THE TRUTH ABOUT HOMEOPATHY

In this article, I would like to dispel a plethora of myths surrounding homeopathy which

have been used to discredit this highly efficacious healing art and science. Homeopaths

are given few opportunities in the media to defend their profession, so a lot of

misconceptions abound.

Myth )o. 1 - Homeopathic medicines cure nothing.

Homeopathy works by stimulating the body’s OWN healing mechanisms, through like

for like. A substance that would cause symptoms in a healthy person can be used to cure

the same symptoms in a sick person by giving a minute, highly potentised dose of that

substance acting as a catalyst to jump start their own healing mechanisms. Everyone of

us has our own natural innate healing powers. All that is needed is the correct stimulus to

kick start it. In healthy people this may just be rest and good food but many people

become 'stuck' in their physical, emotional or mental illness and cannot recover. Of

course there are different levels of health and the choice of potency given should reflect

that. Low potencies are given for very physically ill people and higher for those whose

problems are emotional or of the mind. Homeopathy is very successful in treating

emotional problems such as stress, anxiety and fears.

Myth )o 2 - Homeopathic medicines are just water

Homeopathic medicines are NOT made using only dilution. Dilution alone would do

nothing whatsoever. Many homeopaths are getting tired of reading this highly inaccurate

reporting in the media. All homeopathic medicines are made by a process of dilution and

SUCCUSSION (potentisation through vigorous shaking - 100 shakes between each

potency - i.e. between a 1c and a 2c, between a 2c and a 3c potency, between a 3c and a 4c, etc. etc.) Most homeopathic medicines can be bought in either 6c or 30c from Boots or from health shops. Higher potencies of 200c and 1m (1000c) can be obtained

only from homeopathic pharmacies. Succussion is nowadays done by machines,

originally by hand. Succussion brings out the formative intelligence of the substance andimprints it upon the 60% distilled water + 40% alcohol medium used to make

homeopathic medicines - alcohol acting as a preservative.

Myth )o. 3 - homeopathic medicines are unscientific

Homeopathic medicines undergo a scientific 'Proving' where a control group of 50+

healthy volunteers ('Provers') are instructed to keep taking a remedy under trial until they develop symptoms which they must record in detail. Substances that have been

rigorously tested include nearly everything on the Periodic Table - metals, minerals and

gases as well as plants and even things like snake venom.

The Provers are given a bottle of a new remedy being tested in the 30c potency and must keep taking it until they develop symptoms, which must be carefully recorded and then submitted to a database. The Provers must be healthy and symptom-free to start with so that the symptoms they experience are new ones CAUSED by the remedy.

They must keep a careful daily note of what happens and not discuss it with any of the

other Provers. Whatever symptoms the Provers all experienced in common become the

black type symptoms of the remedy which are then added to the Materia Medica of

homeopathic medicines and Homeopathic Repertory (encyclopedia of symptoms). Thus

the curative indications of a remedy are obtained for clinical use.

Symptoms have also been obtained through historical records of accidental poisonings,

such as Arsenic and Belladonna. For example, poisoning by Arsenic causes vomitting,

diarrhoea, restlessness, anxiety and extreme chill. Therefore you might get a patient in

this state (possibly after food poisoning) and Arsenicum in a homepathic tablet will

quickly alleviate them.

There are more than 4,000+ homeopathic medicines including nearly everything on the

periodic table. But of course all of the remedies tested have been diluted and succussed

(potentised), so they are not toxic like modern drugs.

The Homeopathic Materia Medica and Repertory are extremely large books or divided

into volumes. The Repertory is divided into sections in this order: Mind, Vertigo, Head,

Eye, Vision, Ear, Hearing, Nose, Face, Mouth, Teeth, Throat, External Throat, Stomach,

Abdomen, Rectum, Stool, Bladder, Kidney, Prostate Gland, Urethra, Urine, Male,

Female, Larynx, Respiration, Cough, Expectoration, Chest, Back, Extremities, Sleep,

Dreams, Chill, Fever, Perspiration, Skin, Generals. Obviously some sections are bigger

than others!

