Summary Herbal medicines and homeopathy

Herbal medicines
Mskcc.org
What are complementary medicines?
- Treatment that falls outside of mainstream healthcare
- E.g. herbal products
What minor ailments do common complementary therapies target?
- Back pain
- Depression
- Insomnia
- Severe headache or migraine,
- Stomach or intestinal illnesses
How do you prepare homeopathic medicines?
- Obtain the source and make a mother tincture
o Source in alcohol or water
o If insoluble triturate with lactose until it can be suspended
- Dilute mother tincture until potency required
How to store homeopathic medicines?
- Protect from sunlight
- and strong-smelling substances
- ideally in glass containers or plastic
- no fixed shelf life
How many tablets is 1g equal to?
10
How does a patient administer homeopathic medicines?
- suck or chew
- avoid eating or drinking for 15 minutes
Why aren’t homeopathic medicines used in the NHS?
- Seen as no better than placebos
- But can get privately
How do homeopaths diagnose patients?
- Observation
- History taking
- Physical characteristics
- Symptoms
What are some common theories of homeopaths in terms of health?
 Heat represents life and health
 Cold represents illness and death
 Air represents motion
 Fire represents energy or life force
 health is when the natural state of the body is achieved.
 Ill health arises when there is an imbalance.
 in a holistic approach to healthcare
What is the pathophysiology behind homeopath medicines?
 stimulate body’s defences
 normalise processes
 eliminate toxins
 uses whole plants or extracts