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... Durante essa epidemia, segundo Hoover [28] e Shepherd [38], a taxa de mortalidade dos pacientes sob tratamento homeopático foi 5-16%, enquanto aqueles que recebiam tratamentos convencionais apresentaram 54-90%. A homeopatia também foi empregada na epidemia de 1854 em Londres [28,29,394041, diminuindo a mortalidade de forma significativa. Na Lição XI da obra Lições de filosofia homeopática, Kent descreve o tratamento de alguns casos de uma mesma epidemia de diarréia infantil com a 30ª potência do medicamento Podophyllum, que apresentava em sua patogenesia sintomas semelhantes aos observados nos pacientes doentes (gênio epidêmico), relatando que " as curas eram quase instantâneas, parecia como se não houvessem mais fezes após a primeira dose do medicamento " , apesar de nem sempre utilizar dose única [26]. ...
Empregando o princípio da similitude curativa, a homeopatia visa estimular o organismo a reagir contra os seus próprios distúrbios. No entanto, para que o medicamento homeopático desperte uma reação homeostática efetiva, ele precisa ser individualizado, ou seja, ser escolhido pela semelhança com o conjunto de sintomas característicos do binômio doente-doença. Dessa forma, buscando diminuir as suscetibilidades individuais que predispõe ao adoecer, o medicamento homeopático atua curativa e preventivamente em muitas doenças humanas. Por outro lado, possui indicação específica no tratamento e na prevenção das doenças epidêmicas, desde que escolhido individualmente segundo o conjunto de sintomas peculiares à epidemia (denominado "gênio epidêmico"), com exemplos históricos descritos na literatura. Nessa atualização, iremos discorrer sobre as premissas epistemológicas que fazem da homeopatia hahnemanniana uma prática médica preventiva, as evidências científicas que endossam sua aplicação clínica e os requisitos mínimos para utilizá-la terapêutica e preventivamente nas doenças epidêmicas. Abstract By applying the principle of therapeutic similitude, homeopathy seeks to stimulate the organism to react against its own disturbs. For homeopathic medicines to awaken effective homeostasis responses they must be individualized, this means that they must be chosen according to their similarity to the set of characteristic symptoms of the patients. In this way, by aiming at decreasing the individual susceptibility predisposing to disease, homeopathic medicines have healing and preventive effects in many human illnesses. On the other hand, homeopathic medicines may have specific indications in the treatment and prevention of epidemic diseases provided they are also chosen according to the particular set of peculiar symptoms to a given epidemic, viz the so-called "epidemic genius", as historical examples show. This update paper discusses the epistemological foundations of Hahnemann"s homeopathy as a preventive medical approach, the scientific evidences supporting its clinical application and the minimum requirements to employ it both therapeutically and preventively in epidemics.
... These same methodological criteria ought to be reproduced in the design of research projects employing dynamized isoprophylaxis, as mentioned above widely publicized as preventive against epidemic diseases, but without any support in Hahnemann's homeopathic epistemology and showing no scientific evidence regarding the benefit and risks of such method. " ([1], page 166) Those remarks notwithstanding, it should be admitted that the studies that used individualized remedies (symptom-based GE) for the treatment and prevention of epidemic diseases (homeoprophylaxis) are much more consistent, exhibit better methodological design and scientific documentation than the ones that performed isoprophylaxis, from the careful reports of Hahnemann of series of cases and prevention (scarlet fever, typhus, remittent fevers, cholera) [21-23, 25, 26, 37] to the more recent therapeutic and preventive protocols (influenza, cholera, dengue)3839404142434445. Among the more recent studies, the multicenter protocol for randomized controlled trials (RCT) formulated by Dantas et al. [46] stands out, as it is rigorously based on the homeopathic epistemological premises, as well as on ethical and scientific fundamental assumptions and prescribes a " rigorous methodological design " . ...