In the various Repertories, remedies are listed alongside the full range of symptoms

(rubrics) in abbreviated form - all information being systematically taken from Provings

and clinical practice. Every human state of mind, emotions and body is listed. Symptoms that would mean nothing to a medical doctor can be looked up and the curative remedy

found in these huge book. Homeopathy is a study of human nature, endlessly fascinating and how negative states of mind and emotions affect the physical body culminating in

illness. Nowadays many homeopaths use computer software programmes which contain all this information.

Myth )o. 4
- homeopathic practitioners receive inadequate training

In fact all qualified homeopathic practitioners undergo a four year training course at

accredited Colleges, which includes Anatomy and Physiology, as well as Pathology and

Disease, Materia Medica, Homeopathic Philosophy and study of the Homeopathic

Repertory. Yet medical doctors and nurses treat after much shorter homeopathy courses.

To be really good, you need to study intensively for about 10 years. Homeopathy is a

lifetime's work and you never stop learning.

Myth )o. 5
- there are no studies that prove homeopathy works

In the past 24 years there have been more than 180 controlled, and 118 randomized, trials into homeopathy, which were analysed by four separate meta-analyses. In each case, the researchers concluded that the benefits of homeopathy went far beyond that which couldbe explained purely by the placebo effect.

A study on the properties of water was performed by Dr. Rustrum Roy. This paper

provides an interdisciplinary base of information on the structure of liquid water.

The Structure Of Liquid Water; )ovel Insights From Materials

Research.

Homeopathy can never be tested properly through conventional trials because each

prescription is individualised as every person is unique. Therefore 10 people with

arthritis, for example, may all need a different homeopathic medicine. So it is far from

ideal to follow the allopathic trial paradigm to test homeopathy. In orthodox medicine

trials, all are given the same medicine to be tested. In homeopathy all may be given

different medicines!

Anybody who has an understanding of the principles of homeopathy can be left in no

doubt that we are dealing with a scientific therapeutic method in the best possible sense: it is based on observation, facts and phenomena and follows the rules of inductive logic

that can be tested in daily practice. It is a comprehensive and comprehensible mode of

therapy, which in some countries is first line treatment for the whole range of acute and

chronic conditions. It has been proven abundantly that it is superior in the treatment of

epidemic diseases to allopathy.

It is amazing how people, who like to see themselves on the side of unprejudiced

evaluation, can be so blinkered. People pass judgment on homeopathy who have never

bothered to study it. Like any science it takes time to learn (especially to learn it

correctly) and years of practice to master but the rewards for patients, practitioners and

the NHS purse are great. Before those who preach pure science come down on therapies like homeopathy too heavily, they should ask themselves how many of the accepted treatments within the NHS have a scientific evidence base?

With every homeopathic medicine we know exactly the substance it was made from,

unlike most modern drugs where we have no clue of the ingredients. This is ironic too as ALL natural health products, whether vitamin, mineral or food supplement must clearly

state on the label every single ingredient. When we go to the supermarket or health food shop, we hold up the packet or bottle and read what is in the product, yet people happily swallow prescription drugs with no idea whatsoever what they have taken! They could contain cyanide or any poison and the patient would be none the wiser. With the new class of genetically modified drugs, such as the one used in the Northwick Park drug trial

in London, the dangers of a massive allergic reaction, such as the drug testers

experienced, are even greater. Those, who claim to be scientists, should have the ability to at least try to understand

different paradigms. If not, they look more like people who have settled on a comfortable

view of the world which might soon look very outmoded indeed. As the great musician

and conductor Sir Yehudi Menhuin once said: 'Homeopathy is one of the few specialised

areas in medicine, which carries no disadvantages but only advantages.'.

