The dilemma of liver patients

An article by
Dr Asghar Ali Shah
Homeopathic Physician
Published in The News International on February 12, 2011

Liver diseases hit millions of people in the world daily. Pakistan alone hosts over 234,000 cirrhotic and about 16 million hepatitis and liver patients.
Cirrhosis is turning into an epidemic in our country due to very high rate of hepatitis B, C and D. (Hepatitis D infects the liver and can lead to cirrhosis, like B and C, but it hits only those who already have hepatitis B.)
Cirrhosis is a chronic liver disease that damages not only normal liver cells but also liver’s structure and function. Its development is usually gradual and progressive.
In most cases cirrhosis does not produce any symptoms until extensive damage has already occurred. However, as the disease progresses, a person may experience weakness, fatigue, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, weight loss and abdominal pains. At an advanced stage fluid gathers in the legs (a condition termed as edema) and in the abdomen (a condition known as ascites). Ascites can also lead to some serious infections.
Many patients suffering from liver cirrhosis keep on taking allopathic medicines for years with little improvement. Their dilemma is that they suffer horrible side-effects more dangerous than their original ailment. As many as four million patients are waiting, at present, for immediate liver transplants.
Mrs Parveen Akhtar, a 51-year old lady from Rawalpindi, who suffered liver cirrhosis and remained my patient, narrated following facts in her case history:
* About twelve years ago on my doctor’s prescription, I used antibiotics for a throat infection and as a result suffered from weak digestion and abdominal pains.
* I went from one doctor to another and during these visits my gall bladder was removed on a surgeon’s recommendation. This only added to my miseries.
* A few months later hepatitis C was diagnosed in a routine blood test report. I was told to complete a course of 72 injections. The virus reports became negative initially but after sometime these turned positive again. I refused to go through the ordeal of injections as I was convinced that the injections would kill me before they killed the virus!
* As the side-effects of the injections I also developed cirrhosis, an enlarged spleen and ascites.
* I never visited any homeopaths. I was always examined by specialist doctors, inside or outside the country, and I strictly followed their instructions.
* When my liver function was deteriorating and the cirrhosis was developing, one of my relatives suggested me to have homeopathic treatment. When I discussed this suggestion with my specialist gastroenterologist he discouraged me saying homeopathy has only placebos or nothing more than sweet pills. He claimed that homeopaths usually use steroids. He further said: “An educated person of your calibre, who has an exposure to Europe and America, looks so awkward even if he thinks about homeopathy”.
* But now doctors are of the opinion that I should either get liver transplantation or get shifted to homeopathic treatment, which they describe as a better option because it is harmless and can be effective in some cases.
Homeopathy always welcomes patients like Mrs Parveen and tries to bring them out of life threatening conditions and lead them to a normal and healthy life by the grace of Allah.
It is the responsibility of an allopathic doctor to guide his patients well in time for a better and harmless treatment to save them from further damage.
Mrs Bajwa, another patient from Daska in Sailkot, developed liver cirrhosis and members of her family raised millions of rupees for her liver transplantation. During the course of preparations they came across relatives of a deceased patient whose liver transplantation could not succeed. The Bajwas were informed that the success rate of liver transplants is extremely low.
Somebody guided them to the writer. During the homeopathic treatment the recovery of the patient was slow initially but she was completely cured within 18 months. Her liver reports were then perfectly normal and that too without any bad side-effects!
A homeopathic remedy matching the symptoms of a patient of cirrhosis checks his disease and enhances the function of liver cells, which helps relieve symptoms associated with the disease.

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A plan that can wipe out Tuberculosis

An article by
Dr Asghar Ali Shah
Homeopathic Physician
Published in The News International on May 26, 2012

As many as ninety five percent of about eight million people infected with tuberculosis (TB) every year live in the developing countries. An estimated three million people die due to TB every year and Pakistan stands sixth among those countries which have the highest incidence of this disease. The World Health Organization declared TB a global emergency in 1993.
Several attempts were made in the course of medical history to eliminate the threat posed to humankind by the fatal disease. These attempts, however, remained futile.
More than half a century ago doctors had pinned all their hopes on the “wonder drug” Penicillin (the first synthetically produced antibiotic on commercial scale) for the fight against TB. But a generation later the bacteria had become resistant to Penicillin.
After that the doctors introduced antibiotic after antibiotic, but all new formulas met the same fate i.e. they turned ineffective as bacteria became resistant to them also. The doctors then started combining different antibiotics to make them more potent. But even these stronger combinations could not stop the disease from recurring. Moreover, it added to the misery of the patients who suffered life-long side effects.
Many specialists insisted that anti-tuberculosis programmes failed because patients usually did not properly follow their treatment plan. These doctors explained that the TB patients have to take many pills every day for six to nine months continuously but they start skipping their daily doses after experiencing initial improvement and this causes the recurrence of the infection.
The World Health Organization planned and funded yet another anti-tuberculosis programme to rule out the possibility of the patient non-cooperation factor. This plan introduced a ‘Directly Observed Treatment’ programme, or better known as DOT, according to which a patient of TB was supposed to take his daily dosage of medicine in front of a health worker or trained community worker or a member of his family to ensure that he follows the prescribed treatment schedule.
Considering the magnitude of the tuberculosis pandemic it was naturally impossible to make every patient follow the DOT. But wherever this Herculean task was religiously carried out the doctors found no benefit either in finishing or controlling the disease permanently.
When the statistics regarding the failure of the DOT were scientifically analysed the main cause turned out to be the ineffectiveness of the medicines. Some experts instead of admitting the ineffectiveness of the antibiotics started accusing the inefficiency of the medical staff and health workers for the failure of the DOT.
It is a well-documented part of the history of medicine that when some 40 years ago a really effective small-pox vaccine was given in the hands of these health workers they successfully eradicated the disease from the face of the earth. It is worth mentioning here that this small-pox vaccine was made on the homeopathic principle. (A vaccine is a biological preparation that improves immunity to a particular disease. It typically contains a small amount of an agent that resembles a microorganism.)
The conventional allopathic system of medicine has not only failed to treat tuberculosis effectively but by neglecting the importance of immunisation it has left the vulnerable exposed to the disease. This negligence or inability has caused a snowball effect which resulted in the spread of the disease to millions.
The homeopathic system of medicine on the other hand has not only been successfully treating the TB patients for the last 200 years but it is also successfully immunising people before they get infected. Homeopathic vaccination process against tuberculosis is simple and extremely effective. Just six doses of homeopathic medicine taken during the course of a couple of years can give a person life-long immunity against the disease.
The level of efficacy of homeopathic treatment for those who have already contracted tuberculosis has also never been paralleled in the history of medicine. Once cured through homeopathic treatment the tubercular infection never recurs in the lifetime of a patient and that too without any side-effects.
Unfortunately homeopathy is being ignored by the pharmaceutical giants because they see no monetary benefit in this simple and highly affordable system of medicine. All national and international health organizations working against tuberculosis should start serving humanity, before it is too late, through this safe and amazingly effective system of medicine.
A plan is suggested for the cause by the name: The DOT-Homeopathic Pilot Project. According to this plan initially 50 TB patients can be selected for their vaccination and treatment. The health organizations may carefully monitor this whole process of homeopathic treatment and vaccination and after seeing the results they can publish their reports for the benefit of millions suffering from tuberculosis.

