Homeoprophylaxis for Disease Prevention

HP is a natural, non-toxic method of educating the immune system in order to reduce susceptibility to disease and to manage illness more effectively in the event it’s contracted. It’s been around for two hundred years and well-utilized in India, Brazil, Australia, Europe, Africa, Cuba and elsewhere. The use of HP can prevent diseases such as malaria, Japanese encephalitis, cholera, dengue fever, leptospirosis, diphtheria, polio, scarlet fever, meningitis, pertussis and smallpox. (4)

Homeoprophylaxis is a form of immunization that follows the homeopathic priciple of like cures like.

The definition of “immunization” is the process whereby a person is made immune or resistant to an infectious disease. By weakening or “attenuating” a disease pathogen and introducing it into the body, the immune system is familiarized with the particular disease and becomes better equipped to mount an immune response when encountering the disease in nature. To do so in a natural and biologically supportive way is indeed an accomplishment. This is the goal of HP. (4)

Homeoprophylaxis Compared to Vaccination

The allopathic form of immunization occurs through the process of vaccination.

Vaccines stimulate the immune system directly to produce specific antibodies as if that person had contracted a particular disease; in so doing they stress the immune system. A homeopathic remedy works differently by affecting an individual’s energy patterns and stimulating the body to heal itself. It is administered orally in a diluted and safe dose whereas most vaccinations are introduced directly into the bloodstream, thereby bypassing the body’s natural defense system. (5)

The modern form of vaccination is a relatively new process. Manufacturers change formulas, mediums and production methods often, and the recommended number, type and combination of diseases in vaccinations change as well. Effectiveness of immunization through vaccination varies depending on many factors, but in general childhood vaccines are between 80% and 95% effective, but may require additional vaccine boosters to maintain effectiveness.

Homeoprophylaxis has been used for over 200 years. It is similar to conventional vaccination in the sense that it introduces small doses of pathogens to “train” the immune system to respond effectively if an active pathogen is encountered. However, instead of injecting bits of bacteria, inactivated viruses and other toxic ingredients, HP utilizes homeopathic nosode that are administered orally. Nosodes are perfectly safe and gently train the immune system how to appropriately respond when exposed to microbes that could cause an illness. Several studies have demonstrated HP to be as effective as conventional vaccination at preventing disease, about 90%, but without the toxicity. (1)

Special consideration must be given to the health of the person who receives a vaccine, and some people should not be given vaccines at all. (6) There are also further contraindications for each specific vaccine recommended by the manufacturer and printed on the package insert that is available in each dose of vaccine as well as online. For example the insert for Fluvirin, a 2017-2018 version of the flu vaccine, states that, “Safety and effectiveness of FLUVIRIN® have not been established in pregnant women, nursing mothers or children less than 4 years of age. Antibody responses were lower in the geriatric population than in younger subjects." (7)

By contrast, HP is given orally. Production of HP requires no foreign materials, but only the original disease pathogen, which is diluted beyond any remaining molecules. One disease is introduced at a time, allowing the body to mount a natural immune response. And there are no additives in HP; no preservatives, no adjuvants, no antibiotics, no surfactants; nothing but the pure original antigen reduced to a harmless form. In other words, HP provides all the benefits of the disease with none of the risks. (4) This makes [HP] perfectly safe for babies, children, nursing mothers, elders and animals. (1)

Educating the Immune System

People should also not receive a vaccine if they are immunocompromised - this could even include someone with a common cold, or anyone with a chronic autoimmune disease. Herd immunity is often hailed as the only way to protect these vulnerable people. (8)

But, could the effective, safe and gentle energy medicine of homeoprophylaxis provide protection directly to the immunocompromised person’s immune system? Meaning, teaching that person’s own energy body to recognize and fight off the disease instead of relying on the belief that if someone else gets a vaccine, then they become a human shield for the person with a weaker immune system?

I think there is a common misconception about vaccines. The vaccine itself does not “kill germs.” The cells in your immune system do that.