Regarding the Horizon programme on homeopathy, Prof. Madeleine Ennis was not

involved in the Horizon test. The test was carried out by Wayne Turnbull at Guys

hospital, London. It has been conceded that the Horizon test was not an exact replica of

Ennis' successful trials. Many of his protocols were different. You can read at this link

where he added in an ammonium chloride lysis step which would have ended up killing

the very basophils that were such an integral part of the test.

Ennis' original test was replicated in 4 different labs in 4 different countries.

Dr. Peter Fisher's article in PubMed discusses the 'End of Homeopathy' editorial and

meta-analysis published in the Lancet of 26th August 2005 and how nearly

100 successful studies that showed homeopathy worked were thrown out and only a few that were inconclusive were used. Dr. Fisher is the Queen's homeopathic physician and heads the Royal London Homeopathic Hospital. (The vitriolic editorial was caused by the World Health Organisation bringing out a draft report in 2005 which was favourable

towards homeopathy!)

"The final analysis which concluded that ‘the clinical effects of homoeopathy are placebo effects’ was based on just eight clinical trials of homeopathy. The Lancet's press release did not mention this, instead giving the impression that the conclusions were based on all 110 trials." "One of the most serious criticisms is the complete lack of transparency: we

have no idea which eight trials were included in the final, damning, analysis." "The

literature references are not given, nor any information on the diagnoses, numbers of

patients, etc., nor can these be deduced from the article. Prof. Egger has refused several requests to disclose the identity of the eight trials. This is not even a matter of scientific

method, but of natural justice: the accused has the right to know the evidence against

him."

“The Lancet meta-analysis in 2005 of homeopathic trials was said to be based upon 110

placebo-controlled clinical trials of homeopathy and 110 clinical trials of allopathy,

which were said to be matched but were in fact reduced to 21 trials of homeopathy and 9 of conventional medicine and further reduced to 8 and 6 trials.”

Myth )o. 6
- homeopathic hospitals are a waste of money

There are 5 homeopathic hospitals in the UK - in London, Liverpool, Tunbridge Wells,

Bristol and Glasgow. They cost the NHS about £6 million a year. Compare that to the

£100 billion for the total 2008 annual NHS budget!! These homeopathic hospitals SAVE

money for the NHS as the Smallwood report commissioned by Prince Charles

has demonstrated.

At one of the earliest debates on the NHS Act 1948 the Government pledged that

homoeopathy would continue to be available on the health service as long as there were "patients wishing to receive it and doctors willing to provide it". Many people who

depend upon it are alarmed at the possibility that Homeopathy may no longer be available on the NHS. Since the passing of the NHS Act in 1948, a provision has always been

made for people to be treated at homeopathic hospitals in the UK and until PCTs began to stop referring patients, there had indeed been long waiting lists, some 6 months or more. See this letter sent out to all Primary Care Trusts in 2006 signed by a group of professors hostile to homeopathy and putting pressure on PCTs not to refer patients to the 5 homeopathic hospitals in the UK. They wrote the letter on NHS headed paper!

Myth )o. 7
- Cure with homeopathy is simply the Placebo Effect.

When Prince Charles treats his farm animals at Highgrove with homeopathic medicines

do they know that a remedy has been put in the water they drink? Farmers successfully

use homeopathic medicines for their cows suffering from mastitis. Does a tiny baby

know when their fever drops dramatically using Belladonna or Aconite, that they have

been given a homeopathic medicine?! As anyone who has treated animals and babies

with homoepathic medicines will tell you, homeopathy works even better on animals and

babies than it does on adults! If proof were needed, this is it. Not placebo.

Perhaps the most striking research on homeopathy that goes some way to debunking the

placebo argument is when homeopathic remedies are tested on live tissue in a petri dish

or studies involving animals (mice in this case)

Myth )o. 8
- homeopathic medicines contain no molecules

Any remedy under a 12c or a 24x potency still contains the original molecules of the

substance and this is known as Avogadro's number. These low potencies are most

suitable for physical illness of long duration as well as to heal specific organs that are not

functioning properly.

