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Homeo-what? Homeopathy is a therapeutic medical system based on the theory that disease can be addressed via the use of the substance which produces similar symptoms to the disease. Homeopathy is a hotly debated but often used medical intervention (1) which can significantly improve quality of life (1;2;3) utilizing substances sourced from nature i.e., minerals, and plants, which have passed through a dilution process called potentization (4). Public health regulation framing the practice and use of homeopathy in Australia is legally supported by the Therapeutic Goods Act of 1989 (5).
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Until recently it was thought that homeopathic medicines were inactive dilutions beyond Avogadro's number (<1023), but biological activity and properties of the initial source material are retained (6;7;8), hormetic activation has been observed (9), and distinct promotion of B-cell activity has been shown (10;11) in infection control (12), with Th1 promotion by homeopathic medicine though to enable a more efficient inflammatory response (13). In vitro anti-pathogenic effect of homeopathy in intestinal microbiome resistance against Escherichia coli has been observed (14).
References
1. Witt CM, Lüdtke R, Mengler N, Willich SN. 2008. How healthy are chronically ill patients after eight years of homeopathic treatment?--Results from a long term observational study. BMC Public Health [online]. Dec 17;8:413. Available from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2630323/
2. Bell IR, Lewis DA 2nd, Brooks AJ, Schwartz GE, Lewis SE, Walsh BT, Baldwin CM. 2004. Improved clinical status in fibromyalgia patients treated with individualized homeopathic remedies versus placebo. Rheumatology (Oxford) [online]. May;43(5):577-82. Available from https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/14734789/
3. Frass M, Lechleitner P, Gründling C, Pirker C, Grasmuk-Siegl E, Domayer J, Hochmair M, Gaertner K, Duscheck C, Muchitsch I, Marosi C, Schumacher M, Zöchbauer-Müller S, Manchanda RK, Schrott A, Burghuber O. 2020. Homeopathic Treatment as an Add-On Therapy May Improve QOL and Prolong Survival in Patients with Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: A Prospective, Randomized, Placebo-Controlled, Double-Blind, Three-Arm, Multicenter Study. Oncologist [online]. Dec;25(12):e1930-e1955. Available from https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33010094/
4. Văcăraș V, Nistor C, Rahovan I, Văcăraş C, Vithoulkas G. 2020. Myasthenia gravis therapy with individualized homeopathy: A case report. Clinical Case Reports [online]. Jul 29;8(12):2464-2468. Available from https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33363760/
5. Australian Government Department of Health. Federal Register of Legislation. 2021. Therapeutic Goods Act 1989; No. 21, 1990 as amended. Commonwealth of Australia. Canberra [online]. Available from: https://www.tga.gov.au/overview-regulation-complementary-medicines-australia
6. Chikramane PS, Suresh AK, Bellare JR, Kane SG. 2010. Extreme homeopathic dilutions retain starting materials: A nanoparticulate perspective. Homeopathy [online]. Oct;99(4):231-42. Available from: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20970092/
7. Tournier, A. Roberts, R. 2015. Chemical dyes can detect presence of homeopathic high dilutions. Homeopathy Research Institute [online]. 30; 1-2. Available from: https://www.hri-research.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/HRI_ResearchArticle_30_TournierRoberts_2015_SolvatochromicDyes1.pdf.
8. Kalliantas D, Kallianta M, Kordatos K, Karagianni CS. 2021. Micro-nano particulate compositions of Hypericum perforatum L in ultra high diluted succussed solution medicinal products. Heliyon [online]. Apr 19;7(4):e06604. Available from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2405844021007076
9. Chikramane PS, Suresh AK, Kane SG, Bellare JR. 2017. Metal nanoparticle induced hormetic activation: a novel mechanism of homeopathic medicines. Homeopathy [online]. Aug;106(3):135-144. Available from: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28844286/
10. Rodrigues de Santana F, de Paula Coelho C, Cardoso TN, Perez Hurtado EC, Roberti Benites N, Dalastra Laurenti M, Villano Bonamin L. 2014. Modulation of inflammation response to murine cutaneous Leishmaniasis by homeopathic medicines: Antimonium crudum 30cH. Homeopathy [online]. Oct;103(4):264-74. Available from https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25439043/
11. de Santana FR, Dalboni LC, Nascimento KF, Konno FT, Alvares-Saraiva AM, Correia MSF, Bomfim MDC, Casarin RCV, Perez EC, Lallo MA, Peres GB, Laurenti MD, Benites NR, Buchi DF, Bonamin LV. 2017. High dilutions of antimony modulate cytokines production and macrophage - Leishmania (L.) amazonensis interaction in vitro. Cytokine [online]. Apr;92:33-47. Available from https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28092793/
12. Cajueiro APB, Goma EP, Dos Santos HAM, Almeida Rodrigues I, Toma HK, Araújo SM, Bonamin LV, Gomes NBN, Castelo-Branco MTL, de Souza Dias EP, Dos Santos Pyrrho A, Holandino C. 2017. Homeopathic medicines cause Th1 predominance and induce spleen and megakaryocytes changes in BALB/c mice infected with Leishmania infantum. Cytokine [online]. Jul;95:97-101. Available from https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28254560/
