Impossible Cure Newsletter -- June 2010

Ouch! How Homeopathy Can Help With Those Pesky Insect Bites

Every summer, I spend some time in Muskoka, a region of Ontario north of Toronto known for its mosquitoes. In fact, even worse are the black flies that swarm the area before it is fully warmed up. Usually I miss black fly season, but sometimes it lingers when a summer gets off to a cold, wet start. These buggers are particularly nasty. They actually take a bite out of you (you literally are missing a 1/16 inch patch of skin!) and the resulting itchy welt can last for a week. And on a delightful note, they especially like to bite your neck and behind your ears!

Thankfully, homeopathy has a lot to offer for insect bites. Four useful remedies are the following:

Apis: Red, inflamed insect bites, often associated with burning or stinging pain. Worse from heat, better from cool applications. I have often found topical Apis gel to be wonderful for insect bites.

Ledum: The most common remedy for itching bites from mosquitoes, bees, wasps, spiders, and ticks. An important remedy for any puncture wound. Better from cool applications, sensitive to touch. Ledum cream can also be useful and can be bought from various homeopathic pharmacies.

Hypericum: Bites with sharp shooting pains. Also an important puncture wound remedy.

Staphysagria: Useful when insect bites itch excessively and turn into large welts. (I haven't tried it, but I will this summer if a black fly gets to me!)

Fun and Games Continue in the U.K.

In the April issue of the ImpossibleCure.com newsletter, I talked about the nefarious doings of the quackbusters, especially in the U.K. The fun and games continue. For example, an article in Chemist and Druggist (UK) reports that Northern Ireland pharmacists are being encouraged to inform their customers that there is no evidence that homeopathic remedies work and that they are merely placebos -- all this in the interest of "public safety."

Never mind the many studies that show that homeopathic remedies DO work and are NOT placebo! Luckily, the UK also has warriors for the truth, like chemist Dr. Lionel Milgrom, who wrote a scathing rebuttal and expose about the shenanigans of some of the top U.K. quackbusters and their UNscientific ways!

And what about the drug industry itself? Even by conservative estimates, conventional drugs are one of the leading causes of death, and the industry is rife with corruption. In fact the World Health Organization itself recently issued a fact sheet warning about the corruption and unethical practices that are endemic to every step of the business. US$ 4.1 trillion is spent globally on health services each year with US$ 750 billion spent in the global pharmaceuticals market. However, 10 to 25% of public procurement spending (including on pharmaceuticals) is lost to corrupt practices. Another portion, of course, is spent on funding the quackbuster machine and its efforts to squash all forms of alternative medicine, including homeopathy.

Homeopathy Fun Facts

• At the turn of the last century, there were over 200 homeopathic hospitals and 25 homeopathic medical schools.
  
• The first medical schools that welcomed both women and African-Americans were homeopathic.
  
• All homeopathic remedies are clinically proven before they are entered into the U.S. Pharmacopoeia. They are also FDA approved.
  
• Homeopathic medicines are proven on healthy people, not caged, sick, or abused animals.
  

HAVE A GREAT START TO YOUR SUMMER!