Psych Today - The Strange Case of Homeopathy - Max & Amy Lansky

[Guest guest]

Psych Today - The Strange Case of Homeopathy - Max & Amy Lansky

Amy & Max's Story in Psychology Today

http://www.nccn.net/~wwithin/bookstor.htm#homeopathy

Amy's book can be bought at my website - Impossible Cure

http://babyurl.com/QQzc8o

PSYCHOLOGY TODAY

The Strange Case of Homeopathy

By Castleman -- Publication Date: Mar/Apr 2004

Summary: PT examines whether treating illnesses with homeopathy is simply

unconventional nonsense or a medicinal cure thatis here to stay.

In 1994, NASA computer scientist Amy Lansky of Portola Valley, California,

began wondering about her two-year-old son. Max knew the alphabet and could

beat adults at memory games, but he barely spoke and, despite normal

hearing, didn't seem to understand language. At preschool he was a loner.

His main form of communication was poking people with his finger.

Eventually, school officials urged Lansky to have him evaluated. The

diagnosis: autism, a neurological and behavioral disorder for which there

is no known remedy.

But Lansky refused to believe Max was untreatable. Her search for an answer

led her to homeopathy, an 18th-century healing art now enjoying renewed

popularity because of Americans' growing interest in alternative medicine.

Homeopathy involves treating illnesses with such extreme dilutions of

herbs, animal substances and chemical compounds that frequently not one

molecule of the diluted substance is left in the solution. Homeopathy

defies the known laws of science, not to mention common sense. But rigorous

studies show it just may work.

In a German trial, a homeopathic treatment for vertigo outperformed the

pharmaceutical remedy; at Harvard, subjects with mild brain injury showed

significantly greater improvement with a homeopathic treatment than with a

placebo. And homeopathic remedies have been found to augment conventional

treatments, as well. In the case of infectious diarrhea, a University of

Washington study found that children given the standard rehydration fluid

containing water, sugar and salt, plus a homeopathic remedy, recovered

after two and a half days-a day and and a half earlier than those who

received just the rehydration fluid.

" I believe new science will explain how homeopathy works, " says Ellen

Feingold, a Wilmington, Delaware, pediatrician who left conventional

medicine to practice homeopathy. " But research is not my concern. I want to

heal patients. As an M.D., I mostly suppressed symptoms. Now I truly heal

people. " " Critics of homeopathy say that because its mechanism of action

can't be explained, it can't possibly work, " says Carlston, a Santa

, California, physician who has combined mainstream medicine and

homeopathy for 30 years. " But that's hypocritical. Aspirin was used for 90

years before its efficacy was explained-and no doctors shunned it. "

Strange Medicine

Shortly after her son's diagnosis, Lansky found a magazine article on

alternative treatments for childhood behavioral problems.

Lansky's acupuncturist referred her to homeopath Melnychuk. He did not

perform a physical exam, nor did he order diagnostic tests. He just asked

questions, including many that M.D.s would consider irrelevant. He explored

Max's milk craving, his fitful sleep, the bluish tint in the whites of his

eyes and his restlessness, intensity, sweetness, stubbornness and

perfectionism. Then, using reference books, he looked for substances that

produce the same effects in healthy people. This is the fundamental

principle of homeopathy, the Law of Similars. It's the idea that illness

can be cured by substances-plant, animal or mineral-that evoke the same

symptoms in those who are well. Melnychuk decided to give Max Carcinosin, a

treatment made from-of all things-an infinitesimal amount of human cancer

tissue.

" There are two types of homeopathic remedies, " Melnychuk explains. " Some

treat symptoms; For example, arnica works well for muscle strains. Then

there are 'constitutional' remedies, ones that have to be matched to the

patient's personality. Max seemed to fit the Carcinosin profile, which

includes symptoms of perfectionism, restlessness, sleep difficulties and

milk cravings. " However, Melnychuk cautions, not every autistic child

should receive Carcinosin. " You have to tailor the remedy to the patient's

unique traits. "

Lansky mixed a little Carcinosin in water and gave Max a teaspoon each

morning. Within two days, she noticed subtle changes: " Max's speech

improved, and he seemed more socially aware. " In the next two months the

trend toward improvement continued.

Maybe It's Doing Nothing

Homeopathy developed during the late 18th century, a time when physicians

knew little about disease. They treated most illnesses by bleeding patients

and administering powerful laxatives. Such treatments were called " heroic

measures, " but the heroism was entirely on the part of patients, many of

whom suffered more from these interventions than from their illnesses.

One 18th-century German doctor, Hahnemann, became so disgusted with

heroic medicine that he closed his practice. But Hahnemann did not exactly

reject conventional medicine. He was impressed with cinchona, the South

American tree bark that was the first effective treatment for malaria. In

1790, Hahnemann ingested cinchona and became cold, achy, anxious and

thirsty-all symptoms of malaria. That experience led him to postulate his

Law of Similars.

Hahnemann tested hundreds of substances on himself-plants, animal parts and

chemical compounds, including salt, zinc, gold and marigold

flowers-cataloging their effects. Eventually, he reopened his practice but

prescribed only homeopathic medicines.

Homeopathy was controversial from the outset because of Hahnemann's other

postulate, the Law of Potentization, which holds that homeopathic medicines

grow stronger as they became more dilute. Critics howl at the law.

Homeopathy is " absurd, " argues Sampson, a clinical professor of

medicine at Stanford University. " It is bankrupt in theory and practice. "

" There is no basis for believing that homeopathy has any effect, " says

Baratz, president of the National Council Against Health Fraud, in

Peabody, Massachusetts. " Homeopathy is a magnet for untrustworthy

practitioners who pose a threat to public safety. It's quackery. "

Maybe homeopathy involves treatment with nothing. If true, it's still an

improvement over 18th-century heroic medicine-even if patients get little

more than water.

