Renee Moodie

Renee Moodie has been a years. She took the freelance route when she becaure mother to a son,Jack journalist lor 15 OMEO -trf,EAP OT TAITH? Many of us dose our children with homeopathic powders and pills when they are ill. Are you doing the right thing? The experts give us their opinions HOMEOPATHY WAS SOMETHING I hadn't thought much about until I had a child. Then, when nry son was due lor a vaccinati.on, a member of r.ny mothers' support group suggested that I give him the hon.reopathic remedy Thuja before the dreadedjab. I went out and bought a bottle - only to throrv it away unopened after it had dawned on nre that I was abolrt to give n.ry three-n-ronth-old a substlnce that I knew nothing about, rvith no input lron: e rrcdical practitiorter. After that, I became awate of how often I u'zs hearing mothers reconrntend honieopathic remedies for other peoplei (and their own) children. l began to r,volrder if this kind of self-medication was a good idea, even if homeopathic remedies are as safe as their reputation has it. I also began to wonder about homeopathic renredies themselves. Btg lruslness into the subject revealed that the aiternative nredicine ir-rdustry is big busir.ress. In South My research Africa, about R2-bi11ion is spent annually on complemel.)tary and alternative medicines. And South Africans are not a1one. 'About 70% of the world\ population use homcopathic and other alternative medicincs as their prinary medications, due partially to their lower cost as compared to today's sophisticated medicines,' says Johan Raats, national president of the Pharmaceutical Society of South Africa. So rvhat's the story n'ith homeopathic remedies? Peter Smith, a Cape Town-based GP, homeopath and acupuncturist, says homeopathy is based on the Law of Sinilars. The key principle is that a substance Dr taken in small amounts will cure the same symptoms it in large atnounts.'Leti say, for exarnple, you have a child with a sore throat and a mildly pink, srvollen pharynx.That may respond to Apis mellifica, or honeybee extract.When someone is stung by a bee, they get a pinkish, rvatery swelling, the same as in the sore throat. There is a resonance benveen toxic e{fects and therapeutic e{Iects when given in dilution,'he says. The Founder of homeopathy, Samuel Hahnemann (1755-1S43), started diluting medicines in reaction to the side effects of the drugs of the day. He found that there was a point at which these diluted drugs were no longer effective - but, Dr Smith says, he then serendipitously hit on the discovery that shaking the remedies brought the thetapeutic potential to causes life again. In this process of dilution and shaking, remedies can be taken to the point where there is nothing left of the originai substance. Logic dictates that we ask how these remedies work - and it's this question that informs much of the debate about homeopathy' tlo rclentlffc etildence From a scientific point of view, there is no evidence that homeopathy works, or of the way in which it works, says Dr Marc Blockman, senior specialist in clinical pharmacology at Groote Schuur Hospital. He Rabv&Me 49 debate herserrand says,ha,:::":::1.:::ul:::,nil:ff 4rrv '--r to a lengtny ttrat ,i*#:*:i[il;#lil:il,1i il:,:"J::i:ll;il'o'* that-data ,;J.'-;ffi ;";.;,^:';,, on'."**r,,n'.:p,oo'.,g', Scepfics vierr to presc'ib' " I "",'"dv' I personat.anped lI;.;,;-;J," f*,.I"J:[l*;.;;i}|: on ncco.r-{11.:".}:H: ; ;-,;;," p",.*rl ,;,..;"'";ru:*. ;",ir,' ;" **.:;ii;;5f;;:h:f:'.Filii:i*:f;;;'herAnd iitiJ"?;. jffi;;;;;;'' ',ff':::,"T,':11';*.t^:li.