Homeopathy suits all, works for all.

[Guest guest]

Homeopathy, American-StyleBy Erika CelesteBerkeley Springs, West VirginiaThe Voice of AmericaWednesday, December 4, 2002The practice of homeopathic medicine dates back morethan 3,000 years. Today, this alternative healingpractice is favored by more than a third of Europeans.Worldwide sales of homeopathic remedies last yeartopped $1 billion. Still, most Americans know littleabout this form of medicine. Joe Lillard, the owner ofHomeopathy Works, is hoping to change that.Every year, thousands of tourists flock to BerkeleySprings to enjoy the healing properties of the spas'spring water, get massages, or undergo acupuncturetreatments. Once there, they often discover thenatural remedies of homeopathy at Joe Lillard's museumand shop, Homeopathy Works. But what exactly ishomeopathy? "It's a system of medicine that relies onthe body's efforts to heal itself as a guide to whatmedicine to

give," says Mr. Lillard.Upon entering the turn of the century store-frontmuseum, visitors' homeopathic education begins. Cardsplaced on antique books, remedy kits and photographspiece together the history of the medical discipline.The word "homeopathy" comes from the Greek homeo or'same' and pathos meaning 'suffering'. It's based onthe principle of "like-cures-like," which means theillness or discomfort that a substance can cause, itcan also cure. Coffee cures insomnia. The poison ivyplant cures a poison ivy rash. The idea may not soundlogical, but Dr. Rick Magly says conventional medicineuses this theory to produce vaccines. "Withlike-cures-like, you're using a very weak version ofwhat is irritating the body, so you're eliciting astrong immune response," he says. "Other than vaccinesas far as I know, a lot of the powerful antibioticsand other drugs that mainstream medicine uses are theopposite

idea, that they're trying to suppress thebody's natural reaction."The concept of homeopathy, or treating the patientinstead of the disease, has been around for centuries.The Greek physician and philosopher Hippocrates usedit. But it was Samuel Hahnemann, a 19th century Germandoctor, who refined the concept by discovering andcataloging thousands of remedies. "He realized youcould make these medicines into very minute doses andstill get that stimulus effect," says Mr. Lillard. "Hefound that by stirring or shaking they became evenstronger."During the 19th century homeopathic medicine becamenearly as widespread in America as allopathic ormainstream medicine. Today homeopaths still use thesame 200-year-old method to create a variety ofremedies by shaking and diluting original tinctures.Visitors to Berkeley Springs' Homeopathy Works museummay watch the process through a large picture window.Using

antique scales, pill presses and mixingmachines, workers create hundreds of traditionalremedies and medicines.Homeopathy's advocates believe the more diluted aremedy is, the stronger it becomes. "Homeopathy iscounterintuitive. It doesn't make sense," says Mr.Lillard. "The way it's made, you'd think, well, thiscan't work. It's tough to explain it away. But thereare double blind studies that demonstrate homeopathy'seffectiveness."Mr. Lillard sells the 1700 remedies his company makesin the corner of the museum. Because they are sodiluted, and thus unlikely to be toxic, about 95percent are sold over the counter. The U.S. Food andDrug Administration (FDA) doesn't regulate homeopathicmedicines the way it does conventional drugs. Buthomeopathic pharmacies like all drug stores, are FDAcertified. They are expected to make each of theirproducts according to the well-established rules ofhomeopathy.

They're also required by law to sell theirproducts with both clear instructions for use andhonest claims about their effectiveness. So JoeLillard believes that, armed with the rightinformation, the average citizen can easily select theappropriate homeopathic medication."The biggest problem you might run into is not usingthe correct medicine," says Mr. Lillard. "It might behomeopathy is what the person needs, but it might alsomean they need surgery, or penicillin. To approachhomeopathy as some kind of religion where it's got tobe this or nothing is the wrong thing. It's what'sappropriate for the person."It's also recommended that patients with more seriousconditions visit a homeopathic doctor for diagnoses.Before prescribing treatment, a homeopathic doctorconducts an hour-long interview, asking questionsabout everything from a patient's sleep patterns towhat he does at work. Mr. Lillard believes

thisintensive approach, along with the discovery ofantibiotics, led to the decline of homeopathicmedicine in America. "You come in, you need anantibiotic, they give them penicillin and bam, they'reout the door in five seconds," he says. "Whereas thehomeopaths still need to take the time to do an hourinterview to figure out just what it is this personneeds. So that was an economic and time thing."Homeopathy also declined due to growing medicalrestrictions in the United States. However, it hasthrived in Europe. The British Royal Family still usesit regularly and it is endorsed by the World HealthOrganization. "The level of homeopathic use in Germanyis about 35 percent. It's in many pharmacies, verycommon," says Mr. Lillard. "Also France. And it's verypopular in India, where they have over 100 homeopathicschools."In many poorer developing countries, such as Cuba andMexico, homeopathy is

favored because its remedies areconsiderably cheaper than allopathic pharmaceuticals.And supporters of homeopathy believe it's starting tomake a comeback in the United States. In 1996, theHarvard Women's Health Watch reported that annualsales of homeopathic remedies had more than doubled inten years, from $100 million to $250 million. Buthomeopathy has yet to gain acceptance by mainstreammedicine.In 1994, the National Council Against Health Fraudpublished a harshly critical report which stated that"homeopathy's principles have been refuted by thebasic sciences of chemistry, physics, pharmacology,and pathology. Homeopathy meets the dictionarydefinitions of a sect and a cult." The AmericanMedical Association, which represents the majority ofthe nation's doctors, sounded a less harsh but stillcautious note in 1997, when it warned of the healthrisks to patients of avoiding conventional

