​​The government of India is reporting 50% growth in the use homeopathy in the last 5 years.▪Southern California University of Health Sciences has named integrative, functional and personalized medicine phialnthroipist Ruth Westreich and IHPC executive director Susan Haeger to its board.▪The National Academy of Medicine's Action Collaborative for Clinician Well-being and Resilience will have an event in Washington, DC, May 2.▪The Alliance for Massage Therapy Educationhas a call out for a new initiativefrom president Stan Dawson, DC, LMT.▪The Consortium ispointing its members toward research article from Penny George Institute on how "IM Delivered to Hospitalized Patients Can Provide Pain Reduction and Cost Savings."▪The Cleveland Clinic functional medicine doctor Daniel Neides, MD ****who suggested a vaccination-autism link hasset up a private clinic.▪The American Chiropractic Association has a female 3-2 dominance on it Board of Governors, a first for the field.▪The Massage Therapy Foundation has published an infographic on the role of the field in meeting the opioid crisis.

​8 ON YOUR SIDE: Homeopathic remedies could impact your health & wallet

By: Colleen Seitz 

TAMPA (WFLA) - It's a $3 billion a year industry. But how safe are homeopathic drugs and remedies?
The Food and Drug Administration is now taking input on a crackdown on homeopathic remedies but not everyone is happy about it.
Dr. Edward Kondrot runs the Healing Eye and Wellness Center in Zephyrhills. You'll find it after taking a few dirt roads into what feels like the middle of nowhere. But this remote clinic has patients flying in from all over the world because of Kondrot's approach.
Kondrot wears two hats: He's a board certified ophthalmologist, but also a doctor of homeopathy.
"I know sometimes you need surgery. Sometimes you do need to take traditional medication, but the majority of times we need to look at a more gentler approach to treat the person and by that, I mean understanding the cause." Kondrot explains homeopathy treats the person, not the disease.
He began studying homeopathy when he faced his own battle with adult onset asthma. Traditional asthma medication cause tremors which isn't going to work when you're an eye surgeon. That's what prompted him to look for an alternative care and he found it in homeopathy.
"I know it wasn't a placebo effect because the first remedy I took did very little for the asthma. It was the second remedy that cured my asthma."
Now Kondrot uses stem cells, light therapy and micro currents to treat eye problems.
"Close to 90 percent of people had an improvement of vision, which is shocking because these are people who have been told nothing can be done."
One of those patients is Wendy Littlepage who flies in from Colorado to be treated by Kondrot. Littlefield had a horrible reaction to the mainstream medication most doctors prescribe for glaucoma.
"One of the eye drops sent me to the emergency room and the other one gave me the worst headache of my life," she said.
Littlefield admits homeopathy isn't the answer for every medical problem.
"No, I wouldn't jeopardize my health and say, 'Oh, let me look up a remedy, I feel like I'm having a heart attack.' cause that's not prudent and any good homeopath would tell you to go to the emergency room." But she's a believer in Kondrot's homeopathic approach with her eye problems.
Dr. Drew Silverman is a skeptic. He says "natural doesn't mean safe."
Silverman is a doctor of pharmacy at Tampa General Hospital and his concern is that homeopathic remedies don't require FDA approval and, he says, that can sometimes be dangerous.
Take for example, complaints about Zicam, a nasal spray advertised as a cold remedy. "It was supposed to help relieve colds by spraying zinc in the nose, so what made the FDA look at this is there were 100-plus reports of people losing their sense of smell after using Zicam and never being able to get it back."
In 2016, the FDA warned parents against using a natural teething tablet containing bella donna. It's a toxic opiate derivative that has an unpredictable response in children under the age of 2. Silverman says, "Unregulated it can cause serious neurological side effects including seizures, which is what they found in these infants and children who were teething is they saw they were having seizures from this."
However, Kondrot believes, as a whole, homeopathic remedies are much safer than traditional medications. He says, "Are homeopathic remedies dangerous? Out of all the medical treatments that exist, homeopathy is by far the safest. There are over 100,000 deaths a year from traditional medication. A death from homeopathic remedies are unheard of."
Kondrot does concede a lack of oversight can be an issue.
"There are unscrupulous manufacturers and the concern now is foreign material coming into the U.S. that may not be under the same guidelines."
He also points out that "most of the homeopathic remedies manufactured in the United States are by certified homeopathic pharmacies."
And those remedies, for the most part, are much less expensive than traditional medications. But Kondrot says, "Unfortunately, it's not covered by insurance so some people will go for a $10,000 operation because it's covered by insurance, but they're not going to pay $10 for a homeopathic remedy because it's not covered by insurance."

Coryza is commonly referred to as a runny nose and is characterized by an acute inflammation of the mucous membranes of the nose. It frequently occurs concomitant to the ‘common cold’ and may be caused by a bacterial or viral infection, or may develop as an allergic reaction to diverse allergens such as dust, pollen and others.


