A British Medical Journal Lancet published an article saying that vaccines can cause austism.  Lancet recently recanted this article saying the research was bias and horribly inaccurate.

  Andrew Wakefield, the lead author of this study stands by the claims that is research is valid. Dr. Wakefield never claimed any scientific evidence of the link between autism and vaccines. The research just showed that young children given vaccines may have a tendency to develop autism.  Dr. Wakefield recommended that vaccines be given at least a year apart from one another instead of all together.  Dr. Wakefield himself stated that this was a small study with only 13 children and further studies were needed.  Wakefiield research was found to be unpopular with in the UK medical community.  

  Claims were made that the Dr. Wakefield fudged the data to reach his own hypothesis.   Allegations were made that he was paid by parents of children of autism and British trial lawyers to conduct this research.  10 of the 13 authors of this study say they no longer support their findings.  

  The British medical council found Dr. Wakefield and two of his colleagues of irresponsible and dishonest behavior and professional misconduct.   Subsequent studies linking autism to vaccination show no evidence that autism is caused by vaccines.  However, Dr. Wakefield has said there is another study that shows that there may be a potential link.  

  Dr. Healy is a physician, educator, and health administrator who was the first woman to head the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in the USA.  She says more research needs to be done on this.  Officials have been too quick to dismiss that vaccines may cause autism.  There may be a suspectible group of children where vaccines are not safe. 

  Do you think Dr. Wakefield research is dishonest?  Do you think the medical community did not like his conclusions so they are trying to discredit him?  Why does the Lancet not review their articles before publishing?  What are your thoughts on vaccines in general?  This British medicial journal published an article saying the "End of Homeopathy." Most researchers found this research to be totally false but the Lancet never recanted that article. 

References

http://www.healing-arts.org/children/mercury_in_vaccines_autism_research/drbernadinehealynihvaccinate.htm#Dr_Healy_interview_Vaccines

  A terrible earthquake had struck Haiti.  The earthquake measured on the richter scale 7.0.  After shocks are continuing to measure 4.3 and upwards on the richter scale.  This earthquake has left 100,000+ of people died.  Many more people are homeless, without food or water and proper medical care.  There are many relief agencies helping.  However, relief will take some time.  We are going to list some of the agencies helping and what they do 

  Homeopaths without borders helps with medications to orphanages and instructs caregivers on how to give homeopathic medications into Haiti. These medications will be much easier to bring in and distribute than conventional medicines.  Homeopaths without borders has worked in other countries providing healthcare for the poor.  Once the security situation improves in Haiti, they will make a trip.

  Another agency helping is Doctors without borders.  These are doctors and nurses across 60 countries helping people in need of castrophe medical care.  Two weeks after the earthquake, the needs of this organization are changing.  Post operative care is needed more to prevent infection.  If minor wounds go untreated, they could become fatal.  Less amputation and emergency care is being done now.  Mental health care is now available to people so they can deal with this tragedy.     

  Other agencies included the Red Cross, Unicef and Samaritan Purses. The Haiti infrastructure is terrible.  Trying to get help to the people of Haiti is very difficult.   There is really no distribution system or security system in place in this country.  However, all of these agencies are trying their best to help the people of Haiti.

  If you know some other organizations helping in Haiti, list them in the comment section.

  Pfluger is a German homeopathic company that has just recently enter into the US homeopathic market.  One of their popular combination remedies are Immuno Support.  A trial was conducted to see if this Immuno Support is effective in treating acute repiratory tract infections.

  The Immuno support combination remedy consists of the following homeopathic ingredients which are Arnica Montana, Baptisia, Calendula, Echinacea, Ferrum Phos, Lachesis Mutus and Silicea.  Most ingredients are in a low potency such as 3x or 4x.

  Fifty patients has received the Pfleuger Immuno Support Drops, 4 times a day for 7 days. The control group was given Vitamin C , Satural, and Acetaminophen 3 times a day for 7 days. The control group was also given Xylomentazolin nasal drops if necessary.

  The Pfleuger immuno support showed to be slightly superior to the conventional methods.  The Pfleuger group recovered from the upper respiratory tract infection in 5.3 days.  The control group took 6 days.  The Pfleuger group had 4.16% of patients needing antibiotic treatment where as the control group was 4.76%. 

  The Pflueger therapy showed no side effects with this treatment.  29% of the control group suffered from drug side effects and intolerance.  

  Pfleuger Immuno support suggests that this type of medicine may be effective at the onset of a respiratory tract infection.  Larger trials are needed to confirm this.  Further testing with a placebo group should be conducted to confirm this product's effectiveness.    