Each type of lymphocyte fights infection differently. But the goal of protecting the body from infection remains the same. The B cells make specific antibodies to fight germs. The T cells kill the germs by killing the body cells that are affected. T cells also release chemicals (cytokines). These are cellular messengers. Other types of white blood cells are engulfing cells (phagocytes) and natural killer cells (cytotoxic cells). These cells actually destroy the germs. (9)

Both a vaccine and a homeoprophylaxis nosode trick your personal immune system into believing that you have been infected by a pathogen so that the appropriate antibodies are created within your own body. Pathogens can live outside of bodies in any place a germ can spring from - wilderness, other animals, dirty water or sewers, other people. A person gets sick only when they come into contact with the pathogen AND their personal immune system cannot fight it off.

We can walk around for weeks carrying and spreading germs while our body fights it off and not feel sick depending on how strong our own immune system is. My strong immune system cannot protect your weak immune system if we are both exposed to the same germs. Yes, washing hands prevents the spread of disease. But if we both touch the same germs, and I wash my hands and you do not wash your hands, my clean hands are not going to prevent your dirty hands from picking up germs and transferring them into your body, making you sick if your immune system is not strong enough to fight the disease.

It all comes down to the strength of the immune system. And homeoprophylaxis is a gentle and safe way to energetically strengthen the immune system. Could homeoprophylaxis offer a gentle and effective way to educate and strengthen the immune system of immunocompromised people and unique populations as well?

My Family Uses HP

I followed the conventional allopathic medicine recommendations with both of my children for their first few years of life. We did not have positive results and I was not comfortable continuing on this path. When I discovered homeoprophylaxis, I knew it was the best option for my family.

I found a practice within 2 hours of our home and began the program.

The infant/toddler program is designed to take approximately 3.5 years. Children are given nosodes monthly for a little over 2 years, then bi-monthly for approximately 1.5 years. Children can start the program between 2 months and 5 years of age. (1)

My children completed Year 1 with no negative energetic reactions. The Year 1 protocol for us included nosodes for:

• Pertussis (whooping cough)
• Pneumococcal diseases
• Polio
• Haemophilus diseases
• Meningococcal diseases
• Tetanus
• Parotitis (mumps)
• Morbillinum (measles)
• Influenza, Chicken pox, Hepatitis, Rubella and Rotavirus can also be added.

At our practice, the complete set of nosodes for the Year 1 protocol for 1 child cost $25 US, and I administered the nosodes at home without further cost, pain or stress. I will soon begin the Year 2 protocol to deepen the education of my children’s immune systems.

Every body and every immune system is different, but our homeopath said that this energetic education of the immune system should last for 10+ years conservatively, and without the need for a nosode booster.

Our practice also offers “programs customized for adolescents and college-bound students, and those planning to travel abroad.” (1) As part of our preparation to travel to another country, I spoke with our homeopath about how HP could offer us further immune protection since we will be exposed to pathogens we have not encountered before. She was able to order us a nosode for Malaria, Dengue Fever, and Yellow Fever - all mosquito-borne diseases. The cost was $20 US and it is enough for our family of 4 to take with us and use prophylactically for several years as we travel.

Image Source

Looking Toward the Future of Epidemic Control

Standard vaccines take a long time to make, from many months to sometimes years. (10) They contain some physical part of the pathogenic material, and need special stabilizers, preservatives, storage considerations and a delivery method to inject these ingredients directly into the bloodstream. (11) Because of these characteristics, some populations are excluded from vaccine use.

According to Cilla Whatcott, HD RHom, CCH, a practicing homeopath,

Using homeopathic intervention in the form of homeoprophylaxis for epidemics makes sense for a number of reasons. HP is easily produced. Production time is brief and the cost very low compared to conventional vaccines, making it easily available to developing countries. It remains stable at room temperature, requiring no refrigeration during transport. Many individuals can be treated in a short period of time at a very low cost. Since it’s administered orally, it requires no needles and no licensed medical personnel to distribute. This flexibility allows adaptation of HP to most local conditions and to the poorest of populations. (4)

Unlike vaccines, which are often targeted to specific age groups, HP can be safely taken by people at any age, leaving no uncovered population at risk. The clinical effects develop quickly, not requiring months to produce effectiveness. And lastly, HP can be combined with other interventions and strategies. (4)

In a 2010 study of a large-scale application of highly-diluted bacteria for Leptospirosis epidemic control, the researchers stated:

