Isaac Golden
Dr., Research Consultant, National Institute of Integrative Medicine, Melbourne, Australia
The term homeoprophylaxis (HP) was first used by Burnett in 1884 to refer to medicines selected according to the Law/Principal of Similars to prevent targeted infectious diseases. HP medicines were first used by Hahnemann in 1798 and have been used since to protect significant numbers of people against a range of infectious diseases in many countries. This paper updates a recent analysis of HP use internationally, and examines a large intervention conducted over 11 years.
HP is used to prevent targeted diseases in large and small populations. Its use is often directed by governmental agencies and conducted by medical doctors and scientists. HP is potentially valuable, especially in situations where vaccination is not possible either due to there being no vaccine for the disease, or when an existing vaccine cannot be obtained in sufficient quantities, or in time to treat an outbreak. But it also has potential value in all other situations where immunisation is required.
Aim: To present a brief “snapshot” of some major HP interventions in 3 countries to illustrate to those who are unfamiliar with HP the extent to which it has been and is being used, often by Government-employed medical officers and scientists, in many countries. To use new data to analyse the value of HP against established diseases.
Gustavo Bracho
Dr., Senior Research Scientist, Flinders Centre for Innovation in Cancer, Flinders University, Australia
Spoke on further applications of homeopathy as an integrative approach for prevention.
Raj K. Manchanda
Dr., Director, AYUSH (Ayurveda, Yoga & Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha/Sowa-Rigpa and Homeopathy), Govt. of NCT of Delhi, Ex-Director General of the Central Council for Research in Homeopathy, under Ministry of AYUSH
Homeopathy has found its second home in India with its development in scientific footing along with popularisation. Being one of the recognise systems of medicine homeopathy is frequently tried as prophylactic and treatment option during epidemic outbreaks in India in diseases where no vaccination is available.
Some of the State Government have also used homeopathic medicine for the control of epidemic. In the states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana BCT was successfuly used to control Japanese encephalitis during the 90’s. Kerala has made systemic process to use homeopathy for disease outbreaks through programmatic approach, i. e. Rapid action Epidemic Control Cell Homeopathy (RAECH). Chhattisgarh govt. has used Chininum sulph. for control of Malaria with encouraging results. Similarly, in Madhya Pradesh for malaria and dengue, in Manipur and Bihar for Japanese encephalitis homeopathy is being used.
Govt. of India has established Central Council for Research in Homeopathy (CCRH) to undertake organized research in Homeopathy. The Council has undertaken many quasi, experimental studies including Japanese encephalitis (1992), Dengue (1996 & 2015), malaria (1996), filariases (2004), amoebic dysentery (2005), Influenza Like Illness (2009 & 2015), Chikungunya (2014) and Acute Encephalitis Syndrome )AES) (2015). Public is often informed about the possibility of prevention of various diseases through health advisors. Encouraged by the above few experiments and the results of large scale application of Homeopathic medicines in the prevention Leptospirosis in Cuba and few experiments in Brazil. An epidemic cell has been established and several initiatives in the form of clinical and basic research studies are being undertaken. CCRH has taken specific steps to scientifically validate the traditionally used drugs as well as trying to develop new drugs. These initiatives along with various scientific development were briefly discussed.
Anil Khurana
Dr., MD (Hom), Derector General I/C, Central Council for Research Homeopathy, Under Ministry of AYUSH, Govt. of India
Chairman, Central Council of Homeopathy
There is need to put in place systems that ensure safety of patients and good quality of trials. Indian Council for Medical Research, a national body in India responsible for the formulation, coordination and promotion of biomedical research, is striving to do just that with the Clinical Trials Registry of India, which it launched in July 2007. The revised ethical guidelines for bio-medical research are used by ICMR in 2017. The Clinical Trials Registry which encourages the registration of all clinical trials conducted in Inia before the enrollment of the first participant is now mandatory. Prevention trials especially in epidemic conditions involve participation of large population and communities. This growing interest in conducting research that directly or indirectly involves communities raises a concern about the adequacy of research protections. Human research protections established and expanded during the last 60 years have centered on the rights and safety of the individual in the research process. Violations of such concerns for safety of individuals have attracted legal actions against investigators and sponsors. HPV vaccine trial is one such example.
