Homoeopathy Ensures Health Safely
NATIONAL JOURNAL OF HOMOEOPATHY 1998 Jan / Feb VOL VII NO 1.
Reported by :
Dr A K Gupta
Today, 200 years after of its inception, Homoeopathy is being considered as a medical science par excellence. Especially since every so called magical drugs of modern medicine has definite adverse effects. This was proved beyond doubt in a high level panel discussion on latrogenic disorders, in the National Homoeopathic conference entitled Kent Memorial Lectures '97 held in September 1997 organized by South Delhi Homoeopathic Association at Delhi. Very senior and renowned experts of modern medicine including specialists of cardiology, nephrology and gastroentrology participated.
It is believed that the beneficial effects of drugs are coupled with the inescapable risk of untoward effects. Iatrogenesis can occur from drugs, from hospital, from individuals and also from the indifference of the attending doctor. They can be divided into the following categories:
a] Due to toxicity of individual drugs
b] Due to wrong combination of drugs
c] Due to prescription of wrong drugs in pregnancy
d] Due to complication of cardiovascular surgical procedures
e] CCU related
f] Miscellaneous.
It is essential that physician prescribes right dosage of drugs under right circumstances with the right combination so as to minimize the risk of these latrogenic disorders.
The most commonly abused drugs are: a) Analgesics - renal failure.
b) Prolonged use of anti depressants- renal problems.
c) Hypertensive drugs- impotency.
d) Other drugs- hypertension.
e) Chemotherapeutic agents used in cancers.
f) Number of skin cases including severe urticaria, hives and toxic pigmentation etc. are the outcome of various potent drugs being used for some other problem. Prolonged use of steroids causes diabetes, obesity and hirustism.
Drug induced disorders can involve any organ and system of the body. However, the brunt is borne commonly by the gastrointestinal system as nausea, vomiting, oesophagitis, gastro oesophageal reflex, gastritis, peptic ulcers, GI bleeding, gastric neoplasms, malabsorption, intestinal ulcerations, constipation, diarrhea and liver damage. In this opinion, the magnitude of drug induced disorders estimates are:
Hospital patients: 10-20%
Deaths in hospital inpatients : 0.24-2.9%
Hospital admissions: 0.3-5.0%
Physicians need to weigh the potential toxicity of a therapeutic agent against it possible benefits and restrict required medications to the minimum. It is really heartening to know that the modern medical doctors and scientists are beginning to talk the same way as our master Dr Hahnemann wrote 200 years ago. It is the time tested that the principles and laws of Homoeopathy formed during his time are still the same. Now they are being practically acknowledged also.It was urged in the discussion that a full fledged project and study should be conducted by CCRH (CENTRAL COUNCIL FOR RESEARCH IN HOMOEOPATHY)
Since Homoeopathic medicines are given on the symptom similarity, it is very unlikely to produce an adverse effect of such magnitude as to produce an altogether new disorder or disease like the adverse effects of the modern medicines. While I am not disproving the efficacy and advancement in the modern medicine , especially in the field of diagnostics and surgeries, I would sincerely appreciate a common program of integrated approach of treatment for the betterment of the suffering humanity. Every system has its own certain limitations. Since Homoeopathy deals with a person as a whole and takes care in totality, without producing any other disease or disorder as latrogenic effect, it can be very well said that it ensures health safely. I appeal to all my colleagues to adopt this slogan: Homeopathy -ensures health safely." in their clinics, books, medicines, stickers,and posters. Spread awareness through the media so that people can opt for better, effective and safer system of medicine i.e. Homoeopathy.