Myth )o. 9
- ‘Anecdotal Evidence’ does not constitute scientific evidence!

Most medical, surgical procedures and drug usage are not backed by studies - only by

anecdotal evidence. According to the US Government's Office of Technology

Assessment (Congress of the United States, Office of Technology Assessment: Assessing

the efficacy and safety of medical technologies. Washington, DC: US Government

Printing Office, 1978), only 10-20% of all medical procedures and off-label drug usage

are backed by clinical studies.

Strong anecdotal evidence among informed professionals is actually quite reliable - at

least as reliable as clinical testing.

Millions of people worldwide testify that homeopathy cures their illnesses yet apparently

that cannot be construed as 'evidence'.

If a person were to walk out of their house to the town centre and witness someone

having their bag snatched or witness a car accident, then when they relay this information to the Police or to their friends and family, it is anecdotal evidence.

If someone go on holiday, stays at a nice hotel, eats delicious food, comes back home and relates the holiday to their friends, that is anecdotal evidence.

Does that mean that the above never happened? According to the detractors of

complementary or alternative medicine, yes it does!

Millions of people have been cured of their diseases or afflictions using homeopathy,

herbs, healing, vitamin supplements, special diets and on and on. Yet according to

orthodox medicine all of these cures are anecdotal evidence and as such do not merit any further investigation, study, or validity. As far as orthodox medicine is concerned, these cures never happened.

Yet what if someone witnessed a car accident and the Police wanted them to make a

statement? Would the statement in court be dismissed as anecdotal evidence? Would the police, even if they arrived at the scene of the accident to find the person still there

comforting the passengers or trying to help, say they had not been there and their

evidence is non existent? I don’t think so.

So how for so long have we put up with the top dogs in the medical establishment

dismissing our cures as total nonsense, figments of our imagination, placebo cures, or

outright lies?

How when millions are cured around the world using homeopathic medicines, can these

cures be dismissed as unworthy of attention, simply ‘anecdotal evidence’.

Orthodox medicine implies through this that all cures with alternative medicine are

untrue or simply imagined. Even when all the evidence is put before them, they become

angry and even aggressive, simply refusing to see or to listen.

All the case notes in the surgery show that Mr. A had arthritis for 5 years, had been on

anti-flammatory medicines, yet after homeopathic treatment for 6 months, the arthritis is

cured. The reaction of the doctor is either disbelief or an attitude where they will not talk

about it and do not want to know.

Of course there are some orthodox doctors who practise acupuncture, homeopathy or

herbs themselves and who do believe that these therapies cured the patient but they are in

the small minority.

It is always the top cancer specialists and professors whose lives and vested interests are

the most challenged by the idea that anything other than pharmaceutical drugs or surgical interventions can cure the patient.

Yet pharmaceutical drugs cure nothing. They merely SUPPRESS the symptoms driving

them deeper into the body of the patient.

Hence the eczema patient whose skin symptoms have been suppressed, goes on to

develop asthma. The arthritic patient whose joint pains are suppressed, eventually will

go on to develop heart disease.

The doctor makes no connection whatsoever that their drugs have created these deeper illnesses but just goes on to give the patient more and more powerful drugs, making the

patient sicker still. Then when they die, they say, ‘We did everything we could’. Yes

and you killed the patient!

After homeopathic treatment, careful analysis is taken of the Direction of Cure of the

patient’s symptoms. Constance Hering was a converted skeptic of homeopathy. As a

young man in Germany in the early nineteenth century, Hering had been assigned the

task of reviewing Homeopathy because his medical mentor (a fervent anti-homeopath)

had been asked by a publisher to write a book exposing homeopathy as unworthy.

