Phoenix Homeopathy

Two new studies claim that the infamous Lancet study which proclaimed “The Death of Homeopathy” was flawed: see New evidence for homeopathy on Eureka! Science News

Stephen Gordon, the General Secretary of the European Council for Classical Homeopathy, asks that the following information be made known:

“Two new studies conclude that a review which claimed that homeopathy is just a placebo, published in The Lancet, was seriously flawed.

George Lewith, Professor of Health Research at Southampton University comments: ‘The review gave no indication of which trials were analysed nor of the various vital assumptions made about the data. This is not usual scientific practice. If we presume that homeopathy works for some conditions but not others, or change the definition of a ‘larger trial’, the conclusions change. This indicates a fundamental weakness in the conclusions: they are NOT reliable.’

The background to the ongoing debate is as follows:

In August 2005, The Lancet published an editorial entitled ‘The End of Homeopathy’, prompted by a review comparing clinical trials of homeopathy with trials of conventional medicine. The claim that homeopathic medicines are just placebo was based on 6 clinical trials of conventional medicine and 8 studies of homeopathy but did not reveal the identity of these trials. The review was criticised for its opacity as it gave no indication of which trials were analysed and the various assumptions made about the data.

Sufficient detail to enable a reconstruction was eventually published and two recently published scientific papers based on such a reconstruction challenge the Lancet review, showing that:

• Analysis of all high quality trials of homeopathy yields a positive conclusion.
• The 8 larger higher quality trials of homeopathy were all for different conditions; if homeopathy works for some of these but not others the result changes, implying that it is not placebo.
• The comparison with conventional medicine was meaningless.
• Doubts remain about the opaque, unpublished criteria used in the review, including the definition of ‘higher quality’.

The Lancet review, led by Prof Matthias Egger of the Department of Social and Preventive Medicine at the University of Berne, started with 110 matched clinical trials of homeopathy and conventional medicine, reduced these to ‘higher quality trials’ and then to 8 and 6 respectively ‘larger higher quality trials’. Based on these 14 studies the review concluded that there is ‘weak evidence for a specific effect of homoeopathic remedies, but strong evidence for specific effects of conventional interventions’.

There are a limited number of homeopathic studies so it is quite possible to interpret these data selectively and unfavourably, which is what appears to have been done in the Lancet paper. If we assume that homeopathy does not work for just one condition (Arnica for post-exercise muscle stiffness), or alter the definition of ‘larger trial’, the results are positive. The comparison with conventional medicine was meaningless: the original 110 trials were matched, but matching was lost after they were reduced to 8 and 6. But the quality of homeopathic trials was better than conventional trials.

This reconstruction casts serious doubts on the review, showing that it was based on a series of hidden judgments unfavourable to homeopathy. An open assessment of the current evidence suggests that homeopathy is probably effective for a number of conditions including allergies, upper respiratory tract infections and ‘flu, but more research is desperately needed.

Prof Egger has declined to comment on these findings.

References

Lüdtke R, Rutten ALB. The conclusions on the effectiveness of homeopathy highly depend on the set of analyzed trials. J Clin Epidemiol 2008. doi:10.1016/j.jclinepi.2008.06.015

Rutten ALB, Stolper CF. The 2005 meta-analysis of homeopathy: the importance of post-publication data. Homeopathy 2008. doi:10.1016/j.homp.2008.09.008.”

Professor Kent Woods, the chief executive of the drugs industry watchdog, is reported as saying “it is important to realise there aren’t any safe medicines”. Read the full story here.

Avoiding medical interventions

Homeopathic induction (inducing the onset of labour with the use of homeopathic remedies) is an important aspect of my job as a homeopath. If you’re pregnant, you may feel increasingly worried as your due date nears with no sign of imminent labour, and you might be worried that your choice of a home birth, for example, may be slipping away. More and more women understand that being induced in hospital can seem to increase the chances of needing further interventions during the labour, such as epidurals, ventouse, episiotomy and even c-section. A homeopathic induction can help to give a small nudge to your body, encouraging it to do what it was already preparing to do, and help to avoid these interventions affecting your birth plan.

Last-minute induction with homeopathy

If you’ve been seeing me throughout your pregnancy, it’s usually easier for us to discover together the deeper issues preventing your itlabour starting, and it’s more straightforward for me to select your remedy. Sometimes, though, I get a call out of the blue a few days before the induction is scheduled, which is a bit more challenging, so even if you’re not an existing patient, it’s worth giving me a call.

Homeopathic remedies to help the onset of your labour (childbirth)

The homeopathic remedies that even non-homeopathic midwives may have heard of are Cimicifuga and Caulophyllum, which are believed to act directly on the uterus and cervix, and which can work well, but good homeopathy always comes back to treating the person, not the symptom (the symptom being the fact of being overdue), so I wouldn’t advise using these remedies routinely. It’s best to get your homeopathic prescription after an in-depth consultation (over the phone if easier).

