Homeopathy, homeopaths, and homeopathic pharmacies around the world have been busy throughout the coronavirus COVID-19 panic, and has been successful in relieving the fears of so many people. This information will not be generally known as the governments, the pharmaceutical medical establishment and the mainstream media (MSM) in not interested in telling you: but it was broadcast loud and clear in the summer edition of the magazine "Homeopathy in Practice" (HIP), entirely devoted to the Covid-19 pandemic.
HIP is published by the Alliance of Registered Homeopaths and this edition is certainly recommended reading for anyone who has not yet moved to homeopathy for their medical treatment. (This edition of HIP can be purchased at this link).
What become clear, reading all the articles, is that homeopathy has been busy, offering its treatment to homeopathy users throughout the world, although no-one can be completely free from the fear mongering to which we have been subjected during the last 9 months.
Difference between Homeopathy and Conventional Medicine.
Homeopathy has both preventative strategies and treatment for COVID-19 and these have been producing positive outcomes for patients. So it can prevent people contracting the virus; or more usually ensuring that symptoms are mild. And if the virus is contracted it we can treat the infection enabling quick recovery.
Conventional medicine, on its own admission, can offer neither prevention or treatment. It is largely helpless, and in serious or acute cases can do little more than to watch as people die, caring as best they can. This is where the panic and fear has arisen - doctors knowing there is little or nothing they can do, and we are asked to "save the NHS" which is unable to cope.
And whilst homeopathy is a safe medical therapy, none of our remedies or treatments have serious side effects. Conventional medicine can only offer drugs like hydroxychloroquine and Remdesivir, whose side effects are listed on those links; and the prospect of a new vaccine, sometime in the future, if one can be developed that is safe. This has only added to the fear.
Homeopaths - learning new skills of 'virtual' consultations
Homeopaths have been subjected to the same lockdown constraints as everyone else, there have been no special dispensations for us, as health workers. So many, like Tracy Kirkut-Law, have been busy learning new skills.
"I had always treated a few clients via video calls ... but it was a small proportion of my practice. Now however I was working full on, via a screen with all my clients... it was a massive move away from my comfort zone. Initially I found it exhausting - staring at a screen made my eyes ache, and sitting at my desk all day became very uncomfortable. I found everything took so much longer...."
Clients also adapted. "...the vast majority of my clients were happy to make the switch to video", no doubt pleased that they had continued access to safe and effective treatment in the midst of the pandemic. One homeopathy user wrote a piece for the magazine
".... the prospect of not having my regular appointments with my homeopath during lockdown filled me with apprehension...... Naturally there are disadvantages from not being in the physical presence of your therapist, the main one being not benefiting from her energy.... (but) just being able to speak to and see her has allowed me to continue my positive experience of my homeopathic appointments".
So most homeopaths and patients the outcome has been a continuation of business; not business as usual; but it has taught us that whatever the benefits of face-to-face contact it is not a prerequisite for good and effective homeopathic consultations. Working with children and their parents is a case in point.
"I ask my patients to place their device (mobile phone, table or laptop) somewhere where I can see them interacting with their kids at home; I ask them to do their cooking or dish-washing, or whatever they need to do while we are having a conversation. I still get all the information I need on modalities, body temperature, food preferences, etc., but I can also see how they are behaving and interacting at home, dealing with their kids or with a stressful family experience".
Dealing with the Hysteria and Fear
The conventional medical establishment has studiously developed the fear and panic that still surrounds the COVID-19 outbreak. It was initially generated by Professor Neil Ferguson, who predicted a UK death toll reaching 1/2 million people, similar to that of the Spanish Flu of 1918, stating that the only way to avoid this was for the world to go into total lockdown. His predictions (like many of his previous predictions) were cynically over-exaggerated had the desired effect of engendering massive levels of fear.
In Carole Boyce's article, she refers this engineered fear, supported by the MSM, and noted that in the early days it seemed that even parts of the homeopathic community were worried.
"Suddenly parts of our community had lost connection with our underlying philosophy. Had we forgotten that epidemics are where homeopathy shines?"
Rix Pyke added this picture of the fear and panic.
"A mild to moderate viral flu was suddenly afforded Kardashian-style celebrity status and 24-hour new rolled and spewed a non-stop conveyor belt of fear-mongering terrorism, extremely incomprehensible statistics, strange military terms like furlough and Nightingale hospitals, and the rounded off each day with pictures of bats and pangolins".
Fortunately within the homeopathic community this did not last long, as Carole explained.
"As the symptoms of COVID-19 became increasingly clear, our tried and tested familiar stalwarts came to the fore: Arsenicum album Bryonia, Gelsemium, Phosphorus, and Antimonium tartaricum."
Rix responded, as did so many homeopaths, by writing to all her patients, reminding them that she was still there, and available for consultation.
