BHA Bytes : BHA Bytes Issue 6
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Jan eNewsletter
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British Homeopathic Association [sbuckingham@trusthomeopathy.org] |
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sbuckingham@trusthomeopathy.org |
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BHA Bytes, your homeopathic e- newsletter. Issue 6 |
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| Your e-newsletter from the British Homeopathic Association | |
Welcome to our first BHA Bytes of 2007! It feels like winter might finally have arrived in the UK and those seasonal colds are lurking about! There is some sound advice on how homeopathy can help winter ailments in this issue. Plus: homeopathy and arthritis, positive research findings for homeopathic treatment in prostate cancer and the latest news on the threat to homeopathic services in the NHS (see top item). If you have a spare five minutes, please help us by completing our web survey at www.trusthomeopathy.org - thank you. BHA Bytes can also be viewed at www.trusthomeopathy.org/emailnews.html.
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NHS homeopathy under threat
A number of Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) have announced they are cutting funding for homeopathy, putting NHS homeopathic services in danger in London, Bristol and Tunbridge Wells. The most imminent threat affects Tunbridge Wells Homeopathic Hospital (TWHH). West Kent PCT announced last autumn that it was withdrawing funding for patients to be treated at TWHH from 1 October but has had to backtrack following protests from patients and local supporters. The Campaign to Save the Homeopathic Hospital (CaSHH), set up by local patients, has reported the PCT to Kent County Council's Overview and Scrutiny Committee for failing to launch a proper consultation before deciding to withdraw funding for homeopathic referrals. The PCT has now written to local GPs confirming that they may continue to make referrals for the time being while a proper review of the service is carried out.
Sustaining the campaign in the coming weeks is absolutely vital - the current struggle in Tunbridge Wells is indicative of a trend in other homeopathic NHS services, particularly Bristol and London. Now more than ever is the time to voice your support for homeopathy.
Natural History Museum hosts homeopathy debate
On 30 November the Natural History Museum hosted a two hour live debate on the question 'Does Homeopathy Work?'. Dr Peter Fisher from the Royal London Homeopathic Hospital spoke in favour of homeopathy, whilst the case against was put by Dr Ben Goldacre, Guardian columnist and author of www.badscience.net. Interestingly, Dr Goldacre was less scathing about homeopathy in person than he has often been in the pages of the Guardian or on his website. At one point he said "at the very worst it can do no harm" and even said "I don't mind if people want to have homeopathy on the NHS." The studio audience were asked to vote on various questions, including "Does homeopathy deserve proper scientific investigation?" 70% agreed that it did.
Your homeopathic stories
Now and again I want to give space to some readers' anecdotes, as many of you have told me how interested you are to read about how other people are using homeopathy.
Flying panic
Beryl Davis from the West Midlands writes: I once heard a homeopathic practitioner talking on the local radio recommend Argent nit 6c for fear of flying. My daughter and I were going off to Spain shortly after. I had not flown with my daughter, who was 33 at the time, for a number of year so was not aware of her problem. I had bought some Argent nit and had it in my bag. It certainly kept me calm and able to deal with the following situation.
We boarded the plane, were sitting quite calmly and the plane began to taxi down the runway. My daughter went straight into a panic attack, hyperventilating and rigid from head to foot. I was very shocked because she had not told me. We had with us her three year old daughter who was quite happily playing. I spoke to my daughter quietly and firmly to calm her down, massaging her arm, face neck and head and helping her to control her breathing and she eventually calmed right down. I resolved that this would not happen on the return flight...I started giving her Argent nit three days before the flight, 2 pills three times daily, including the day we flew. The difference in her was absolutely fantastic. She could not believe it herself. We sat and played cards during take off. She explained that she always had panic attacks on very flight but simply forgot to mention it to me. She still uses Argent nit if she gets stressed, as do I!
Success against the odds
Liz Renfrew from Glasgow writes: I am a 61 year old physiotherapist in private practice and first came into contact with homeopathy at the age of 16. I have had bronchiectasis since childhood and had a left lower and lingula lobectomy at age 16. The right lung was also diseased. My father took me to consult Dr Hamish Boyd at the Glasgow Homoeopathic Hospital after I was discharged. At my first check up six months later (with continuing homeopathic remedies) the surgeon expressed surprise that x-rays showed significant improvement in the whole right lung!