Having been given this task, Hering conducted a detailed study but concluded the

opposite from the requested results! He was the first to talk about the Law of Cure which says that symptoms are cured from above down, from the inside out and in the reverse order of their appearance. This has stood the test of time in clinical experience. A simple example would be after a curative remedy is given for eczema all over the body, we would see the eczema start to move down and when it is only on the ankles, we know it is

nearly cured. The body is always intelligent. That is why the human race has survived. When a baby is conceived, Nature chooses the best genes from both parents in order to create a

stronger, healthier human. If the parents are both taking drugs of any kind, whether legal or illegal, the health of the baby will be compromised.

If only doctors and scientists would study Nature, they would find all the answers and

instead of going against it, learn from it. There is only one true science and that is the

science of Nature. The human race has survived because we all have an innate healing power in our bodies.

In homeopathy for example, this is called the Vital Force. Homeopathy stimulates the

vital force to heal the body, through like for like (using a potentised substance that would cause the symptoms but in a tiny dose acts as a catalyst for healing).

So in conclusion, there is no question that dismissing cures as Anecdotal Evidence

through the use of natural medicine, is nothing more than a whitewash and a desperate

means of suppressing the knowledge of those cures to the public as a whole.

Samuel Hahnemann

Hahnemann was a doctor but gave up his practice because he was appalled at the

poisonous side effects of most available medicine. He started experimenting and did

something rather novel - he took some quinine, while perfectly healthy. He observed that the effect on him was identical to a malarial attack: alternating fever with heat and chills.

This is where homeopathy started: a substance, given to a healthy individual, causes

symptoms. If given to someone who suffers those symptoms, it will thus neutralise the

sickness.

After his observations on quinine, Hahnemann went on to test hundreds of substances on himself and willing, healthy volunteers, used the tested substances for matching

symptoms in his patients and all the while kept accounts of detailed observations.

Of course, Hahnemann had an antecedent, still well-known today because all doctors still swear an oath to him to promise best medical practice: Hippocrates. Hippocrates stated

that there were two laws of healing - the law of opposites (allopathy) and the law of

similars (homeopathy). A Greek physician called Galen had laid these rules down in

about 150 AD. Homeopathic theories are based on fixed principles of the Laws of Nature

which do not change - unlike medical theories which are constantly changing!

Homeopathy is both a science and an art.

Far from being ideas-based, this is completely evidence-based, empirical medicine an

almost unique concept at the time. After some years of practicing like this, Hahnemann

was still not satisfied. The substances he was using, while more effective than normal

medical practice, were still having side effects. Or, if he reduced dosage too far, there

was no effect. This is when he developed the concept of potentisation, the serial dilution

that opponents of homeopathy deride.

Treating the Whole Person or Holistic Healing

We are not just a collection of parts to be fixed as doctors treat us but ALWAYS

operating as a whole person ALL of the time. In other words medicines are chosen that

treat the whole person and not just the part. This may seem strange to grasp and yet

doesn't it in fact make total sense? Do we leave our sore throat on the desk of the

physician as we leave the doctor's surgery? Or our arthritic knee behind. No, every

single tiny function of our body operates as a WHOLE, all of the time. You cannot treat

one thing and not affect the rest. That is why pharma drugs are so dangerous as for

example, in treating a cancerous tumour, the medicine will affect and disturb the other

systems of the body.

We are all energy beings. The electricity in our bodies transmits messages to all parts/systems of the body. Illness

is caused when these messages are not getting through. All systems of the body are

communicating with each other at all times. Water is a great conductor of electricity and

it transmits the electrical current. This is how homeopathic mediums work - by

communicating a current/pattern/frequency of energy via the whole human body to jump

start the body’s own inherent healing mechanisms.

Homeopathy treats different sorts of people with distinct characters and personalities as

well as different physical looks and natures. It individualises each person and looks at

their symptoms AS A WHOLE.

