Addressing the Use of Prophylaxis

This pandemic is causing anxiety for a lot of our patients and possibly some of us too, who are continuing to work and support patients.

Currently the management recommendations put in place by the U.K Chief Medical Officer are commendable however until now there are no orthodox treatments available for COVID-19 only support, of additional oxygen or a respirator if required and available.

The Homoeopathic community is keen for a pharmacy to have permission to make a nosode to support those interested in this approach. There is ample evidence that the protocol of a nosode could reduce the incidence and protect some of the population who are interested in this method.  We would also suggest ongoing compliance with social distancing and good hygiene.

Whilst we understand the principles and benefits of individually applied homoeopathic medicine, Hahnemann did use the Genus Epidemicus approach when necessary. He successfully used Belladonna for an epidemic of Scarlet Fever and Cholera.

The following examples illustrate the use of prophylaxis-

ⁱThe positive outcome in the pragmatic clinical trial conducted by the Brazilian Public Health System in Petrópolis to prevent influenza and acute respiratory tract infections in children, in a blind, randomized placebo-controlled trial is well documented.

ⁱⁱMore recently (2007, 2008) the highly successful experience of Cuba with homoeoprophylaxsis reducing disease incidence of Leptospirosis after hurricane damage.

The results of such trials indicate a large reduction in disease incidence and control of the epidemic.  The results support homoeopathic prophylactic formulation as a feasible strategy.

ⁱⁱⁱIndeed, the reduction of antibiotics in cattle with an homoeopathic approach is something that made headlines.

The Indian homoeopaths are lobbying their own ministers and Government to remind them of the efficacy of homoeopathy in such catastrophic times.  In fact, Dr Subrata Banerjea was in Bangladesh working for the West Bengal Government initiative in a cholera epidemic in 1988, comparing the effectiveness of Homoeopathy, Allopathy and Ayurvedic medicine.  Homoeopathy achieved the best results.   ^iv

There is plenty of historical evidence to support the use of homoeopathy in calamitous situations. Epidemics of cholera, small pox influenza and leptospirosis are highlighted below.

^vIndeed in §101 Hahnemann states that in…’a first case of epidemic disease that presents itself to the physician’s notice he does not at once obtain a knowledge of a complete picture as it is only by close observation of several cases of every such collective disease that he can be conversant with the totality of its signs and symptoms……even can succeed in finding a suitable, homoeopathically adapted remedy for it.’

^viBoenninghausen had some excellent success in using Thuja occidentalis in this manner in the prophylactic treatment of smallpox.

For instance, Dr Michael Traub in an article published in 1994 (Journal of Naturopathic Medicine Vol.5, No 1. ‘’Homoeopathic Prophylaxis’’) cites successful homoeoprophylaxis in an outbreak of smallpox in Iowa in 1902.

The use of prophylaxis is not commonly used in everyday practice and some practitioners may question the approach.  However, the patients we see (on phone and video links) are interested in anything we can do to help them feel secure at present and for a medicine to specifically support their immune systems alongside ongoing social distancing, isolation and hand washing regimes.

Tony Pinkus of Ainsworths Pharmacy has potentised some sputum from a patient exhibiting the following symptoms. It must be stressed that, due to the poor availability of tests at the time of infection, this patient is NOT yet a confirmed case of COVID-19. However, as soon as an antibody test is made available, we will be able to confirm the presence of IGG and IGM immunoglobulins for this variant of coronavirus.

Patient is female. 28 years. She acquired symptoms in mid-March by contact with a friend in London. Unaware of this she travelled abroad on a skiing trip to Switzerland where, her symptoms slowly developed, but did not materialise properly until she returned home. The two people she travelled and stayed with on the skiing trip did not acquire any symptoms indicative of COVID19 over the following three weeks

The Chronology of the symptom picture was as follows:

