Clinical homeopathy is a debatable topic that requires a comprehensive examination before implementing it in any kind of nursing or physician practice. Interestingly, though, the researchers have discovered that there are specific cases where the application of homeopathy is tolerable and even advised. The presentation by Marcel Fraix (2020) thoroughly examines the principles of homeopathy, it’s history, use, and manufacturing with comments and examples. This paper is a summary of theoretical and practical findings made by Fraix regarding homeopathy.
Homeopathy originated in the eighteenth century by Samuel Hahnemann, who created the principle of «like cures like» (Fraix, 2020). His idea consisted of using highly diluted medicine that provokes symptoms very similar to the patient’s illness to cure that patient’s illness. Unlike conventional medicine, the method is believed to stimulate self-healing ability, although it only uses symptomatical treatment. The WHO has proved this type of treatment to be sufficiently safe as long as the ingredients are highly diluted and prepared properly (Fraix, 2020). However, researchers continuously debate the effectiveness of homeopathy, as their studies tend to show very little difference in results between the treatment and placebo effects. It is evident that a conscious and well-calculated practice of homeopathy is generally safe but not necessarily effective, especially for complicated cases.
Since the nineteenth century, the method has remained popular but has experienced several renovations, so specific institutions were established to support research and practice of homeopathy. Today, in many European countries, up to 10 percent of the medical treatment is homeopathy, with the highest rate being recorded in Switzerland, where homeopathy is covered by medical insurance (Fraix, 2020). A special Center for Education and Development of Homeopathy was founded in 1973 to train healthcare workers worldwide to practice this method correctly (Faix, 2020). This center describes the clinical symptom evaluation methods and a guide for the prescription of appropriate homeopathic medicine. Since homeopathy is an empiric science, it strongly emphasizes the individual constitution of the patient and his modalities (Faix, 2020). As it can be seen, homeopathy remains a «symptoms-centered» type of treatment, which needs to be applied carefully.
The presentation also provides several practical examples of homeopathic treatment on common light illnesses or injuries. I became specifically interested in the homeopathic treatment of flu symptoms since it is ubiquitous, especially in colder seasons. Also, I have faced patients who claimed traditional methods were useless. Certainly, this treatment strategy does not exclude prescribing antibiotics for fighting viral infections, but it helps eliminate some symptoms and makes the patient feel more comfortable. According to Faix (2020), such medicines as Oscillococcinum and Gelsemium are targeted at neural, respiratory, and cardiovascular systems, so they effectively diminish general fatigue, tiredness, headaches, and, sometimes, coughing. A study was published that proved Oscillococcinum relieves symptoms if taken immediately after they appear (Faix, 2020). With this in mind, I suppose I would consider using those homeopathic medicines in my practice for patients who suffer from flu symptoms.
Overall, the presentation gave a comprehensive general look at homeopathy. It explained the invention of this method, the original principles of it, and the evaluation of the process by WHO and independent researchers. Additionally, the statistics on homeopathic practice around the world showed the need for a separate center to be established to study this issue. The CEDH was established to educate healthcare professionals on the use of homeopathy and correct approaches to patient evaluation. With evidence of particular homeopathic substances being beneficial for patients with flu, I am willing to consider them in my practice.
Reference
Fraix, M., (2020). Clinical Homeopathy [PowerPoint slides]. Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Western University of Health Sciences. Web.