About 25 years ago, when my boys started being born and getting acquainted with Chicago–and also before I became involved with alternative medicine–the oldest began to get ear infections. At the time, I was medical director of a big group of very conventional doctors and had access to some really good pediatricians. My son was prescribed antibiotics, his ear cleared up, but when the antibiotics were stopped, up popped another infection. Then, more antibiotics and later yet another infection.
Finally, the pediatrician recommended that what the kid needed was to be on one solid year of daily antibiotics (writing this now, I feel myself cringe). And so, in our refrigerator stood a quart-sized jug of vaguely iridescent pink goo that over the next few months would find its way down my poor son’s gullet. Fortunately for him, it had a deliriously sweet strawberry flavor, so he didn’t particularly mind. But after three weeks of this treatment, our household was celebrating National Diarrhea Week and heading into to National Diarrhea Month (could a year-long celebration be far behind?).
I was advised to mix Pepto Bismol (another pink goo, this one bubble gum flavored) with the antibiotic and soon he was constipated and screaming, whether from his ear or his bowels I’ll never know because we stopped everything.
Why? Because someone at my wife’s Moms-n-Tots group suggested a homeopath.
“A homeopath?” I bellowed. “I know all about homeopaths!” Truth to tell, I knew very little about homeopathy at the time, but ignorance has never prevented anyone from having strong opinions. I did know that my medical school professors considered all homeopaths deluded quacks delivering worthless sugar pills, their patients equally deluded victims. But I understood that if homeopathic remedies were totally worthless they were also completely harmless, and since the situation in the Edelberg household couldn’t get any worse, I reluctantly agreed.
The homeopath advised my wife to take our boy off all dairy and prescribed Pulsatilla 30 C. In a week, he seemed fine. Certainly the diarrhea was gone. A month passed without an ear infection, then two months. He was never to have another ear infection again. I sensibly kept silent to avoid any “I told you so” recriminations, but also started becoming very interested in homeopathy.
Here’s a second homeopathy story, this one from Andrew Weil, MD, relayed at a medical meeting. Although he deeply respected alternative medicine and had written books about it, he drew the line at homeopathy. It was beyond unscientific, he said, defying all principles of physical chemistry and physiology. But Dr. Weil told us he’d been suffering heartburn, was thoroughly tired of taking medication (probably Nexium), and out of sheer desperation followed a homeopath’s recommendation to try the remedy Nux vomica. Within a few days, his heartburn was gone for good.
Of course not everyone gets these results with homeopathy. Nor is it recommended for everything, even by the best of homeopaths. Serious illnesses, no. An alternative to needed surgery, no. But for many common ailments, homeopathic remedies are just fine.
Healthcare alternative to the pharmaceutical industry
If you travel to just about any city outside the US, you’ll see homeopathic pharmacies. Even conventional pharmacies in Europe and South America have large sections devoted to homeopathic remedies, and usually a homeopath on staff to help with your selection (useless, I discovered, unless you’re fluent in the local language). Let’s face it, if homeopathy didn’t work, was 100% fraud, it would have disappeared from the landscape more than 150 years ago instead of growing into its worldwide status as an alternative to pharmaceuticals. Interestingly, the US is pretty much the only country on the globe that thoroughly marginalizes homeopathy, a result of the AMA’s control of physician medical licensing in the 1890s. At one time the US had dozens of homeopathic medical schools and now it has none.
Let me describe homeopathy and I’ll keep it brief. There are roughly 1,500 natural substances (herbs, minerals, and the like) that, taken in large amounts by a well person, would produce specific symptoms. But if you happen to be suffering from those symptoms, taking a highly diluted form of that same substance triggers your body to start healing itself. For example, were you to take a high dose of Nux vomica (nutmeg, actually), you’d start getting heartburn. The highly diluted Nux, as Dr Weil discovered, cures it.
