Although in Europe (also in Poland) homeopathy is an officially recognized healing method, it still arouses controversy and opposition. Sometimes because we just don't know much about it. The pharmacologist Dr. Leszek Borkowski and Dr. Peter Fisher, the personal physician of Queen Elizabeth II, deal with the myths about homeopathy.

The most frequent accusation against homeopathy is that there is no evidence that it works. Our experts: PhD in farm science. Leszek Borkowski, president of the board of the Together in Disease Foundation, and Dr. Peter Fisher, clinical director and research director at the Royal Homeopathic Hospital in London, say it is completely different. Research on homeopathic remedies is ongoing, and there are positive opinions from doctors who include them in therapy, and from patients who have helped them.

Dr. Fisher, who is a rheumatologist, has seen spectacular recoveries during his many years of practice. "Rheumatological arthritis is a very unpleasant disease," he says, "and homeopathy has improved patients' well-being. So, which common statements about homeopathy are true and which are not?

1. There are no scientific studies confirming the effectiveness of homeopathy

NOT TRUE , says Dr. Fisher, and explains, “There are nearly 300 randomized, mostly double-blind, clinical trials in homeopathic treatment. Homeopathy works well especially in treating the upper respiratory tract in children. - In 2008, clinical trials were carried out in France in three groups of approx. 1600 patients each - says Dr. Leszek Borkowski. - In the first group there were people suffering from upper respiratory tract infections, in the second - people with depression, insomnia, hyperactivity and anxiety, and in the third - suffering from musculoskeletal and musculoskeletal pain, i.e. pain in the joints, spine and knees. 800 doctors participated in the research. Homeopathy has been shown to be effective in treating these diseases. It has been found that in depression, when combining homeopathic and conventional therapy, the use of traditional drugs drops by 70%. The study was approved by the French Supreme Medical Council.

Dr. Peter Fisher emphasizes that the research is small, but it can be combined into meta-analyzes, i.e. collective analyzes of research results. He admits there isn't a large homeopathic industry, and explained that one of the problems isprotection of intellectual property that does not work. "There is no protection of intellectual rights and it does not protect our previous investments," he says. - But recently in Switzerland the government ordered a study of the effectiveness of homeopathy. A report was prepared on the basis of the research. The government took note of the results and included homeopathy in compulsory he alth insurance.

2. Homeopathy only works as a placebo effect

NOT TRUE -Homeopathy is often accused of the placebo effect, but in order for it to work, a person must know what to swallow and for, and children, especially babies, and animals do not they know, Dr. Peter Fisher explains. - For example, very high efficacy is achieved by homeopathic treatment of piglet diarrhea.

- There is no medical knowledge yet to explain how homeopathy works. Despite this, I do not treat it as a placebo - explains Dr. Leszek Borkowski. - On the one hand, I wonder why after homeopathic treatment there are no serious side effects - does it mean a lack of therapeutic properties? On the other hand, I have seen for myself that homeopathy is effective - both in treating humans and animals, such as horses. This convinces me that if homeopathy in veterinary medicine is effective, we cannot talk about the placebo effect - animals do not know if and when they are given a cure, so they cannot make suggestions.

Problem

Homeopathy - what is it?

A form of alternative medicine, first proposed in 1796 by the German physician Samuel Hahnemann. Proponents of this method use highly diluted substances to treat diseases with symptoms similar to those resulting from the consumption of these substances in higher concentrations. Homeopathic remedies are prepared by successive dilution. Nowadays, agro-homeopathy is also developing as one of the methods of controlling pests of plants. In Mexico, farmlands are sprayed with homeopathic solutions of formaldehyde and arsenic to combat mycoses common in that climate.

