Dr. Oz Recommends Homeopathy in Oprah Winfrey’s O Magazine

O, The Oprah Magazine is a monthly US magazine founded by Oprah Winfrey and the Hearst Corporation and has an average paid circulation of  over 2.6 million copies. Dr. Oz is the famous Medical doctor appearing on her show and bringing sensible suggestions for health problems. In a recent article written by him he recommends homeopathy as one option for the treatment of migraine headaches.

Oprah Winfrey said “that since Dr. Oz’s first Oprah Show appearance in 2004,  he’s been both a teacher and a healer for millions of viewers.”  The Oprah show has over 8 million viewers per show. Dr. Oz has his own television show now- The Dr. Oz Show.

In the November 2009 issue of O (The Oprah Magazine), Dr. Oz analyzes four approaches to treating headaches: Neurology, Acupuncture, Nutrition and HOMEOPATHY!  Dana Ullman is quoted in the section on homeopathy-Dana has been really active promoting homeopathy in the US media, Huffington Post Online as well.

Under ‘MY RECOMMENDATION’ Dr. Oz  says: “Acupuncture and homeopathy are worth considering as adjunct therapies once you are sure that the headache is not a sign of serious disorder.”-Luminoshomeopathy Blog

Dr. Mehmet Oz is a cardiac surgeon, a professor and Vice Chairman of Surgery at Columbia University in New York City, Director of the Cardiovascular Institute, and Founder and Director for the Complementary Medicine Program at New York Presbyterian Hospital.

Homeopathy AIDS Study Demonstrates A Dramatic Ninety Per Cent Improvement

A pilot project in Kenya using inexpensive homeopathic remedies has shown great promise in the treatment of AIDS . “More than 90 per cent of the patients showed significant improvement in their health. “

The study [http://aidsremedyfund.org/index.html] and use of this homeopathic remedy could revolutionize the treatment of AIDS. It offers the millions of people suffering from AIDS in Africa who cannot afford the expensive pharmaceutical drugs dramatic relief.

In the study, no one was taken off their medications but some participants could not afford conventional medications and those individuals did incredibly well using the homeopathic remedy alone.

A dutch homeopath Jan Scholten MD has started a foundation “with the purpose of promoting complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) in the treatment of AIDS. The founders are convinced that alternative medicine has a lot to offer in the treatment of HIV infection and AIDS.”

A report (http://aidsremedyfund.org/files/arf_info.pdf)  giving the preliminary results showed dramatic improvement in those taking this homeopathic remedy.

Results

Within two weeks, an improvement in appetite and an increase in energy and

weight could be observed. In addition, in more than 90 percent of the patients

recovery from opportunistic infections, such as the disappearance of diarrhoea,

respiratory infections and skin problems was seen.

This applied to both patients treated with conventional drugs and the group not

receiving any ARV treatment.

The CD4 tests, which had initial values under 200, showed significant improve-

ment. The levels increased by an average of 123 points (a CD4 value of 200 or

less is a critical lower limit for which anti-viral therapy is deemed necessary).



An improvement in quality of life could be observed in the whole research

group. Restoration of independent functioning became possible for practically

the whole population after treatment with Iquilai.

A pilot project in Kenya using inexpensive homeopathic remedies has shown great promise in the treatment of AIDS . “More than 90 per cent of the patients showed significant improvement in their health. “

The study was funded by the AIDS Remedy Fund .  The specially prepared homeopathic remedy  used in the study could revolutionize the treatment of AIDS. It inexpensively offers the millions of people suffering from AIDS who cannot afford the expensive pharmaceutical drugs dramatic relief.

In the study, no one was taken off their anti-viral conventional medications but some participants who could not afford conventional medications were also included in the study. Those individuals did incredibly well using the homeopathic remedy alone.

