Homeopathy | Imamother

Motek

Sun, Feb 18 2007, 6:33 pm

amother wrote:

All I can say is - I'm definately thousands less in my bank account, and my child is no closer to being cured.

Did anybody claim to you that homeopathy would cure your child?

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I DO NOT believe in homeopathy and believe there can be serious side effects

One of the points made in randi's presentation is that there is absolutely no fear of side effects since it was diluted beyond anything that could give anybody side effects (or any effects).

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My theory is, that if it did cure people, trust me the insurance companies would push for FDA approval, as they want our children and us healthy as much as we do!

I think it goes beyond what the insurance companies want. There is an extremely powerful drug lobby. The drug companies are interested in money ...

mumoo

Sun, Feb 18 2007, 6:44 pm

Motek wrote:

Can't be a placebo effect. Is it that they would have gotten better regardless?

I think that's it exactly

we depend on doctors and medications and there are all sorts of rational, scientific explanations for why they work. I know this is long, but its a beautiful story and the real answer to why they work is in there:

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In His Hands
by Rabbi Yaakov Salomon

How one man faced the ultimate moment of truth: life or death.

Reb Yosef was in his mid-70's when he first learned the full extent of his condition. He had, for many years, suffered from shortness of breath and spasm-like chest throbs. But, like so many of us, he eschewed the dreaded, but necessary doctor appointments.

"I'll be all right," he repeated. "The pains come, but they go away. And what do the doctors really know anyway?"

Having been born and bred in Jerusalem, Reb Yosef was made of tough stuff, but the time had come when he could no longer avoid the tender truth. His condition was serious and it was not going away on its own.

Reb Yosef had never held any official position of renown or glory. Beloved teacher, mentor to many hundreds and bastion of unflappable belief, he carried himself with uncanny humility and unruffled confidence. The old-timers of Jerusalem know about people like Reb Yosef. There are more than a few of them. They flee the spotlight, detest honor, and quietly guide those who seek a word of consolation, advice, or reassurance.

They don't revere God. They live with God... every waking moment and with every fiber they possess.

"We must face reality, Rabbi," said Dr. M. "The medications are not working. We've tried several different kinds of medicine for quite a few months. There is really only one more option."

Reb Yosef sat calmly and listened. He knew what was coming.

"The only choice left is surgery; and yes, it is rather risky."

Dr. M. went on to describe the details of the terribly complicated heart surgery that represented the best and only hope he had. Reb Yosef did not inquire about numbers, chances, or odds. That was not his way. But Dr. M. offered them anyway.

"I'm going to be totally honest with you, Rabbi. Without this operation, you may not live more than 12 months. If the surgery is successful though, you could have 20 more years. But there is a 50-50 chance that you will not leave the operating room alive. The decision is totally yours."

Just imagine being faced with that kind of dilemma. Imagine his wife and children. Do they want him to have the operation, knowing full well that they may never see him again? Or do they dare not chance a risk of that magnitude and just hope and pray that the doctor is wrong? Having to encounter a quandary of this import is to reside in one of life's most perilous neighborhoods.

After more than a few sleepless nights and several consultations with the wisest of men, Reb Yosef agreed that it was a risk worth taking.

IN THE OPERATING ROOM

It was a short time later that Reb Yosef entered the hospital. Well-wishers from everywhere, whose souls had been touched by his kindness and his holiness, prayed for his success. But only his closest family members were permitted at his bedside in the precious pre-op moments.

And then, it was time.

They wheeled Reb Yosef out of his room with his modest, apprehensive procession following close behind. His wife, among others, fortified and determined; his granddaughter, terrified and bewildered. No one said a word. There was nothing to say.

In the longest of walks that took the shortest of time, they reached their destination -- the O. R. It was time to part.

The Operating Theatre was a peculiar batter of sterility and morbidity. It is here that life speaks for itself. It is here that tomorrow waits for those who cannot. It is here that destiny governs and judgment is forever rendered.

Doctors, nurses, and attendants all milled about, busying themselves with last minute technicalities, while the patient, almost a curious afterthought, just waited and peered. So many people, so many machines, so much bright light, so much focus -- all directed in a unified effort to bring life and health to one individual.