Vaccination is an effective option but of reduced effectiveness in emergency situations. Homeoprophylactic interventions might help to control epidemics by using highly-diluted pathogens to induce protection in a short time scale.(12)

Leptospirosis is a zoonotic disease of major importance in the tropics where the incidence peaks in rainy seasons. We report the results of a very large-scale homeoprophylaxis (HP) intervention against Leptospirosis in a dangerous epidemic situation in three provinces of Cuba in 2007.(12)

The homeoprophylactic approach was associated with a large reduction of disease incidence and control of the epidemic. After the homeoprophylactic intervention a significant decrease of the disease incidence was observed in the intervention regions. No such modifications were observed in non-intervention regions. In the intervention region the incidence of Leptospirosis fell below the historic median. This observation was independent of rainfall. The results suggest the use of HP as a feasible tool for epidemic control, further research is warranted. (12)

Because my family is traveling to an area where Dengue Fever could be present, this particular study has important value to me.

The Dengue Fever nosode (nosode source: Serum of a person suffering from dengue fever) in 30C potency was administered to people in Delhi during an epidemic of Dengue haemorrhagic fever. In all, 39,200 people were given the nosode; 23,520 were successfully followed up, and only five people had developed symptoms. There was an infection rate of 0.125%, compared to what was normally expected, about 50%. (2)

I like these odds. And with nosodes causing only potential energy responses and no risk of side effects, my family will gratefully take this nosode.

Coronavirus

A new disease seems to crop up every year inspiring fear and panic and a rush to create and market new pharmaceutical drugs. The current focus is on the 2019 Novel Coronavirus.

Coronaviruses (CoV) are a large family of viruses that cause illness ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-CoV) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS-CoV). A novel coronavirus (nCoV) is a new strain that has not been previously identified in humans. Coronaviruses are zoonotic, meaning they are transmitted between animals and people. (13)

A homeoprophylaxic coronavirus disease nosode for cats (and other species) already exists and is often used by veterinarians. (14) And, “a homeopathic formula to support the pet or animal’s Immune system and treat the virus when tested "positive for Corona Virus," is also used in the animal population when one does contract a coronavirus. (15)

In the future, could we see a coronavirus nosode to prevent epidemics, and even treat coronavirus-based diseases like the 2019 Novel Coronavirus, used for humans?

Image Source

Energy Medicine in the Mainstream

In the United States, pharmaceutical-based medical practice provides very little support for homeoprophylaxis, and it receives virtually no coverage from the U.S. media. (4)

Energy Medicine has often been ridiculed by the medical mainstream as quack treatment and pseudoscience. But, I venture to say that the tide is turning and energetic medicine can have a prominent place in the medical mainstream right alongside conventional treatments.

Catherine Blackledge, a well-known researcher, activist and author wrote, “The lesson is that science can be as subjective as any other discipline, and that in order to understand scientific theories you have to look at the culture that creates them." (16)

The culture that created the “weird old laws” like no selling cars on Sunday in Main, and no pinball machines in New York City, is clearly outdated. (17) Humans are humans - we can be wrong - and we can learn from our mistakes.

Newton had a great time for a long time with his description [of gravity], and then at some point it was clear that that description was fraying at the edges, and then Einstein offered a more complete version,” said Andrea Ghez, an astrophysicist at UCLA and a co-leader of the new research. “And so today, we're at that point again where we understand there has to be something that is more comprehensive that allows us to describe gravity in the context of black holes. (18)

Even the most respected scientists can make mistakes, be influenced by internal or external bias, and simply be disproved over time when new knowledge arises.

Many people have experienced, or know someone who has tried, acupressure or acupuncture treatments to align the energy meridians in their body. Reiki has also become a popular energetic healing modality.

My family visited Akron Children’s Hospital frequently this past year for a health emergency for my oldest son. I was delightfully surprised to learn that Reiki sessions were offered as an energetic healing modality right alongside mainstream allopathic treatments. If an energetic medicine modality like Reiki can make it to the mainstream, the energetic medicine modality of homeopathy and the immunization protocol of homeoprophylaxis surely can as well.

Good health is a basic need for all people. Being really sick is terrible. Any death from illness is tragic and traumatizing. And the fear that comes from worrying that you or your loved ones will get sick is just as awful. We should use all of the knowledge and resources that we have at our disposal to maintain health and prevent disease. Homeopathy and homeoprophylaxis could offer a time-tested, low-risk, low-cost, highly effective practice to improve health and prevent disease all across the globe.

