Page 12 - Winter 16

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we are prepared to do to save our animals and our population. Is this a case of ‘the needs of the many outweigh the needs (or wishes) of the few’? If it is, then animal experimentation (because human experimentation is not allowed) has got to be considered in some form, I would argue. Evidence that potentised homeopathic preparations act on living systems needs to be proved to the powers that be, in a manner that is acceptable to them, in order for homeopathy to be considered a viable form of therapy – I suggest that nothing else will do.
The converse is that we hold the principal of animal experimentation as too high a price for us to pay, and allow homeopathy to potentially slip into the long goodnight – despite the fact that it has endured since the 1700’s. There are arguments advanced for other experiments on cell lines, and plants that would show the effectiveness of homeopathic preparations – but it is unlikely that these would satisfy the ‘scientific community’. This double blinded, placebo controlled paradigm that has been in place for decades is unlikely to change in the foreseeable future and given the intransigence of the establishment, the research presented will need to be within that remit.
If we take this as the case (and I’m not taking sides here), perhaps the homeopathic community should/could decide on what form any animal experimentation takes, and what the limits are that will be tolerated by US. WE need to set the agenda, because we have to be
comfortable with the way results are produced, so we all could and would use them. If we leave it to outside the community, things may be done that are unacceptable to us, so we will not associate ourselves with them – and loose the benefits of any results, despite the fact that animals have been used anyway – possibly badly.
I have no proof, but my suspicion is that Big Pharma will be conducting biased and manipulated trials to publish against potentised medicines. Attempting to refute these would be a fruitless task – as it is with their conventional trials, which according to several sources, are mostly fabricated. They have the power, influence and unlimited resources to make sure that their voice is the one that is heard and taken notice of. So, homeopathy needs its own trial data and unimpeachable research methods conducted within the prevailing research paradigm, if it is to have any chance of getting accepted.
One of the reasons that Big Pharma has not taken over homeopathic remedy making etc. is that (at least as I understand it) homeopathic medicines cannot be patented. This means that the drug companies cannot make any money – end of story. If they allowed homeopathy to snowball, the consequences to the shareholders would be catastrophic – hence, I believe, they are making huge efforts to discredit it at every turn. With the power they have over all the various committees, recommending bodies, drug regulators,
governments, CPD etc. etc., there is no limit to their influence. I believe that it is no coincidence that all these petitions, stories in the media, threats to sue the NHS, attacks online and the like are happening at the same time. My feeling is that they are coordinated. That takes money and motive – draw your own conclusions!
It cannot be denied that animals used in research have helped the human condition enormously, and without that research many thousands of lives would have been lost. The debate on whether it should still go on, even in the conventional world, is hotly contested. The lobby against testing say that other methods of testing are as good and don’t involve animal suffering. The other side say ‘there just isn’t a substitute for using a living body’.
This is a difficult situation associated with high emotions and massive sentimentality, which makes it difficult to have a reasoned discussion. The danger is that the homeopathic community becomes as intractable and intransigent as its opponents and no progress is made at all.
So as unpalatable as this topic is, I feel we should be brave enough to face up to it, discuss it without having apoplexy, and come up with some ideas to put to the wider homeopathic community – and thus to those in research.
I hope this has ‘prodded’ you in some way and if you have any opinions, thoughts suggestions etc., BlueSky [and the Mag; Ed] is the place.
A case from practice by Mark Carpenter, UK
Summary
200 bpm, mucous membranes were pale, CRT 1 second, rectal temperature 39.7C. A sanguinous discharge was noted from the vagina, together with mild abdominal discomfort on palpation. A presumptive diagnosis of pyometra was made, and she was admitted for further investigation and appropriate therapy.
Ultrasound confirmed the presence of a moderately enlarged fluid-filled uterus with thickened walls. In-house blood haematological testing revealed an HCT of 66.6% (37-55); Hb 19.3g/dL (12-18); MCV 78.7fL (60-77); MCHC 29.0g/dL (30-37.5) with RBC being just within normal limits at 8.46 x 109 (5.5-8.5). WBC was, unexpectedly, low at 4.33 x109, and a low platelet count was also present at 30K/microL (175-500). Further blood was taken for confirmation at Idexx Laboratories, which found HB 18.9g/dL (12-18); WBC 6.9 x 109(6-15) with band neutrophils (Absolute) of 0.83 (0.0- 0.4); monocytes (Absolute) of 1.10 (<0.8) and PLT 50 x 109, with numbers confirmed as mildly to moderately decreased on microscopy (3-8 PLT / hpf). Biochemical abnormalities were BUN 10.5mmol/L (2.5-9.6); Crea 167
micromol/L (44-159); Chol 8.73mmol/L (2.84- 8.27). She also had borderline low normal blood potassium (3.5mmol/L (3.5-5.6).
Aggressive intra-venous fluid therapy was begun (Hartmanns solution initially at double maintenance flow rate). General anaesthetic was given (Propofol induction with Isoflurane maintenance) and exploratory laparotomy was carried out. This revealed an abdominal cavity filled with dark-coloured bloody fluid, and multiple small and large petechial haemorrhages throughout the mesentery and intestinal walls. An injection of Solumedrone was given during the procedure, as she appeared to be deteriorating with reduced CRT and rectal temperature. Ideally we would have given Augmentin i/v also (Amoxycillin/ Clavulanic acid) but it was unavailable at that time, so Marbocyl SA was given. Vetergesic (buprenor- phine) was given post-operatively. Arnica 6c was given peri-operatively and afterwards.
Within 4 hours she seemed to be recovering well, laying in sternal recumbency and able to walk to urinate outside. The CRT was restored to 1 second, rectal temperature had recovered to 36.9C, her pulse was strong,
History
The owners returned from vacation to find Crumble very subdued, with a history of having been vomiting during the day. Heart rate was
10
“Crumble”, a 6-year-old Golden retriever entire female, was presented to my assistant late evening 28/9/2015 with a suspected pyometra. On exploratory laparotomy the abdomen was found to be filled with a dark sero-sanguinous fluid, and there were multiple petechial and ecchymotic lesions on the mesentery, with petechiae and discolouration of the intestines. I took over the surgery at this stage, and the following is the ensuing history of her treatment and recovery. This is not by any means a purely homeopathic case, and I was not the sole carer of her case, but I believe it reflects the reality of acute general practice work and, in my view, the invaluable additional aid to recovery, we can provide when adding homeopathic therapy to essential additional emergency procedures.