Looking at the deeper issues

In my view, if you’re overdue and there’s no obvious reason why, it’s important that you tell me your personal story, because both you and your baby may have your reasons why the labour isn’t progressing. Labour can even begin straight after the consultation, because exploring what may be holding things back can be enough to allow release, although I do give individually-chosen homeopathic remedies, too.

It’s important to bear in mind that homeopathic induction won’t override the body’s own vital intelligence, so if either you or your baby aren’t ready to begin your birth, then it’s not going to happen.

Connect with your baby

During the homeopathic induction consultation, I’ll ask you to inwardly connect or check in with your baby, and ask if he or she is ready to be born, and whether your baby has any concerns about the birth. This might seem crazy, but it’s incredible what can emerge when this question is asked in a caring and supportive space. In any homeopathic casetaking situation, I’m always looking for an opening into the deeper issue underlying the problem, so if you offer me a door, I’ll try to go through it with you.

Your general health

I always ask about your general health and any physical complaints during your pregnancy, for example any bleeding, food cravings or aversions and any other physical symptoms, because these can help to narrow the remedy choice down, but we’ll generally gently focus on your emotions.

Life changes or traumas

I’ll ask about any major changes going on in your life (other than the pregnancy, of course!) - for example, moving house, leaving work, grief, anger or divorce. I also ask if your pregnancy was planned, and whether you’re feeling connected to your baby. If there is a history of abuse or trauma, this may also have a bearing, so, if you want to, we can talk about this. We can also discuss your fears or concerns about the birth itself, about motherhood and the changes that the birth will bring, any body issues or fears about looking undignified, your feelings about breastfeeding, as well as the reactions of others around you to your situation. Your dreams can shine a light on your subconscious fears, too. I might therefore also ask “what are you definitely not afraid of?”, because, paradoxically, the answer you give may in fact highlight a fear.

The post-partum period

At the homeopathic induction consultation, we talk about what will happen after the birth, and I’ll encourage you to tell me how you see this time, whether you’re prepared for the post-partum period, and how you feel about finances, support, time, your other children or family etc. We may also talk about how you feel about how your partner will cope, because the woman needing Phosphorus, for example, may hold back labour because she can pick up on the fact that her partner is nervous about the birth!

Your baby’s position

I’ll ask you to tell me as much as possible about your baby’s position, both now and during the pregnancy: it’s well-known that Pulsatilla can help a breech baby to turn (in one case, I’ve had success with this even when the mother had been told it was too late for the baby to turn). However, even if your baby is in the right position now, if it’s been breech during the pregnancy, a dose or two of Pulsatilla 200c may still be the right remedy. A posterior presentation usually requires a dose or two of Kali-carb 200c. (Remember, though, that professional homeopathic advice is recommended.) The reason these remedies can work so well to turn your baby is simply because homeopathy is always working in tandem with your body. Your baby and your body both know that the most effective way to be born is in a vertex, anterior position, and both will strive towards that position with the guidance of the remedy. If it’s not safe for your baby to turn, then your baby’s own wisdom will prevail, and it will remain in the alternative position - although I haven’t yet seen this happen.

Your birth plan

We’ll also talk through your birth plan, so I can gauge how comfortable you are with your care providers, birth partner, planned venue for the birth and so on. While we’re talking about these topics, if I’m face to face with you (I also do homeopathic inductions over the phone), I’ll be noticing whether your body language seems to contradict what you’re saying, and I’ll look for what you don’t say, too, because this may help us to unlock together any blocks you may be unaware of.

Fear

In my experience, understandably enough, some sort of fear is the main issue that seems to hold back a labour. In order for the remedy to work, it’s important to find out what your exact fear is, and which remedy addresses that particular fear, so I haven’t given any suggestions here, because a professional homeopath has over 4,000 homeopathic remedies to choose from!

I’ve learnt to get to a fear by asking “How did you come to know that?” For example, if your fear that you won’t have enough milk to breastfeed, I might ask you “How did you come to know that you may not have enough milk?”, as this allows you to answer from a place deep within yourself. This helps us to get at the root of the fear so I can truly understand where you’re coming from, and have more of an opportunity to address the fear with you.

For more information about how homeopathy may be able to help you through conception, pregnancy, childbirth and beyond, call 0845 166 8108 (outside the UK, call +44 1273 715822) for your FREE mini-consultation, or visit www.phoenixhomeopathy.com.

Find out what the stars have to say about homeopathy (link to OK magazine article about David & Victoria Beckham, Nelly Furtado, Nadia Sawalha and Catherine Zeta Jones - all of whom it seems use homeopathy) .