The final preparations were nearly completed. Dr. M introduced to Reb Yosef the team that would soon embrace the august task of trying to save his life. He then went through a brief summary of the undertaking before him and what Reb Yosef might expect after he awoke. Neither man articulated the dreaded alternative.

"Good luck," said Dr. M as he instructed the anesthesiologist to prepare the insertion of the sleeping aid.

But before he could proceed, Reb Yosef's hand suddenly reached out from the sheet and clutched the arm of Dr. M.

"If I may," said the gentle sage to the good doctor. "There is something I must tell you before you begin.

"Weeks ago you advised me of the risks involved in having this procedure. They were difficult to hear and even harder to weigh. You told me what I had to know. Now I will tell you what you have to know.

"Should this surgery not be successful... should your intervention bring me death instead of life, you may naturally be disappointed. You may even blame yourself for what did and did not happen. You might go so far as to re-evaluate your skills as a doctor and even doubt the value of this procedure. As a result of your questions, you may be reluctant to perform this surgery on others, who may, in fact, greatly benefit from this type of operation.

"Know that life is in the exclusive hands of the Almighty. It is He and He only who determines the fate of we, who are but flesh and blood. No matter what happens here today, you must continue your vital work. You have been given extraordinary talents and you must use them without hesitation, remorse, or vacillation. For it will not have been you that failed, but rather the will of the Creator that has spoken. I hope you understand."

It was a short but penetrating speech. And in it, lay a gift of eternal dimension. Dr. M. had performed hundreds of similar surgeries before, but had never met anyone, in those trying circumstances, who had the presence, the clarity, the pure belief, and the simple kindness of the man who lay before him at that moment.

"Yes," replied Dr. M. "I understand. I agree. And I am very grateful."

It was a life lesson of complete and unfailing conviction, which possessed the unique power that could come only from someone sitting at the crossroads of life.

Dr. M. collected himself and turned once more to the anesthesiologist and beckoned him to proceed. But Reb Yosef, it seems, was not quite finished.

"And... er... one more thing... and this is really the purpose of my words to you at this time. Should I awake in a recovery room somewhere, I trust that you will be by my side. Together we will celebrate an accomplishment of enormous proportion.

"But know, good doctor, that life is in the exclusive hands of the Almighty. It is He and He only who determines the fate of we, who are but flesh and blood. No matter what happens here today, you can never take full credit for extending life. You have been given extraordinary talents, and you must use them without pride, arrogance or conceit. You are just a messenger of God, a wheel in His Majesty's mill.

"It will not have been you that succeeded, but rather the will of the Creator that has spoken. I hope you understand."

Dr. M. nodded slowly. It was a moment he would never forget.

Reb Yosef gave him a soft smile.

And then he closed his eyes.

EPILOGUE

While the outcome of the surgery is, in fact, unrelated to the brilliant lesson Reb Yosef taught us, you are probably wondering what did happen. Suffice it to say that God did indeed hear the loving prayers of everyone that knew him.

southernbubby

Sun, Feb 18 2007, 7:02 pm

I have friends who studied to be natural practitioners. Their course of study was measured in weeks or months but not in years as is the case with doctors and nurses. People often pay out of pocket for natural remedies when they have grown frustrated with the limits of conventional medicine. I don't know how often these practitioners are successful, but I would be skeptical of a "medical school" with a training period of only a few weeks. It could be that people with no medical insurance think that homeopathy is a bargain compared to the rates that medical doctors charge. Even when a medical doctor prescribes antibiotics, that there is a chance that the infection will clear up "in a week with medication and 7 days without it". If the US had national health insurance like Canada has, I wonder if fewer people would go to homeopaths. Also there is a website (I think it is called quackwatchers) where doctors debunk myths about phony treatments.

TzenaRena

Sun, Feb 18 2007, 7:21 pm

Who is James Randi?

chavamom

Sun, Feb 18 2007, 8:26 pm

I know someone with a degree from Bastyr University. It was acquired over a number of years (I believe 4), not months or weeks. There are also doctors of Traditional Chinese Medicine that work in the US and are regulated by the state. They have training in TCM that is similar in length and scope to an MD.