  So far we have had a very cold winter in most of the US.  However, still to date there has not been a major H1N1 outbreak.  Albama was the only state to have a widespread H1N1 outbreak.  You can track H1N1 outbreaks by tracking H1N1 updates.

  There are several reasons for the H1N1 not spreading.  The first reason is that H1N1 outbreak has been somewhat contained.  The virus has not spread very rapidly as once believed.  The virus was discovered sometime last year.  Doctors were afraid that the virus may mutate. This mutation could be very dangerous.  However, it looks like a dangerous mutation of this virus does not exist as of now.

  Another reason the H1N1 has not been widespread as of yet is because it may have not peaked.  The flu season can be variable.  This flu season may last for several more months so an outbreak is still possible.  It is still wise to use the same precautions as always with this flu virus.

  The final reason for the H1N1 not spreading is awareness.  Most people are not panicking about H1N1.  People are using precautions such as washing their hands, not going around sick people and covering their noses when they sneeze. These small little steps really help contain the virus which can help an epedemic from occuring.  

  Vaccinations are important to people at risk.  However, the vaccinations have not proven to do anything to contain the H1N1 virus.  The vaccinations have been slow to arrive.  They have not been delivered rapidly in the US as well.  Most people in the US are still not vaccinated against the H1N1 virus.

  During these holiday seasons, things can get really hectic.  Relatives, friends and some people that you had not heard from in years are in town.  Worst is that you may have to travel to visit them.  Here are some recommended homeopatic and natural remedies to help deal with the holiday season.

Bach Rescue Remedy -  Use this to help you control stress.  Things can get hectic when shopping for last minute items, wrapping gifts and cooking for more people than you would like.

Rhus Tox -  This remedy is used if you are feeling air sick.  This remedy should help you get through the flight if you are feeling nausea.  Borax can be used if you fear the downward motion of the plane landing.

Nux Vomica  - This remedy is used to help with the holiday stress headache.  If you start to get a head ache, lay down on a bed.  Take some Nux Vomica and some water.  Nux Vomica is also a great hang over remedy if you have drank too much alcohol.

Natrum Phos -  Use this remedy if you are having hyper acidity after eating your holiday meals. This remedy is really useful if you had a very large meal.

Pulsatilla - This is a good remedy to give to your kids if they over eat.  Kids that eat too much rich food may need some help to digest their foods.

   Start these remedies in a 6X potency.  Take 4 to 6 pills every few hours until the symptoms subside.  Drink plenty of water as well to get the most out of your homeopathic treatment.  Wishing everyone a happy holiday season.  If you know of some other useful homeopathic remedies for the holidays, please put them in our comments sections.

  The NHS is the United Kingdom health care system that covers health care for most citizens in England.  The NHS total expenditure for their citizens is almost 100 billion pounds (98.7 pounds).  The NHS is paid primarily by general taxes include payroll and employee tax.  The NHS is facing major budget shortfalls over the next several years due to an aging population and severe worldwide recession.  The current shortfall will be approximately 15 billion for 2009.  

   Homeopathy has come into eyes of many when trying to cut costs in the NHS.  Homeopathy medicine has always enjoyed a prestigious place in England. Homeopathy is used by many English celebrities and the royal family.  Homeopathy care and treatments are covered by the NHS system. The total cost of homeopathy for the NHS is 10 million dollars.

  Critics point to Homeopathy as unproven treatment.  They also say that the science in homeopathy is physcially impossible.   There are really no large evidence based trials done in homeopathy.  Most homeopathy trials are too small to be used as evidence.  The few large trials have not been replicated over and over as required by evidence based medicine. There is really not too much research money given to homeopathy.  Many doctors are saying that all homeopathy funding should be cut with the current budget shortfall.  

  However, some ministers and doctors say that patients choice is really what is important.  They acknowledge that there is no strong scientific evidence to support homeopathy.  However, patient satisfaction with homeopathy with very high.  Most homeopathy patients in England have found the treatment to be effective for their conditions.  Doctors also point to the cost of homeopathy in the NHS is 10 million dollars. This cost is trival compared to the 15 billion dollar deficit. 

  What do you think is going to happen with homeopathy in the NHS?  Do you think it will be cut?  Should it part of the NHS at all?  

   Evidence based medicine is the scientific look at how medicine works.  The evidence base medicine must be throughly examined by researchers with peer reviews.  Specific procedures must be followed.  Data is examined.  Much of the data is discarded if the quality is deemed to be not satisfactory.  Researchers conducting the trials do not know which patients are getting the placebo and which person is actually receiving the medicine.  These trials have been used to evaluated prescription drugs.

