General Articles

When the flu strikes. Think Homeopathy! by Sally Tamplin B.Ed (Hons.) DSH, MARH CMT
This article offers general information and history on the use of Homeopathy in influenza, as well many useful pointers to specific remedies and their use.

Homeopathy in Influenza - a Chorus of Fifty in Harmony. by W.A. Dewey, MD., University of Michigan.  The Journal of the American Institute of Homeopathy, May 1921.  This is a PDF file of the 84 year old article, illustrating the tremendous success homeopathic doctors enjoyed in the 1918 flu pandemic.  While they lost only 1% of their cases, their allopathic colleagues' mortality rate exceeded 30%.

The treatment of influenza and its complications as seen in the present epidemic.” The British Homoeopathic Journal. December 1918, No.12.Vol. V111

Flower Essences in Influenza by Sally Tamplin B.Ed (Hons.) DSH, MARH CMT
Lear about the use of Bach and Australian Flower essences in flu cases.

Diluting a Disease.  Could Homeopathy stop the avian flu? by Morgon Mae Schultz, Utne magazine, March-April 2006

Michael T. Osterholm, MD is Director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy, Associate Director of the Department of Homeland Security's National Center for Food Protection and Defense, and Professor at the University of Minnesota's School of Public Health.  The following two articles illustrate his concerns about the developing pandemic and our lack of readiness.  This is a must read for everybody concerned with avian flu. 
Unfortunately, Dr. Osterholm is quite religious in his denial of effectiveness of Homeopathy.  We have made numerous attempts to communicate with him, all to no avail.  The reader may want to contact his office and stress to them that together we could do much more good than by working separately.  To contact Dr. Osterholm click here

Preparing for the Next Pandemic.  Michael T. Osterholm, Foreign Affairs, July/August 2005
Summary:  If an influenza pandemic struck today, borders would close, the global economy would shut down, international vaccine supplies and health-care systems would be overwhelmed, and panic would reign. To limit the fallout, the industrialized world must create a detailed response strategy involving the public and private sectors.

Minneapolis City Pages interview with Michael Osterholm, MD. 
"much of the human toll in death, hysteria, and anarchy would be exacted not by infection but by the wide-scale breakdown of global supply chains and just-in-time delivery systems for vital goods and services. "I think [Health and Human Services] Secretary [Mike] Leavitt has been brutally honest in telling American communities, you're going to be on your own," says Osterholm. "And I think he's right.""

Minnesota Department of Health Disease Control Newsletter Vol. 34;2, Mar/Apr 2006
The MN Dept of Health view of the coming pandemic with recommendations for doctors.  The conclusion of this article is not very optimistic: no vaccine, not enough antiviral drugs, use special respirators and other barriers for protection, and nothing else...

Minnesota Bird Flu site  offers good information on the state's pandemic readiness and preparation.  Several important documents have been added in Sep.'06.  If you have not seen them, do take a look.  These are quite comprehensive plans discussing how the state agencies will try to limit the number of people getting sick in the state.  Unfortunately, they have nothing on how to treat the people who do get sick despite their efforts.  The reader of our site is encouraged to call the MDH at 651-201-7400 and inquire as to what they are planning for treatment.  You may want to tell them that the Minnesota Homeopathic Association is standing by to provide education and support to all those interested in learning how to save lives in a pandemic situation. 

Research Articles

While one can say all they want about virtues of this or that treatment, it is the scientific method, that allows one to know whether something really works.  Double-blind placebo-controlled studies are the gold standard by which treatments are evaluated in our age of Evidence-Based Medicine.  Several good quality studies of homeopathic remedies vs. placebo have been published in peer-reviewed medical journals.  The Appendix section of Dr. Mirman's on-line book Demystifying Homeopathy lists several such studies and presents the reader with their abstracts.

Ferley, J.P., A Controlled Evaluation of Homeopathic Preparation in the Treatment of Influenza-like Syndromes, British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, 1989, 27, pp. 329-335. (click on the link to get a PDF file of this article)

1. A controlled clinical trial was conducted to assess the effectiveness of a homeopathic preparation in the treatment of influenza-like syndromes.
2. 237 cases received the test drug and 241 were assigned to placebo. Patients recorded their rectal temperature twice a day, and the presence or absence of five cardinal symptoms (headache, stiffness, lumbar in articular pain, shivers) along with cough, coryza and fatigue.
3. Recovery was defined as a rectal temperature less than 37.5° C and complete resolution of the five cardinal symptoms.
4. The proportion of cases who recovered within 48 h of treatment was greater among the active drug group than among the placebo group (17.1% against 10.3%, P=0.03).
5. The result cannot be explained given our present state of knowledge, but it calls for further rigorously designed clinical studies.

Papp, R., Oscillococcinum in Patients with Influenza-like Syndromes, British Homeopathic Journal, Apr. 1998, vol. 87, pp. 69-76 (click on the link to get a PDF file of this article)

For more of homeopathic research information, get Dana Ullman's e-book Homeopathic Family Medicine

This press release went out to numerous MN press outlets.  If you are interested in sending it to local or national press, feel free to do so.  If you would like to change the contact info to reflect your practice, send me an email with your info and I will create one for you.  Jacob

Power Point presentation on Homeopathy in epidemics, as presented for the MN Governor's office and MN legislature, by Sally Tamplin.  Click on the link to download.