Sources:

1. Levatin, M.D., J. (2020). Homeoprophylaxis: A safer way to protect children. Middleburg Hts., Ohio: Tenpenny Integrative Medical Center. https://www.tenpennyimc.com
2. Shah, R. (2014). Scientific method of preparing homoeopathic nosodes. Indian Journal of Research in Homeopathy, 8(3), 166–174. Retrieved from http://www.ijrh.org/article.asp?issn=0974-7168;year=2014;volume=8;issue=3;spage=166;epage=174;aulast=Shah
3. Levatin, M.D., J. (2020). Instructions for use of Homeopathic Medicines.Middleburg Hts., Ohio: Tenpenny Integrative Medical Center. https://www.tenpennyimc.com
4. Whatcott, C., Ellen, & Kelley, L. (n.d.). Do Parents Have An Immunization Option? Retrieved February 21, 2020, from https://www.westonaprice.org/health-topics/vaccinations/do-parents-have-an-immunization-option/
5. Castro, M. (1993). Homeopathy for pregnancy, birth, and your baby's first year. New York: St. Martins Press.
6. Who Should not Get Vaccinated. (2020, January 8). Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vpd/should-not-vacc.html?CDC_AA_refVal=https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vpd-vac/should-not-vacc.htm
7. Package Insert - Fluvirin. (2017-2018) Retrieved from https://www.fda.gov/media/75156/download
8. Vaccines Protect Your Community. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.vaccines.gov/basics/work/protection
9. The Immune System. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/encyclopedia/content.aspx?contenttypeid=85&contentid=p00630
10. Pandemic influenza vaccine manufacturing process and timeline. (2015, June 21). Retrieved from https://www.who.int/csr/disease/swineflu/notes/h1n1_vaccine_20090806/en/
11. Vaccines: Vac-Gen/Additives in Vaccines Fact Sheet. (2019, August 5). Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vac-gen/additives.htm
12. Bracho, G., Varela, E., Fernández, R., Ordaz, B., Marzoa, N., Menéndez, J., … Campa, C. (2010, July). Large-scale application of highly-diluted bacteria for Leptospirosis epidemic control. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20674839
13. Coronavirus. (2020). Retrieved February 21, 2020, from https://www.who.int/health-topics/coronavirus
14. Holistic Animal Remedies. (2020). AN228 Feline Corona Virus Oral Nosode (prophylactic) protection of mutation to FIP (for all species). Retrieved February 21, 2020, from https://holisticanimalremedies.com/products/feline-corona-virus-oral-nosode-prophylactic-protection-of-mutation-to-fip-for-all-species
15. Holistic Animal Remedies. (2020). AN229 Felines CoronaVirus Positive (SOLUTION or PREVENT mutating into the FIP Virus) Canine Coronavirus (CCV), Equine Coronavirus (ECoV) natural solution. Retrieved February 21, 2020, from https://holisticanimalremedies.com/products/felines-coronavirus-positive-treat-to-prevent-mutating-into-the-fip-virus-canine-coronavirus-ccv-equine-coronavirus-ecov-natural-solution?_pos=5&_sid=b06679302&_ss=r
16. Blackledge, C. (2004). The story of V: a natural history of female sexuality. New Jersey: Rutgers University.
17. Waters, M. (2019, December 6). Hundreds of wacky, obsolete laws still exist. Why don't more states remove them? Retrieved from https://www.vox.com/the-highlight/2019/11/18/20963411/weird-old-laws-historical-obsolete-laws
18. Deaton, J. (2019, August 6). Einstein showed Newton was wrong about gravity. Now scientists are coming for Einstein. Retrieved from https://www.nbcnews.com/mach/science/einstein-showed-newton-was-wrong-about-gravity-now-scientists-are-ncna1038671

The use of any information provided on this site is solely at your own risk. Do your own research, and make the best choices for you.

I am grateful to find a place with rich soil to grow a community. May we take root, and flourish together.

@Bia.Birch 🌱

All artwork, photographs, and content are original and created by @bia.birch unless otherwise credited.