• Gradual onset of elevated temperature with sweats and clammy hands
• Frontal headache from left to right temple going behind the eyes
• Occipital headache as if hit by a cricket bat around the back of the head
• Desire for fresh air, > fresh air but eventually must come inside to avoid feeling chilled
• < movement, better hard pressure
• Great weakness, tiredness and desire to sleep
• Thirst increased
• Desire to take deep breaths of air
• Dry persistent cough arising after several days and lingering
• NHS 111 confirmed typical symptoms of COVID19 and although they could not offer to test her, they insisted she self-isolated
• Initial phase responded to well to Bryonia and second cough stage to Phosphorus
• cough and weakness improved by 90%, energy returned to normal level but a few days later tickly dry cough returned but without other symptoms. Lingering cough remains

These collective symptoms were convincing enough to Tony to motivate him to potentise this into a nosode

There are many authors who write about prophylaxis:

Dr Arthur .H Grimmer M.D

‘Prevention makes cure unnecessary.  It is true that agents employed bear a crude similarity to the homoeopathic principle but because of the crudity of preparation and administration we meet with much disappointment and considerable consequential evil effects following their use’ (Talking about vaccination of the day).

Homoeopathic prophylaxis never causes anaphylaxis or shock, never results in secondary infection, never leaves in its wake serum or vaccine disease or any other severe reaction; it simply protects – surely and gently.

^viiDr Grimmer treated many children who were prevented from going out, to pools, movies or any other public gathering place all summer every year for fear they may be victims of the large polio outbreaks in South America.  His success was close to 100%. Any more details??

Dr Elizabeth Wright Hubbard   

‘Children are not accepted into Nursery school in New York without immunisation of some sort against Diphtheria.  I therefore give them Diphtherinum 1M, three doses, twelve hours apart.

This has been proved by the Schick Test to rise that immunity.

In 1932 Chavanon published that 45 children (out of 45) had developed antibodies to diphtheria, as measured by a standard test, after being treated with Diphtherinum.  Patterson and Boyd repeated this test in 1941 and 20 of 33 children treated converted to the Schick test negative.  Roux again repeated this study in 1946 with similar results.

Dr Donald Foubister

States in his book Tutorials in Homoeopathy p.112

At the royal London Homoeopathic Hospital Dr Lees of Dundee gave one hundred contacts of Diphtheria the nosode in potency without a single case developing the disease.

He cites examples of using 200C followed by 10M being successful when working with prophylactics.

Dr. Arthur Hill Grimmer 1874 – 1967

‘’As to how employ the remedies I generally give a dose of 10M in most cases.  The 10M is a protective potency and the reaction is good at least for the epidemic.  If there comes another epidemic and they want further protection, I repeat the process but only for that epidemic.  That holds good in all the protections that I have given polios and all.’’

^viiiDavid Little comments on this matter in his article ‘’The Origin of Prophylaxis’’

In conclusion the Allen College homoeopathic community welcomes Tony Pinkus’ initiative and we look forward to a formal COVID-19 nosode to become available to all of us,  to be used with knowledge and discretion for our patients who express an interest.

Stay Safe, Stay Home and Stay Positive

Quote by Lilly Pulitzer– “Despite the forecast, live like it’s spring.”

i https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26828000

iihomeopathy+leptospirosis+cuba&rlz=1C1CHBF_enGB750GB750&oq=homoeopthy +leptospirosis+&aqs=chrome.1.69i57j0l7.16632j0j4&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

ⁱⁱⁱ https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2016/may/12/prince–charles–usehomeopathy–in–animals–to–cut–antibiotic–use ^iv http://www.similia.lv/interesanti/par–homeopatiju/lives–saved–by–homeopathy/ ^v

Organon of Medicine Samuel Hahnemann Translated by Dudgeon 1990 p.78 ^vi Concerning the Curative Effects of Thuja in Small-pox; Clemens Maria Franz, baron von Boenninghausen; Allg. hom. Zeit, vol. xxvii, p. 21; and in The Lesser Writings of Boenninghausen, L.H. Tafel trans./ed. ^vii  The Layman SpeakVol 5 No.3, March 1952 (from Collected Works of Arthur Hill Grimmer, edited by Ahmed N Currim PhD MD

^viii www.simillimum.com/thelittlelibrary/homoeopathicphilosophy/prophylaxis.html