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The woes of Alzheimer’s patients

An article by
Dr Asghar Ali Shah
Homeopathic Physician
Published in The News International on July 03, 2012

As many as 35 million people worldwide suffer from Alzheimer’s disease and it is the fifth leading cause of death. Death rate from this disease between 2000 and 2006 was 46%.
Statistics alone, however, cannot describe the pain inflicted upon humanity by the Alzheimer’s disease. The friends and members of the family of a patient do also suffer though they cannot imagine the helplessness the patients experience and the ordeal they go through.
Alzheimer’s disease is characterized by impairment of memory causing disturbances in reasoning, planning, language, and perception.
Some kind of memory loss is normal part of aging but it is not severe enough to interfere with the level of function. Different diseases can cause dementia or memory loss but Alzheimer’s is the most common cause for it. Studies have shown that persons with depression and coexistent cognitive (thinking, memory) impairment are highly likely to have an underlying dementia when followed for several years.
The reaction of an Alzheimer’s disease patient to the illness and his or her capacity to cope with it also vary, and may depend on such factors as lifelong personality patterns and the nature and severity of stress in the immediate environment. Depression, severe uneasiness, paranoia, or delusions may accompany or result from the disease.
Many scientists think that Alzheimer’s disease results from an increase in the production or accumulation of a specific protein (beta-amyloid protein) in the brain that leads to nerve cell death. There is also a genetic risk for late onset cases. A relatively common form of a gene located on chromosome 19 is associated with late onset Alzheimer’s disease. In the majority of Alzheimer’s disease cases, however, no specific genetic risks have yet been identified.
Conventional medicine offers no cure for Alzheimer’s disease and it only tries to alleviate some of the sufferings. Non-medication based treatments include maximising patients’ opportunities for social interaction and participating in activities such as walk and sports. Cognitive rehabilitation, (whereby a patient practices on a computer programme for training memory), may or may not be of benefit.
As an earlier sign, Alzheimer’s damages mental functions — memory, perception, emotions and the ability to take decisions. One may feel difficulty in performing even daily routine work where mental performance is required. The patient starts getting losing his way even on familiar routes.
Homoeopathy takes each Alzheimer’s patient as an individual case. There is no single specific remedy for all the cases of Alzheimer’s. The correct homeopathic treatment involves deep evaluation of the mind and emotions. After taking the case history, a suitable medicine called the principle remedy is selected for the patient. The principal remedy begins the healing process which is followed by a careful follow up.
It seems relevant to describe here an Alzheimer’s case treated by this writer. The successful treatment of Saleem Bakhtiar Qazi, retired Additional Inspector General of Police, is also a manifestation of the efficacy of homeopathy. Qazi was diagnosed as an Alzheimer’s patient and had been under treatment of some renowned physicians for many years. Qazi’s daughter Mrs. Khurrum and son-in-law Air Commodore Khurrum explained his case history which had the classical signs and symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease.
Qazi’s wife during her protracted illness had remained bedridden for a long period of time. All members of the family remained engaged in looking after her. Qazi sahib, during the course of the illness of his wife, had the impression that he was being ignored by the family and started showing the early signs and symptoms of Alzheimer’s.
Shortly after the death of his wife a rapid change in his behaviour was noticed. He started showing unusual anger and impatience along with disorientation. He would remain in a very low spirits, flat mood, and indolent. Sometimes situation would become very embarrassing when he failed to find the proper words during his speech or was unable to pronounce words correctly. He had no control over urine and it would dribble unconsciously while sitting or walking.
Shortly after the homeopathic treatment was started Qazi sahib started showing improvement and by the grace of Allah within a few months he was perfectly all right.

