Head shot - website     Susan Drury, RSHom(NA), CCH
     604-671-7863
     www.healinglifehomeopathy.com



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Healing Life Homeopathy Newsletter
November, 2009
More Ways to Prevent H1N1 and other influenza viruses
Assessing Homeopathy through Random Controlled Trials
Safety and Effectiveness of Homeopathic Remedies

**Special Offer for November**
All new clients booking an initial consultation in November will receive a FREE 6-vial box of Oscillococcinum Influenza Prevention or Coryzalia combination cold remedy - a $17.00 value!

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Dear Friends,
Welcome to November, and the H1N1 influenza virus is in full swing!  Some of you have attended my Preparing for Influenza Seminars and received many valuable tips in both preventing and treating any kind of influenza.  The response has been phenomenal and new sessions continue to be scheduled to meet public demand, with the next one taking place on Thursday, November 5th from 9:30 - 11:30 a.m. at the Mollie Nye House.  Call to register now, spaces still available.

If you are unable to attend a session or would like to schedule an individual consultation for yourself or family member, please call me.  I am also available for phone consultations for anyone ill who would like a remedy prescription over the phone.
More Ways to Prevent H1N1 - and any Influenza Virus
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The homeopathic remedy Oscillococcinum is still my main suggestion regarding influenza prevention of any strain and I recommend everyone take at least 2 doses every week or two during this peak influenza season.  Available through health food stores and even some drug stores, a dose in the morning and again in the evening once a week should help prevent you from getting sick.  If you do feel yourself coming down with anything, immediately take 3-4 doses over the course of the day to hopefully head it off.

While the homeopathic remedy Influenzinum is useful for influenza prevention as well, it is more specific to the 3 strains the World Health Organization pinpointed last Spring as being the most likely to circulate this flu season and does not include the H1N1 virus.  Taking it as a preventative measure may help protect against other strains circulating later in the flu season but right now, the H1N1 seems to be the main virus making the rounds.

Another strong recommendation is to take a daily dose of at least 1,000 iu's of Vitamin D, preferably in liquid form.  A good website to look at is www.vitamindcouncil.org which has some very compelling anecdotes of its effectiveness in influenza prevention.
Measuring Homeopathy through Randomized Controlled Trials
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 Lately Homeopathy has been getting a beating from various "quack-busters" and "independent" researchers, many of whom have hidden ties to pharmaceutical companies.  Those who scoff at homeopathy as being nothing more than sugar pills or placebo assert that homeopathy cannot be "proven" on the basis of randomized, controlled trials (RCT's), the current "gold standard" of pharmaceutical drug testing.  While this is a bit like comparing apples and oranges, nevertheless there is documented scientific research backing up the positive results thousands of people have experienced from homeopathy during its 200+ year history.

Numerous trials have been conducted that show a statistically significant positive outcome for homeopathic remedies on various conditions, despite the difficulty of testing something based on individual prescribing.  The bulk of RCTs are testing one substance's action on the symptoms of a specific disease diagnosed within a large number of people.  Such a "one size fits all" hypothesis is directly opposite homeopathic practice, where a remedy is prescribed individually on the basis of each person's particular symptoms and not the disease category they may or may not fall into.   Even so, various trials do show positive evidence of homeopathy's action.  Here are a few resources on RCT's of homeopathic remedies: www.library.nhs.uk (click on "homeopathy"), www.homeopathy-ecch.org and www.biomedcentral.com/1472-6882/1/12/.

When independent researchers reviewed various trials, their conclusion was "it became clear to us that using review criteria based on diagnostic classifications developed for assessing conventional medicine did not address the differing classification frameworks between homeopathy and conventional medicine." Jonas, Anderson, Crawford and Lyons, BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 2001; 1: 12.   Therefore to more accurately assess the efficacy of homeopathic treatment, new and different methods of testing need to be developed.


Homeopathic Remedy Safety versus Pharmaceutical Drugs
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While homeopathy's benefits aren't easily measured through RCT's, their safety record far surpasses that of pharmaceutical medications.  Every year previously approved and widely prescribed pharmaceutical drugs are withdrawn from the market due to safety issues.  A survey in 2000 showed that adverse effects or complications from drugs and medical treatment was the 3rd largest cause of death in the US, behind cancer and heart disease (JAMA, 2000; 283; 483-486).  Pharmaceutical companies pay out billions of dollars annually in settlements for damages or fraudulent marketing practices (on Oct. 16th, 2009 Pfizer agreed to pay a record $2.3 billions settlement for fraudulently promoting their drug Bextra after it had been withdrawn in 2006 due to safety concerns!).  Even over-the-counter medications such as Tylenol can cause serious liver damage and death.

Homeopathic Medicine - Safe, Inexpensive and Effective
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Homeopathy is inexpensive medicine that cannot be patented and is prescribed on the individual's symptoms.  It is made from natural substances whose only alteration is an extensive dilution and succession (shaking) process.  No chemicals are added, and through the continual dilution, any harmful action of the original substance is removed.  This means homeopathic remedies act safely, even if a wrong prescription is made. 

In homeopathy, the individual symptoms a person is experiencing are the most important criteria in selecting a remedy, rather than a medical diagnosis.  If someone takes a remedy and nothing happens, it's not that homeopathy doesn't work - it's just the wrong choice of remedy.  Fortunately the only result of a "wrong" remedy is simply that nothing happens; finding a remedy that more accurately reflects the person's symptoms is needed to stimulate a cure. 

Homeopathy has been gently but profoundly curing and caring for people for over 200 years. Take a look at www.homeopathy.org or www.homeopathic.org to get an idea of just how useful and popular homeopathy is.


To book an appointment, register for a seminar or find out how homeopathy can help you, call me at: 604-671-7863 or email me at druryperry@shaw.ca
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Until next month,
Susan
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