Homeopathy for our times

Townsend Letter for Doctors and Patients, June, 2004 by Katherine Duff

Biological, Chemical and Nuclear Warfare--Protecting Yourself and Your Loved Ones: The Power of Digital Medicine

by Savely Yurkovsky, MD

Science of Medicine Publishing, 37 King Street, Chappaqua, New York 10514 USA

Softbound, 2003, 280 pp., $25.95

While committees and commissions continue to explore the events of September 11, 2001, the pathetic medical response during the aftermath has yet to garner any attention at all. If what occurred was an aberration, we could expect an investigation into the conduct of the medical and public health experts who served to facilitate the return of residents to contaminated homes, schools and workplaces. We might expect an inquiry into the lack of even basic information being made available to the people in the area on proper methods for preventing exposures. But there is no outcry for better medical response next time, just programs to monitor the many people who have become ill. There have been many lessons to learn from 9/11, but improvement in our public health and medical systems in an emergency is not one of them.

Savely Yurkovsky MD, recognized the need for people to be able to take care of themselves in the event of a terrorist attack and wrote Biological, Chemical and Nuclear Warfare. Protecting Yourself and Your Loved Ones: The Power of Digital Medicine. In this book he educates the layperson about the principles of homeopathy and its potential for application in times of emergency.

The book begins with a primer on homeopathy starting with its history. In this narrative we see how the founder Samuel Hahnemann MD, expanded on Hippocrates' principle of "like cures like" to develop a method for preparing homeopathic remedies as well as a system for a thorough analysis of the patient and symptoms to obtain as close a match with the remedy as possible. Called classical homeopathy, this rather complicated discipline is probably best left to the well-educated professional.

We learn that another branch of homeopathy, called causative homeopathy, holds promise for the individual in an emergency situation. When the noxious agent is a known factor, such as a chemical, bacterial agent or nuclear radiation, remedies can be prepared using the agent in question. This form of homeopathy is called isopathy and the remedy used is referred to as an isode or nosode. When the actual agent is not available it is possible to use one's own bodily fluids that are likely to contain the causative agent to prepare remedies called autosodes.

A later chapter details the method for preparing the isode and autosode remedies. Intended as a stopgap measure until it is possible to access appropriate medical care, the instructions are easy to follow. They make use of readily available materials and assist the reader to make the necessary evaluations for such things as needed potency and assessing outcomes.

The intended audience for this book is anyone who is concerned for their health after an attack. Yurkovsky assumes the reader is new to homeopathy and supplies an ample discussion of its underlying principles, with references to support its scientific validity. Here the reader learns to shift from the pharmaceutical paradigm to one that is based on boosting the body's own immune response for self-healing.

Some of the most convincing evidence for accepting the principles of homeopathy can be found in the author's examination of the concept of hormesis, a phenomenon known in toxicology and pharmacology whereby a very diluted amount of a toxic agent imparts health benefit. This discussion includes references to studies supporting its validity and the revelation that hormesis may be known but is not widely embraced by mainstream toxicology.

The reasons that the author gives for the fact that hormesis is not accepted by the mainstream is a vital part of this book. For the reader new to alternative medicine, Yurkovsky provides a question and answer format that compares the paradigms of conventional medicine and homeopathic medicine. Simply, the conventional medical model is a systems approach that divides disease and organs of the body into separate entities, whereas the homeopathic model sees the organs of the body and disease as "interconnected phases of one whole abnormal energetic state." He then describes the scientific discovery process that underlies conventional medicine, revealing a system that is capable of perpetuating the omission of factors through ignorance or bias. It is through this process that the role of energy-based approaches such as homeopathy, have fallen through the cracks.

Yurkovsky makes a good case for including this book in one's first aid preparedness kit. The documentation in this book includes over 400 references and many clinical cases that demonstrate successful use of homeopathic remedies. His remedies include the gamut of possibilities in the case of a terrorist attack, such as chemicals, metals, pathogens and radiation. Compared to the recommendations for the use of duct tape and plastic sheeting offered by our government and the practically non-existent response from conventional medicine after 9/11, Yurkovsky has offered a therapy that can be used by anyone in times of catastrophic emergencies. In this book he has shared information that really may save lives.