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Allergy Cure: homeopathy is worth its weight in gold

An article by
Dr Asghar Ali Shah
Homeopathic Physician
Published in The News International on August 16, 2009

An allergy, also called hypersensitivity, is a reaction to something by our immune system that protects the body from infections, diseases and foreign substances. An allergen is any substance that the body perceives as a threat, triggering a specific chain of events called an allergic cascade.
Substances that often case reaction are pollen, dust mites, birds, animals, certain food items and insect stings. The reaction may cause symptoms such as sneezing, coughing, runny nose, sore throat, vomiting, itching, swelling and asthma. Symptoms vary from patient to patient. Although allergies imitate you, they usually won't kill you. However a sever reaction called anaphylaxis, no doubt threats life.
Doctors all over the world now follow the homeopathic principle for treatment of allergies. The process known as vaccination involves receiving injections of small amount of allergens such as pollen for instance, that are considered to be responsible for your allergy.
Thus an artificial disease similar to the natural disease is intentionally given to the patient and the doses are gradually increased so that the body builds up immunity to the allergens. The injections of vaccines are given over at least 3 to 5 years. Discontinuation is based on having minimal symptoms over two consecutive seasons of exposure to the allergies. The immunologists and the allergists are of the view that this method of treatment is more effective than the controversial treatment, which only suppresses the acute systems of allergies.
Immunology and homeopathy began in 1796. Edward Jenner the father of modern Immunology gave his first small pox vaccination at the same time and German physician Samuel Heinemann discovered homeopathy. A vaccine is biological preparation that improves immunity to a particular disease. It typically contains a small amount of an agent that resembles a microorganism.
The agent stimulates the body's immune system to recognize the invading agent as foreign, destroy it and remember if so that the immune system can easily recognize and destroy any of these microorganisms that it encounters in future. The symptoms associated with an immune system response are often uncomfortable to the individual but actually quit necessary. Symptoms such as sneezing, runny nose, fever, coughing, itching, nausea, diarrhea, or shortness of breath all produced as the immune system tries to fight foreign invaders.
Hahnemann introduced homeopathy in 1796 in these words: One imitates nature, which sometimes cures chronic diseases by adding other disease and then uses a drug that's capable of exciting artificial disease as similar as possible to the natural disease to be cured: like cures like this principle states that a disease can be cured by a substance that produces similar symptoms in healthy people.
Hahnemann unlike his contemporary Jenner did not limit the scope of this great discovery to the preparation of certain vaccines only. He went further and started experimenting vaccines on himself. He would select a diluted vaccine and take its repeated dose and then record the symptoms. Slowly and gradually his family friends and students also joined him in these experiments. Through great sacrifices the hidden properties of the diluted medicinal substances were discovered and recovered. Then these records ere used in clinics to match the sign and symptoms of patients with the recorded properties of a diluted vaccine and miraculous results were achieved. Thus a fully mature homeopathic system of medicine was developed by its great German discoverer Dr. Hahnemann. Now the homeopathic material medic has a record of carefully documented properties of more than seven thousand medicinal substances.
Homeopathy does not treat allergy by blindly giving one vaccine made from allergens which, apparently caused an allergy to all the patients suffering from that allergy. It rather carefully individualizes the symptoms of each and every patient and selects the most appropriate and suitable vaccine for the patient. In homeopathy ten different patients suffering from allergy caused by same allergen may receive ten different medicines if their individual symptoms are different.
Homeopathy during the last two centuries treated millions of people suffering from all sorts of allergies without any side effects. The author himself is a witness to its efficacy and has treated by the grace of ALLAH, many stubborn cases of allergies and asthma without any side effects.

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Antidepressants: A shot in the dark

An article by
Dr Asghar Ali Shah
Homeopathic Physician
Published in The News International on June 25, 2009

Depression is a common disease in today’s life where most of the people find themselves entangled in too much of a rat race. The patient remains in low spirits, feels isolated and dead on his feet. He finds little pleasure in things and activity he used to love and enjoy before being caught by the disease. His relationships with his family and friends take a turn for the worse.
The common complaints this writer often hears from patients include:“Doctor, I am deep in the chocking fog of stress, anxiety and depression and I feel like I will never get out of it, every day gets harder and I feel trapped and isolated. The depression has robbed me of the motivation to do even the simplest tasks by causing extreme exhaustion. And the antidepressants given to me by psychiatrist are doing me no good. I think I will never be able to stop them because whenever I try to stop them or reduce their dose, the withdrawal symptoms torment me with even greater torture”.
Researchers have found that extended periods of stress, anxiety and depression can cause destructive changes in our bodies, such as a suppressed immune system, which can eventually lead to heart disease cancer and stroke.
In case of major depression doctors go for antidepressant medication. But antidepressants are not Silver bullet for depression, as they have their own side effects and dangers. Moreover recent studies have raised questions about their effectiveness.
According to the chemical imbalance theory, depression is caused by low levels of serotonin, a chemical that acts in the brain as a neurotransmitter and is involved in the control of pain perception, the sleep-wake cycle, and mood. It is claimed that depression medication brings serotonin levels back to normal.
The truth however, is that, psychiatrists know little about how antidepressants work. There is no test that can measure the amount of serotonin in the living brain----no way to even know what a low or normal level of serotonin is, let alone show that depression medication fixes these levels.
Experts agree that depression involves much more than just “bad” brain chemistry. Serotonin is just one of may play a role in the disorder. New research points to other biological contributors to depression, including in flammation, elevated stress hormones, immune system suppression, abnormal activity in certain parts of the brain, nutritional deficiencies, genes and shrinking brain cells.
These are just the biological factors but man is not just flesh, bones and blood. He is much higher being and has a living soul inside him. He has higher goals and ambitions. He has loves and hates, failures and successes hidden deep inside him. How can we understand depression and then also claim to treat without understanding the human being first.
Moreover social and psychological factors ---such as loneliness and low self esteem -----also play an enormous role in causing depression. Psychiatrists admit that the modern medical science has not understood even the thousandth part of human brain’s functioning but while admitting this fact they continue drugging the patients with strong antidepressants. The poor patient is told that he has to take the allopathic medicines all his life.
In homeopathy mental and emotional symptoms are of paramount importance when prescribing not only for mental and emotional conditions, but also physical symptoms. When homeopathy has to focus on the treatment of the mental and emotional symptoms like phobias, depression and other behavioral disorders, it is simply unparalleled by any other system of medicine. It does not give chemicals to its patients suffering from depression and the related disorders, rather in awakens the immune system that, by the grace of Allah, cures the problem seamlessly effortlessly.