The team of homeopathic Medical Doctors were led by dutch homeopath Jan Scholten MD. The homeopaths donated their time and energy to this pilot project.  A foundation has been started  ”with the purpose of promoting complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) in the treatment of AIDS. The founders are convinced that alternative medicine has a lot to offer in the treatment of HIV infection and AIDS.”

The report  giving the preliminary results showed dramatic improvement in those taking this homeopathic remedy. Here is part of a summary from the report:

Results

Within two weeks, an improvement in appetite and an increase in energy and weight could be observed. In addition, in more than 90 percent of the patients recovery from opportunistic infections, such as the disappearance of diarrhoea, respiratory infections and skin problems was seen.  This applied to both patients treated with conventional drugs and the group not receiving any ARV treatment. The CD4 tests, which had initial values under 200, showed significant improvement. The levels increased by an average of 123 points (a CD4 value of 200 or less is a critical lower limit for which anti-viral therapy is deemed necessary).

An improvement in quality of life could be observed in the whole research group. Restoration of independent functioning became possible for practically the whole population after treatment with Iquilai, [the homeopathic remedy].

More Results:

The results of this pilot study in the treatment of HIV/AIDS are as follows:

• More than 90% of the patients had a positive response to the remedy,  defined as an increase of 10 points or more on the Karnofsky score. 68% had an increase of 20 points or more.

• There was a strong improvement in their health status. Opportunistic infections healed without further intervention.

•  65% of the patients were requiring assistance (Karnofsky  score < = 60) and changed their status to being able to perform their normal duties again.(Karnofsky>80)

• The CD4 cell values of the tested group showed significant  increases.(average of 123 points).

•  Side effects from regular ART were reduced.

2008 Nobel Prize Winner Proves Homeopathic Remedies Are Active

Professor Luc Montagnier is a French virologist and joint recipient with Françoise Barré-Sinoussi and Harald zur Hausen of the 2008 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his co-discovery of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV).

He and  his team of researchers have been doing rigorous experiments using homeopathically prepared biological substances. They have conclusively shown that homeopathically prepared biological substances give off electromagnetic waves and therefore have effects.

“The researchers also noted that one experiment found significant effects from dilutions as high as 10(-18) (equivalent to 18X).  The EM signature changed with dilution levels but was unaffected by the initial concentration and remained even after the remaining DNA fragments were destroyed by chemical agents.  Of additional interest was the researchers’ observation that they observed the SAME results whether their initial concentration of cells were just 10 or 10(9)(this is 10 to the 9th power = 10,000,000,000 cells).” Click here for the full report from Dana Ullman MPH

Professor Luc Montagnier is a French virologist and joint recipient  of the 2008 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his co-discovery of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV).

He and  his team of researchers have been doing rigorous experiments using homeopathically prepared biological substances. They have conclusively shown that homeopathically prepared biological substances give off electromagnetic waves and therefore have effects.

The researchers also noted that one experiment found significant effects from dilutions as high as 10(-18) (equivalent to 18X).  The EM signature changed with dilution levels but was unaffected by the initial concentration and remained even after the remaining DNA fragments were destroyed by chemical agents.  Of additional interest was the researchers’ observation that they observed the SAME results whether their initial concentration of cells were just 10 or 10(9)(this is 10 to the 9th power = 10,000,000,000 cells).

The researchers also quote Italian physicist, E. Del Guidice for positing that water molecules can form long polymers of dipoles associated by hydrogen bonds and that electromagnetic radiations that they emit enable them to avoid decay.

Click here for the full report from Dana Ullman MPH

Anti-Homeopathy Letter Writers Sponsored By Large Pharmaceutical Companies

Anti-homeopathy letters and emails from Voice of Young Science  innundated officials at the World Health Organization complaining about the few homeopaths treating patients in Africa. It prompted an unofficial response by some individuals in W.H.O.

Voice of Young Science as part of Sense about Science is directly sponsored by pharmaceutical companies such as GlaxoSmithKline and Pfizer Plc who have joined together to deal with the emerging African HIV drug market. Sense about Science also has links to a number of prominent online blogs,  magazines and other media outlets.