And this is why homeopathy is so brilliant. We do not have to 'reinvent the wheel', or discover new remedies in the face of (what conventional medicine believes to be) a new illness. The remedies mentioned in all the HIP articles have been part and parcel of the homeopath's tool kit for over 200 years; and are likely to be for the next 200 years. They work! Where there is illness, homeopathy is able to find a homeopathic solution by doing what it always does - matching patient symptoms with well known remedy symptoms.
Viruses put into Perspective.
One important homeopathic understanding about viruses, including COVID-19, is the recognition that we all live with and alongside them; indeed, that our body is made up of viruses and bacteria; and that attacking these so-called germs is tantamount to attacking ourselves.
This is not the understanding of pharmaceutical medicine, which has spent its time, unsuccessfully, 'chasing' the virus. This is what hand-washing, masks, protective equipment, social distancing, lockdown and Test/Track/Trace are all about. Having nothing better to offer it is how conventional medicine thinks we can best protect ourselves from COVID-19; to stop the virus spreading.
Pharmaceutical medicine, dominant within the health systems of most western nations, have come to the disastrous conclusion - that everyone is at risk, even the young and healthy. So everyone has to be fully protected, everyone has to be locked down, tested, tracked and traced - regardless of the harm this does to our social life, our livelihoods, and the economy. The disaster this is going to cause is still to be fully realised.
The Critical Importance of the Immune System.
The pandemic has demonstrated that conventional medicine no
longer believes that natural immunity plays any role, not even a marginal one, in
maintaining our health. It is clear from the HIP contributors that homeopathy disagrees fundamentally. Homeopathy believes that the immune system is
central, an integral part of staying healthy, and free from disease. Indeed, the immune system is probably the main differentiating feature between homeopathy (and other
natural medical therapies) and conventional medicine.
Several contributors emphasised that homeopaths have been focusing on the immune system, the natural defence against all infectious diseases, protecting us, assisting us to withstand the harm that any virus, bacteria, or germ, can do.
Conventional medicine has recognised that COVID-19 is particular dangerous to patients who have 'underlying health conditions', not least obesity, hypertension, diabetes, amongst other diseases. Yet the link between these conditions and a damaged immune system has never been recognised, but is referred to by several of the HIP articles, which stressed the importance of diet, exercise, and lifestyle to support immune system.
Lack of General Health Advice regarding Immunity
Conventional medicine has given some advice about how we can protect ourselves; washing our hands, social distancing, wearing masks and other protective equipment, and lockdown in all its failing varieties. But there has been little or no mention of the importance of a strong immune system, and how this can be strengthened and supported. As Carol Boyce said
"the UK government exercised absolute dereliction of duty in the crisis. They failed to give the population any information on how to strengthen their immune system, and instead classified much of the time-tested proven advice, such as Vitamin C, as fake news....The total disconnect between infection and the role of the immune system is surely nothing less than ludicrous."
The article by Thierry Clerc looked at how homeopathy can help patients reduce the likelihood of being seriously ill, before they get sick.
"The best way to prepare for a pandemic is to have a healthy constitution which translates... into losing weight, if you need to, and ... to reduce or eliminate sugar, alcohol, processed food ... and increase fresh vegetable and water intake."
In the early days of lockdown, during the beautiful, sunny spring, Rix Pyke told her patients about the importance of Vitamin D.
"Sunlight is the absolutely best medicine and we are being given loads - for free! So please open the window, sit on the balcony, sit at your front door - anywhere you can get sun on your body, and it will do the rest!"
Such advice is typical of what is going on within homeopathy, and natural medicine generally. As such this is not new or revolutionary. But it is notable that throughout the pandemic this has been rarely mentioned by government, the NHS or the conventional medical establishment.
Clerc goes into considerable detail about how healthy habits can make us feel calmer and fitter, whilst bad habits can made us feel heavy and tired. His advice clearly provides patients with 'underlying health conditions' advice about how to improve health through natural immunity; without having to take pharmaceutical drugs; and how our immune system can be supported and strengthened.
The article by Rob Verkerk, founder of the Alliance for Natural Health, focuses on supporting and strengthening the immune system, and raises serious questions about how conventional medicine treats 'germs'.
"Given that all life forms, including humans, have co-evolved alongside viruses and other elements of the microbiota, it is essential that evolutionary, systems biology and ecological perspectives are maintained in assessments of COVID-19 and the search for solutions."
Rob explains that this is not the usual response to viruses, which are seen negatively as threats to our health by the broad conventional medical establishment. He develops the bigger picture; that viruses are the most abundant biological entities on Earth; he offered a critique of Pasteur's work, whose model he describes as being deeply influential in the creation of the current 'biomedical' model of health.