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Stage phobia, its victims and solutions

An article by
Dr Asghar Ali Shah
Homeopathic Physician
Published in The News International on June 24, 2013

Many people in the world suffer from stage phobia. They just never dare to come to the stage and speak despite having the desire to possess this ability. Then there are also those who make attempts to appear at the stage but fail to utter a few words or sentences due to unknown fears. A few people, however, stand out and make themselves felt while occupying the stage because of inborn tendencies or sheer practice and hard work.
One cannot help smiling after reading the American entertainer George Jessel’s famous quote: “The human brain is a wonderful organ. It starts to work as soon as you are born and doesn’t stop until you get up to deliver a speech”.
The agony of a stage phobic cannot be explained in words. His feelings are absolutely different from the normal little excitement every speaker or public performer experiences before appearing in front of the audience. Some failures and embarrassments experienced in the past leave in him settled fear of incompetence. In a person suffering from stage fright the mere thought of giving a speech can trigger anxiety, blankness of mind, dryness of mouth, palpitation, sweating, rapid breathing, and trembling of voice and hands.
It’s a pity that so many talented people just because of stage phobia avoid better carriers and opportunities which involve public speaking. This attitude of avoiding the challenging situations gives a sort of instant relief but in fact deepens their fear and strengthens their belief that they are incapable of overcoming it. They develop low self-esteem which eventually has its own negative consequences. Thus this phobia wreaks havoc on the lives of those who suffer from it.
So many young people who otherwise possess excellent leadership qualities only because of their inability to face the audience fail to contribute to the society what they are actually able to do. They do recognize that their fear is excessive and unreasonable but they feel themselves powerless against it. They are terrified by the thought of humiliating or embarrassing themselves.
Some people who have dread of public speaking but because of certain reasons cannot avoid it may even resort to tranquilizers, beta-blockers or alcohol to overcome their nervousness and of course by doing so they put themselves in a greater mess.
No treatment of course can claim to be a substitute for the hard work and constant practice. In case one develops such psychological problems that even after constant practice and hard work one is unable to perform well then one genuinely needs a treatment. An ideal treatment, in a harmless way, enhances one’s capacity to utilize one’s abilities in an ideal manner.
Homeopathy helps a person come out of his stage fright and nervousness in an absolutely natural way and that also without any side-effects. After the proper homeopathic treatment people have the pleasant experience of confidence and relaxed feeling while addressing the public. 

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Homeopathy gaining ground among masses

An article by
Dr Asghar Ali Shah
Homeopathic Physician
Published in The News International on January 06, 2011

At present more than 1,100,000 homeopathic doctors are treating about 1.5 billion people worldwide. Homeopathic medicines are widely prescribed by physicians in U.S., Europe and Asia.
It has also been observed that sales of homeopathic medicines are witnessing an increase of 20 to 35 per cent each year. Doctors, scientists, researchers, corporations and the general public all have been contributing to accelerated expansion in the homeopathic products.
Public is now involved in boasting the benefits of homeopathy by demanding better treatment from all physicians. Homeopathy is fast becoming popular in the world.
These achievements by homeopathy were undoubtedly due to the harmful nature of allopathic remedies compared to the non-toxic nature of homeopathic remedies. Chemical drugs are dangerous as for example medicines used for treating a cancerous tumor certainly disturb other systems of the body. Similar is the case for allopathic medicines for other ailments.
Homeopathy, however, works equally well both for viruses and bacterial infections. It has proved its effectiveness in times of epidemics. For example, during the 1830’s cholera epidemics in Europe homeopathic doctors had 80 per cent recovery rate of their patients. Whereas conventional doctors achieved only 50% recovery rate.
Homeopathy treats the whole person and not just the part and herein lies its success. Mind and body influence each other and imbalance in one system causes imbalance in the other. Many a time allopathic doctors fail to either diagnose the disease or they diagnose it wrongly. In both the cases the patient continued to suffer. One of such patients, Syed Hussnain, once told me his story in the following words:
“My digestion is very weak with no appetite. I also suffer from blurred vision, illusion and delusion. I have fear of the unknown, anxiety and aversion to work. I do not sleep at night and have pains, aches and frequent urination at night. I cannot apprehend things and have forgetful memory. All these complaints aggravate after lying down on the bed. My health condition has put me in a very embarrassing position. Only slow walking gives me relief. I visited an international standard hospital in the immediate vicinity of my residence. I have the facility of annual complete medical check up on the expense of my office. There an eye specialist has examined my eyes first. Then I have gone to the cardiac specialist and have had my heart examined. I have also been to the neurologist. I have had my chest examined. I have been physically examined from head to foot, and they wrote in their reports good luck, this gentleman has no disease.”
Syed Hussnain asked if I am not sick, what do all these symptoms mean? My reply was that these symptoms are the language of nature, depicting internal nature of your sickness.
Many a time patients say all my medical test reports are clear but I am sick. Here homeopathy replies, “An individual’s medical diagnosis is not as important as his or her symptoms as everyone experiences illness in his or her own way.” Homeopathy defined good health as the balance of a person’s psychological, mental and emotional aspects.
Most practitioners of allopathic medicine attempt to treat an illness by targeting the affected part of the body. They identify the causative agent of the illness, such as a virus or bacteria and treat it. Conventional doctors usually tend to be more aggressive in the usage of medicine.
Remedy should be chosen that treat the whole person and not just the part. Homeopathy can alleviate almost any health problem. This may seem strange to grasp all the disorder by one remedy, but as you know every single tiny function of our body operates as a WHOLE, all of the time. You cannot treat one thing without affecting the rest.

