The Place of Homeoprophylaxis in Modern Medicine

This edition of Homoeopathic Links draws together material relating to the prevention of targeted infectious diseases.

In most countries this is usually undertaken with vaccination, which was first used by Jenner in 1796 to prevent Smallpox. However, in 1798 Hahnemann first used homeopathic medicines, selected according to the Principle of Similars, to prevent scarlet fever. So the two methods of disease-specific prevention have been available and used for virtually the same length of time, but with significantly different uptake.

Initially, vaccination was available only for the prevention of smallpox, but in the 20th century it has been expanded to cover many diseases, and the in 21st century we have seen and will continue to see vaccines for hundreds of diseases being researched and promoted when developed. On the other hand, homeoprophylaxis (HP) was available for many diseases right from the start, and currently is possible for every disease for which there is a vaccine and for many diseases for which there are no vaccines.

Vaccination today is a multibillion dollar business used in most countries of the world, whereas HP is used by many millions of people, but with costs measured in million dollars, figures dwarfed by vaccine revenues. Could this be because there really are very different levels of effectiveness between the two alternatives? Is it because one is much less safe than the other? Or is it because one generates billions of dollars in revenue every year for manufacturers and dispensers whereas the other cannot be patented and is very inexpensive?

A relevant example today is the Zika virus. Already vaccine companies are rushing to develop the first vaccine because of the potential for huge revenue streams. This development may take between 6 and 24 months, and it is already mooted that regulatory checks regarding safety and efficacy will be put aside to allow fast tracking of the first vaccine. Yet an HP immunisation for Zika could be produced at minimal cost within 2 weeks. It could be mass-produced and dispensed in targeted countries within a few months. We know it would be nontoxic, and there is no reason to expect that its effectiveness would be different from what has been experienced with other interventions based on the Principle of Similars, which has shown consistent results over two centuries.

The fact that the HP option is not seriously considered by governments around the world demonstrates the truth behind claims made by independent researchers, including organisations such as Harvard University's Edmond Saffra Ethics Laboratory, is that the influence of international pharmaceutical companies has greatly compromised medical research and decision making in health departments in most governments around the world.

As an example of how medical research on vaccination is compromised, this issue starts with a discussion of Vaxxed, a documentary produced by Dr. Andrew Wakefield. This documentary reveals how a CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention—U.S.) whistleblower admitted that a study was falsified to cover up the relationship between MMR (measles-mumps-rubella) vaccination and autism.

Following that, we shall examine more issues regarding vaccination. Neil Miller provides a detailed analysis of modern research principally examining the safety of vaccination but also effectiveness. He shows that there are valid reasons for concern with the most common method used for infectious disease prevention.

Although the issues of safety and effectiveness of vaccines and the reliability of research into them are very important, the main focus of the current edition of Homoeopathic Links is on the use of homeopathic remedies to prevent infectious diseases, or HP.

Dr. Ravi Roy makes a simple but effective case for the use of HP. But in addition he presents some ideas which will challenge many readers to think more deeply about the purpose and place of homeopathy in modern medicine.

Cathy Lemmon follows with a descriptive overview of the use of HP around the world which shows how widely its use has spread from its initial use in Europe. Alan Phillips gives the perspective of a practising lawyer in the United States regarding vaccination and HP, together with useful advice for both parents and practitioners.

Practical issues involved with empirical research into HP are illustrated using a clinical pilot study into influenza prevention using vaccination and HP by Hasselaar, van Nijnatten and Golden. And I present a brief practical example of the consequences of bias in medical journals.

Professor George Vithoulkas presents an opposing view drawing on his deep understanding of homeopathic practice and philosophy. I approached distinguished homeopaths in both the United Kingdom and South America who have publicly opposed the use of HP with an invitation to present their views in this issue. They ignored my requests, so I am deeply grateful to Professor Vithoulkas for his brief but insightful contribution. He challenges readers to consider this topic from a very different perspective.

Dr. Harry van der Zee will explain a novel use of HP against malaria in Africa. I will then present a summary of HP in Cuba. The first small article will look at the current situation regarding the use of HP by the Finlay Institute, which changed dramatically in 2015. Then Dr. Gustavo Bracho and I will present the most up-to-date summary of the evidence from the Cuban experience with HP from 2004 to 2015.

Greg Cope examines the state of HP education in homeopathic colleges around the world. It has been shown that the quality of education has become a significant factor in both attitudes towards and use of HP.

Finally, I will review the series of six articles which appeared in Homoeopathic Links from Spring 2014 concerning HP. We shall find that there is no consensus on HP within homeopathic circles, but there is a clear majority view. And we shall consider whether this majority view is consistent with what appears to be the potential value of HP in modern medicine. Advice for clinicians wanting to use HP will be given.