A combination of prescribed and over-the-counter medicines increase mortality rate

Researchers from the University of East Anglia and the University of Kent have collated data from 13,000 pensioners (over-65 year olds) over a twenty year period to try and understand how the side-effects of common drugs affect the patients taking them. 

The study concluded that by taking a variety of common medicines, prescribed to treat routine illnesses, patients are increasing their mortality rate. Simultaneously, the onset of dementia among the pensioners surveyed has been exacerbated by such drugs.

A number of common medicines have been identified as causing the most damage and these include allergy treatments such as some anti-histamines and antidepressants. In isolation, the damage is limited but it is a concern when patients take a combination of these drugs, which can be a frequent occurrence.

Since many of these drugs can be bought over-the-counter, many doctors are uninformed about all the medication which their elderly patients are prescribing themselves and, consequently, do not review the situation. In addition, as many of the drugs identified are not the ‘obvious’ medicines, pharmacists and medical professionals may be unaware of the risks involved.

A spokesman for the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) said, 

“Our priority is to ensure that patients are taking acceptably safe medicines. All medicines have side-effects – no effective medicine is without risk”. 

It is suggested, with this in mind, that pensioners should constantly review their medication (both prescriptive and non-prescriptive). Alternatively, researching into alternative medicines, and Homeopathy in particular,, where effective treatment is possible without the unwanted side-effects may be conducive!

(The Daily Telegraph, 24th June 2011 and Journal of the American Geriatrics Society

This article was first published by the ARH in the Septemeber 2011 issue 16 of 'Homeopathy Healthy Medicine'. 

The ARH regularly publish these newsletters to provide information about homeopathy to the public that is not usually available through our mainstream media. ARH makes them available to everyone as free downloads (go to www.a-r-h.org

), and they can be used for information, marketing and publicity purposes.

Burns, Barbeques and Homeopathy

The predictions of an ‘Indian Summer’, having almost come true, some optimists have been encouraged to keep the barbecues out on the patio for a bit longer, ready to serve up a sausage or two, should the weather really hold.

It is not uncommon to receive a burn, whilst trying to produce the perfect banger, since barbecues don’t really provide the easiest method of cooking. 

If this happens try applying the homeopathic cream Urtica, Calendula or Hypercal generously to the affected area or, alternatively, use a cream containing a combination of all three of these remedies. 

For more severe burns which start to blister, take Cantharis 30 or Causticum 30 every half hour for up to six doses. 

Don’t forget to rehydrate your body with the fluid which it may have lost and in the case of severe burns seek medical help immediately!

(Homeopathy for Common Ailments by Robin Hayfield 

This article was first published by the ARH in the Septemeber 2011 issue 16 of 'Homeopathy Healthy Medicine'. 

The ARH regularly publish these newsletters to provide information about homeopathy to the public that is not usually available through our mainstream media. ARH makes them available to everyone as free downloads (go to www.a-r-h.org), and they can be used for information, marketing and publicity purposes.

Broken Bones and Homeopathy

Fractured Bones

At the beginning of the new academic year, it is common to observe the school playground peppered with slings, casts and crutches as children come back to school nursing an array of broken bones or other ailments, acquired during their active summer holiday.

It is essential that any fracture receives immediate medical attention and is properly set but once this has been done homeopathy can help to speed up the healing process. One of the following remedies may help to achieve this:

Calc phos – since calcium and phosphorus are the two main minerals needed for building healthy bones this remedy is particularly useful once the bone has properly knitted and can be given daily until fully healed. It may also be a useful remedy for individuals who have weak or brittle bones prone to fracture.

Symphytum – this was once commonly known as Knitbone and more commonly now as Comfrey. As the old name suggests, it can be beneficial to use this daily for two to three weeks after setting, to help the bone knit back together

In addition, if you happen to be near your homeopathic medicine cabinet at the time of the break, take Arnica for the immediate bruising and shock.

(Homeopathy for Common Ailments by Robin Hayfield)

This article was first published by the ARH in the Septemeber 2011 issue 16 of 'Homeopathy Healthy Medicine'. 

The ARH regularly publish these newsletters to provide information about homeopathy to the public that is not usually available through our mainstream media. ARH makes them available to everyone as free downloads (go to www.a-r-h.org), and they can be used for information, marketing and publicity purposes.

Patients whose GP understands complementary medicine tend to have lower costs and live longer

A recent study in the Netherlands, investigating the cost-effectiveness of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) when compared to conventional medicine, has concluded that patients whose GP has additional CAM training have 0-30% lower health-care costs and mortality rates than those who did not have the additional training. The percentage was dependent on age groups and the type of CAM involved.

The research was carried out by obtaining data from a Dutch health insurer which included information on healthcare costs, dates of births and deaths, gender and postcodes of patients over a five year period. Data from 1,913 conventional GPs were compared with data from 79 GPs with additional CAM training in acupuncture, homeopathy and anthroposophical medicine.

The conclusions suggested that the lower costs resulted from fewer hospital stays and fewer drugs being prescribed. Researchers believe that possible explanations for this are either because people who are more reluctant to have medical interventions are expected to choose CAM or because the GP’s with CAM training are less likely to over-treat patients and more likely to focus on preventive and curative health promotion.

As health economists have generally ignored CAM as an area of research, despite clinical experiences and empirical research which has suggested its cost-effectiveness, it is hoped that this new study will yield further investigation into this much needed area.

(Department of Economics, Tilburg University, The Netherlands)

This article was first published by the ARH in the Septemeber 2011 issue 16 of 'Homeopathy Healthy Medicine'. 

