Homeoprophylaxis and the Cuban Experience

I recently attended the Australian Homeopathic Conference where we had Dr Jurgen Schulte, a physicist very interested in nanotechnology,  come and explain to us in great detail his best efforts to prove without a doubt that there were nano particles in the microdilutions of homeopathic remedies, therefore showing active particles.  Schulte has found them in Zinc 200c and Aurum 30c. In many other remedies,  when he did have a positive result, he was unable to replicate his experiment result a second time, meaning that he could not prove it without a shadow of a doubt.  How frustrating that must be for him!

For the rest of the homeopathic community we are often bombarded with naysayers shrieking “There is no scientific proof”!  However, there are several reputable studies that have shown that homeopathic remedies do work and have a significant effect.  An example of this is the University of Texas has done a study showing that ultradilutions of 4 homeopathic remedies had an effect on breast cancer cells, slowing down their cycle.[1]

For me there is no greater proof than the 250 years of homoepathic clinical case studies where it has worked extremely well, often treating diseases that the medical fraternity has been unable to help.  Indeed in modern times, up to the minute governments have funded and supported homeopathy as part of their health system.  Such countries include India, Brazil, Belgium, England and even Cuba.  The Cuban government has had an amazing and well documented experience using homeopathic prophylaxis against Leptospirosis each year since 2007.

What is homeoprophylaxis?

Homeoprophylaxis (HP) is a method where the homeopathic nosodes are given to decrease any susceptibility a client has to contracting that particular disease.  A nosode is a micro diluted homeopathic preparation of the bacteria that causes the disease or from the matter from a person with that disease. It is not homeopathic vaccination as I have heard some people refer to it in the past, as it does not encourage the body to create antibodies in response to the administration of the nosode.  It does however confer similar robustness on the person as if they had had the disease themselves.

Homeopaths will think in terms of susceptibility.  Why did one person contract the latest flu epidemic and the other did not?  What made that person susceptible?  Susceptibility can be from a myriad of causes such as mental and emotional stress or just plain lack of minerals and poor physical health.  Often if we can work out what was likely to have made that person susceptible (weakened) to even becoming ill, then that will often narrow down our remedy choice in a constitutional or chronically sick client.

It is a little different with HP, we are treating the susceptibility of a client before they have even contracted the disease, and are therefore helping to prevent them from falling ill.  Homeopaths have been using this method for years.  It dates back to 1798 when the founder of homeopathy, Samuel Hahnemann, was treating a child with Belladonna for her complaint and a short time later the entire village became ill with scarlet fever.[2]  The child that Hahnemann had treated did not succumb to the epidemic.  Belladonna helps symptoms in sick people that very much match the clinical symptoms of scarlet fever so the hypothesis was that since the child had already received Belladonna as a remedy, it had strengthened her susceptibility to the disease which meant that she was spared.

French people for years have been taking Oscillococcinum at the beginning and during the flu season which is well known to help prevent them from becoming victims of the latest flu virus doing the rounds.  So Homeoprophylaxis also has a rich clinical history within homeopathy.  Let’s take a closer look at the Cuban use of HP to reduce the cases of leptospirosis.

Leptospirosis and Monsoon Season in Cuba

This disease is caused by strains of the bacteria Leptospira spp. It is mainly carried by animals and we come into contact with the disease through the urine of infected animals.  The disease has many symptoms in common with meningitis, hepatitis, myocarditis, mastitis and multi organ failure.  It is normally severe in tropical regions and in developing countries.  It can be treated with antibiotics but it can be fatal.

In Cuba there is an epidemic outbreak of Leptospirosis each year culminating in the monsoon season when the quantity of rain is so much that there are pools of water that get contaminated with rat urine.  The months of October, November and December are when the highest incidences of Leptospirosis occur in the population.  There are 3 regions in particular that suffer a higher incidence rate due to the higher rate of hurricanes and rainfall there.

In 2007 these 3 regions were so affected by severe hurricanes that there was infrastructure damage and the incidence of the disease was spiking.  Due to the infrastructure being compromised, the normal conventional vaccine was unable to be rolled out at this time. The number of cases of Leptospirosis in November 2007 in this region was 96.   This is much higher than the year before at 26.

Faced with these difficulties, the Cuban government and the Findlay Institute (a World Health Organisation vaccine manufacturer) commenced a homeoprophylaxis program in November 2007, in week 45 of the year.  This was only conducted in the 3 most severely affected regions.   By Week 47, the incidence of leptospirosis cases had dropped dramatically in these 3 regions but not in the rest of Cuba who had not received the HP program.  The cases recorded in December 2007 of leptospirosis for the 3 regions were 33.  This is compared with 56 cases in November for the rest of Cuba and almost double that for December at 101 cases.

The most interesting thing was that in 2008 the HP program was repeated in the 3 regions that had received the 2007 program.   This time a much higher potency homeopathic dose was given and the incidence of the disease in those regions in November of that year was 8, while in December they registered 9 cases.  This compares to the rest of Cuba which had 43 cases in November and 68 in December.

This is clear evidence that homeoprophylaxis is efficient in preventing disease.  This program and consequent study of the statistical evidence was undertaken by scientists, not homeopaths.  Dr Bracho and the Findlay Institute were responsible for this and the Findlay Institute is now continuing to research HP in diseases such as Hepatitis A and Dengue Fever.

What does the Cuban example mean for everyday families?

Homeoprophylaxis is a very real alternative to vaccines.  It works very differently but has clear results.  Dr Isaac Golden, an Australian homeopath who is a keen proponent of homeoprophylaxis, was invited to Cuba in 2008 to help review the statistical results from the Cuban study.  He has been using HP since 1985 with his clients to help prevent the childhood diseases and to provide an alternative immunisation program other than standard vaccination for parents.  It is safe and budget friendly, and he has kept careful statistical details in regards to the results of his program.

When I was researching HP to use in my clinic, I was struck by the following statement by Dr Issac Golden when referring to the Hygiene Hypothesis.  The hygiene hypothesis says that a child’s immune system will be assisted to mature when they have some of the infectious childhood diseases.

“…It can be argued that if the stimulation caused by an infectious disease is beneficial, then the similar stimulation on the subtle level provided by the HP remedies will be similarly beneficial, but without the risks sometimes associated with either the natural disease or the vaccine.” – Dr Issac Golden, PhD[3]