Many of the directors and workers in this “non-profit” Sense about Science organization previously worked or consulted as public relations representatives for drug companies.One of the directors was a specialist  in what is called “reputation risk management” and “crisis management” public relations and has been involved in “countering campaigns by environmental, health and development NGOs”. Her public relations company’s clients “were previously nearly all pharmaceutical, oil or biotechnology companies”.(SourceWatch)

Sense about Science is also a lobbying organization for the pro-genetically modified food lobby in the UK. They  are currently attempting to inundate UK Members of Parliament with anti-homeopathy letters in a similar fashion to their WHO anti-homeopathy campaign. This is also similar to the Sense about Science pro-genetically modified food  and anti-environmental campaigns.

Switzerland Enshrines Complementary Medicine and Homeopathy in Their Constitution

On 17 May 2009 the Swiss people voted in favour of a constitutional article for complementary medicine in a national vote. Sixty Seven percent of voters supported the new constitutional article.

Federal constitution Art. 118a BV (new):

The Federal government and cantons shall ensure that, within the scope of their jurisdiction, complementary

medicine is taken into consideration.

Definite need for action

On this constitutional basis, parliament and the authorities have to implement the following requirements:

1. Admission of doctors of complementary medicine in the fields of anthroposophical medicine, homeopathy,

neural therapy, phytotherapy and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) into obligatory health insurance. 2.

Creation of national diplomas for non-medical therapists. 3. Integration of complementary medicine into

teaching and research. 4. Safeguarding of proven remedies.

Source JA Kukunft mit Komplementar-medizin

Public Health Expert Praises Homeopathy

Dana Ullman, who has a Masters of Public Health is positively behind homeopathic medicine and gives both scientific evidence and philosophical reasons for the public to support and choose homeopathy.

After examining current clinical research of homeopathy, Dana Ullman has referenced over 200 successful controlled clinical trials of homeopathy in an e-book he has published.

As a supporter of homeopathy, he has brought it into the 21st century. He has also written a book called the “The Homeopathic Revolution” describing how famous people have chosen homeopathy and also many articles and books about the scientific underpinnings of homeopathy. On the web site, Homeopathic Educational Services or Homeopathic.com you can get many articles including introductory ones on homeopathy.

In one chapter of the Homeopathic Revolution,  Dana Ullman describes how Charles Darwin survived a serious illness with homeopathy but also talks about many famous individuals, including medical doctors, who have used homeopathy.

One of the most amazing stories came from the life of Charles Darwin. Because so many of Darwin’s personal letters have been maintained and are now available online, there is a veritable treasure-trove of information about his life, illnesses, and his medical treatment. What will be described here is a part of his story, with much greater detail provided in The Homeopathic Revolution .

Darwin’s story is but one story in the chapter on “Physicians and Scientists: Coming out of the Medicine Closet.” Some of the others included in this chapter are: Sir William Osler (the “father of modern medicine”), Emil Adolf von Behring (the “father of immunology”), Sidney Ringer, Charles Frederick Menninger (founder of the Menninger Clinic), August Bier (the “father of spinal anesthesia”), Royal S. Copeland (homeopathic physician and New York Senator), William J. Mayo and Charles H. Mayo (founders of the Mayo Clinic), C. Everett Koop (former Surgeon General, U.S.), and Brian Josephson (modern-day Nobel laureate and Cambridge professor).

During Darwin’s trip to South America in the mid-1830s, he became very ill. Although different historians and physicians have hypothesized on what ailment he had, there is no consensus, except to say that he was seriously ill. Ever since 1837, he suffered from persistent nausea and vomiting, heart palpitations, widespread boils, and trembling, and since 1847, he had fainting spells and spots before his eyes…and his symptoms were getting increasingly worse.

