Homeopathy under scrutiny: a practitioner’s view
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Homeopathic homicide
By Michael Nasmith
Tuesday, 29 September 2009 13:31
Homeopathic remedies called into question after baby’s death
Parents convicted of manslaughter
The conviction of an Australian couple whose baby died after being treated with homeopathic medicine threatens to bring the practice under scrutiny.
Homeopath advocates contend that this case is a distorted version of what homeopathy is, and express shock at the idea their profession could cause harm.
“In over 300 years we’ve never killed anyone,” said Andrea McClintock, who is both a
homeopath and researcher at the Toronto School of Homeopathic Medicine. “It’s very, very difficult to imagine.”
•The couple in Australia, Thomas and Manju Sam, used homeopathic remedies to treat their nine-month-old daughter Gloria, who had eczema. They finally sought a conventional medical opinion three days before the infant’s death, but it was too late to prevent their baby from succumbing to infections.
Marilyn Freedman, a homeopath in Toronto, said, “We will never, never, never tell our patients to stop seeing conventional doctors. In Canada it’s not legal for homeopathic doctors to intervene in conventional medicine.”
McClintock said that there is increasing co-operation between the two fields of health, with doctors more willing to share the results of diagnostic tests that homeopathic practitioners can’t perform.
The homeopathy profession employs a different scientific philosophy, said McClintock, and provides care the established medical community cannot duplicate. “We don’t see people as just the physical body. The person isn’t a diabetic, they’re a person who happens to have diabetes,” she said, adding that ten people with diabetics may receive ten different treatments.
Homeopathy also allows the doctor to spend more time with the patient. McClintock says she spends three to four hours with the patient during the initial visit.
While the Ontario College of Physicians and Surgeons does not endorse homeopathic it’s does have a policy on complementary medicine which includes homeopathy.
Under the policy doctors are responsible for ensuring that their patient is aware of conventional treatments, disclosing the degree to which alternative treatments have been evaluated, and providing enough information to allow a patient make a well-informed choice.
Although the death in Australia may cause people to reconsider homeopathy, Freedman is convinced those that have experienced the results will not waver from their treatment.
“Homeopathic medicine provided by registered homeopaths is safe, there is no side effects, it’s effective and it’s inexpensive compared to pharmaceuticals.”
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