Motek

Sun, Feb 18 2007, 9:27 pm

TzenaRena wrote:

Who is James Randi?

a famous magician who has made it his life's mission to debunk those who claim special powers (he show how they're magic tricks - see the link in the Clips section)

southernbubby

Sun, Feb 18 2007, 10:49 pm

I remember trying to explain to these friends (who had opened up natural medicine practices) that due to an inherited deficiency of clotting factor 11 (an askenazic female trait), I would need fresh frozen plasma prior to any surgical procedure. They kept insisting that some potion that I could swallow could "build up the blood". That is the level of ignorance that their experience portrays. No swallowed substance builds clotting factors!

amother

Mon, Feb 19 2007, 12:50 am

Motek- Please I don't think I understood his point could you explaine it?

Why does he think its ridiculous?

Ruchel

Mon, Feb 19 2007, 5:01 pm

With me, it either doesn't work at all, or works like crazy. Thank G-d for the anti nausea thing I took during my pregnancy..... Placebo or not I don't care as long as it works!

chanab

Mon, Feb 19 2007, 5:38 pm

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One of the points made in randi's presentation is that there is absolutely no fear of side effects since it was diluted beyond anything that could give anybody side effects (or any effects).

This bugs me.... homeopathy should be treated like any other form of medicine:it can be good or bad. Homeopathy can and does cause side effects (emotionally as well as physically which is why it is better to use a constitutional remedy) when used incorrectly .

Motek

Thu, Feb 22 2007, 8:05 pm

chanab wrote:

Did you see Randi's presentation?

What bugs him is that homeopathy is treated by many as a form of medicine when many homeopathic remedies contain no detectable amount of an active ingredient and it is impossible to test whether they contain what their label says.

Unlike most drugs, they have not been proven effective against disease by double-blind clinical testing. In fact, the vast majority of homeopathic products have never even been tested.

Perhaps additives in some of them cause side effects but his point is that the actual remedy is diluted to the point of nothingness. The remedies he referred to in this presentation said on the package that there would be no side effects.

Ruchel

Wed, Aug 15 2007, 5:19 pm

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it would be irresponsible to use any of these traditional medicines except as a last resort or as an alternative to western medicine. If western medicine is not working for you, fine. Go nontraditional. But without documented evidence by clinical trial, it is nonscientific.

I totally agree with this.

I don’t know how homeopathy works, plants are strong, but they are very diluted.

You all know, if you have read my posts in the pregnancy and births sections, that I am not into “all natural” or the type to be victim of the new trend or guru. I am scientific minded and like to know how things work.

I did not believe in non traditional medecine. I knew my father was totally forbidden to take homeopathy because it made his immunity fall, and that acupuncture cured his migraines but didn’t work on my mom’s at all.

When I was pregnant and nauseous I took every meds possible, nothing worked. The obgyn told me, “I don’t believe in homeopathy but some say it works, try XYZ”. I did. A few hours later I was feeling better, the day after I was NORMAL.

2 months later I started having terrible head aches, several times we called the urgency docs. They couldn’t do anything for me. My husband remembered the homeopathy who worked for me, so we tried head aches homeopathy: again it saved me.

Recently I started having head aches again, to the point that I couldn’t cover my hair (unless I was ready to throw up, which did happen). Apart from telling me to uncover my hair when a head ache was starting, my rav told me to try an acupuncturist he knew.

The day after the first visit, I had a terrible head ache; he told me it was a normal reaction, the bad stuff re surfacing and going away. Ok. The second time it wasn’t supposed to happen and it didn’t. I am supposed to have 2 other visits in some time, but BH the head aches didn’t come back.

And just today, I decided to try if homeopathy could work for period pain. For the first time I’m not taking the strongest stuff around but going crazy anyway. It works!

And again; for many it doesn’t work.

Use non traditional when medecine doesn’t work, or when you have a cold. Never when your life is at stake. And don’t do it yourself; ask a pharmacist who specializes in homeopathy.