Although Charles Darwin was only 39 years old in November, 1848, he was so ill that he couldn’t attend his own father’s funeral. In March, 1849, Darwin himself acknowledged that he was unable to work one day in every three, and further, he felt that he was dying. He said this specifically,

“I was not able to do anything one day out of three, & was altogether too dispirited to write to you or to do anything but what I was compelled.­ I thought I was rapidly going the way of all flesh.”

When you consider that Charles Darwin was this sick in 1849 and that he published his seminal book, The Origin of Species, 10 years later in 1859, one cannot help but wonder if he would have even survived that long or if he would have been as productive as a scientist or as an author if he didn’t see Dr. James Manby Gully in March, 1849.

On the advice from one of his cousins as well as from a fellow shipmate from the Beagle, Charles Darwin brought himself and his family to the clinic and “water-cure” spa of Dr. James Manby Gully, a well-known and respected homeopathic physician and advocate of hydrotherapy (“water-cure”).  For more details about this story, click HERE.

Conventional Medical Journal Accuses Leading Science Skeptic of Using Fraudulent Sources and “Serious Ethical Breach”

A recent editorial in the New Zealand Journal of Medicine describes how Dr. David Colquhoun, a pharmacology professor and one of the leading science skeptics and attackers of alternative medicine (including homeopathy) has used unsubstantiated sources and even non-existent Medical Journals as sources for an attack on chiropractics.

” Is it acceptable to make up a reference to try and slip any unsupported statement into a “scientific” argument and thereby give it some degree of credibility?” asked Frank Frizelle, the chief editor of the conventional Medical Journal.

This same skeptic, David Colquhoun, has attacked homeopathy and described it as dangerous using a similar methodology. Other skeptic internet web sites use similar fraudulent strategies- referring to other skeptic web sites and non existent statistics attempting to make their opinion look like fact.

Is this reference correct?
Frank Frizelle
The NZMJ receives a large number of manuscripts every year and 10–15% of these are published. The editorial staff do not check the details of the submitted author’s references except to ensure they appear in the correct style and to find missing details such as article name, page numbers, and authors on PubMed’s Single Citation Matcher. This is the normal situation with most journals, because to check every detail in the references is a burden that journal editorial staff and reviewers could not realistically cope with. Therefore we rely on authors to list their references accurately and we suggest they check using the Single Citation Matcher as outlined in the NZMJ Instructions to Authors: http://www.nzmj.com/journal/Instructions%20to%20authors.pdf

Mistakes inevitably happen and some journals make a significant point of highlighting and rectifying such mistakes­as in the “department of error” found in the Lancet. When such an error happens we at the NZMJ like to work with the authors to correct the error and republish the correct reference or data via an erratum.
Recently a reader send us the following email:

The paper is Doctor Who? Inappropriate use of titles by some alternative “medicine” practitioners. Colquhoun D. N Z Med J. 2008 Jul 25;121(1278):6-10.
The quote [in question] is the public should be informed that chiropractic manipulation is the number one reason for people suffering stroke under the age of 45.
Long PH. Stroke and Manipulation. J Quality Health Care. 2004:3:8-10
This quote actually comes from the following blog article http://www.skepticreport.com/medicalquackery/strokespinal.htm

I have attached all my personal communications with Colquhoun. They demonstrate this is not a citation error. Prof Colquhoun believes the origin of the quote doesn’t matter because Long was quoting from a Canadian Neurologists’ report (this is also incorrect). As you can see he fails to provide any evidence at all to support the existance of the “J Quality Health Care.” This would not be an issue at all if he had admitted it came from a blog site­but I guess the link would have eroded the credibility of the quote.
Colquhoun ’s belief that my forwarding this complaint is me “resorting to threats” is the final nail in the coffin. If he had any leg to stand on where is the threat?

This may seem pedantic but it surely reflects a serious ethical breach. Is it acceptable to make up a reference to try and slip any unsupported statement into a “scientific” argument and thereby give it some degree of credibility?

