| In Germany, Switzerland, England, India and South | | | | nature that if given in large doses would make the |
| America, homeopathy is a widely practiced and | | | | patient develop the exact symptoms that they are |
| mostly trusted medical art. Here in the United States, | | | | treating. They claim that by giving microdoses of an |
| homeopathy is viewed with a jaundiced eye. It is | | | | irritant, the patient develops an immunity of sorts |
| mostly not a trusted medical practice and few people | | | | and their body can fight off the irritant causing their |
| use homeopathic remedies. | | | | symptoms. They call this the law of 'similars' and it is |
| The studies that I have seen looking at the | | | | not at all different from the methods that are used in |
| effectiveness of homeopathy for Attention Deficit | | | | the traditional Allopathic medicine used here in the U.S. |
| Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) have mostly | | | | to treat allergies and to make immunizations. |
| concluded that homeopathy is not useful for the | | | | In England the National Institute for Health and Clinical |
| treatment of ADHD. The only studies that have been | | | | Excellence (NICE) recommends that stimulants not be |
| positive are, for the most part, studies where the | | | | used in very young children or in patients with |
| researchers first determined that the person would | | | | symptoms of ADHD that are not severe. A study |
| respond to homeopathy and then have measured | | | | performed in Switzerland where they compared |
| the effectiveness of the ADHD homeopathy | | | | homeopathy and Ritalin, side by side, found that |
| treatment. The problem with this model is that, from | | | | homeopathy worked well except in severe cases of |
| a scientific standpoint, it is biased. If you, beforehand, | | | | ADHD and in cases where school pressure was |
| select only subjects that respond to a treatment, | | | | intense. This study recommended homeopathy for |
| then you should get a positive response. You know | | | | mild to moderate cases of ADHD and for young |
| that they are going to respond positively because | | | | children. |
| they have already responded positively. | | | | I agree with NICE. Stimulants should only be used in |
| From the standpoint of the homeopath this is | | | | cases where the ADHD cannot be controlled in any |
| perfectly valid because part of their process involves | | | | other way. I believe that you must start with the |
| individualizing the treatment. The Homeopaths claim | | | | least invasive therapy first. Homeopathy is considered |
| that they have to determine the best homeopathic | | | | extremely safe so if you have young children or a |
| remedy for ADHD in each particular individual and only | | | | child that is doing well in school but could be less |
| then can they determine if they can adequately treat | | | | distracted, homeopathy may be worth a try. |
| their ADHD. | | | | Behavioral therapy, herbal remedies, occupational |
| Most of these homeopathic ADHD remedies have so | | | | therapy, visual therapy, auditory therapy, exercise, |
| little of anything in them that, when looked at under | | | | diet interventions, yoga, meditation and cognitive |
| a microscope, virtually no active ingredient can be | | | | therapy are also worth a try. |
| found (go figure). The homeopaths claim that the | | | | It is extremely important that any ADHD |
| water is somehow magnetized by the substances | | | | homeopathy treatment be monitored by a licensed |
| that they add and it is this water polarity change that | | | | Homeopath and that you advise your health care |
| causes the symptoms to improve. | | | | provider of the homeopathic ADHD medicines that |
| Homeopathy came to be viewed with a great deal | | | | your child or you are taking. When I reviewed the |
| of respect in 1831 when a cholera outbreak killed | | | | positive studies I found five homeopathy ADHD |
| almost 50 percent of people treated with traditional | | | | remedies that were the most often used to |
| medicine while only 9 percent of people treated with | | | | successfully treat symptoms of ADHD. They were; |
| homeopathy died. | | | | Stramonium, Lycopodium, Cina, Hyoscyamus, Calcium |
| Homeopaths use microdoses of substances found in | | | | Carbonate and Sulphur. |