Homeopathy might be employed for the prevention of epidemic diseases (homeoprophylaxis) provided remedies are selected on an individual basis in compliance with the ‘principle of symptom-based similitude’ and according to the totality of symptoms peculiar to a given epidemic (remedy of the ‘epidemic genius’ or ‘genus epidemicus’), as countless examples in the literature show. The use of nosodes for the prevention of epidemic diseases (isoprophylaxis), i.e., selected based on the ‘principle of etiological identity’ with full neglect of symptom-based individualization and pathogenetic trials, is not supported by the homeopathic epistemological model. As long as there are no reliable scientific evidences attesting to its efficacy and safety, ‘isopathic immunization’ might not be indicated as a regular replacement of classical immunization, as it would mean a transgression of the bioethical principles of ‘beneficence’ and ‘non-maleficence’. Although many homeopathic practitioners systematically indicate that practice, it is condemned by homeopathic institutions worldwide. In this article, I elaborate on epistemological, ethical and scientific features of these disparate approaches to prophylaxis, which I had summarily addressed in a previous review.
http://www.feg.unesp.br/~ojs/index.php/ijhdr/article/view/707/687
... According to Hoover [28] and Shepherd [38] the mortality rate during that epidemic was 5-16% among patients treated with homeopathy and 54-90% among patients treated conventionally. Homeopathy was also used in the 1854 epidemic in London [28,29,394041 once again with significant reduction of mortality rates. In Lesson XI of his Lectures, Kent describes the treatment of some cases of an epidemic of childhood diarrhea with Podophyllum 30c according to the similitude of pathogenetic symptoms and the epidemic genius, " the cures were almost instantaneous, it seemed as if there would be no more stool after the first dose of medicine " , despite he did not always use single doses [26]. ...
By applying the principle of therapeutic similarity, homeopathy seeks to stimulate the organism to react against its own disturbs. For homeopathic medicines to awaken effective homeostasis responses they must be individualized, this means that they must be chosen according to their similarity to the set of characteristic symptoms in patients. In this way, by aiming at decreasing individual susceptibility predisposing to disease, homeopathic medicines have healing and preventive effects in many human illnesses. On the other hand, homeopathic medicines may have specific indications in the treatment and prevention of epidemic diseases provided they are also chosen according to the particular set of symptoms peculiar to a given epidemic, viz. the so-called “epidemic genius”, as historical examples show. This update paper discusses the epistemological foundations of Hahnemann’s homeopathy as a preventive medical approach, the scientific evidences supporting its clinical application and the minimum requirements to employ it both therapeutically and preventively in epidemics.
La Homeopatía puede utilizarse para la prevención de enfermedades epidêmicas (homeoprofilaxis) siempre que los medicamentos sean escogidos individualmente, de acuerdo al ‘principio de semejanza sintomática’ y a la totalidad de los sintomas característicos de una epidemia dada (remedio del ‘genio epidémico’), como demuestran un gran número de ejemplos en la literatura. El uso de nosodes para prevención de epidemias (isoprofilaxis), es decir, escogidos en función del ‘principio de identidad etiológica’, con total omisión de la individualización sintomática y los estudios patogenésicos, no tiene fundamento en el modelo epistemológico homeopático. Hasta que no se disponga de evidencias científicas confiables que atestigüen su eficacia y seguridad, no es posible indicar el remplazo de las vacunas tradicionales por una ‘inmunización isopática’, pues representaría una contravención de los principios bioéticos de ‘beneficencia’ y ‘no-maleficencia’. Aunque es cierto que muchos homeópatas indican sistemáticamente tal remplazo, este es criticado por instituciones homeopáticas de todo el mundo. En este artículo, discuto más extensamente aspectos epistemológicos, éticos y científicos de estas modalidades de profilaxis que abordé someramente en una revisión anterior.
Aplicando el principio de similitud terapéutica, la Homeopatía busca estimular al organismo para que reaccione en contra de su propia perturbación. Para que los medicamentos homeopáticos puedan despertar respuestas homeostáticas efica-ces deben ser individualizados, esto significa que deben ser elegidos en función de su similitud con el conjunto de síntomas característicos de los pacientes. De esta manera, teniendo el propósito de disminuir la susceptibilidad individual que predis-pone a la enfermedad, los medicamentos homeopáticos curan y generan efectos preventivos en muchas enfermedades humanas. Por otra parte, los medicamentos homeopáticos pueden tener indicaciones específicas en el tratamiento y prevención de enfermedades epidémicas, con la condición de que también se elijan de acuerdo con el conjunto particular de sínto-mas peculiares de una epidemia determinada, a saber, el llamado "genio epidémi-co", como lo muestran varios ejemplos históricos. En este trabajo se analiza la ac-tualización de las bases epistemológicas de la Homeopatía de Hahnemann desde el enfoque médico preventivo, las evidencias científicas que apoyan su aplicación clínica y los requisitos mínimos para emplearla tanto terapéutica como preventiva-mente en las epidemias.
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