Incidentally, at the end of the article, conflicts of interest are listed as none. As Colquhoun is a Professor of Pharmacology and much of his research funding no doubt comes from the pharmaceutical industry how can he have no conflict of interest with therapies that do not advocate the use of drugs and compete directly against the billions spent on pain medications each year?

If I may quote Colquhoun himself in his defence of his article (Journal of the New Zealand Medical Association, 05-September-2008, Vol 121 No 1281) I’ll admit, though, that perhaps ‘intellect’ is not what’s deficient in this case, but rather honesty.

David Owen
Mr Owen had emailed the author to enquire as to the source of the reference and ask if there had there been a mistake. I made the same enquiry and received the reply below:
I admitted doing something that I criticise other people for doing and that is citing a paper without having read it. The Journal is not listed in PubMed and I can’t find it either. As reason (not excuse) all I can offer is to say that I yielded to the temptation to use a widely cited quotation without checking its source properly. The actual source seems to be…
Long, PH (2004) Stroke and Spinal Manipulation http://skepticeport.com/sr/?p=88
…so same author, same title, same quotation but different reference.
David Colquhoun
Mr Owen is correct and the reference is wrong. The quote the public should be informed that chiropractic manipulation is the number one reason for people suffering stroke under the age of 45 appears not to be from Long PH. Stroke and Manipulation. J Quality Health Care. 2004:3:8-10 but from the website http://www.skepticreport.co-medicalquackery/strokespinal.htm
In fact even the Journal of Quality Health Care appears impossible to find (at least for me). While the International Journal of Quality Health Care appears on the web, this is not the same journal. The usual search engines for identification of the journal fail to find it as do searches on the authors name in places such as PubMed and Ovid.
In conclusion it is important for everyone’s creditability that references are correct and that when queried the authors make the appropriate correction.
Competing interests: None known.
Author information: Frank A Frizelle, Editor, New Zealand Medical Journal (NZMJ)
Correspondence: Professor Frank A Frizelle, Department of Surgery, Christchurch Hospital, Private Bag 4710, Christchurch, New Zealand. Fax: +64 (0)3 3640352; email: frank.frizelle@cdhb.govt.nz

Homeopathy Remedies Shown to Be Effective for Moderate to Severe Depression

A study in Brazil published in an Oxford Journal has shown homeopathy to be effective for depression.

Homeopaths world wide use homeopathy to treat individuals with severe to moderate depression. The active control in the study was fluoxetine- Prozac and using homeopathy was as good as or better in the treatment of depression using standard ratings. 

 

Here is the  abstract:

Homeopathy is a complementary and integrative medicine used in depression, The aim of this study is to investigate the non-inferiority and tolerability of individualized homeopathic medicines [Quinquagintamillesmial (Q-potencies)] in acute depression, using fluoxetine as active control. Ninety-one outpatients with moderate to severe depression were assigned to receive an individualized homeopathic medicine or fluoxetine 20 mg day^–1 (up to 40 mg day^–1) in a prospective, randomized, double-blind double-dummy 8-week, single-center trial. Primary efficacy measure was the analysis of the mean change in the Montgomery & Åsberg DepressionRating Scale (MADRS) depression scores, using a non-inferiority test with margin of 1.45. Secondary efficacy outcomes were response and remission rates. Tolerability was assessed with the side effect rating scale of the Scandinavian Society of Psychopharmacology. Mean MADRS scores differences were not significant at the 4th (P= 0.654) and 8th weeks (P = 0.965) of treatment. Non-inferiority of homeopathy was indicated because the upper limit of the confidence interval (CI) for mean difference in MADRS change was less than the non-inferiority margin: mean differences (homeopathy–fluoxetine) were –3.04 (95% CI –6.95, 0.86) and –2.4 (95% CI –6.05, 0.77) at 4th and 8th week, respectively. There were no significant differences between the percentages of responseor remission rates in both groups. Tolerability: there were no significant differences between the side effects rates, although a higher percentage of patients treated with fluoxetine reported troublesome side effects and there was a trend toward greater treatment interruption for adverse effects in the fluoxetine group. This study illustrates the feasibility of randomized controlled double-blind trials of homeopathy in depression and indicates the non-inferiority of individualized homeopathic Q-potencies as compared to fluoxetine in acute treatment of outpatients with moderate to severe depression.