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Homeopathy can give results in no time

An article by
Dr Asghar Ali Shah
Homeopathic Physician
Published in The News International on April 01, 2013

Statistics reject the notion that homeopathy is a slow-acting method of treatment. Experiences of many generations of homeopaths during the last 200 years confirm that in all sorts of emergencies homeopathy proved to be a first-aid par excellence. Be it trauma or heart attack results show that the right homeopathic medicine works like magic.
At the height of homeopathy’s popularity Penicillin the first antibiotic was discovered. It was hailed as a wonder drug and sort of cure-all magic pill which temporarily eclipsed homeopathy’s popularity. But after 50 years of extensive use and abuse of the antibiotics the medical scientists are seriously concerned about the irreversible damage caused by them to the immune system. And now pro-biotics and natural alternatives like homeopathy, which boost the immunity, are becoming more popular.
The expert analysts believe that homeopathy has stood the test of time while the conventional medicines failed to deliver. Even newer stronger antibiotics have become ineffective as the bacteria becomes resistant to them. And this all takes its toll on our immune system. The medical scientists have started realizing that they had rejoiced too soon after the discovery of the antibiotics.
The homeopathic system of medicine deals with human disease on specific principles, known as the “Law of Similars” which can be very well explained in a simple example of onion. While peeling an onion one experiences running of nose and red and watery eyes. The liquid present in numerous layers of onion is released while peeling the onion. This liquid comes in contact with the air, and affects the eyes and the nose of the person handling the onion and also of those around him. The symptoms thus produced are very similar to allergic rhinitis, hay fever and sinusitis. So onion (scientific name: Allium cepa) in diluted form becomes one of the homeopathic medicines for the same conditions it can produce in healthy and normal persons.
Homeopathic system of medicine was introduced in the world by a German physician Dr. Hahnemann (1755 to 1843). And later on one of his students Dr Honigbeger of Romania brought homeopathy for the first time in the sub-continent during Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s (1780-1839) time.
Some 50 years after its discovery in Germany in 1798 the homeopathic system of medicine found in America an extremely fertile land for its growth and propagation in the rest of the world. At the end of the nineteenth century there were many full-fledged homeopathic hospitals across America with in-patient and out-patient wards and thousands of renowned physicians and surgeons had converted to homeopathy.
Homeopathy helped the gynecologists and surgeons working in these hospitals avoid surgeries which were otherwise considered necessary to save the patients’ life. And the cases where surgery was actually needed recovered marvelously through homeopathy after the operations.
Here is an excerpt from David Armstrong and Elizabeth Metzger’s wonderful research work on health reform movements, titled ‘The Great American Medicine Show’:
“In spite of conventional medicine’s attack, homeopathy enjoyed enormous popularity in America from the mid-nineteenth to early twentieth century, particularly in the urban areas of New York, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts and the Midwest. Homeopathy enjoyed an upswing during the three devastating cholera epidemics of the nineteenth century, when statistics showed that homeopathically treated patients suffered fewer deaths than those treated in the allopathic hospitals. Some life insurance companies even offered a ten percent discount to homeopathic patients in the belief that they lived longer. By 1900, there were 22 homeopathic medical colleges in the United States and more than 15,000 homeopathic practitioners, about one-sixth of the American medical profession.”
It’s a pity that still in some under developed countries a mere matriculate is allowed to practice the medical science of future that is homeopathy.

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Homeopathy stands out in dealing with flu

An article by

Dr Asghar Ali Shah

Homeopathic Physician

Published in The News International on October 12, 2009

The 1918 flu pandemic killed from 50 to 100 million people. About 500 million people, one third of the world’s population at that time, became infected.

Homeopathy was very successful in dealing with the flu pandemic proving its superiority over the conventional medicines. The famous historian Julian Winston writes that perhaps the most recent use of homeopathy in major epidemic was during the influenza pandemic of 1918.

The journal of the American Institute of Homeopathy, May 1921, had a detailed article about the use f homeopathy in the flu epidemic. Dr T A McCann, from Dayton, Ohio, reported that 24000 cases of flu treated allopathically had a morality rate of 28.2% while 26000 cases of flu treated homeopathically had a morality rate of 1.05%. This last figure was supported by W A Pearson of Philadelphia who collected 26795 cases of flu treated with homeopathy with the above result.

Swine flu (H1N1) is a viral infection that affects the respiratory tract of pigs. It causes regular outbreaks of influenza in swine throughout the year. Swine flu was first proposed to be a disease related to human influenza during 1918 flu pandemic.

Transmission of the virus from the pigs to humans is not common and whenever it does transmit it usually produces antibodies in the human blood. However in some cases it leads to human influenza.

Symptoms to zoonotic swine flu in humans are similar to those of influenza and of influenza-like illness in general, namely chills, fever, sore throat, muscle pains, severe headache, coughing, weakness and general discomfort, muscle aches.

The victims of influenza general include those who are at 65 or above, chronic health patient women and young children. In the past during flu pandemics most people who succumbed to the disease were healthy young adults.

Complications of swine flu can include pneumonia, bronchitis, sinus infections, ear infections and death. Precautionary measure for the swine flu include:

*Cover your nose and mouth when you cough and sneeze.

*Throw the trash after using it.

*Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough and sneeze. You can also use alcohol based hand cleaners.

*Avoid touching your eyes, nose, or your mouth. Germs spread this way.

*Try to avoid close contact with sick people.

*Stay home if you’re sick.

There’re fears that swine flu will become major global pandemic. Many countries are planning for major vaccination campaigns. US is testing swine flu vaccine on children and adults. However swine flu vaccine has rise concerns among the people across the world. According to a survey one third of british nurses refused to take swine flu vaccine because of its possible side effects.

The swine flu vaccine contains mercury compounds, which can cause autism in children. Even the scientists who have helped in making the vaccine are reported to have discouraged their family and friends from taking the vaccine. Some companies or groups of people, who have pharmaceutical business, claim that 2009 flu outbreak in humans is due to new strain of influenza a virus, subtype H1N1. It can easily transfer from human to human.

In most cases strains cause only mild symptoms and the infected persons make a full recovery without requiring medical attention and without the use of antiviral medicine.

