With homeopathy remedies there are so many direct and indirect adverse effects. The direct adverse effects included abdominal pain, flatulence, acute erythroderma, acute pancreatitis, severe allergic reactions, atopic dermatitis, burning lips, nausea, emesis, apnoea, cyanosis, regurgitation, anaphylaxis, arsenical keratosis and cancer, bladder cancer, bullous pemphigoid, severe asthenia, cardiac arrest, cognitive-behavioural disorders, coma, death, dermatitis, severe pulmonary involvement, emesis, euphoria, extreme agitation, hyponatraemia and hypoalbuminaemia, erythaema, limb oedema, irritability and albuminuria, melanosis and keratosis, skin lesions, acute gastrointestinal illness, leukopaenia, thrombocytopaenia, diffuse dermal melanosis, metabolic acidosis, weight loss, chronic diarrhoea, morbiliform and pruritic rash with hospital admission, multiple alopecia and hair loss, pain, pancreatitis, problem with balance, somnolence, pruritus, swelling and erythroderma, renal failure with metabolic acidosis, interstitial nephritis and hyperkalaemia, severe acute tubulointerstinal nephritis, severe bradycardia, reversible panconduction defect, hypotension and syncope, severe swelling, bleeding, rashes, sneezing, rhinitis, slight lethargy, symptoms of thall poisoning, tachypnea, high fever, lower limb areflexia, hypotension, pupillary abnormalities, gait ataxia, widespread leukocytosis and widespread maculopapular vesicular rash. The direct side effects of homeopathy occasionally resulted in serious outcomes including cancer, death, dialysis, toxic polyneuropathy and quadriparesis. In several instances, patients presenting adverse effects required hospital admission and pharmacotherapy .
The indirect side effects with homeopathy drugs included deterioration of pulmonary allergy, deterioration of sarcoidosis glomerulonephritis, hypertensive heart failure and encephalopathy, haemophilus influenzae meningitis, septicaemia high fever and seizures, malignant melanoma, multiple organ system failure, oedema, pneumococcal pneumonia with purulent pericarditis and coma, sepsis and death and severe aggravation of atopic dermatitis. Indirect side effects of homeopathy resulted in the following clinical outcomes: death, permanent hypertension, hydrocephalus and the need for neuro-surgical drainage.
Mechanism of Adverse Effects
With homeopathy agents in the majority of cases, the possible mechanism of action involved allergic reactions or ingestion of toxic substances. Preparations of heavy metals, such as arsenic, cadmium, mercury or iron, which are frequently used in homeopathy can be toxic, if not highly diluted. Other poisons regularly employed in homeopathy include aconitum, kerosene or thallium, which also can lead to serious health problems in sufficiently low dilutions.
There are several reports of adverse effects of homeopathy have been published and some of them had serious consequences. Clinicians should be aware of the risks associated with homeopathy.
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Re: Should doctors recommend homeopathy?
This has reference to JK Anand
With homeopathy remedies there are so many direct and indirect adverse effects. The direct adverse effects included abdominal pain, flatulence, acute erythroderma, acute pancreatitis, severe allergic reactions, atopic dermatitis, burning lips, nausea, emesis, apnoea, cyanosis, regurgitation, anaphylaxis, arsenical keratosis and cancer, bladder cancer, bullous pemphigoid, severe asthenia, cardiac arrest, cognitive-behavioural disorders, coma, death, dermatitis, severe pulmonary involvement, emesis, euphoria, extreme agitation, hyponatraemia and hypoalbuminaemia, erythaema, limb oedema, irritability and albuminuria, melanosis and keratosis, skin lesions, acute gastrointestinal illness, leukopaenia, thrombocytopaenia, diffuse dermal melanosis, metabolic acidosis, weight loss, chronic diarrhoea, morbiliform and pruritic rash with hospital admission, multiple alopecia and hair loss, pain, pancreatitis, problem with balance, somnolence, pruritus, swelling and erythroderma, renal failure with metabolic acidosis, interstitial nephritis and hyperkalaemia, severe acute tubulointerstinal nephritis, severe bradycardia, reversible panconduction defect, hypotension and syncope, severe swelling, bleeding, rashes, sneezing, rhinitis, slight lethargy, symptoms of thall poisoning, tachypnea, high fever, lower limb areflexia, hypotension, pupillary abnormalities, gait ataxia, widespread leukocytosis and widespread maculopapular vesicular rash. The direct side effects of homeopathy occasionally resulted in serious outcomes including cancer, death, dialysis, toxic polyneuropathy and quadriparesis. In several instances, patients presenting adverse effects required hospital admission and pharmacotherapy .
The indirect side effects with homeopathy drugs included deterioration of pulmonary allergy, deterioration of sarcoidosis glomerulonephritis, hypertensive heart failure and encephalopathy, haemophilus influenzae meningitis, septicaemia high fever and seizures, malignant melanoma, multiple organ system failure, oedema, pneumococcal pneumonia with purulent pericarditis and coma, sepsis and death and severe aggravation of atopic dermatitis. Indirect side effects of homeopathy resulted in the following clinical outcomes: death, permanent hypertension, hydrocephalus and the need for neuro-surgical drainage.
Mechanism of Adverse Effects
With homeopathy agents in the majority of cases, the possible mechanism of action involved allergic reactions or ingestion of toxic substances. Preparations of heavy metals, such as arsenic, cadmium, mercury or iron, which are frequently used in homeopathy can be toxic, if not highly diluted. Other poisons regularly employed in homeopathy include aconitum, kerosene or thallium, which also can lead to serious health problems in sufficiently low dilutions.
There are several reports of adverse effects of homeopathy have been published and some of them had serious consequences. Clinicians should be aware of the risks associated with homeopathy.
References
1. Adverse Effects of Homeopathy
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/777749_2
2.Posadzki P et al In J Clin Pract.2012;66(12):1178-1188
Competing interests: No competing interests