The ARH regularly publish these newsletters to provide information about homeopathy to the public that is not usually available through our mainstream media. ARH makes them available to everyone as free downloads (go to www.a-r-h.org), and they can be used for information, marketing and publicity purposes.

Mother Teresa, the poor in India, and Homeopathy

Homeopathy is practiced in India by more trained health professionals than in any other country in the world, and it is estimated that there are currently 300,000 homeopaths and more than 300 homeopathic hospitals in the sub-continent. 

The Indian homeopathy market, often regard- ed amongst the poorer members of society as the primary method of treatment, was expected to outpace the growth of the pharmaceutical industry in the country by the end of 2010 - although these figures have not yet been confirmed. The homeopathic industry, according to reports, is growing at a rate of 25%-30% while the pharmaceutical industry is increasing by 13%-15%.

It is, therefore, of little surprise that Mother Teresa studied homeopathy with Dr Jai Chand, a highly respected Indian homeopath, with the aim of helping the poorer members of society. During her lifetime, her mission opened four charitable dispensaries, the first of which was in 1950. She, personally, would not treat individuals with chronic or potentially fatal illnesses but she assisted those practitioners who did and often prescribed homeopathic medicine for first aid situations.

She believed, according to those who worked alongside her, that homeopathic treatment is indispensable for the poor and distressed people of India” due to its “easy approach, effectiveness and low cost” (Gomes, 1988). Given that 41.6% of the total Indian population falls below the international poverty line and the nation is estimated to inhabit a third of the world’s poor, it would appear to be essential that homeo- pathic medical colleges are given the resources to flourish.

http://www.livemint.com/2007/12/09124324/Homeopathy-braces-to-be-Rs26bn.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poverty_in_India)

This article was first published by the ARH in the Septemeber 2011 issue 16 of 'Homeopathy Healthy Medicine'. 

The ARH regularly publish these newsletters to provide information about homeopathy to the public that is not usually available through our mainstream media. ARH makes them available to everyone as free downloads (go to www.a-r-h.org), and they can be used for information, marketing and publicity purposes.

How Homeopathy helps dairy calves overcome diarrhoea

Homeopathy denialists continue to proclaim that homeopathic medicine is “no better than placebo” and believe that any positive effects individuals gain from the remedies are “all in their mind”. 

In order to investigate this notion further researchers have been exploring the relationship between homeopathy and animals, since it is generally regarded that animals cannot ‘fabricate’ the situation; they either get better or they don’t!

A study, undertaken by the Louis Bolk Insituut in the Netherlands, aimed to investigate homeopathy’s effect in newborn dairy calves. A common ailment, amongst dairy calves, is diarrhoea and is one which many Dutch farmers regularly treat using homeopathy, so a study involving this particular disorder was especially relevant.

Calves were divided into two categories: half were prescribed a homeopathic remedy and half pre- scribed placebo. The findings proved overwhelming in favour of homeopathic medicine. On one farm for example, where the investigation took place, not a single calf who received homeopathic treatment developed diarrhoea while every calf given placebo succumbed to it.

It is interesting to note that the researcher’s main hurdle when undertaking the study was persuading farmers to give their livestock the placebo instead of homeopathy “because they know homeopathy works”.

http://odewire.com/61567/the-controversial-cure.html

This article was first published by the ARH in the Septemeber 2011 issue 16 of 'Homeopathy Healthy Medicine'. 

The ARH regularly publish these newsletters to provide information about homeopathy to the public that is not usually available through our mainstream media. ARH makes them available to everyone as free downloads (go to www.a-r-h.org), and they can be used for information, marketing and publicity purposes.

How Homeopathy can help with eye strain

How homeopathy can help with eye strain

The holiday season is well and truly over and everyone has returned to the office - often sitting and staring at computers for hours a day. It is, therefore, not surprising that many people suffer from eye strain as they get adjusted to their old environment once more. 

The use of modern equipment and VDU’s,coupled with the frequent use of Kindles and iPads, have arguably overtaken reading and writing in bad light as the main cause of eye strain.

Eye strain mostly occurs when you over-use your eye muscles by concentrating on visually intense tasks for any length of time. If any muscle is held in one particular position for too long it will cause the muscle to strain and in the case of the eye, the ciliary muscle begins to tighten.

This can cause the eyes to become irritated and uncomfortable some times leading to non-specific symptoms including headaches, fatigue, itchy or a burning sensation around the eyes, blurred vision and, occasionally, double vision.

To prevent eye strain, try avoiding tedious visual tasks and doing close-up work for too long, such as reading a book, needlework or computer activities on a VDU. In addition, it is important to allow the eyes to focus on distant objects at least once an hour. If, however, you continue to suffer from any of the above symptoms, you can try the remedies listed below, which may bring relief. If your symptoms persist, do have your eyes checked by your GP (for general eye health) or an optician (for problems with vision).

Useful Homeopathy Remedies

ß Euphrasia – this may be useful for tired eyes which water and burn. It is suggested to use externally as an eyewash, in diluted tincture form availa- ble from a homeopathic pharmacy

ß Ruta – this may be advantageous for sore eyes with dim vision, which has resulted from too much concentrated, close work

(Homeopathy for Common Ailments by Robin Hayfield & www.avoideyestrain.com)

This article was first published in the Septemeber 2011 issue 16 of 'Homeopathy Healthy Medicine'. 

These newsletters are published regularly by the ARH, and provide information about homeopathy that is not usually available to the public through our mainstream media. ARH makes them available to everyone as free downloads (go to www.a-r-h.org), and they can be used for information, marketing and publicity purposes.