Ruchel

Wed, Aug 15 2007, 5:20 pm

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I just read a letter from a mother who writes that that her child had life-threatening reactions to many, many different allergens and her child, her brother, and many other children she knows, got rid of their allergies completely through homeopathy and a combination of other approaches of alternative healing, and lots of siyata dishmaya.

I find this so interesting because according to medical science, there is no cure for food allergies and only strict avoidance of the allergic substance can keep a person safe!

At the same time, allergies come and go. I was allergic to some meds as a child, now… gone. I am also supposed to be allergic to X because I am to Y, but X is totally fine for me…

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try out homeopathy instead of taking antibiotics if possible.

I believe homeopathy is not strong enough to replace antibios, and it’s better not to wait before starting the “attack” so the disease doesn’t develop. It is, imho, a case where delaying to try out homeopathy could be very bad.

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If it doesn't work, you can always go back to the conventional way

Sure, but only with problems that don’t go harsher with time imho

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I took it after I gave birth for bleeding and it stopped it automatically

Interesting! What did you take?

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Arnica gel for bruising and swelling

I was raised with this; it’s excellent

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It's all homeopathy is a bunch of nonsense. I think people that prescribe that stuff, obviously not real doctors, are doing it for money. Sometimes people are willing to believe anything and spend at all cost for it. It's unfortunate that in todays society, where people are educated, that people still buy into that nonsense.

Lol I used to be like that; honestly, try it. Contrary to a segula you don’t even need to believe in it. If you’re lucky you’ll be among those who react well to it.
Go read my post, I am not a natural nuts.

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I know very few people who buy one thing and are done with it

Me! Lol

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however in Europe and India it's a very accepted form of medication.

People here don’t believe in it until they try, if it works for them lol

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I hope though, that they don't put too much money down the drain before they see the truth!

Homeopathy is MUCH less expensive, BUT it is not paid back by social security. At the same time, you don’t have to pay a doctor if your pharmacist is trained in homeopathy.
Alternative medecines are not recognized by the state, so not paid back. An acupunturist who is also a doc is paid back.

Admin

Fri, Aug 17 2007, 6:03 pm

An email we received.

To imamother: I am the Chair of the Department of Medicine and Humanistic Studies at the American Medical College of Homeopathy. I have been on the faculty of New York University and lectured at Memorial Sloan Kettering Center for Cancer, Columbia Presbyterian Hospital, and the Hospital for Special Surgery.

I wanted to clarify some of the comments made on your site but am writing here instead of posting out of respect for your membership as I am not married at this time.

Firstly, homeopathic medicine was founded by a medical doctor, Dr Samuel Hahnemann (from Germany). Because of its effectiveness, its use spread across Europe and Asia (where it is commonly used in hospitals including the Royal London Homeopathic Hospital and by medical doctors in private practice) Eventually homeopathy found its way to the US where all remedies were approved by the FDA. And all homeopathic medicines are still monitored by the FDA for their safety.

There have been numerous research studies (double blind and placebo controlled) that prove the effectiveness of homeopathic medicines when used correctly. Jennifer Jacobs, MD landmark study was published in Pediatrics and David Reilly, MD's study was published in The Lancet (both prestigious medical journals).

Dr. Michael Kulick of San Francisco recently presented a report highlighting the effectiveness of Arnica, the homeopathic medicine mentioned by one of your bloggers.

Hopefully this will shed light on the subject and assist your members in their search for good health for themselves and their families.

Sincerely yours,
Lauri Grossman, DC

rainbow

Fri, Aug 17 2007, 6:46 pm

amother wrote:

trust me the insurance companies would push for FDA approval, as they want our children and us healthy as much as we do!
.

I have yet to believe that is their motive. I believe they want as much money...

Ruchel

Tue, Sep 25 2007, 9:13 am

From a closed thread

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As much as I believe in homeopathy, I do not believe it can treat a feeling

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Ruchel, you couldn´t be more wrong. Homeopathy is holistic in that it treats the WHOLE person--physical, emotional, everything. Which is why homeopathy is to be taken with caution and not disregard for side effects, including emotional ones.

How could it treat or cause emotional problems?