You’d think conventional doctors would have little trouble with this concept given its similarity to immunizations and allergy shots. With a flu shot, for example, you’re deliberately given an extremely small dose of flu virus to trigger your body to create antibodies against a real infection. If you’ve got hay fever, you’re given injections of ragweed and other similar allergens.
What most physicians and scientists have trouble swallowing is the second homeopathic principle, called potentization. This means that the more a substance is diluted, the more powerful a remedy it becomes. In highly potentized homeopathic remedies, there is actually no remaining molecule of the original substance, which causes conventional doctors to start screaming, while homeopaths see no problem. With serial dilution, the energy of the substance imprints itself on the diluting fluid. More dilution, more energy.
Some years back I gave a talk at the Chicago Medical Society about homeopathy, assuring them beforehand that I wasn’t a homeopath (probably out of fear for my own safety). When I got to my explanation of potentization and subtle energies, half the audience walked out of the room. At the end, when I asked if there were questions, the room was silent. OK, then.
My take on homeopathy
I think homeopathy is great for common ailments, both for you and your children. A lot of the studies in conventional medical journals showing good results with homeopathy are in pediatric populations. If you’re a parent, you can buy a small homeopathic remedy kit online or at any large health food store and have it around the house for minor ailments like sore throats, earaches, and bruises. There’s no shortage of reliable books and websites that will teach you how to use them.
Kids really like homeopathic remedies: tiny sweet pellets melt in their rosebud mouths, taken without any complaint at all. Also, their little bodies aren’t so dumb. They know if they get well with a homeopathic remedy, they’ll avoid a doctor visit and possibly even the universally dreaded shot.
I’m not ignoring conventional medicine here. Your child certainly needs a primary care pediatrician, if for nothing else than administering required immunizations and signing physical exam forms for school. But if anyone in your family has a recurring symptom and your doctor can’t find anything wrong, make an appointment with your local homeopath or see Dr. Sujatha Mannal in our group. I’ve been working with her since we first opened almost 20 years ago. In that time, she’s helped not only my kids, but my wife and me (I had this awful rash, but that’s another story), and probably at one time or another everyone at WholeHealth Chicago.
Be well,
David Edelberg, MD
I am very interested in trying homeopathy for menstrual cycle pain and thyroid issues. The big frustration is that holsititic, functional, integrative care is simply not accessible financially for most people. Even at an incredible place like WHC or Raby, you need to (rightfully) pay each practitioner for her/his expertise and they may (or may not) consult with each other to “group think” about the best way to support your health. Very promising, yes, but very pricey also. Thanks for the article and the comments.
KS
Hi KS. You’re correct in that being integrative is the toughest part of a center like ours. We strive for the “group think” by having weekly case conferences where we review cases; new patients, tough cases, and the resolved cases. We have an open door policy at WHC so that practitioners feel comfortable consulting with one another. And we refer to one another to get the best care for a particular patient. This is truly a work in progress but we continue to move forward.
Dr. R
Dana,
Good job on getting off the cows milk, but do read up on the dangers of soy, increased female hormones, especially. Most if not all soy milk is gmo and really gets an overload of hormonal response in male and females of our species. Think rice,almond, coconut, or ancient grain milk is my fav, blessings and good health always to you and yours.jk.
Jerry. Kieffer
THE ROYAL FAMILY IN ENGLAND HAS USED HOMEOPATHY FOR CENTURIES AND HAS A ‘COURT HOMEOPATH’ EVEN!! HOMEOPATHIC TREATMENT IS WIDELY ACCEPTED AND OFFERED WITHIN THE NHS AT THE PATIENT’S REQUEST. THERE IS A HOMEOPATHIC HOSPITAL IN MY HOMETOWN OF BRISTOL, WHICH IS NOW AROUND 200 YRS OLD, AND STILL THRIVING!