As the threat of swine flu pandemic is looming large over the world the homeopathic medical community has come together to provide information about the homeopathic treatment f swine flu symptoms.

In homeopathy there’s a concept called genus epidemic. This means if there is an epidemic and you take the symptoms of say 15 ailing people of an area, you will notice a common trend there may be different curative medications for different cases of swine flu.

In Brazil the homeopathic doctors community has collected data on the symptoms of swine flu and homeopathic treatments for the symptoms.

When Japanese encephalitis hit andhra pradesh 10 years ago the government of india distributed among children one million doses of homeopathic medicine that proved effective bulwark against the disease.

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Homoeopathy is useful in treating allergy

An article by

Dr Asghar Ali Shah

Homeopathic Physician

Published in The News International on August 16, 2009

An allergy, also called hypersensitivity, is a reaction to something by our immune system that protects the body from infections, diseases and foreign substances. An allergen is any substance that the body perceives as a threat, triggering a specific chain of events called an allergic cascade.

Substances that often cause reaction are pollen, dust mites, birds, animals, certain food items and insect stings. The reaction may cause symptoms such as sneezing, coughing, runny nose, sore throat, diarrhoea, vomiting, itching, swelling and asthma. Symptoms vary from patient to patient. Although allergies irritate you, they usually wont kill you. However, a severe reaction called anaphylaxis, no doubt, threats life.

Doctors all over the world now follow the homeopathic principle like cures like for treatment of allergies. The process, known as vaccination, involves receiving injections of small amounts of allergens, such as pollen for instance, that are considered to be responsible for your allergy.

Thus an artificial disease similar to the natural disease is intentionally given to the patient and the doses are gradually increased so that the body builds up immunity to the allergens. The injections of vaccines are given over at least three to five years. Discontinuation is based on having minimal symptoms over two consecutive seasons of exposure to the allergens. The immunologists and the allergists are of the view that this method of treatment is more effective than the conventional treatment (in which anti-allergic medicines like Avil, Rigix and other antihistamines are used), which only temporarily suppresses the acute symptoms of the allergies.

Immunology and homoeopathy began in the same year i.e. 1796. Edward Jenner, the father of modern immunology, gave his first smallpox vaccinations at the same time that the German physician Samuel Hahnemann discovered homoeopathy. A vaccine is a biological preparation that improves immunity to a particular disease. It typically contains a small amount of an agent that resembles a microorganism.

The agent stimulates the bodys immune system to recognize the invading agent as foreign, destroy it, and remember it, so that the immune system can more easily recognize and destroy any of these microorganisms that it encounters in future. The symptoms associated with an immune system response are often uncomfortable to the individual, but are actually quite necessary. Symptoms such as sneezing, runny nose, fever, coughing, itching, nausea, diarrhoea or shortness of breath are all produced as the immune system tries to fight foreign invaders.

Hahnemann introduced homoeopathy in 1796 in these words: One imitates nature, which sometimes cures chronic diseases by adding another disease, and then uses a drug that is capable of exciting another artificial disease as similar as possible to the natural disease to be cured: Like cures like. This principle states that a disease can be cured by a substance that produces similar symptoms in healthy people.

Hahnemann unlike his contemporary Jenner did not limit the scope of this great discovery to the preparation of certain vaccines only. He went further and started experimenting vaccines on himself. He would select a diluted vaccine and take its repeated doses and then record the symptoms. Slowly and gradually his family, friends and students also joined him in these experiments. Through great sacrifices the hidden properties of diluted medicinal substances were discovered and recorded. Then these records were used in clinics to match the signs and symptoms of patients with the recorded properties of a diluted vaccine. And miraculous results were achieved. Thus a fully mature homeopathic system of medicine was developed by its great German discoverer Dr Hahnemann. Now the homoeopathic materia medica has a record of carefully documented properties of more than seven thousand medicinal substances.

Homoeopathy does not treat allergies by blindly giving one vaccine made from allergens, which apparently caused an allergy, to all the patients suffering from that allergy. It rather carefully individualizes the symptoms of each and every patient and selects the most appropriate and suitable vaccine (homeopathic medicine) for that particular patient. In homoeopathy ten different patients suffering from an allergy caused by same allergen (the mulberry pollen for instance) may receive ten different medicines if their individual symptoms are different.

Homoeopathy during the last two centuries treated millions of people suffering from all sorts of allergies without any side effects. The author himself is a witness to its efficacy and has treated, by the grace of Allah, many stubborn cases of allergies and asthma without any side effects.

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Homeopathy can see to the disease of joints

An article by

Dr Asghar Ali Shah

Homeopathic Physician

Published in The News International on September 09, 2009

Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic disease of joints. It affects over one percent of the population and its victims are more women than men. It usually begins in the fifth or sixth decade of life.

This disease often starts from small joints of hands and feet, and latter involves other joints of the body. The patient complains of the inflammatory pain and stiffness of joints, particularly in the morning and after any periods of rest. The next thing the patient complains of is the swelling and loss of function of joints.

It is an autoimmune disease that means that the immune system (natural internal defense), which is responsible for protecting the body from diseases, itself starts damaging the patient’s joints. The medical science has no complete cure for this disorder. Once diagnosed positive, according to allopathic doctors, the patient is supposed to live with it all his life. But that is not so if treated through homeopathic system of medicine, which instead of giving strong chemicals uses patient’s own natural healing power. Moreover, it is affordable and has no side effects.

The allopathic doctors use a combination of the following treatments in rheumatoid arthritis:

1.Simple pain-killers like paracetamol are used that just treat your feeling of pain.

2.Anti inflammatory drugs, which are commonly used, obviously treat the symptoms of stiffness and swelling but do not affect the process of disease.

3.Disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) are given to the patients of rheumatoid arthritis. These drugs through unable to cure the disease, slow down the process of damage. There’re four or five of these drugs the most frequently used DMARD is methatroxate that has been used for thirty odd years. The experienced rheumatologists avoid prescribing it in every case of its terrible long lasting side effects.