   Critics point that few homeopathic trials exist showing this type of complementary medicine actually works.  The ones that do show homeopathy working are too small and not well designed.  The trials that do show promise have not been replicated enough.  Larger well designed trials show homeopathy does not work.  Supporters point out that there are many trials showing homeopathy does work.  Many of these are well designed. 

   Which side is right is an interesting question?  The answer is neither side is correct according to evidence based medicine.  Evidence based medicine requires several larger trials in the 700 to 1000+ people.  These larger trials are replicated over and over again to see if the results are reproduced.  Smaller trials produce too many errors.  Larger trials in the 700 to 1000+ people range that are replicated over and over again are what evidence based medicine deems to be effective.

  There are many limitations to evidence based medicine such as publication bias and randomization of trial users.  However, these limitations can be addressed if the trial is done correctly.

  The biggest issue with evidence based medicine is the true cost.  The only people doing evidence based medicine are drug companies because they can afford the cost of these trials.  Most trials with homeopathy are just too small to draw any definite conclusions. Evidence based medicine can not really make a judgement on homeopathy because the large trials and replications have not been performed.

  The largest trial in homeopathy is with Oscillococcinum.  This trial was a large one with about 700 plus patients showing reduction of the flu.  It also had a similar trial showing this medicine did nothing to help prevent the flu.  All the other trials in homeopathy are just too small for evidence base medicine to say whether these conclusions are accurate or not.  

  Sometimes evidence base medicine gives results that people do not like.  Evidence based medicine says breast cancer screening need not be done on a yearly basis.  They recommend doing breast cancer screening every 2 years for women 50 to 74 years of age.    The test was not really necessary for women younger than 50 with no history of breast cancer.  However, many doctors disagreed with this outcome.  Many doctors feel it is still necessary to do breast screening on a yearly basis for many women.

  This may happen with homeopathy trials on a large scale.  I think the skeptics will not accept the results if homeopathy works in a large scale well replicated trial.  Proponents will still continue using homeopathy if the results from a large scale trial that was replicated many times over was negative.  

  Going forward what type of homeopathy trials should be done due to a limited budget.  Should homeopaths do small trials with classical homeopathy where all remedies are prescribed by a doctor?  These type of trials in large numbers may prove to be extremely problematic and expensive.  It would be very difficult to do this type of trial with replication and limiting publication bias. Another option would be to carry out further large trials with Oscillococcinum to see if a replication is possible.  Should these trials with a couple hundred of people even be carried out since evidence based medicine says their conclusions are pretty much irrelevant?  

  What trials do you think homeopathy should be doing?  Should they go after the promising results such as Oscillococcinum or do classical homeopathic trials or hundreds of small trials for various health conditions? 

  People with cancer often have to go through radition therapy that has extremely painful side effects.  Oral mucositis is a terrible side effect of radiation therapy for head and neck cancer patients. The severe inflammation of the mouth can make further cancer treatments difficult. 

   Traumeel S is a combination homeopathic medicine which supposedly can reduce the severity of the inflammation of the mouth from chemotherapy and radiation therapy.  Traumeel S is a liquid antiflamatory homeopathic drug that has been used in a couple homeopathic trials.

  The first trial test Traumeel S had 32 participants.  The trial compared the Traumeel S to a placebo. Patients with mucositis were given Traumeel S mouthwash and other were given a placebo mouthwash.  The patients using Traumeel S had far less inflammation and better quality of life compared to the placebo group.  Researchers concluded that Traumeel S demonstrated a superior ability to reduce side effects of mucositis compared to a placebo.  Researchers reported no side effects with these drugs.

  Due to the success of this first initial trial with Traumeel S, another larger trial was performed.  This trial include 189 participants.  All participants were children who were given radiation therapy.  The trial gave some children a placebo based mouthwash and the Traumeel S mouthwash were given to the other children after radiation therapy.  Traumeel S proved to be no better than a placebo in treating in treating mucositis. Traumeel S showed no side effects on the patients.

  Traumeel S showed some promise in reducing inflammation after radiation therapy in a small trial.  However, a larger Traumeel S trial proved to be no better than a placebo in treating inflammation. 

  More Traumeel S trials are being done so we will report those results as soon as we have them.  Trials are being done to see if homeopathy can possibly reduce some side effects of cancer. 

References

Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota,. 2009 Randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial with 189 children.