* people are given substanc* stories rike makiog ;-*;.;*, h" r#J-"or",tic diluted, rocus rnese'?, is remedies are i patient misdiagnosis (the her *""'.""1-"-- H,j;1,,,"ll::J:',',::lTJll!HH ahomeo" ,"*. *oth.r.to self-prescribe ""': '*j;:::J:#,'.",:,-ITJJJ; ;;;*jtUi: ?j#:;::: ';: il;;; ; ,^J,'r"' ;'lil]:ffi'-i" pr"'u" "I":'; ,.,,, ;$":i*;.1,T:::-.1:lT[-: "'"1,'l'"":'i'i.; "*h.H::J";li,',r..i;. * nll..,;;",- _ "r,i'.,l*";-'il;''?'.t':'lJl,l. fi:i:Ti:: *',t"'m "o;' :t#;* m:ruitx::;:Hl;.1-H *l extremerv #i::#.T:'-."fm those hormones are says Dr Smith But homeopa,h homeopa'lhi'c have substances,,.n that powerfui in their tut"tt"or"rn. to tend tt:".:"He admits that homeopatnt *i:];,,'rherdsinuu'"n"'o"Jnlll :*l1tjf*X';illii'l"il 'T; probably bc mastitis.' ,^ls are li-,n.r" children would ttials.are each drug because allopathic .r* il-.j-"""a*"."nt remedy, tions "^-'r"like H-tiryi$1$;.;**l.E il.";#l::,"*i:l.;:,;;il,{'* :::r':'r:mr ;;;;,.* r,.* ,t'i"'^l''ii.'';;; ;" ::iltlii:i,'*'#ffi.,:j:'# ;tifli:ilil,l$T'";='ffi #;L il '"q ;i r* r**1,,;:1"*i ^r""", f:"y"""tr li"{r:i#: "m';:JH; torwarc,l'i,"."r-'""--Il it )tes molecules oFthe orrgtn that self-medicatioo n3'l a brd 's signar ;ignal is carried forwa - but that is -i^-r,rra, conlecturc' mixture are given *tr.t the through people are_ 'nt_,-lli',i"" were glven tne they .,,r.*i .r"uiorsly :: 1n are misdiagnosed and treat:*t*:::;j.H*',""?T;t??1: ;l;.:r., '"'1","",-^o".rive carries on for too and ,..f1,$;;l:#;'#i*::,;'"1'"';**ji#i"J,TiiI[ il:]',.J:i *::..1"3:.;; :[::::::i':':iil';;;'i""*'jv i:,#"jl}ru"1'lj;}:.,1r* :*;t",:l#itti*'im'ilff: d:'"t'Ii",'jfl; ,.".Li,'0,r" ,""* *i-r",? - yot,. il'.J"i1T"r'li'lyil,1 :il:;. .Then she got tonsillitis, Deratures, and that ;;.ai",' with liigh tem- It was taking quite a long time 50 BabY&Me with for that parricular pers' ,::.:[:#ITL[:'::::il: questlon l*"*fn ;i;: icAMS tndex :?:!':^""orv Medicit* t nirnJ "'^"";':,'lllin smith, publisn"iin-ir,"n *'ilo'"'i"-n're that the strenethrcr ", T:r;;,*tjffili+i*, J,.r*.::,.$.h it because she ,rJlili 'i" ""t remedv """0'""'f""n'- flXx,l;;ffi*;:Il;J,|ffi .";,:r; uke indi 'we he AtterlD- HflTil#,:#::#;ffi'il; "l'?L'i:i?'ffi"'r"'v'1"""r? xi,fleiffii6Biftr, have been monitored Homeopathic remedies 1986' says Dr Joey in South Africa since lnspectorate and Gouw+ Director of the of Enforcementin the Department Law Health Control - under which the Medicines €ouncil falls' As companies that with alt other medicines' remedies must submit make homeopathic safety' quali- products' information about their MCC'The departmentl ty and eflicacy to the inspectors Practice) GMP tGood Manufacturing both in South all manufacturing sites - visit Africa and abroad - every two ye'rs'Th€y the how it matchet up to inspect the site to see they are not happy information submitted"lf ingredient said to be if, for instan€e' an active stock on the site - the in a remedy is not in Dr Gouws' product will not be registeredisays a is required to carry A registered remedy on the label' including range of information and side effects' Most ingredients, dosage a the product should carry importantly, look to should regis$ation number"Mothers product regitration number se€ that it it the registration numberi - not the manufacturer! warns Dr Gouws' can vary in Dr Jeannes says remedies agrees"Ethical quality greatly, and Dr Smith been making remedies manufacturers have there are people right way forever' but the advising mothers to who cut cornersi he says' or to work go to reputable pharmacies' ln the case of irrrougn their homeopath' (where a variety of complex remedies the he advises reading substances are rnixed) aredt listed' don't buy label.'lf the ingredients about homeopat$; it! Mothers can also read with And it's best to stick educate themselves' best - simplex remedies are complex remedies diagnosis been a spetific used when there! bY a Practitioneri Raby&Mc 51