4.Biological response modifiers (BRMs) belong to a relatively new class of drugs. Our body’s immune system normally produces BRMs in small amount in response to infection & disease. Modern laboratory techniques, scientists can produce BRMs in large amount for use in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis and other disease, such as cancer and some chronic viral infections.

The medical scientists are experimenting with these chemicals to make our immune system work like it does under homeopathic medicines.

Problem with BRMs is that they are expensive. More-over the scientists are also worried about the extent of the potential damage the BRMs cause as side effects. Our bodies naturally produce thousands of substances including the BRMs and they know best how to utilize them most appropriately against diseases to keep us healthy and strong. A dose of homeopathic medicine, properly individualized according to the symptoms of a particular patient, triggers a natural healing process in that patient and can permanently cure his chronic conditions like rheumatoid arthritis or hepatitis etc without any side effects.

The writer has treated, by the grace of ALLAH many patients from rheumatoid arthritis, which were labeled as incurable, I remember a 65-year old patient, who was running a private school, had suffered from great pain in one of his knees. His son happened to be a doctor and got him examined by renowned orthopedic surgeons. The specialists’ unanimous opinion was that the affected knee must be replaced by an artificial one. The patient was planning for the replacement when the idea of trying homeopathic treatment came to his mind. This writer treated him and with ALLAH’s blessing he did not have the knee replacement.

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Homeopathy can save the day for the kidney patients

An article by

Dr Asghar Ali Shah

Homeopathic Physician

Published in The News International on December 06, 2009

Although the number of dialysis centers is increasing in many regions of Pakistan, most patients stop treatment of cost constraints. Dialysis is not a permanent solution. It is rather an interim arrangement to keep alive the patient whose kidneys stop functioning.

Kidney transplantation is better option but not only about 5 percent patients receive transplantation. The shortage of donors is a universal problem, and paid organ donation accounts for 70 percent of all transplantations in Pakistan.

Most kidney diseases attack the tiny units inside the kidneys called nephrons causing them to loose their filtering capacity. Damage to the nephrons con happen quickly but most kidney diseases destroy them slow and silently. Kidneys have to separate urea, mineral salts, toxins and other waste products form the blood. The actual removal wastes occur in nephrons. Each kidney has about a million nephrons.

Kidneys are located nearly at the bottom of the rib cage in the right and left sides of the back. The left kidney lies a little higher than the right kidney lies a little higher then the right kidney. Kidneys are bean shared, about four inches long and two and a half inches wide. Although the body is equipped with two kidneys, you can function one reasonably healthy kidney if the other is damaged or removed.

Some people are born with only one kidney but can still lead normal, healthy lives. Every year thousands of people donate one of their kidneys for transplantation to members of their families or friends.

The kidneys are highly sophisticated reprocessing machines. Every day a person’s kidney process about 200 quarts of blood to sift out about 2 quarts of waste products and extra water. The wastes and extra water become urine; like the kidneys also converse water, salts, and electrolytes.

There are more than 100 disorders that can lead to progressive destruction of the kidneys. Diabetes is the most common cause of kidney failure, accounting for more than 40 percent of new cases. If glucose stays in the blood instead of breaking down it can act like a poison. Damage to the nephrons from unused glucose in the blood is called diabetic kidney disease.

High blood pressure plays a major role in rapid progression of kidney problems in people with diabetes. High blood pressure can damage the small blood vessels in the kidneys. The damaged vessels are thus unable to filter wastes from the blood properly.

People whose kidney disease becomes worse may need to urinate more often or less often, feel tired lose their appitite or experience nausea and vomiting, have swelling in their hands or feet, feel itchy or numb, get drowsy or have trouble concentrating, have darkened skin and have muscle cramps.

Serious health problems occur when people have less than 25 percent of their kidney function.

Dialysis is not the curative procedure for chronic renal failure but instead it keeps a person alive by performing the crucial functions of the kidneys. Homeopathy on the other hand by the grace of ALLAH a complete healing system that can bring relief of the most troublesome renal disease.

Homeopathy works exceptionally well in the kidney diseases when administered wisely. It stimulates one’s immune system, which in turns repairs the damaged kidneys. Patient’s kidney-function starts improving under the homeopathic treatment. And as the kidneys start working properly the bio-chemistry becomes normal naturally.

Homeopathy works silently and goes deep into your immune system. And not only repairs the damaged kidneys but helps in maintaining the blood pressure and sugar level as well.

The writer also had the opportunity by the grace of ALLAH to treat many patients suffering from different types of kidney diseases. I remember a young man who was having dialysis regularly when he started the homeopathic treatment. After a month when he went for the dialysis his routine blood test showed that his urea and certinine levels were absolutely normal. He was sent back by the doctors informing he did not need dialysis anymore. Imagine the happiness and excitement of the parents who were trying to find such a donor to save the life of their son. Such pleasant moments give deep satisfaction to a physician.

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Interferon is not your last resort

An article by

Dr Asghar Ali Shah

Homeopathic Physician

Published in The News International on April 3, 2009

One of every 12 people on our planet is affected by hepatitis B or C. It is estimated that 4,110 people die daily of hepatitis that is now recognized as one of the top healthcare problems.

Many researchers believe that this situation is a result of the indiscriminate use of the antibiotics. Anti-malarial drugs and pain killers. They are of the view that the usage of these medicines has rendered our immune system venerable to the infections caused by the viral hepatitis.

These days the medicine industry has only one answer to the viral hepatitis and that is a course of interferon injections. Medical researchers have been inserted in interferons since their role in the immune process was first noticed by two Japanese scientists nagano and kojima in1954. Interferons (IFNs) are natural proteins produced by the cells of the immune system of our bodies in response to challenges by foreign agents such as viruses, parasites and tumour cells. Intrferon assist the immune response by inhibiting viral replication within hosts cells, activating natural killer cells and inducing the resistance of host cells to viral infection.