The inflammation in the nasal cavity increases the secretion of mucous causing the typical symptom of the runny and congested nose. There may be nasal irritation, itching, burning, and sneezing. Oftentimes there is also some involvement of the eyes with redness, watering, swelling or itching. The inflammation may extend to the larynx, bronchi and throat, producing distinctive symptomatology there. Hence the patient may generally feel run down, may develop a cough, catarrh, frontal headache, lassitude and fatigue.


Some homeopathic remedies for coryza are:
Allium cepa: This coryza is characterized by a profuse watery, acrid discharge. Distinctive for this remedy is the worsening of the coryza in a warm room. This patient is better outside. There is an accompanying eye symptomatology in Allium cepa. The eyes are watery, smarting, and burning. There may be coughing and hoarseness.


Arsenicum album: The nasal cavity feels hot and burning. There is a watery discharge. The patient is thirsty and feels weak.


Belladonna: The nose feels obstructed and there is only light discharge. Everything feels dry and sore into the throat. There may be throbbing in the head and sensitivity to light. There may be a tickly cough. Thirst is increased.


Chamomilla: This remedy is indicated where there is heat of the head. One cheek is typically red, the other pale. The coryza is usually worse at night. The little patient is fretful, and calms down only if carried about.


Dulcamara: Constant sneezing with running nose and nasal congestion. Eyes are watering and swollen. May come on from becoming chilled after exertion. Symptoms are worse outside.


Gelsemium: There is a general sluggishness and chilliness. A dull headache and drowsiness are characteristic. The eyes are heavy; the eyeballs feel lame and sore.  There is watering of the eyes, sneezing and discharge from the nose. There is non-stop sneezing.


Euphrasia: The eyes are strongly affected with this remedy. There is a profuse, acrid watering from the eyes. The lids and face may become inflamed, excoriated, agglutinated. Lamplight causes photophobia. The discharge from the nose is profuse, bland, and fluent. There is sneezing, and worsening during the night and when lying down.


Eupatorium: With sneezing and headache there is aching in the bones, backache, chilliness and nausea.


Mercurious sol.: This remedy has some similarity with Arsenicum album. However symptoms are less severe and worse at night. The throat is sore there is much mucous salivation. There is aching and lameness in muscles and bones. There may be much sweating.


Rhus tox.: This is the remedy where getting wet brings on the coryza/ cold. The entire body may feel lame and may ache, especially the back and the eyelids.








References:
Adams, M. (1913) A practical guide to homeopathic treatment Philadelphia: Boericke & Tafel.
Lockie, A. (1991) The family guide to homeopathy Aylesbury: BPCC Hazell Boo

SARAH TRASK 
 


Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) refers to a broad spectrum of complex conditions that affect a person’s ability to communicate, as well as interact with others. It most often develops during early childhood and early diagnosis is now taking place due to increased knowledge and awareness of the spectrum.
Children with ASD will often have accompanying physical and emotional challenges with feeding, sleep, attention and hyperactivity, seizures/epilepsy, fear and anxiety.
Developing countries the world over are experiencing a massive rise in the rates of ASD diagnosis. The CDC estimates autism’s prevalence as one in 68 children in the U.S., which has risen almost 120 per cent since the year 2000 (U.S. Centers for Disease Control, March 2014).
The book Impossible Cure by Amy L. Lansky, PhD, is a wonderful reference to the world of homeopathy and its use in autism, and provides parents, teachers and caregivers an introduction to homeopathy and how it is used in treatment. I have seen countless children in my own practice who have presented on different levels on the spectrum from high functioning to non-verbal.
Here is one case study of a sweet little boy whom I started treating not long after he was diagnosed with autism. Homeopathic treatment is not a “cure” nor is it fit for all children with ASD. This is simply a case example to illustrate a potential treatment option that can help a child become more connected to their environment and more connected within their own bodies.
The remedy and potency chosen was based on homeopathic principles and should not be used to treat other children with this diagnosis. A registered homeopath chooses the remedy, potency and prescription based on their unique symptom expression.


Case


A three-year-old boy was diagnosed with autism, gut dysbiosis and extreme constipation. Up until 18 months of age, he had reached all milestones and was in good health. First was sudden loss of eye contact, then lost verbal abilities, he stopped babbling and started making low moaning noises. Constipation followed. He had impacted bowels and constipation was very painful for him. He had a food allergy to eggs. He would have lots of perspiration on his back at night. He was highly sensitive to noises, new situations and new people. This would cause him much anxiety and, as a result, the boy would act out in outbursts of anger and crying.
Silica 30ch in water was given daily. Parents report: the first day with the new remedy the child had a large bowel movement. Within the first week, the child was noticeably calmer, especially in situations that would normally cause stress, such as noise and new people. Within three months, the child began making eye contact again and using words and language again. The constipation was an ongoing problem, but to a much lesser degree than before, where the child was able to evacuate more often and the use of laxatives was greatly lessened.
Within six months of treatment, the mother reported the child had said “I love you” to her and showed affection without prompting.
To date, the child (still a patient) is now older and coping well in school and social activities, and different remedies are chosen when this child has issues come up that do not relate to the initial prescription. Bowel function is excellent after four years.
If you have any questions about homeopathic medicine and its use for treatment in cases of ASD, please contact me for more information.