‘Homeopathy is rubbish,’ says a new report. Are we really sure?

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‘Homeopathy is rubbish,’ says a new report. Are we really sure?

By Mari Marcel Thekaekara

reikiblog.jpg

Robert Bell under a Creative Commons Licence

Most Indian newspapers have an Australian report that says very clearly that homeopathy does not work.

The report says what I would expect: ‘After reviewing 225 research papers on homeopathy, an Australian report says homeopathy does not help any medical condition.’

Is that really true? I am often shocked about the way supporters of conventional western medicine talk. They speak as if they and only they know everything about health care.

After ten years supporters of conventional western medicine changed their minds: Eggs are not pure poison after all!

Coconut oil has been used for thousands of years by ancient societies. Supporters of conventional western medicine say it is the worst possible oil. They say it causes heart disease, strokes, and it is bad for cholesterol. Then suddenly, they say it’s the very best oil and people should drink a few teaspoons to cure all problems. There are many other examples. And I find it all very annoying that they think they know everything.

Millions of people have used homeopathy for over a hundred years. Must they accept that ‘Homeopathy is rubbish’?

My four-year-old daughter had a serious blood problem. I knew exactly what medicines the doctor would give her. And these medicines are now banned.

I was very worried and I went to an elderly homeopath my aunt suggested. It worked. After four hours my daughter’s problem stopped and the next day she was normal. I did not give her poisonous, allopathic drugs. She was better with the help of homeopathy. And this was a very serious problem, not a simple cold.

I remember friends going to see Mother Aimee, an old nun. She really helped generations of patients. My sister had painful warts on her fingers. Conventional western medicine had nothing to help her, but Mother Aimee’s little pills did help her.

Reiki took away my husband’s back pain. It was fantastic. He did not believe in Reiki. But with the help of a Reiki healer the really bad pain went away.

People will say Reiki, ayurveda, or homeopathy do not give long term help. But conventional western medicine does not give long term help. But supporters of conventional western medicine return to it again and again. They try drugs, injections, physiotherapy, and so on. They don’t think about other systems because a stupid study tells them not to.

Ayurvedic and traditional Chinese doctors were practising their medicine long before conventional western medicine.

Why do these traditional ways of healing waste their time answering questions about their own ‘scientific’ knowledge?

Years of colonialism criticised eastern medicine. And the men who criticised it were only office workers in the East India Company. No one in their own countries thought these men were important people.

Of course I would rush a patient to hospital for emergency surgery after an accident or a heart attack. Not everyone is happy to go to an unknown ancient specialist in an emergency. But we must begin to tell supporters of conventional western medicine that their research is not always right.

Alternative medicine is becoming more popular as people hear more about it. But it’s time to talk about what we can offer the world. We must not simply agree with the ideas of conventional western medicine.

Mari Marcel Thekaekara is a writer from Gudalur, in the Nilgiri hills of Tamil Nadu. She writes on human rights issues including dalits, adivasis, women, children, the environment, and poverty. Mari's book Endless Filth on balmikis, was published in 1999. Her second book is about campaigns in India to stop manual scavenging work. She helped to start Accord in 1985 to help Adivasi people.

NOW READ THE ORIGINAL: http://newint.org/blog/2015/03/13/homeopathy-ineffective/

(This article has been simplified so the words, text structure and quotes may have been changed).