Is it not true that no two people are alike? That every person is unique? This is why you

could line up 20 people with asthma and they might all need a different homeopathic

medicine. There are in fact about 250 homeopathic medicines for asthma but the correct

one for each person must be selected taking into consideration such things as what makes

the condition better or worse, what time of day it comes on, whether the person is hot or

cold, worse for damp, need fresh air or prefer the windows closed and so on. You would

be amazed how each person's symptoms are so different and yet they have all been

diagnosed with asthma.

If people want to improve their looks, homeopathy does just that. When you are healthy

and well, you obviously look better! Homeopathic practitioners believe in

PREVENTION, having treatment can prevent illness rather than leaving it to the

surgeon’s knife. There are thousands of homeopathic medicines which treat every

ailment known to man, truly the most wonderful science on this planet.

Many people buy self help books or think they can treat themselves with over the counter

remedies. This is a short term solution. The reason is as stated above. You cannot treat

individual symptoms without taking into consideration the rest of you! Only a qualified

and experienced homeopath who will spend 1-2 hours taking your full medical history

and all of your symptoms can prescribe the remedy that fits best. In other words if you

have hayfever, the homeopath will take into consideration all other physical symptoms a

as well as your personality, to come to the correct prescription. Itchy, watery, red eyes,

worse morning and evening would be Sulphur but only if all the other things about you fit

the Sulphur picture. You cannot prescribe for yourself as you cannot take all of it into

consideration at once. So if for example you buy Natrum Mur. for your hayfever (which

is also an excellent remedy for this), it may work for a bit if you are healthy but the

hayfever will come back, will not be cured for good, because it was not the remedy that

fitted best.

The only exception to this rule is in the treatment of first aid and even then it often has to

be individualised. An example of when it does not is having a molar removed at the

dentist. Firstly you would take Arnica for bruising of the gums, secondly Hypericum for

the pain as the anaesthetic wears off (will remove pain completely), thirdly Ledum for

injection and fourthly Calendula (the remedy not the cream!) for fast healing of the gums

(or any other injury). Symphytum is the great healer of broken bones.

Homeopaths believe that illnesses manifest for three reasons: firstly they are genetically

inherited from our parents, grandparents, forefathers. Secondly, they can be caused by an

traumatic event such as death of a loved one, divorce, job loss - any event that has a

serious impact upon the person. Thirdly they can be caused from drugs taken by our

parents (passed onto the foetus) or by ourselves. There is also of course accidents and

injury.

Inherited disease can be traced back to one or more of what homeopaths call MIASMS -

these are syphilis, gonorrhoea, psora (scabies), tuberculosis and cancer. We are all a mix

of all of these as especially TB, dates back thousands of years. However one or more of

the miasms is uppermost in a person and is an important aspect of the case-taking to

determine the appropriate medicines.

So many people are in total ignorance of the VAST amount of study needed to become an

expert in this field. Also there are hundreds of homeopathic books only available at

specialist bookshops, many printed in India where homeopathy is more popular than

orthodox medicine.

Attacks on Homeopathy

After the ever increasing attacks on alternative medicine in the media and in particular

homeopathy, once again Professor Edzard Ernst, the 'first professor of complementary

medicine' (whose qualifications for the job are still in question) discredits homeopathy.

"Our family doctor in the little village outside Munich where I grew up was a

homoeopath. My mother swore by it. As a kid I was treated homoeopathically. So this

kind of medicine just came naturally. Even during my studies I pursued other things like

massage therapy and acupuncture."

"As a young doctor I had an appointment in a homoeopathic hospital, and I was very

impressed with its success rate. My boss told me that much of this success came from

discontinuing mainstream medication. This made a big impression on me."

The truth is that homeopathy is getting ever more popular and the drugs companies are

putting out their spin in overdrive through their science and media PR operation outlets to

counteract this in any way they can.

The reason there is this incessant assault in the press against homeopathy is because

Pharma wields enormous power over the media and because the popularity of

homeopathy has been increasing due to side effects of modern medicine. Also, unlike

other natural therapies, it is pills and in direct competition.