Just as their natural function, interferons have antiviral, antiseptic and anti cancerous properties. When administered as drugs. But majority of the hepatitis patients do not respond to their infertion therapy. The tiny minority, which responds to it, usually develops long lasting side effects and they may also become resistant to the therapy in future. So bring the only treatment in the allopathic system is no justification for exposing millions of sufferers to the hazards of this therapy.

Our bodies naturally produce thousands of substances including Interferons and know best how to utilize them most appropriately against the attacks of interferons and other aliments to keep us healthy & strong. A dose of homeopathic medicine properly individualized according to the symptoms of a particular patient, triggers a natural healing process in that patient and can permanently cure his chronic conditions like hepatitis B or C.

Let me illustrate the point by giving details of three hepatitis C cases I dealt with recently.

1. Mrs. Farhan mir of Lahore developed hepatitis C and of course she was very much worried. Her gastroenterologist advised her to start the course of injections but she doubted their efficacy and was also afraid of the side effects. Her sister in Sialkot asked her to try the homeopathic treatment. When I took her detailed symptoms I found that she was morbidly anxious about the health and education of her children. She was unable to digest the dairy products and always gnawing hunger at 11 am she had two deliveries through cesarean section. She was not very sensitive to cold and also had hot burning feet. She frequently felt nausea and dry mouth. She had a long history of frequently taking pain killers for her headaches and body aches.

2. Abdul ghani, a 62 year old man from vehari, had his blood tests done as a part of requirement for his job visa for the UAE. It was a shock for him to discover that he was suffering from hepatitis C. He was convinced by his well wishers to get the homeopathic treatment. I took his symptoms and discovered that he was a very cool minded person. He had mild diabetes and was unable to digest oily food. His eyesight was getting weaker and weaker. He had a great craving for milk. He always suffered from flatulent stomach and became very tired after little exertion.

3. Mrs. Tassaduq Razaq Kiani, a 38 year old woman from Rawalpindi was asked by her doctor to get her blood tested. And as a result showed that she was having hepatitis C. She opted for the homeopathic treatment. Her symptoms showed that she was very sensitive to cold and heat. Her symptoms always got aggravated after washing clothes. Both her parents had diabetes. She frequently complained for vomiting and diarrhea. She had poor assimilation.

All these three persons were suffering from the same disease that is hepatitis C. But they showed different subjective and objective symptoms. Three different homeopathic medicines which best suited their individual symptoms were given to them and within a few months by the grace of ALLAH they were no more hepatitis C patients.

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Homeopathy Can Carry the Day for Asthmatics

An article by

Dr Asghar Ali Shah

Homeopathic Physician

Published in The News International on March 06, 2010

The world has so far failed to wipe out the old-age disease of asthma. According to the findings of World Health Organization, this planet hosts as many as 300 million patients, 10 million of whom live in Pakistan.

Asthma causes more than 250,000 premature deaths every year. Efforts to control this chronic disease have witnessed only five percent success in Asia.

Asthma causes airways the tube that carry air in and out of your lungs to become sore and swollen. Children having smaller airways than adults are prone to worse affects.

When the airways react, during an asthmatic attack, the muscles around them tighten. This causes the airways to shrink, thus less air floes to the lungs. The swelling can also worsen, making the airways even narrower. Cells in the airways may make more mucus than normal. Mucus is a sticky, thick liquid that can further narrow the airways.

This can result asthma symptoms. Asthma causes recurring periods of wheezing chest tightness, shortness of breath and coughing. The coughing often occurs at night or early in the morning.

Factors leading to asthma attacks are called triggers. People can eliminate the possibility of this fatal disease by keeping these triggers away from them. Any home can be full of triggers like extreme temperatures, humidity, mold, dust mites, second hand smoke, cockroaches, cats and dogs etc. Other aasthma triggers may be air pollution, different imbalanced foods, respiaratory infections, even physical exertion and mental stress and pollens.

A pollen count over 1500 per cubic meter of air is considered to be a very high level. If it crosses 5000 per cubic meter, it indicates an emergency condition for people sensitive to paper mulberry. Unfortunately, each year Islamabad sees the worst pollen counts ever recorded in the world.

A research conducted by medical scientists at the University of Glasgow, the Europe’s largest medical school indicates that those patients given an exceedingly small homeopathic dose of whatever substance to which they are most allergic can provide significant relief within the first week of treatment.

Homeopathy tries to cure this disease instead of trying to provide symptomatic relief.

A homeopath not only records the symptoms of disease but also studies the physical and psychological characteristics of the patient, his past medical history along with his family history. Of special interest to a homeopath is the history of suppression of any skin disease.

It is often, though not necessarily always, observed by homeopaths that when a right medicine is given, the asthma disappears but the old eczema, if it were there originally reappears for some time, before disappearing for good. This reappearance of old symptoms is seen as a reversal of disease process and is considered a very good prognostic sign by homeopaths.

In children asthma is often preceded by eczema. The allopathic doctors have also observed this fact and medical textbooks recorded that the children often ‘move out’ of eczema and move into asthma without known scientific correlation between these two phenomena. Homeopaths believe that the suppression of eczema with skin ointments does not cure the disease or sensitivity of the person, it merely drives it further ‘inwards’.

An e-mail message this writer received from the mother of an asthmatic child who got rid of inhalers after taking the homeopathic treatment, is worth reading.

“Dear doctor the last winter was the first cold season in my seven year old son Zeeshan’s life during which he was not nebulized. Moreover he was not given even a single puff of the inhalers Alhamdulillah. We could not believe that homeopathic treatment could be so effective. His child specialist has told us that after thirteen years of age hopefully he’ll grow out of asthma. We are so happy that the homeopathic treatment has given him so much relief. Thanks for your efforts.

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