    There is a general misconception about the H1N1 swine flu.  The misconception is that the swine flu kills people with a strong immune system.  This is totally false. People with a strong immune system are at a much lower risk than people with weak immune systems.  Homeopathic remedies help to trigger the body's own immune system to help fight of ailments such as swine flu quicker than if they had not taken anything at all. 

  Homeopathic remedies unlike allopathic medicine are individualized for most ailments.  Fortunately, colds and flus do not need to be individualized as much as compared to other illness and ailments. 

  Homeopathy was proved to be very effective in dealing with the last swine flu outbreak in 1918.  The homeopathy group had the lowest death rate during this outbreak. The following remedies were effective during the last swine flu outbreak.

  Gelsemium was the most commonly used homeopathic remedy during the last outbreak.  This remedy is to combat feeling chills from the swine flu.  The remedy also combats aches and pains associated with the swine flu.  The remedy should help the body recover quicker from the body aches and chills.  The person will feel really tired and may lay in their bed all day.  They may also experience head aches,a painful dry cough and sneezing with mucus discharge.  The person also has a lack of thirst.

  Aconite was used for milder and more acute flu symptoms.  The person may not necessarily experience the full burnt of the flu. They may experience some sneezing and a runny nose.  The flu seems to come on all of a sudden.  Children would be the best for this type of H1N1 remedy since they typically have milder symptoms of the H1N1.

  Baptisa is used when the flu is causing gastrointestinal problems.  This may be things such as diarrhoea stools and constant stomach aches.  Symptoms of the flu are still present but the gastrointestinal problems are creating the most issues.

   It is recommended to keep some Gelsemium handy during this swine flu season even if you get a vaccine.  The swine flu vaccine does not guarantee saftey.  Also, currently there is a huge shortage of swine flu vaccine so it is very unlikely that everyone will be able to obtain a swine flu vaccination.  Try the remedies to start in a 6X potency.  Take 3 to 5 pills three times a day.  You can take more medicine if you feel the flu is coming on strong.

  The US Federal Drug Administration is targeting drugs that are unproven to fight the swine flu.  The FDA has launched a campaign to target companies that claim they can treat the swine flu.  The FDA is looking for medicines that fraudulently claim that they can treat or prevent the swine flu.  Homeopathy medicines have become a target.  Critics claim that homeopathy claims to fight the swine flu are unproven. 

  Many consumers are choosing alternatives such as homeopathy instead of going to get the swine flu vaccine.  There is much debate if the swine flu vaccine is necessary or even if it works.  The public still seems not to trust the swine flu vaccine for some reason.  Dealing with the swine flu, no one really knows what medicines will work.  Standardized trials with swine flu patients has never been done.  

  Some of the public distrust comes from the 1974 vaccinations.  A few of the swine flu vaccinations lead to death.  40 million were vaccinated and 400 people had died from the vaccination.  This is an extremely small number.  However, less people died from the swine flu that year than the swine flu vaccination.  Vaccines are not really made to much differently than in the 1970s.  Vaccine companies say this only happened one year out of the last 39 years.  Medical scientists are still not sure what went wrong that year. 

  Deaths from the swine flu so far are approximately 1000+.  The common flu definitely is far larger killer than the swine flu.  The FDA also seems to think that the swine flu vaccine will be effective because medical doctors and people producing the vaccines said that it will.  No doctor can be 100% sure that the vaccine will work against the swine flu because of the virus mutations.  If the  vaccine is a close match to strain of H1N1 coming out this upcoming season, the vaccine will protect you from the strain.

  The FDA fears that homeopathy may hijack vaccination attempts by people.  The FDA has warned homeopathic manufacturers to remove any literature that shows these medicines can treat the H1N1 virus or prevent the virus.  Many homeopathic companies have changed their labeling to comply with FDA regulations. 

The government may mess up the vaccination themselves.  They are not producing nearly enough H1N1 vaccine.  They are way behind schedule on the vaccinations.  People have been waiting in long lines to get the vaccination only to find out that there is no vaccine available.  A distribution plan is being made with the states but there are currently not enough vaccines to come on to the market.

  Most people will be able to fight the H1N1 virus without any medicine at all.  H1N1 does not kill more healthy people than any other type of flu bug.  This is a misconception.  Getting the H1N1 vaccine will not harm you.  If you are a high risk category such as people with weak immune systems, getting the H1N1 vaccine is highly recommended.     

  Homeopathy may help to fight off the swine flu virus.  The medicine was successful in past outbreaks and has always been successful in fighting the seasonal flu.  However, homeopathy has never been proven to  prevent H1N1 or the season flu.  The FDA has stepped in to make sure medicines do not make any claims about preventing or treating the flu.