At leat six million people use complementary treatments each year in the UK, which

offers clinically-effective and cost-effective solutions to common health problems faced

by NHS patients.

Historical Facts

In view of the highly inaccurate reporting and vitriolic attacks in the recent press

coverage on homeopathy, I would like to point out some little known historical facts

concerning homeopathy.

The practice of homeopathic medicine flourished in both Europe and the US during the

1800s and early 1900s and was spectacularly popular with European royalty and the

British aristocracy, American entrepreneurs, literary giants, and religious leaders.

John D. Rockefeller referred to it as 'a progressive and aggressive step in medicine' and

was under homeopathic care throughout the latter part of his life living to 99 years of

age. A strong advocate of homeopathy, major grants of between $300-$400 million he

intended for homeopathic institutions were instead used for orthodox medical institutions

in the early 1900s, under pressure from his son and his financial advisor, Frederick

Gates. (Source Dana Ullman)

In the United States in the early 1900s there were 22 homeopathic medical schools and

over 100 homeopathic hospitals, 60 orphanages and old people's homes and 1,000+

homeopathic pharmacies. Members of the American Medical Association had great

animosity towards homeopathy after its formation in 1847 and it was decided to purge all

local medical societies of physicians who were homeopaths. This purge was successful

in every state except Massachusetts because homoepathy was so strong among the elite

of Boston.

The AMA wanted to keep homoepaths out of their societies and discourage any type of

association with homeopaths. In 1855 the AMA established a code of ethics which stated

that orthodox physicians would lose their membership if they even consulted with a

homeopath. If a physician lost his membership, it meant that in some States he no longer

had a licence to practice medicine.

Drug companies were antagonistic towards homeopathy, collectively trying to suppress

it. The medical journals they published were used as mouthpieces against homeopathy

and in support of orthodox medicine.

At an AMA meeting, a respected orthodox physician said: 'We must admit that we never

fought the homeopath on matters of principles; we fought him because he came into the

community and got the business.' Economic issues played a major role in what was

allowed to be practised.

Homeopathy attracted support from many of the most respected members of society in

the US, such as William James, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Louisa M. Alcott, Mark

Twain, former American Presidents James Garfield and William McKinley. In Britain

among its supporters were George Bernard Shaw, Charles Dickens, W.B. Yeats, William

Thackarey, Benjamin Disraeli, Yehudi Menuhin. Other famous supporters were

Dostoevsky, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and Mahatma Ghandi.

Nowadays, celebrities using and supporting homeopathy are many and include among

others : Catherine Zeta-Jones, Tina Turner, Whoopi Goldberg, Pamela Anderson, Jane

Fonda, Cher, Rosie O'Donnell, Martin Sheen, the Chilli Peppers, Jane Seymour, Lesley

Anne Warren, Mariel Hemingway, Lindsay Wagner, Paul McCartney, Axl Rose, Linda

Gray, Susan Blakely, Michael Franks, Cybil Sheppard, Dizzy Gillespie, Vidal Sassoon,

Angelica Houston, Boris Becker, Martina Navratilova, David Beckham, Priscilla and

Lisa Marie Presley, Cliff Robertson, Jerry Hall, Diane von Furstenberg, Ashley Judd,

Naomi Judd, Olivia Newton-John, Julianna Margulies, JD Salinger, Blythe Danner, Pat

Riley (coach of the Miami Heat). The list of famous people who supported homeopathy

is endless.....

The aristocratic patronage of homeopathy in the UK extending well into the 1940s and

beyond can be easily demonstrated. In the Homeopathic Medical Directories there are

lists of patrons of the dispensaries and hospitals. They read like an extract from Burke’s

or Debrett’s.

Homeopathy is practised nowadays in countries all over the world and is especially

popular in France, South America and India where there are around 250,000 homeopathic

doctors! In a recent Global TGI survey where people were asked whether they trust

homeopathy the following percentages of people living in urban areas said Yes: 62% in

India, 58% Brazil, 5