medicaltreatment, and the group called for more scientificstudies of homeopathy's effectiveness. In fact,researchers at the National Center for Complementaryand Alternative Medicines, part of thefederally-funded National Institutes of Health nearWashington, D.C., are currently studying homeopathyand the biochemical processes on which it's based. Butdoubters in the medical establishment continue toquestion whether homeopathy is a legitimate healingart.Joe Lillard says he doesn't bother to argue with theoccasional skeptic who stops by his store, becausethere's no point. "I try to encourage them to studyit, to talk to some patients who use it, or to try itthemselves the next time they get stuck in aparticular case and can't move forward."Though Dr. Rick Magly wasn't necessarily a skeptic,he's been impressed with the remedies he's tried. "Ihad pretty good effects when I used it," he says.

"Ihad a systemic yeast infection and it worked verywell. My energy level went through the roof."And he's not alone. Homeopathy Works serves over27,000 customers, from small children to the elderly,and even offers treatments for their pets. The companyalso provides nearly 2,000 doctors, pharmacies andhealth food stores across the country with a steadysupply of homeopathic products. Joe Lillard says thatkind of repeat business is difficult to argue with.Jai MaharajOm Shanti "Our ideal is not the spirituality that withdraws from life but the conquest of life by the power of the spirit." - Aurobindo.

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[Guest guest]

I was just in Berkeley Springs visiting a friend who owns the Sage Moon Herb

Shop. She put together a tea for me to help with my nerves feeling fried.

The spring is open for all to use...it is free. The water is cold and, in this

heat, it was wonderful.

There was a restaurant, Tari's, that served a salad that I would go back for

anytime just to eat again. It was a great experience. Since I have friends

there, I will go more frequently now.

I visited the Homeopathic Pharmacy...it used to have a location near where live.

I got some supplements -- what a joy to visit there again...Lynn Koiner

 

-

Jagannath Chatterjee

;

alternative_medicine_forum ; health_and_healing

; medicalconspiracies (AT) googl (DOT) com ; medicalconspiracies ;

avian2005 ; beyondhomeopathy ;

lds-natural-health ; healthgroup ; healthgroup ; healthgroup ;

healthgroup ; healthgroup ; healthgroup

Tuesday, August 01, 2006 6:56 AM

Homeopathy suits all, works for all.

 

 

Homeopathy, American-Style

 

By Erika Celeste

Berkeley Springs, West Virginia

The Voice of America

Wednesday, December 4, 2002

 

The practice of homeopathic medicine dates back more

than 3,000 years. Today, this alternative healing

practice is favored by more than a third of Europeans.

Worldwide sales of homeopathic remedies last year

topped $1 billion. Still, most Americans know little

about this form of medicine. Joe Lillard, the owner of

Homeopathy Works, is hoping to change that.

 

Every year, thousands of tourists flock to Berkeley

Springs to enjoy the healing properties of the spas'

spring water, get massages, or undergo acupuncture

treatments. Once there, they often discover the

natural remedies of homeopathy at Joe Lillard's museum

and shop, Homeopathy Works. But what exactly is

homeopathy? " It's a system of medicine that relies on

the body's efforts to heal itself as a guide to what

medicine to give, " says Mr. Lillard.

 

Upon entering the turn of the century store-front

museum, visitors' homeopathic education begins. Cards

placed on antique books, remedy kits and photographs

piece together the history of the medical discipline.

 

The word " homeopathy " comes from the Greek homeo or

'same' and pathos meaning 'suffering'. It's based on

the principle of " like-cures-like, " which means the

illness or discomfort that a substance can cause, it

can also cure. Coffee cures insomnia. The poison ivy

plant cures a poison ivy rash. The idea may not sound

logical, but Dr. Rick Magly says conventional medicine

uses this theory to produce vaccines. " With

like-cures-like, you're using a very weak version of

what is irritating the body, so you're eliciting a

strong immune response, " he says. " Other than vaccines

as far as I know, a lot of the powerful antibiotics

and other drugs that mainstream medicine uses are the

opposite idea, that they're trying to suppress the

body's natural reaction. "

 

The concept of homeopathy, or treating the patient

instead of the disease, has been around for centuries.

The Greek physician and philosopher Hippocrates used

it. But it was Samuel Hahnemann, a 19th century German

doctor, who refined the concept by discovering and

cataloging thousands of remedies. " He realized you

could make these medicines into very minute doses and

still get that stimulus effect, " says Mr. Lillard. " He

found that by stirring or shaking they became even

stronger. "

 

During the 19th century homeopathic medicine became

nearly as widespread in America as allopathic or

mainstream medicine. Today homeopaths still use the

same 200-year-old method to create a variety of

remedies by shaking and diluting original tinctures.

Visitors to Berkeley Springs' Homeopathy Works museum

may watch the process through a large picture window.

Using antique scales, pill presses and mixing

machines, workers create hundreds of traditional

remedies and medicines.