The orthodox way to treat patients according to Western medicine is by diagnostic tests, drugs, and surgery. Doctors who are bound by the Hippocratic oath have no faith in the efficacy of homeopathic preparations on the basis that anything not clinically proven. Contrary to such disparity, Homeopaths believe in using natural principles in the treatment of disease. With regard to dengue, they claim the two homoeopathic preparations, Abies Nigra,and Eupatorium Perfoliatumhave, in their experience, helped many dengue affected patients to recover from the critical phase of sliding down to the Dengue Shock Syndrome stage
Origins of Homeopathy
German physician, Samuel Hahnemann discovered Homeopathic as an alternative medicine in 1796 based on his doctrine ‘like cures like’ (law of similar).Nevertheless, critics of Homeopathy regard it as a pseudoscience that is incorrectly presented as scientific. Homeopathic preparations are manufactured using a process of dilution known as ‘potentisation’ in which a substance is mixed with alcohol or distilled water, and then briskly shaken repeatedly in a process called ‘succession‘ until no molecules of the original substance remain. Finally, the substance is termed as a homeopathic preparation. The process is governed by consulting reference books known as ‘repertories‘.
Sri Lankan perspective
Homeopathy is recognized in Sri Lanka and comes under the purview of Ministry of Indigenous Medicine. In addition, there is also Homoeopathic Medical Council. These two entities collaborate with the Presidential Task Force and the National Dengue Control Programme to implement a nationwide ‘prophylactic’ programme. In such backdrop homeopaths are mystified as to why the government prohibits doctors to use homoeopathic drugs, even though some doctors are convinced in their own right. They claim it as an absolute crimeto let patients suffer and die unnecessarily when some of the government doctors who would like to use the homoeopathic drug on dengue patients are restricted by rules and regulations.
The Rajapaksa regime allocated Rs 300 million in 2012 to the Dengue Control Unit. In the wake of a dengue epidemic today, the million-dollar question is whether the much-touted Presidential Task Force and National Dengue Control Programme had overlooked homeopathy as an effective solution to treat dengue patients.
Joepathy
Joe de Livera, the CEO of an almost a century old business Organisation in Pettah, introduces himself as a living example of how the daily use of Arnica 30c(Homeopathic preparation) can benefit the user right up to old age. Joe who is 88 years old claims: “I do not bear the usual signs of old age and do not sport any wrinkles on my skin, neither do I have any aches and pains in my body, which is usually the price one pays for the advancing years. I do not take any allopathic drugs whatever except on a SOS basis, like after surgery. All my medical statistics are normal.”
Joe has pioneered in treating dengue since 2008 when dengue replaced Chikungunya in Sri Lanka. He prescribes Eupatorium Perfoliatum 200c in the wet dose, which is made by inserting 6-8 pellets into a 500ml bottle of water from which a dose of 10ml given every three hoursas soon as the patient is proved to be positive to the Dengue Antigen Test. In his experience, the patient usually shows marked improvement in a few hours after the second dose, and the third dose usually makes the patient’s Platelet count to rise at the rate of around 2,500 per hour. Body pains, fever and vomiting usually leave the patient in a few hours after the second dose is administered, and the patent feels fit to be discharged, if warded in a hospital.
Personal experience
From his personal experience, he finds many doctors who have used this ‘magic drug’ in their own clinics have confirmed that ‘it does wonders’ when compared to their own treatment protocol, but unfortunately, there is a marked resistance to using this simple and safe remedy on the part of the SLMC, as their official position being before any drug can be cleared for general use in hospitals, it has to be subjected to tests, which usually take over six months to perform!
Joe spends about 2-3 hours on his own website (www. joedelivera. com) daily, and also assists any patient who consults him in office by giving his services and the medicines free of charge. He has ‘simplified’ Homeopathic in a practical manner to work more positively, while the conventional Homoeopaths beat about the bush, as instructed by the classical exponents of this science, and often derisively classify his treatment as ‘Jopathy.’ ‘I am not alone in my “this for that therapy’ says Joe, and refers those interested to visit the website of Prasanta Banerjee Homoeopathic Research Foundation(www . pbhrfindia . org).
Those doctors who are convinced on the effects of using Eupatorium Perfoliatum 200c in the Wet dose have been informed that this homoeopathic remedy is already being used by patients who are aware of its availability free of charge in a few centres throughout Sri Lanka in bottles of water, medicated in the manner described, but the urgent need today, he asserts, is to ensure that it is available in all hospitals in Sri Lanka to arrest the current rate of fatalities that is reported to be well over 200 mark for 2017.
In the present context, dengue is identified as the Type 2 virus that is spreading at epidemic levels, which is the most difficult of the four types of the virus to treat. In such a backdrop Joe de Livera strongly feels that commonsense should prevail on the authorities to give the green light, at least to test it out on a few patients, to verify how this remedy “Eupatorium Perfoliatum” 200c in the Wet dose can cure dengue patients. Adding further, he says that there is absolutely no objection whatsoever for hospitals to continue with the standard treatment protocol, because all that is necessary is the relieving water-mixture is given to patients, while a physician in the ward can verify results
Dr. Mass R. Usuf
Dr. Mass R. Usuf, PhD, M (Acu), MFHom, President of the National Association of Homoeopaths & Affiliates (NAHA), and also the Vice President of the Ceylon Homoeopathic Medical Association, has published several articles in the Sri Lankan national English press on Homeopathy Prevention and Cure. He has explained in detail to what extent the homoeopathic drug ‘Eupatorium Perfoliatum’ cured hundreds of dengue affected patients from his own personal experience.
He claims homoeopathic prophylactic is extremely cheap in comparison to tens of millions of rupees the government spends on Dengue Health Care at present. Homoeopathic drugs are free of side effects and could even be administered to a day-old infant, and blames Sri Lankan health Health authorities for turning a blind eye when thousands become ill and hundreds die of dengue fever.
There has, however, been no emphasis curing dengue with any drug, as there is none listed in the pharmacopoeia of drugs available worldwide. It is homeopaths’ fervent hope that the Sri Lanka Medical Council (SLMC) will wake up to realities and accept their plea and commence the trials, which they consider as being essential to use this miracle remedyto cure dengue immediately.