"Dietary, lifestyle and environmental changes provide the most potent ways available to humans to change patterns of gene expression and improving resilience - a key imperative when facing adaptation to a virus newly adapted to the human species.... The biomedical model that has driven the development of the existing healthcare system has become, ironically, potentially the single greatest stumbling block to increasing the rate of human adaption to the presence of the new emerged coronavirus."
Rob's article underpins the importance homeopaths give to working alongside, and in harmony with germs, microbes and viruses. Harming viruses harms us. We have to learn to live with them.
Homeopathic Prevention or Prophylaxis.Homeoprophylaxis (HP) is the main focus of an article by Dr Bhaisha Joshi, and Dr Shachindra Joshi, two Indian doctors who describe how they worked with the COVID-19 pandemic with their existing patients, and many others who were referred to them. Homeopathy in India is well developed, well supported, and has become an integral part of the Indian national health service.
" After a thorough study of the symptoms and retrospective analysis of our treated and cured case, we have, since January (2020) used and advocated Arsenicum album, Bryonia alba and Phosphorus in our treatment plan. We divided the plan into two parts - immunity booster for everyone, and treatment of positive cases."
In their lengthy article they describe the treatment, and its many successes, with several case examples. It is expected that in the fullness of time the Indian AYUSH ministry will research and review the patient outcomes of patients using homeopathy in this pandemic.
"Most of the few patients who tested COVID-19-positive responded well to their constitutional remedies. Statistically, we have seen that the majority of individuals who took Arsenicum album 30c as a preventative did not contract the infection and are symptom free."
Homeopathic Treatment for COVID-19.
The search for matching homeopathic remedies for COVID-19 patients started almost immediately information about the epidemic became known. Carol Boyce described what happened.
"An international genus epidemicus group sprang up on Facebook. Within days it had more than 800 members .... Solid experience flowed out of India, including suggestions for homeoprophylaxis. Prominent homeopaths shared their thoughts... Different remedies seemed to work better in different locations - perhaps a sign of viral mutations."
I have witnessed similar levels of cooperation in other epidemics during the last 20 years, and similar examples of the homeopathic community working closely together, sharing their experience co-operatively, and coming up with treatment solutions.
However, it is also true that homeopathic practitioners prescribe remedies on the basis of their own experience. One contributor, David Needleman, who runs the Homeopathic Helpline, speaks of the changing symptom picture of the infection through the period of lockdown, and the changing remedies he found necessary to prescribe. Initially the main remedies were Bryonia, Phosphorus and Camphor.
"As time passed more symptoms were seen frequently, and a number of other remedies came into plan, notable Arsenicum Album and Eupatorium perfoliatum. Arsenicum Album became the number one remedy, and Eupatorium perfoliatum was well indicated for the cough in place of Bryonia, as it was no longer dry".
Rix Pyke's article demonstrates a similar learning and assessment process about remedies. She saw, and wrote in depth, about the four stages of the illness, the specific symptoms that patient experienced in each, and detailed the remedies she matched for these symptoms.
What all the articles demonstrated was that homeopaths were coming up, independently, with the same remedies. David and Rix's articles demonstrates that homeopathy has dealt with COVID-19 without the need to find or develop new remedies. All the homeopathic remedies mentioned have a 200 year history; and that as the symptom picture of the disease changed so too does the most appropriate (the best matching) remedy the individual needed. This did not come easily, and demonstrates the skill, experience and professionalism of the homeopathic profession.
"The complexity of symptoms experience also required a heightened level of professional homeopathic questioning and analysis in order to prescribe for the individual..."
Rix Pyke then summed up the difference between of approach to the treatment of the infection.
"Allopathy is a heavy-handed medicine; I see the death count rise as a direct result of the suppression of each stage of this flu with vast amounts of antipyretics, antibiotics, steroids, chemo drugs, and finally the forcing of oxygen into hypoxic lungs via ventilators. Whilst the MSM continued to show horror stories of nightmare ventilator scenarios, body bags piling up, and makeshift PPE concoctions, I couldn't help thinking that the 36 remedy kit** could have saved a lot of the mayhem".
** This refers to the popular first aid remedy kits, on sale from many homeopathic pharmacies, which many homeopathy users keep in their own homes.
Homeopathic Pharmacies
Homeopathic pharmacies were also busy, as the article by Tony Pinkus revealed. His article looked at how homeopathy has successfully dealt with infectious epidemics over the years, quoting an aphorism initially written by Samuel Hahnemann, over 200 years agor. The principles of homeopathy have never changed; they never need to change.
Tony compared the stark contrast between the peace and quiet of the streets of London outside to the busy, almost manic activity taking place within the Ainsworths pharmacy irself.
