One of the reasons Homeopathic Remedies are considered safe is because such small doses are used.
They are made by a specific pharmacological process called potentization. We begin with a substance from the plant, mineral or animal kingdom which is then soaked in a hydro-alcoholic solution and made into a mother tincture. We then take one drop of the tincture and put it into 9 drops of hydro-alcoholic solution and then it is vigorously shaken or “successed”. This process is repeated several times, each time further diluting the original mixture. When the process is completed the solution is labeled 3x, 6x, 12x, and so on (you can watch a Boiron video that takes you through the process
here).
It is this principle of extremely small doses that generates the greatest
controversy surrounding homeopathy. Skeptics attack homeopathy sighting that there
can’t possibly be any molecules left of the original substance and therefore its no more
than placebo. However, science and technology has evolved and finally caught up
with the brilliance that is Homeopathy in the discovery of Nanoparticles through
nanotechnology. Ultra-molecular dilutions, such as described above are not devoid of
material, but contain tiny bits of the original substance.
Even still, I can still hear skeptics saying “all that aside, there is no way such tiny
amounts could do anything”.
To those people allow me to offer the following examples:
Sharks can detect a single drop of blood in 100 litres of water.
Sex pheromones released from female moths attract male mating partners over great distances and males can detect single molecules.
The dose of vitamin B12 used to treat certain anemias contain a millionth of a gram of cobalt.
Trace elements, present in barely measurable amounts in the body, are essential for its development and functioning.
The body manufactures only fifty to a hundred millionths of a gram of thyroid hormone each day, yet a small excess or deficiency in this already “infinitesimal” amount can seriously affect the health of the individual.
The power of the infinitesimal dose is not clearly understood, but neither is the action
of aspirin and many other drugs. This ignorance did not deter patients or physicians
from using aspirin; most people simply want to use whatever is effective, whether or
not they understand it (more on Aspirin in another post). I have no idea- nor do I care-
how my truck starts, only that it does.
I want to speak briefly on “infra-toxic doses”. This simply means that the remaining
substance has been stripped of its toxicity due to the process of potentization. We
often use very toxic substances as medicines. But through the process of potentization
the remaining substance has been stripped of its toxicity and only the curative action
remains. I can say this with great certainty because homeopathic remedies have been
regulated by the FDA since its inception in the 1940s. Homeopathic remedies are all
labeled with a DIN. This indicates that homeopathic pharmacies follow the same
rigorous regulations and are held to the same standards as conventional pharmacies.
Not only have have homeopathic remedies never caused a death, there’s never been a
remedy pulled from the market. The same remedy, that was used to treat a ruptured
spleen from a bayonet during the civil war, is the same remedy we use today for spleen
conditions. These medicines are not capricious, they don’t change with the latest fads
or what’s considered “hot” in the health industry. They are the same yesterday, today,
and tomorrow. The only thing that changes is that we discover new ways to employ the
remedies to help us with humanities sufferings, not further the cause of it.
This is in stark contrast to the conventional medicines which are continually being
pulled off the market. Here’s an interesting site if you wanted to know a few that have
been pulled in the past. Here’s just one:
Vioxx Medical Use(s):
NSAID (pain relief)
Cause for Recall:
increased risk of heart attack and stroke; linked to about 27,785
heart attacks or sudden cardiac deaths between May 20, 1999 and 2003
There is a time and a place for drugs and life saving surgeries but there is much that we
as mothers and caregivers can do at home without a doctors visit, and a subsequent
drug.
There is another way...
~ Lisa
References:
The Author disclaims all liability for any loss or risk, personal or otherwise incurred as a consequence of use of any material in this article. This information is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.
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