During the current Covid-19 viral epidemic, members of the Canadian Homeopathic Association, comprising regulated professionals from Ontario and practitioners from other provinces, understand that it is every Canadian's responsibility to follow the guidelines outlined by the provincial and federal public health authorities. We acknowledge that it is also our responsibility as health caregivers to inform patients about the existence of these guidelines. Moreover, in this age of social media, we pledge for extreme cautiousness in disseminating unproven therapeutic claims that could unnecessarily expose Canadians to risk.
As citizens of Canada, members of the Canadian Homeopathic Association will support any and all collective efforts in achieving and maintaining the good health of all Canadians.
A call for research
For 200 years, historical data has been accumulated regarding the use of homeopathy during times of epidemics of infectious diseases. This data has repeatedly suggested the relevance and efficacy of homeopathy in various diseases such as cholera, typhus, and diphtheria. Spanish flu treatment reports coming from different parts of the US showed an average of 1% mortality rate for people treated with homeopathy versus 30% for the others.
There are also modern examples that add to the weight of these historical reports where public health authorities, in the absence of vaccines and in an emergency situation, have taken action and have made a call to homeopathy. This was the case in Cuba in 2007 and 2008, for leptospirosis, (Bracho, 2010) [1], a fatal disease; and in Brazil in 1998, with meningitis, (Mroninski, 2001) [2]. In these 2 cases, the epidemics were contained and the population protected in large part by the use of homeopathic medicine.
For the record, Cuba in 2007 had only 15,000 doses of vaccine to treat 2.3 million people at the height of the leptospirosis epidemic. The Finlay Laboratory, a major producer of vaccines, was then commissioned to produce and distribute the vaccines in less than 3 weeks. Simultaneously, 2.3 million doses of a homeopathic remedy were dispensed in the most affected areas and active epidemic outbreaks. A significant decrease of the disease was observed in the homeopathically- treated areas whereas the regions where homeopathy was not provided saw the disease rates rise sharply.
Canadian homeopaths strongly advocate that the sum of historical data on the prevention and treatment of infectious diseases could become a springboard for more in-depth research towards homeopathy. Indeed, until a fully effective vaccine becomes available in an epidemic, homeopathy has the potential to provide a low cost and effective temporary means for rapidly treating the mass population. With the Federal Government recently committing $1 billion towards combating the Covid-19 virus, we have invited the Federal Government to include homeopathy in its research efforts as we believe no stone should be left unturned and no ideological position or belief system should override the necessity to protect and care for all Canadian citizens.
[1] Bracho, G. et al . (2010). "Large-scale application of highly-diluted bacteria for Leptospirosis epidemic control."
Homeopathy . 2010 Jul;99(3):156-66.
[2] Mroninski, C. et al . (2001). "Meningococcinum: Its protective effect against meningococcal disease", Homoeopathic
Links , 14 : 230-234.Vol 14 Winter 2001, 230-234