I continued to see Dr Boyd all through my school education, physiotherapy training and practice. I was not expected to make the age of 30 back then but have had a son, worked all these years and hope to continue to do so! I have used homeopathic remedies for the family and was very grateful to Dr Boyd for educating me in the principles and practice of homeopathy, enabling me to look after myself, family, pets and to direct my patients to ask for homeopathic consultations in Glasgow when it seemed the way to go. I would enthusiastically endorse homeopathic provision in the NHS both personally and professionally for my patients.
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Have you had success with homeopathy? Would you like to feature in our e-newsletter? Email me at sbuckingham@trusthomeopathy.org Please make sure your story is only about homeopathy, as I won't be able to use it otherwise. Thanks!
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Guard against those winter ills
Homeopathy can help build up your immune system in the winter months and come to your aid if you finally succumb to those annoying coughs and colds! Find out which remedies are most commonly indicated for a variety of winter ailments at www.homeopathicquestions.com, where Faculty of Homeopathy member Dr Jeni Worden gives advice.
Do you feel down in the winter months? Read our article on Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) here.
Arthritis sufferers could benefit from homeopathy
It was Arthritis Education Week earlier this month and the Arthritis Research Campaign have been advising people who are unsure how to cope with osteoarthritis on how they can help themselves. Alongside physiotherapy and losing weight, the ARC suggest trying complementary therapies - it is their aim to encourage GPs to be more open to different treatment options. One in five visits to the GP are because of arthritic and musculo-skeletal conditions but the ARC say that some family doctors are unable to deal with these problems effectively, and many patients continue to believe that nothing can be done to help their painful joints.
However, there is clinical evidence to suggest that homeopathy can be helpful in osteoarthritis so it is worth having a consultation with a homeopathic doctor if other avenues have proved fruitless.
Read our article on arthritis and rheumatism
Arthritis Research Campaign
Find a practitioner in your area
Bye for now
I hope you have found this issue useful. Let me know if there is any particular subject you would like to see covered in future issues – please email me with your ideas. I look forward to hearing from you.
Best wishes,
Sarah
Sarah Buckingham
sbuckingham@trusthomeopathy.org
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In the news
A selection of the latest articles on homeopathy from the national media.
Well-known environmentalist Zac Goldsmith looks at who's behind the lobby group Sense About Science, who have attacked homeopathy in recent months. His article was published in the Mail on Sunday:
Sense About Science exposed
Homeopathy for colds and flu:
The Independent
Homeopathy and acupuncture for pets:
The Times
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Join us! Become a Friend of the BHA
The British Homeopathic Association is the largest homeopathic charity in the UK. We believe that the benefits of homeopathy should be available to everyone – people and animals. If homeopathy has helped you, why not join us today? The BHA will continue to:
- Explain to people what homeopathy is and how it can help them
- Persuade government, decision-makers and the medical profession of the benefits of homeopathy
- Ensure that people can get access to homeopathy through the NHS
- Train healthcare professionals such as doctors and nurses in homeopathy
- Carry out important research to prove that homeopathy works
If you join us as a Friend you will receive four issues per year of our magazine Health & Homeopathy, as well as invitations to BHA events, access to local homeopathic groups and information about the BHA direct mail book service. Most importantly, you will be helping the BHA to achieve its aims.
Just click here to fill in a form on our website. Alternatively, give us a ring on 0870 444 3950 to sign up. Thank you for your support.
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 Positive findings for homeopathy in prostate cancer
Two papers by an American research group published in the December issue of Integrative Cancer Therapies have shown that some homeopathic medicines, particularly Sabal serrulata or Saw Palmetto, can inhibit the growth of prostate cancer cells. The BHA's Research and Development Adviser Dr Robert Mathie commented: "These are impressive findings, for they show clearly that homeopathic medicines can have important biological effects." For more information on the research visit our home page.
What do you think of our website?
We are running a short survey to find out how we can improve our website. I would be really grateful if you could take a couple of minutes to complete the survey on our home page at www.trusthomeopathy.org. There are ten questions and it should take no longer than five minutes. Input from BHA Bytes readers will be very useful to us. Thank you!
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