13. Mahesh S, Kozymenko T, Kolomiiets N, Vithoulkas G. 2020 (b). Antimonium crudum in pediatric skin conditions: A classical homeopathic case series. Clinical Case Reports [online]. 16;9(2):818-824. Available from https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33598251/
14. Buchheim-Schmidt S, Peters U, Duysburgh C, Van den Abbeele P, Marzorati M, Keller T, Martin D, Klement P, Baumgartner S. 2021. In vitro evaluation of the anti-pathogenic activity of Okoubaka aubrevillei on the human gastrointestinal tract. Zeitschrift fur Gastroenterologie [online]. May;59(5):423-437. English. Available from https://europepmc.org/article/med/33979845
1. Witt CM, Lüdtke R, Mengler N, Willich SN. 2008. How healthy are chronically ill patients after eight years of homeopathic treatment?--Results from a long term observational study. BMC Public Health [online]. Dec 17;8:413. Available from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2630323/
2. Bell IR, Lewis DA 2nd, Brooks AJ, Schwartz GE, Lewis SE, Walsh BT, Baldwin CM. 2004. Improved clinical status in fibromyalgia patients treated with individualized homeopathic remedies versus placebo. Rheumatology (Oxford) [online]. May;43(5):577-82. Available from https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/14734789/
3. Frass M, Lechleitner P, Gründling C, Pirker C, Grasmuk-Siegl E, Domayer J, Hochmair M, Gaertner K, Duscheck C, Muchitsch I, Marosi C, Schumacher M, Zöchbauer-Müller S, Manchanda RK, Schrott A, Burghuber O. 2020. Homeopathic Treatment as an Add-On Therapy May Improve QOL and Prolong Survival in Patients with Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: A Prospective, Randomized, Placebo-Controlled, Double-Blind, Three-Arm, Multicenter Study. Oncologist [online]. Dec;25(12):e1930-e1955. Available from https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33010094/
4. Văcăraș V, Nistor C, Rahovan I, Văcăraş C, Vithoulkas G. 2020. Myasthenia gravis therapy with individualized homeopathy: A case report. Clinical Case Reports [online]. Jul 29;8(12):2464-2468. Available from https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33363760/
5. Australian Government Department of Health. Federal Register of Legislation. 2021. Therapeutic Goods Act 1989; No. 21, 1990 as amended. Commonwealth of Australia. Canberra [online]. Available from: https://www.tga.gov.au/overview-regulation-complementary-medicines-australia
6. Chikramane PS, Suresh AK, Bellare JR, Kane SG. 2010. Extreme homeopathic dilutions retain starting materials: A nanoparticulate perspective. Homeopathy [online]. Oct;99(4):231-42. Available from: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20970092/
7. Tournier, A. Roberts, R. 2015. Chemical dyes can detect presence of homeopathic high dilutions. Homeopathy Research Institute [online]. 30; 1-2. Available from: https://www.hri-research.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/HRI_ResearchArticle_30_TournierRoberts_2015_SolvatochromicDyes1.pdf.
8. Kalliantas D, Kallianta M, Kordatos K, Karagianni CS. 2021. Micro-nano particulate compositions of Hypericum perforatum L in ultra high diluted succussed solution medicinal products. Heliyon [online]. Apr 19;7(4):e06604. Available from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2405844021007076
9. Chikramane PS, Suresh AK, Kane SG, Bellare JR. 2017. Metal nanoparticle induced hormetic activation: a novel mechanism of homeopathic medicines. Homeopathy [online]. Aug;106(3):135-144. Available from: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28844286/
10. Rodrigues de Santana F, de Paula Coelho C, Cardoso TN, Perez Hurtado EC, Roberti Benites N, Dalastra Laurenti M, Villano Bonamin L. 2014. Modulation of inflammation response to murine cutaneous Leishmaniasis by homeopathic medicines: Antimonium crudum 30cH. Homeopathy [online]. Oct;103(4):264-74. Available from https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25439043/
11. de Santana FR, Dalboni LC, Nascimento KF, Konno FT, Alvares-Saraiva AM, Correia MSF, Bomfim MDC, Casarin RCV, Perez EC, Lallo MA, Peres GB, Laurenti MD, Benites NR, Buchi DF, Bonamin LV. 2017. High dilutions of antimony modulate cytokines production and macrophage - Leishmania (L.) amazonensis interaction in vitro. Cytokine [online]. Apr;92:33-47. Available from https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28092793/
12. Cajueiro APB, Goma EP, Dos Santos HAM, Almeida Rodrigues I, Toma HK, Araújo SM, Bonamin LV, Gomes NBN, Castelo-Branco MTL, de Souza Dias EP, Dos Santos Pyrrho A, Holandino C. 2017. Homeopathic medicines cause Th1 predominance and induce spleen and megakaryocytes changes in BALB/c mice infected with Leishmania infantum. Cytokine [online]. Jul;95:97-101. Available from https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28254560/
13. Mahesh S, Kozymenko T, Kolomiiets N, Vithoulkas G. 2020 (b). Antimonium crudum in pediatric skin conditions: A classical homeopathic case series. Clinical Case Reports [online]. 16;9(2):818-824. Available from https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33598251/
14. Buchheim-Schmidt S, Peters U, Duysburgh C, Van den Abbeele P, Marzorati M, Keller T, Martin D, Klement P, Baumgartner S. 2021. In vitro evaluation of the anti-pathogenic activity of Okoubaka aubrevillei on the human gastrointestinal tract. Zeitschrift fur Gastroenterologie [online]. May;59(5):423-437. English. Available from https://europepmc.org/article/med/33979845
