April 2003

APRIL 2003
A DOCTOR’S VIEW OF COMPLEMENTARY AND ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE, INCLUDING HOMEOPATHY

Dr David Owen

Introduction
There are several laws that healing systems follow. These systems aim to help an individual recover their own health, some work on stimulating the body’s own vitality and others work on reducing exposure or causative agents for the illness. Different healing systems can be combined together and, if necessary, with conventional treatment. Although these systems of medicine are predominantly safe it is important to consider what the diagnosis of any condition is and what is likely to happen if that condition is left untreated. They are alternative in philosophy, holistic in perception, natural in principle, complementary in practice and may be integrated together. Also, think about an illness as coming about over a period of time and likewise the cure requiring a similar journey to get back to good health. What would the world be like without any illness and are illness and health opposites?

To illustrate some of the principles of natural medicine we will talk further about homeopathy and address the following key points:

-Symptoms are the body’s reaction to illness.

-One disease group, e.g. headaches, may have many different causes (e.g. whiplash, stress, hangover, migraines), different symptoms (e.g. location, sensation and time) and require different homeopathic treatments.

-A constitutional prescription is one that fits the individual, taking into account the mental, general and physical symptoms. This may be based on either the totality of the patient’s case (all symptoms), the essence of the patient’s case (the main theme running through the case), on keynotes (particularly strong symptoms) or on a combination of these.

-A prescription may be based predominantly on the presenting or physical symptoms if the disease is not too deep-seated. For more chronic problems a constitutional prescription is required and a constitutional treatment may fit a number of different symptoms/health problems that an individual has at any one time.

-As natural treatments stimulate the body’s reaction to illness, so illness can be thrown off and symptoms may initially be aggravated. This is sometimes called a ‘healing crisis’ and needs to be differentiated from a deterioration in the disease itself.

- When symptoms are suppressed then it may be more difficult to find the right natural remedy and the illness may manifest itself in a different way.

When to consider using natural treatment

There are a number of situations where you can consider using complementary medicines. They include:

- When there is no good conventional treatment.
- When conventional treatment has failed or is not tolerated.
- When it is your preference.

- When many different disease patterns co-exist.Some examples, but not an exclusive list, of conditions that readily respond include irritable bowel and bladder, cystitis, catarrh and sinusitis, hayfever and rhinitis, headaches and migraines, indigestion, allergies including eczema, asthma and urticaria, rheumatoid and osteoarthritis, premenstrual syndrome, menopausal symptoms, recurrent viral illnesses and postviral states, circulation problems including cramps, varicose veins, ulcers, skin problems including eczema, psoriasis, acne, acne rosacea, thrush, nausea in travel and pregnancy, insomnia, hyperactivity and food sensitivities. Some conditions that might respond but with harder work or where control might just be enhanced include neuralgias, Meniere’s Disease, tinnitus, Parkinson’s, diabetes, hypertension, neuroses and more severe neurological and psychiatric disease.

The Evidence for Complementary Medicine

Consider what evidence / information you would like to have available before trying a natural treatment yourself. Bear in mind that evidence can come from a variety of sources including an understanding of how things work, laboratory evidence, controlled trials, patient studies, doctors’ and healthcare professionals’ experience and your and other patients’ experience. Which of these might influence you? A checklist of questions when thinking about different therapies might include questions such as - is it effective, is it safe, how has it developed over time, what are patients’ demands of it and is it meeting their expectations, what do healthcare workers think of it, is it cost-effective and what about its availability?

An illustrative case to show how different complementary medicines might approach the case. MRS S M, aged 56:

Headaches since 12 years old, worse over the last eight years. Recently the pain lasts for up to six hours two or three times a week. The pain is one-sided coming from the back of the head to the forehead and is sharp and stabbing.

Initially the headaches started monthly and were relieved by aspirin. In her twenties she had some relief from anti-migraine treatment but this didn’t seem to last for long. She has tried avoiding coffee, cheese and fatty foods, which helps, and she is currently trying to keep these to a minimum. The headaches aggravated by bright lights and damp weather, better for firm pressure and warmth.
She was involved in a road accident when she was 47 when her grand-daughter, who was passenger in the car, was injured. She fell off a horse when she was 11. She had a ‘horrific’ menopause relieved by hormone treatment. she had a gall-bladder operation aged 46.
She has always suffered from constipation with her bowels open once or twice a week. She has had hayfever for at least twenty years, which has seemed to aggravate the headaches slightly.
She has tried a variety of different drug treatments and is currently taking some which give only temporary relief.
Her parents separated when she was a child. Her husband has a busy job as a university lecturer and has a raised blood pressure. Her mother had migraines and her daughter suffers from asthma, eczema and hayfever. Mrs S M is a hot person, always has been but even more so since the menopause and perspires easily.
She finds it difficult to show her feelings, having previously changed her GP after counselling was suggested she felt misunderstood. She is a loner, particularly when she feels ill. She enjoys playing the piano and listening to music, which relaxes her. When I see her she is smartly dressed, slight, with tinted glasses. She speaks in a reserved fashion and is reticent in giving her history.

Question: What different complementary medical treatment approaches might help her? Think about what the different causes of this lady’s headaches might be and how you might approach them.