"In mid-February ... we received a sudden increase in demand for our Essential Remedy kit from Japan, which we soon connected to fear of the virus spreading there. New clients appeared from around Asia, and the demand for HP and treatment for COVID-19 escalated. Soon afterwards we were met by an avalanche of enquiries increasing exponentially with a relentless demand for protection and treatment again the new disease."
Tony recalled the relentless ringing of phones, the pinging of emails, and the frantic conversations with those who needed remedies and/or reassurance. I was not surprised to hear this. Sometimes homeopaths underestimate the number of people we serve. So often we treat patients they get well, and they go away. We too often forget they are there! But this pandemic gave rise, suddenly, to a new threat; and all those people who use homeopathy for medical treatment needed assistance, all at once. Tony's description of Ainsworth's experience is certainly an apt and timely reminder of this.
Homeopathy worldwide
Several of the HIP articles refer to how homeopathy is being used in other parts of the world. In Britain homeopathy works discretely with its patients, largely unseen, unheard, unappreciated by everyone except homeopathy users. The open hostility of government, the NHS and the MSM, means that we operate more like a secret society than a major medical therapy. This is not the same everywhere in the world. In countries like India and Cuba homeopathy has become an integral part of the national health service.
Yet it is wider than this. Carol Boyce provides insight into what is happening in some African countries such as Madagascar and Tanzania. Homeopathy is practised worldwide
It no longer comes as a surprise to the homeopathic community that government, the NHS, the conventional medical establishment, and the mainstream media (MSM), are all openly hostile towards homeopathy (and anything else opposed to pharmaceutical medicine). As Carole Boyce commented:
"...homeopaths were told to stay away from COVID-19 cases. Suggestions from homeopaths about HP were met with slanderous newspaper articles, accusing them of preying on the fear, and demanded we limit ourselves to cases of the 'worried well'."
Carol also mentions censorship. It has been a long time since the MSM has given any reasonable coverage to homeopathy, or to natural medicine in any form. Now even major social media platforms, like You Tube, Twitter, Google and Facebook are doing what they can to ensure that people do not get to know anything remotely positive about homeopathy and natural medicine, and nothing negative about pharmaceutical medicine.
"The scientists made earnest videos to explain their finds and posted them on You Tube. One by one their videos were censored. You Tube's CEO, Susan Wojcicki, considered it her duty to censor anything that contradicted the official WHO narrative. Simon Stevens, CEO of NHS, recruited the help of of Google and Facebook to prevent the spread of 'fake news', and one of the first victims was Vitamin C."
For a medical system, which openly admits it has no treatment, to exclude homeopathy in this way is scandalous. It is been bad enough that the NHS has never asked the homeopathic community for help in combating the pandemic.
But of course this would have meant people would have been able to compare what homeopaths can do, with regard to patient outcomes, with what they have been quite unable to do.
HIP - A Blast of Fresh Air
Yet what this edition of HIP has demonstrated is that homeopathy is alive and well, and busily working with patients - regardless of MSM's regular, routine and gratuitous attacks. Rix Pyke reminds us that all health decision are OUR decisions. Conventional doctors insist we need their treatment, but more and more people are saying "No thanks". Increasingly people are becoming aware that conventional medicine has little or no treatment for so many serious illnesses and diseases, and has been utterly hopeless and helpless when faced with this COVID-19 pandemic. These numbers will grow as more people realise that pharmaceutical medicine has so little to offer - and homeopathy has so much.
So it is good to know that homeopathy is alive and well. More people are realising that conventional medicine is in panic, it has no effective treatment, its response to COVID-19 is wrecking social relationships, destroying our livelihoods, and the national economy. And this is a step towards even more people knowing that there is a viable medical alternative.
But allow the last word from HIP to go to Steven Cartwright, who puts the whole COVID-19 situation into a broader context. He describes the official response to the virus as a disaster.
"Predictably the virus has been declared an enemy. The language used by politicians, scientists and medics is unequivocally one of 'war', 'battles', and 'struggles to defeat', and this stance inevitably leads to the imposition of controls, surveillance and restrictions on freedom of movement and expression, just as the war on drugs and the war on terror have led to - and failed."
"Fighting the virus will do nothing but lead to an endless cycle of population control, living in perpetual fear, hiding and isolation and, most importantly, yet further separation from nature and spirit, all in the name of public health. One only has to look at patients in ICU, surrounded by machines, tubes and staff in Hazmat suits to see how grotesque our divorce from nature has become. Control and suppress, and when that doesn't work, control and suppress even more."
"Modern medicine is now so divorced from nature - and reality - that its operational philosophy is essentially a war on death. Saving lives (or rather postponing death at all costs) is all that seems to matter. This epidemic has come down to numbers - how many deaths there are each day and how each death represents a failure. There is little, if any, mention of the untold psychological suffering being inflicted on the population through the conditions of the lockdown, or any recognition of the important of human contact and touch, and togetherness..."
