The Society of Homeopaths, the UK’s largest body of registered homeopaths, is concerned to learn, in an online article by the BBC (“WHO warns against homeopathy use’), that the World Health Organisation (WHO) has issued caution against the use of homeopathy for childhood diarrhoea following a letter by the charity Sense About Science.

However, both the BBC and WHO have failed to acknowledge the evidence base for the use of homeopathy in the treatment of childhood diarrhoea in which, using randomised, double-blinded trials, the results were significant versus placebo(1). Chief Executive, Paula Ross says, “this is just another poorly wrapped attempt to discredit homeopathy by Sense About Science. The irony is that in their efforts to promote evidence in medicine, they have failed to do their own homework. There is a strong and growing evidence base for homeopathy and most notably, this also includes childhood diarrhoea” ————– (1)

Diarrhoea in children Treatment of acute childhood diarrhoea in NicaraguaThis trial involved 81 children aged from 6 months to 5 years in a randomised, double-blind trial of intravenous fluids plus placebo versus intravenous fluids plus homeopathic remedy individualised to the patient. The treatment group had a statistically significant decrease in duration of diarrhoea.Jacobs J. Treatment of acute childhood diarrhoea with homeopathic medicine: a randomized clinical trial in Nicaragua. Pediatrics 1994; 93: 719-725.

Treatment of acute childhood diarrhoea, repeated in NepalIn a replication of a trial carried out in Nicaragua in 1994, 116 Nepalese children aged 6 months to 5 years suffering from diarrhoea were given an individualised homoeopathic medicine or placebo. Treatment by homoeopathy showed a significant improvement in the condition in comparison to placebo.Jacobs J., Jimenez M., Malthouse S., Chapman E., Crothers D., Masuk M., Jonas W.B., Acute Childhood Diarrhoea- A Replication., Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 6, 2000, 131-139.

A meta-analysis of childhood diarrhoea trialsThis meta-analysis of 242 children showed a highly significant result in the duration of childhood diarrhoea (P=0.008). It should be noted that the World Health Organisation consider childhood diarrhoea to be the number one public health problem today because of the millions of children who die every year from dehydration from diarrhoea.J. Jacobs, WB Jonas, M Jimenez-Perez, D Crothers, Homeopathy for Childhood Diarrhea: Combined Results and Meta-analysis from Three Randomized, Controlled Clinical Trials.

Children should not be given the anti-viral drug Tamiflu to combat swine flu, Oxford University researchers have said. They urged the Department of Health to urgently rethink its policy on giving the drugs to youngsters affected by the current flu pandemic.

The study, published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ), warned that Tamiflu can cause vomiting in some children, which can lead to dehydration and the need for hospital treatment. Some 300,000 people in England, including children and adults, have received courses of Tamiflu through the Government’s National Pandemic Flu Service for England.

The researchers said children should not be given the drug if they have a mild form of the illness although they urged parents and GPs to remain vigilant for signs of complications. Parents of children with a compromised immune system or a condition like cystic fibrosis should discuss the harms and benefits with their GP, they said. But overall, the researchers said, children who were otherwise healthy could suffer more harm than benefit from taking Tamiflu or another anti-viral, Relenza.

They found the drugs had little or no effect on asthma flare-ups, ear infections or the likelihood of a youngster needing antibiotics. The researchers also found that using anti-virals preventatively had little effect – reducing transmission of flu by 8%. This means 13 children would have to be treated to prevent one additional case of the flu. Dr Carl Heneghan, a GP and clinical lecturer at Oxford University, said the current policy of giving Tamiflu for mild illness was an “inappropriate strategy”. He added: “The downside of the harms outweigh the one-day reduction in symptomatic benefits.”

Do you have the guts to be happy?

What’s your gut got to do with happiness?

When you feel depressed, stressed or anxious, the chances are you don’t think that your digestive system has anything to do with it. Yet science is discovering that the gut acts like a ‘second brain’, producing substances which can affect your mood. For example, in a healthy person, the vast majority of serotonin – the feel-good neurotransmitter – is made in the digestive tract.

Ensuring your digestive system is in good shape is therefore vital to both your physical and mental health.

If your gut health is compromised, it can also cause your immune system to over-react to certain foods and generate allergic reactions. According to a study published in Current Opinion in Clinical Nutrition & Metabolic Care, you can encourage this process to ‘switch off’ by increasing your intake of omega 3 fats, both from fish and from seeds such as flax and pumpkin seeds.

Weight and stress increase food reactions.

Being overweight, diabetic – or suffering with stress – also increases your likelihood of reacting against the food you eat, inhibiting its proper digestion and absorption. Likewise, if your gut has any degree of damage – often caused by everyday lifestyle practices – you are also more likely to react against your food.

Much to the anger of conventional medicine, the homeopathic remedy Arnica has been officially recognised as a successful remedy for treating sprains and bruises.

The Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHPRA) has registered the product, which means that the manufacturer can now make claims for its effectiveness.

Arnica 30c, manufactured by Nelsons, is the first homeopathic remedy to be recognised without going through clinical trials. Since 1971, homeopathic products have not been allowed to make any health claim without proper evidence.

But new rules, introduced in 2006, allow a manufacturer to make health claims for a product provided there is a tradition for its use in the UK, and it is for the treatment only of minor problems.

The Health Minister in Northern Ireland decided on a soft launch for
the results of the complementary medicine pilot project and has made the independent evaluation report available to download on the Department’s website. As well as an extensive report with detailed responses from patients, GPs and practitioners, using a validated audit tool, focus groups and surveys, the report has made
recommendations about the way forward.
http://www.dhsspsni.gov.uk/index/hss/complementary-alternative-medicine.htm

The Results:
Following the pilot, 80% of patients reported an improvement in their symptoms, 64% took less time off work and 55% reduced their use of painkillers.

In the pilot, 713 patients with a range of ages and demographic
backgrounds and either physical or mental health conditions were
referred to various complementary and alternative medicine (CAM)
therapies via nine GP practices in Belfast and Londonderry.

Health improvement

• 81% of patients reported an improvement in their physical health

• 79% reported an improvement in their mental health

• 84% of patients linked an improvement in their health and
wellbeing directly to their CAM treatment

• In 65% of patient cases, GPs documented a health improvement,
correlating closely to patient-reported improvements

• 94% of patients said they would recommend CAM to another patient
with their condition

• 87% of patient indicated a desire to continue with their CAM
treatment

Painkillers and medication

• Half of GPs reported prescribing less medication and all reported
that patients had indicated to them that they needed less

• 62% of patients reported suffering from less pain

• 55% reported using less painkillers following treatment

• Patients using medication reduced from 75% before treatment to
61%