medicina meaning the art of healing. The modern practice of medicine occurs at the many interfaces between the art of healing and various sciences. Medicine is directly connected to the health sciences and biomedicine. Broadly speaking, the term 'Medicine' today refers to the fields of clinical medicine, medical research and surgery, thereby covering the challenges of disease and injury. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medicine. Conventional medicine: Medicine as practiced by holders of M.D. (medical doctor) or D.O. (doctor of osteopathy) degrees and by their allied health professionals, such as physical therapists, psychologists, and registered nurses. Other terms for conventional medicine include allopathy and allopathic medicine; Western medicine, mainstream medicine, orthodox medicine, and regular medicine; and biomedicine. http://www.medterms.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=33527

I must admit that I was a bit taken aback to see that the words “opposed to” in both definitions. I really don’t see Homeopathy and western medicine as an “either/or”, but rather as a “both/and”. My problem with western medicine isn’t so much the medicine itself, its that our whole healthcare system is designed to keep people ill – thereby increasing profits. I mean, when a doctor prescribes FIVE antibiotics for a cough, you’ve got to ask yourself why.

I’ve always thought of it as progressive – first, try living a healthy life style by eating right and exercising regularly. Then, if you do feel ill or something goes wrong, then try home remedies, i.e. if you have flu, drink plenty of liquid and get bed rest. If that doesn’t help, then try homeopathic medication and if you are still ill, then try antibiotics. Hopefully, you’ll be better before you get to the antibiotic stage. Having said that though, there are some illnesses that require western medicine upfront, but is this the only way to go? Hubby’s niece had a cyst on her spine that doctors wanted to operate on (obviously it was a risky procedure). Before the op, she went to see a Homeopath; who managed to get rid of the cyst without any invasive procedures. So, it does beg the question – which is better and why?

What do you think? I’d be interested to know all your opinions – from doctors, pharmacists, homeopaths and everyone in between…J

Regards,
M.