Undertaking Homeoprophylaxis studies (like vaccine trials) involvement of large population and safety of individuals must be ensured especially about the intervention to be used. Although homeopathic prevention medicines include genus \m which is identified through a specific process but many nosodes prepared from biological material or microorganisms are also used for prevention of specific epidemic conditions and therefore invites concerns of their safety and preclinical assessment. But not many regulations are in place in Drugs and Cosmetic Act, Rules and Regulations in India as are available for vaccine trials.
Ravi Roy
Dr., Teaching and Research Institute for Homeopathy, Germany
In 1860s a new thought emerged in homeopathy regarding prophylaxis. Homeopathy had already by the 1830s showed its efficacy in the prevention of contagious diseases, such as scarlet fever, cholera, anthrax. The result in those days when hygene was still in its infancy was amazingly 100%. Some of these reports are to be found in the magazine Journal der practischen Heilkunde edited by Dr. Christoph Wilhelm Hufeland. The idea of making people immune to things other than “viruses” or “bacteria” started with Dr. Swan of New York. Kent also seemed not to be against this idea as he accepted it as a possibility.
Joined by Carola Lage-Roy, his wife, first his student and since over 30 years his companion homeopath, they have diligently applied this principal not only in Germany but in other countries. In this presentation they showed the different fields of prophylaxis in which they have had many happy successes.
Cathy Lemmon
Founder and Director of Homeoprophylaxis: A Worldwide Choice “HPWWC”, USA
Because Hahnemann learned of the effective prophylactic use of homeopathic medicine, by and large in homeopathy’s early days, homeopathic prophylaxis was standardly understood as a part of homeopathy.
Such was also the case in the United States.
Introduced to the US in the 1820s, homeopathy caught on quickly, to the point that it became the medical approach of choice in there until the early twentieth century. Talk was free amongst homeopaths regarding immunization, the call generally being that a homeopathic means for this existed. Yet this was also greeted with hostility, both from within as well as without homeopathic realms. Not a scientific presentation, what was shared was a brief overview of historical facts regarding homeoprophylaxis (“O”) within the United States. Touching very briefly as well on what has transpired in Canada because these two countries share an enormous border, this covered what historical homeopathic experts have learned and shared, as well as where we are today in the United States regarding immunization and homeopathy, and where we intend to go as we move forward.
Martin de Munck
LLM, R.Hom., Legal Advisor and Homeopath, The Netherlands
Homeoprophylaxis: legal issues in Europe
Discussion points included:
- A brief insight in the legislation on homeopathy and homeoprophylaxis in Europe
- Europe consists of many countries; hence the regulation can be very different
- Is homeopathy legal, who can practice homeopathy, is homeoprophylaxis applied.
Srinivasa Rao Nyapati
Dr., Managing Director, Ramakrishna Homeo Stores [P] Ltd., Hyderabad
This paper attemps to glean the potential scope of Homeopathy from a few carefully curated anecdotal references of the experiences of a few Homeopathic doctors from the past few decades who have been using Homeopathy in their clinical practices and sporadic epidemics. It must be appreciated that the entire focus and their intent while administering these medicines during those moments was exclusively to “prevent” and enhance the resistance to the ongoing epidemic or the prevailing episodic sickness in that area, at that time. In those times of past, to document and record the feedback was neither a priority nor were they trained in the methodology, hence we are having to rely on their anecdotal information. Now, it is the mission of this august congress to validate their strength and consolidate their wisdom.
Srinivasulu Gadugu
Professor and doctor, Dept. of Organon of Medicine, JSPSGHMC HYDERABAD
An open observational study on the efficacy of B.C.T homeopathic medicines in the prevention of Japanese Encephalitis (J.E.) in the states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, India. This study shows that the J.E. incidence, following prophylactic application of homeopathy, has come down in Andhra Pradesh since 1999. Endemics and epidemics should be studies from the miasmic viewpoint to understand their virulence, change of patterns and reoccurrence. The BCT protocol (discussed in the article) gave gratifying results in successfully preventing the J.E. during this period and even in 2019 there are no cases of J.E. in these who Telugu States of the country. With minimum investment on this Homeo Prophylaxis program (HPP) the maximum benefit of zero incidence of Japanese Encephalitis for the past two decades.