Dr. Peter Fisher- Queen Elizabeth II's physician, recognized specialist in homeopathy and rheumatology, director of clinical and research at the Royal Homeopathic Hospital in London, member of the WHO Working Group ( WHO (WHO) on Homeopathy, editor-in-chief of The Homeopathy, the only specialist medical journal for homeopathy. Although he has been dealing with the queen's he alth since 2001, he does not reveal whether he uses homeopathy to treat her.

dr n. Farm. Leszek Borkowski- pharmacologist and scientist, has been dealing with medicines for 40 years. President of the Management Board of the Razem wDisease. In 2005-2009 he was the president of the Office for Registration of Medicinal Products, Medical Devices and Biocidal Products.

On the next page:

  • What is water memory in homeopathy?
  • Is it possible to combine conventional treatment with homeopathy?
  • What diseases is homeopathy most effective in treating?

3. "The memory of water" does not exist

TRUE AND NOT TRUE- Homeopathy is said to involve the phenomenon of "water memory". I don't like to talk about it like that, because it's too simplistic, explains Dr. Peter Fisher. - There is no active ingredient left in highly diluted substances and therefore the question is how this can work. The mechanism is that long-term structural changes occur in the water. I agree that it is unbelievable that a very high dilution produces such effects. We don't know how it works right now, but it works, and there is scientific evidence for it. We only know that the structure of the water is changing. But homeopathy has been around for 2,000 years and is still evolving, he adds. - The future of homeopathy is to go deeper into the field of nanotechnology, which is currently dynamically developing - explains Dr. Leszek Borkowski. They are to explain its mechanism of action. Nanotechnology is also used in determining the mechanisms of action of allopathic or conventional drugs, and in the construction of the latest anti-cancer drugs.

4. One should not abandon conventional treatment to use only homeopathy

TRUE AND NOT TRUE- In most cases it is recommended to combine conventional treatment with homeopathy. Then the best results are obtained - explains Dr. Peter Fisher. - If you compare patients with conventional treatment with those who combine conventional and homeopathic treatment, the better results are in the second group. You can try to heal smaller diseases by yourself, incl. allergic rhinitis, flu, insomnia - it's easy, safe and you don't need to see a doctor. It is worth discussing more difficult cases with your doctor and thinking about the choice of treatment methods together.

- There are cases where only homeopathic treatment can be done - says Dr. Leszek Borkowski. - Athletes are often given only homeopathic medicines, because others contain active substances that are on the list of doping agents. The same applies to pregnant women: many conventional drugs cannot be used during pregnancy due to the risk of harm to the fetus. This is where homeopathic remedies that have little side effects work well.

5. You can't cure homeopathy

TRUE- There is no one method that is good for all conditions. Homeopathy is good for some diseases, antibiotics for others, and vaccine is best for others, Dr. Peter Fisher explains. - Homeopathy is very effective in treating, among others, allergies, upper respiratory tract infections, rheumatic problems, anxiety and depression. But if the patient has bacterial pneumonia then antibiotics must be given. We cannot cure the HIV virus homeopathically, just like polio or diphtheria, where vaccines are used.

- Any medication misused will be harmful, because there is no panacea for everything - explains Dr. Leszek Borkowski. - It is important to treat each patient individually and to select a specific form of treatment for him. Even well-known drugs that work for most patients may be ineffective for some patients. For example, in the case of 4 percent Poles who have enzyme abnormalities, drugs that help others turn out to be ineffective.

This will be useful to you

Registered, that is effective

Homeopathic medicinal products are legal drugs because they are approved in all countries of the world and in the European Union on the basis of approved registration procedures. - Each drug that is authorized must be effective, safe and of good quality - explained Dr. Leszek Borkowski. - If a drug does not meet these three criteria, it cannot be authorized. Unfortunately, many different conventional drugs have very strong side effects that require them to be withdrawn from treatment. There are also side effects in the case of homeopathic medicines, but they are much weaker and have never been a reason for the drug being withdrawn from the market.

Worth knowing

The use of homeopathy is inconsistent with Evidence Based Medicine (EBM). When choosing homeopathy, you cannot abandon conventional therapies for which there is reliable evidence for their safety and efficacy. Homeopathy should not be used, especially in the treatment of chronic, serious or potentially serious diseases.

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Alternative medicine