Phoenix Homeopathy

Roaccutane, a drug used for severe acne, has long been suspected of being linked to depression.

Historically, Roche, the drug’s manufacturers have always denied any links to depression and suicide amongst users of Roaccutane, blaming the acne itself instead.

Though as well-known veterinary homeopath and author, Chris Day, writes in his blog on Roaccutane, wasn’t the drug meant to cure the acne?

We all know that orthodox drugs have side-effects, but who knew that the contraceptive Pill could make you blind? Sounds like a bad joke, doesn’t it, but that’s what one woman claims in The Daily Mail. Read her story here.

It happened to me, too, but with steroids

In a desperate attempt to reverse my worsening neurological symptoms, back in 1995-6, doctors gave me increasing doses of intravenous and oral steroids. Soon after, I too, experienced raised intra-cranial pressure from too much fluid building up, which was removed over time, via repeated lumbar punctures and Acetazolomide, a diuretic.

Meningitis-like headache

The headache I developed from the pressure building up in my skull was so intense that the sound of someone buttering toast on the other side of the room was agony, and I was given Pethidine to help me to endure it. Through the haze of drugs, I was vaguely aware at the time that these symptoms were unusual for the disease I’d been diagnosed with, but I was never told that the problem could be an effect of the steroids.

It was only years later, as a practising homeopath researching possible steroid side-effects for a patient’s case, that I realised the likely cause of that terrible episode.

Informed choice about adverse drug effects

I don’t blame the doctors: they were doing their best to suppress my worsening neurological symptoms, not realising that these symptoms were a sign of a deeper disorder - the stress of being on the wrong life path, from suppressing rather than acknowledging and releasing my emotions, not to mention an unhealthy and fast-paced lifestyle.

Would it to have helped, at the time, to know that I was one of the quarter of a million people in the UK admitted to hospital due to adverse drug effects? Maybe not, but being warned about possible side-effects, no matter how rare, would at least have empowered me to make an informed decision.

After (rather inaccurately, in my view - click the research tag) announcing ‘the death of homeopathy’ recently, The Lancet is at it again, publishing another article that fails to give readers a balanced view of modern homeopathy. No wonder more and more people are asking: is this the latest in a series of attempts to repress homeopathy in the UK?

Here’s the Society of Homeopaths’ response to the Lancet article, which makes interesting reading:

Letter to the Editor of The Lancet

Dear Sir

We read your Special Report on homeopathy in Britain (Vol 370) with interest. For a publication that bills itself as the world’s leading medical journal, we were surprised that Udani Samarasekera’s report merely rehashes time-worn arguments, without presenting any new information to your readers.

As you know, we provided you with a six-page set of responses to questions posed in connection with this report. We find it fascinating that not one of those responses was actually printed.

To better inform your readers, we would like to point out that The Society of Homeopaths is the largest professional organisation registering homeopaths in Britain, representing more than 2,300 members overall. We are committed to fostering an integrated, patient-centred approach to health and wellness, treating each person’s symptoms as unique and each person’s care as an individual programme.

Society registered homeopaths have satisfied The Society’s educational and professional requirements and agreed to practise in accordance with The Society of Homeopaths’ Code of Ethics & Practice, the Core Criteria for Homeopathic Practice and the National Occupational Standards for Homeopathy.

We concur with our colleagues across the medical profession that proper regulation is essential to delivering integrated, patient-centred care and we welcome increased regulation of the homeopathy profession. In fact, it is something that we, as the leading professional organisation, have been advocating for years.

Kind regards,

Paula Ross
Chief Executive

Society of Homeopaths
11 Brookfield, Duncan Close, Moulton Park, Northampton NN3 6WL
Tel: 0845 450 6611 Fax: 0845 450 6622 Email: info@homeopathy-soh.org

In answer to the recent media criticism of homeopathy, Jeanette Winterson, award-winning author of ‘Oranges are Not the Only Fruit’ and other works, spoke out in favour of homeopathy this week in UK national newspaper The Guardian, describing her own dramatic experience with the remedy Lachesis, and defending the forthcoming symposium on homeopathy and HIV. Read the full story here.

Modern life

In the last 200 years, the Western world has changed beyond recognition, yet our nervous systems haven’t had time to evolve to cope with increased, prolonged stress. The pace of life is faster, we’re surrounded by noise and stimulation, subject to man-made electro-magnetic influences, often living in crowded cities among strangers who might turn on us at any moment, and far removed from nature. As a species, we’re not used to living like this, so it’s no wonder that we often feel jittery, unhappy, fearful or ungrounded.

Fight or flight

William Bloom’s core energy management techniques can help. In ‘Feeling Safe’, William explores the effect of modern day stresses on our body’s tissues, explains why telling yourself to ‘pull yourself together’ simply won’t work, and provides exercises and tips that we can all use to take ourselves out of potentially harmful longterm ‘flight or fight’ body chemistry.

Drawing on observations of how wild animals respond to stress, and touching on taoist principles that he calls ‘holism’, William’s book is a guide to managing the stress and anxiety of modern day living.

Easy to read

William’s a gifted group facilitator and teacher (I was lucky enough to join his group for a New Year’s retreat a couple of years ago), and the book is written in William’s accessible style.

Buy your copy by clicking here.