Contagion namechecks Homeopathy
Homeopathy is briefly name-checked in the movie “Contagion.” Today I take a look at how homeopathy works in epidemics and pandemics.
“Contagion” out sold all other movies this weekend. It put bottoms on theater seats for two reasons: the cast is “A” list and flu is super scary. We are talking about an illness that could be our modern-day equivalent of the Black Plague. The SARS outbreak and the more recent Swine Flu panic gave us just a tiny foretaste of the havoc a cleverly adapted virus could wreak in these days of the itty-bitty, global village. Flu (and the panic it brings) is not to be sneezed at!
The last big epidemic called “Spanish flu” (but known in Spain as the “Naples soldier”) was referenced in the movie. It killed more people than all those who died in combat during World War I. Estimates put the worldwide death toll at 21,642,274. One billion people were affected by the disease—half of the total human population. It came at a time when 19 nations were at war. The disruption, stress, and privations of war certainly aided the flu’s spread. It killed people on every continent except Antarctica, with the most lives lost in Asia and the highest percentage of the population killed in India.
From August 1918, when the incidence of flu began to seem abnormally high, until the following July when it returned to about normal, 20 million Americans had become sick and more than 500,000 had died. In October 1918, the flu reached its peak, killing about 195,000 Americans. About 57,000 American soldiers died from influenza during World War I; about 53,500 died in battle. (*Source cited below)
Homeopathy was used very successfully during the 1918 flu. While the death rate for those who sought treatment from conventional physicians was about 30%, the death rate for those who sought homeopathic treatment was only 1.5%.
During epidemics Homeopaths can greatly help one another by sharing information on symptom patterns and remedies they have found effective in helping their clients. The homeopathic literature of old describes this being done very effectively during a major cholera epidemic and a scarlet fever epidemic. The concept, known as finding the “genus epidemicus,” has the potential to greatly reduce suffering and save lives.
The idea is to build up a picture of an epidemic, as it is being expressed in a large number of different cases. By drawing all of these cases together “as if they were one person,” one or two homeopathic medicines can be identified. These remedies can then be given to everyone who contracts the illness. These same medicines can even be prescribed to protect people from contracting the illness at the height of an epidemic. Once again, the Internet could be our savior, permitting the speedy exchange of this information through special-interest mailing groups and message boards.
Your other defense against any illness is a healthy immune system. It will reduce your chances of catching anything, and if you do fall ill it will spring into action. Our immune system is weakened by drug use, alcohol abuse, and smoking. It is strengthened by good, fresh, pesticide-free food, unpolluted air and water, exercise, deep sleep, and relaxation.
Like all systems it benefits from a good work out, so don’t automatically suppress acute symptoms with over-the-counter medications, be they conventional or homeopathic, unless your system really can’t cope. If your energy levels, sleep pattern, and appetite are not upset, then it is probable that you can recover without any type of intervention at all, provided you rest and drink plenty of fluids. If you are not coping well try Homeopathy, the Deluxe Kit has a large number of remedies for flu.
*PBS Online, www.pbs.org. Influenza 1918 is a PBS film; the transcript is available online at the PBS website: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/influenza
Teachers may be interested in the Teacher’s Guide which includes these suggestions for classroom study:
“According to the film, many people used home remedies to combat the flu. Have students choose different types of non-traditional medicine to research, including folk remedies, acupuncture, homeopathic remedies, biofeedback, or herbal remedies. They should look at the history of the practice, its strengths and weaknesses, and evidence of effectiveness. They might want to visit or interview staff at alternative medical establishments, homeopathic drugstores, acupuncture clinics, etc.”