FROM PERSONAL EXPERIENCE BEFORE I HAD MAJOR ( 12 HR SURGERY) MY SURGEON AT NWM SUGGESTED TAKING ARNICA FOR A FEW WEEKS BEFORE AND AFTER SURGERY-THE severe LACK OF SWELLING OR BRUISING WAS UNBELIEVABLE-I’M SOLD:-) THANKS FOR WRITING ON THE SUBJECT DR.E!
TINA HEPWORTH
It’s great when a physician has an open mind, especially after trying the standard routes.
It’s too bad more physicians don’t know to recommend taking children off dairy (perhaps even if they’re NOT suffering recurrent ear infections). They don’t even know to question it.
Hence, desperate patients go elsewhere, including to quacks.
As for Andrew Weil, he was also fully on the Stigma brigade when it came to anti-depressants. Until he discovered he was depressed.
But he still excoriates the diagnosis and treatments for ADHD.
I find him a big, fat phony.
Gina Pera
Thank you, Mark and Julie, for taking the time to comment, and for your kind words. I am glad to be part of your healing journey, and so grateful for your continued confidence!
Sujatha
Thanks Paul, we will look into that.
aggieabbie
I’ve been using homeopathic remedies for years. I use oregano oil with olive oil warmed and rubbed on my kids for everything from earaches to slight rashes. I also have severe menoraggia and my family doctor prescribed low dose birth control pills and painkillers. I do not like taking anything so I rub oregano oil (yes, this is staple at our house!) or tiger balm and take Boiron cramp tablets. I’ve treated pink eye for 2 of my 3 boys with my own breastmilk! So I am somewhat knowledgeable about homeopath – except for one area… Persistent skin ailments. My husband has psoriasis and I cannot seem to find the right treatment. We know its not curable, but we’ve tried everything from the dr, all my concoctions and nothing seems to work. Any suggestions? Holistic places in Chicago that specialize in this area we can visit? Thank you
aggieabbie
Hi aggieabbie. Your husband might just try a consult with our homeopath, Sujatha Mannal.
Dr. R
Thanks so much for the article! I did a lot of online research and took my daughter off cows milk at about age 2.5 due to 6 ear infections and the doctor wanting her to get tubes. I figured it wouldn’t hurt her and it might help the situation. It did. No more ear infections. No tubes! My husband thought I was nuts, but is now more of a believer. Neither one of us drinks any milk and that was 4 years ago. (We do occasionally eat cheese(mac & cheese, etc.) though.) She loves almond milk. I also suffer from eczema (it got really bad) and was using all kinds of cortisone creams, etc. which I feel are not good for you. I again did lots of online research, changed my diet and rarely have any flair-ups and when I do they are super mild – that was 4.5 years ago. My husband had bad heartburn for years and was popping those heartburn pills constantly. About 1.5 years ago he switched to soy milk (from cow’s milk) while on a business trip just to try it. He hasn’t had heartburn since and no longer drinks cow’s milk. I will be looking into a homeopathic kit. Thank you again!
Dana
Dogs benefit as well. My 10-year old collie’s vet (Barbara Royal, DVM)recommended “Traumeel.” So much easier on a dog’s system than long-term use of NSAIDs.
LouAnn
I took my 13 year old daughter to Dr. Sujatha Mannal in Oct of 2013 because of asthma and allergies. I was so tired of her being on daily doses of Zyrtec, and used an alburterol inhale often. Many times a month she also was put on Symbicort expecially when she was sick. At school she had to keep all this and an EPI pen on hand. Meeting first with Dr. Edelberg first and then Dr. Mannal, I have been over joyed to say that my daughter has not taken any of these since that October. She now plays travel soccer and on a swim team. They have given me so much peace of mind. I can’t give enough thanks to how they have helped our daughter with both her physical and mental health. She no longer feels scared of an asthma attack.
Julie Kurowski-Jaquez
I’ve been treated by Whole Heath Chicago’s Homeopath for about 15 years and am constantly amazed at what she’s been able to help me with.
Mark Evans