 

From Evidence-based Complentary and Alternative Medicine published by Oxford Journals

Indian Homeopaths Implementing Research Protocols and Many Research Studies

Dr. Prashant Tamboli, MD reports that many research protocols and projects have been implemented to deal with the enormous numbers of individuals being treated with homeopathy in India. The numbers at his clinics alone total over 100,000 per year. The development of these protocols will improve the clinical application of homeopathy. He states: 

The main objective of our research activity is to evolve new, effective and reliable treatment strategies for different clinical conditions which would benefit both science and the community. The focus is to update our homeopathic science in a way that would directly benefit the community. The Action Research Programmes planned and launched, all aimed at promoting the health and welfare of the community. Apart from this, we review the fundamental principles of homeopathic science as per the Organon in the light of current scientific advances, so that a scientific explanation of the homeopathic system is possible.

When the Department of AYUSH (alternative systems), Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India considered the work done by the trust, they granted us 4 research projects. Out of these, one on Diabetes mellitus is already over and has been published. Two others – Scabies, and Diarrhea, done in tribal areas, are in their last phases. A new project on learning disability has started this year. There are several smaller internal projects also going on in various research centers. A few joint projects are undertaken in association with other like-minded institutes such as Muskan, Tata Institute of Social Science, Mumbai.

All this research in not possible unless the young, enthusiastic, research oriented homeopaths are trained in basic research methodology. Hence the research department has developed various research training modules. These too were recognized by the department of AYUSH and they have included these as part of their reorientation and training programmes for teachers of homeopathic colleges from all over India.

In Pune, in the last year, multiple research activities are taking place in standardized ICR centers. Though we have been working in the field of Education and Clinical Services near Pune for over 20 years, the first hospital here, the ICR Specialty Hospital, was inaugurated on April 10, 2001. At this hospital, research in Diabetes, Ashtma, Rheumatology, Hypertension and Pediatrics is ongoing. An integrated research project : “Role of Homeopathy in Fracture Healing” has been undertaken jointly with the Deenath Mageshkar General Hospital in Pune and more are in the pipeline. All our research activities are under the guidance of the Institutional Ethics Committee. 

We are finalizing plans to conduct a course in research methodology specially for our homeopaths. This will enable interested homeopaths to be qualified to carry out research projects at ours and other homeopathic institutions. We hope to be ready with those plans and details soon.

http://www.hpathy.com/papersnew/tamboli-research-homeopathy.asp

Skeptical Researcher Reluctantly Admits Homeopathy Works

An article in the New Scientist points out how a pharmacologist who was attempting to debunk homeopathy had to reluctantly admit that it works.

 

MADELEINE Ennis, a pharmacologist at Queen’s University, Belfast, was the scourge of homeopathy. She railed against its claims that a chemical remedy could be diluted to the point where a sample was unlikely to contain a single molecule of anything but water, and yet still have a healing effect. Until, that is, she set out to prove once and for all that homeopathy was bunkum.

In her most recent paper, Ennis describes how her team looked at the effects of ultra-dilute solutions of histamine on human white blood cells involved in inflammation. These “basophils” release histamine when the cells are under attack. Once released, the histamine stops them releasing any more. The study, replicated in four different labs, found that homeopathic solutions – so dilute that they probably didn’t contain a single histamine molecule – worked just like histamine. Ennis might not be happy with the homeopaths’ claims, but she admits that an effect cannot be ruled out.