By the late 19th century, conventional medicine had moved away from heroic

measures. As they disappeared, the medical opposition led by homeopaths

lost steam. The discovery of antibiotics and other modern drugs further

strengthened conventional medicine at homeopathy's expense. While

homeopathy remained popular in Europe, there were fewer than 100 homeopaths

in the U.S. by the early 1970s. Critics dismissed homeopathic treatment as

placebo.

Strange Power

Placebos have no direct impact on the body. But when given to treat almost

any illness-from colds to serious conditions-about one-third of recipients

report benefits. " Placebos work as well as they do because of the mind's

ability to affect the body, " says Brown University psychiatrist Walter

Brown. Many studies have shown that when a doctor offers any treatment,

people expect it will help, and that expectation itself can aid healing.

Also, through a mind-body mechanism not entirely understood, placebos

trigger the release of endorphins, the body's mood-elevating,

pain-relieving compounds. " Improvement in patients receiving homeopathy is

simply a placebo effect, " Sampson says.

But studies consistently yield conflicting reports. British researchers are

divided as to the power of arnica, often prescribed by homeopaths for

musculoskeletal pain. Patients who received arnica after wrist surgery for

carpal tunnel syndrome reported significantly less pain than did those in a

placebo group; yet patients with other joint conditions had no such luck

(among 58 rheumatoid arthritis sufferers, the placebo group reported

significantly greater pain relief).

In 1991, Dutch epidemiologists analyzed 105 studies of homeopathic

treatment from 1966 to 1990, most from French and German medical journals.

Eighty-one studies found patients had benefited from homeopathy, prompting

the Dutch researchers to conclude that " the evidence is to a large extent

positive. [it] would probably be sufficient for establishing homeopathy as

treatment for certain conditions. " A 1997 German analysis of 89 studies

agreed that homeopathy is often significantly more beneficial than the use

of placebos.

Preferring Alternatives

Ambiguous as the evidence is, in recent years homeopathy has enjoyed

renewed popularity in the U.S., coinciding with Americans' ambivalence

about mainstream medicine.

One-half to two-thirds of Americans have used alternative therapies, and

Americans visit alternative practitioners more often than they visit

conventional practitioners-some 600 million consultations a year. They now

spend $30 billion a year on alternative therapies, according to a recent

report in Newsweek, and have as much confidence in alternative

practitioners as they do in M.D.s, according to a study in the journal

ls of Internal Medicine.

Americans have not lost confidence in physicians-they've just expanded

their view of what's medically helpful, believing that the combination of

mainstream and alternative medicine will provide the best results. " The

renewed interest in homeopathy, " explains Dana Ullman, author of eight

books on the subject, " is part of the groundswell of interest Americans

have shown for all the alternative therapies. People are not satisfied with

conventional medicine. "

Homeopathy is not the only alternative therapy conventional medicine can't

fully explain. The energy pathways deemed fundamental to acupuncture don't

correspond to any known structures in the body, but a 1998 National

Institutes of Health report concluded, " The data in support of acupuncture

are as strong as those for many accepted Western medical therapies. "

Nonetheless, homeopathy is nowhere near as accepted as acupuncture. The

latest Harvard report on Americans' use of alternative therapies shows that

homeopathy accounts for less than 0.5 percent of alternative-practitioner

visits. Recently, University of land researchers surveyed coverage for

alternative therapies by six major managed-care plans-five covered

chiropractic, four covered acupuncture, none covered homeopathy.

" Homeopathy, " Ullman says, " is the Rodney Dangerfield of alternative

therapies: It gets no respect. "

Impossible Cure

Amy Lansky didn't care that homeopathy is one of America's least accepted

alternative therapies. After nine months of homeopathic treatment, Max was

a different child: talkative, active, sociable and popular. Under

Melnychuk's guidance, Lansky gradually decreased his dose of Carcinosin,

eventually discontinuing it. Max continued to improve. By age five, he was

virtually indistinguishable from any other kid. " He now sees Melnychuk

maybe twice a year, " says Lansky. " As far as I'm concerned, he's cured. "

Max's experience led Lansky to quit her job and study homeopathy full-time.

Last fall, she hung out a shingle. " As a scientist, " she explains, " I

recognize that homeopathy is implausible. But I've seen it cure my son. "

San Francisco-based writer Castleman is the author of 12 consumer

health books, including Nature's Cures (Rodale Press, 1995).

[Guest guest]

Andy

Thanks for being positive about homeopathic treatment!!

andrewhallcutler <AndyCutler@...> wrote:

As discussed by Joyce Frye, DO, in Primary Care; Clinics in Office

Practice Volume 24 ï Number 4 ï December 1997, controlled trials of

homeopathic medicines conducted by regular MD's all show no effect,

while controlled trials of homeopathic medicines by homeopaths do show

positive results.

Seems like you have to know how to prescribe properly in order for the

stuff to work, and being trained in an entirely unrelated field of

medicine doesn't qualify one to do that with adequate facility to get

results.

Andy . . . . . .

=======================================================

[Guest guest]

Who is the doctor and is there an email? Thanks, Kristy

On May 11, 2004, at 8:43 PM, Jacquiec1@... wrote:

> Andy and List:

>

> We have been using a wonderful doctor in PA who is utilizing

> homeopathic

> remedies to recover our son. He is doing sequential homeopathic

> detox similar

> to that of Tinus Smits (Netherlands) and Elmiger (Switzerland).

> From my

> exploration, I do believe that this contemporary homeopathic method is

> getting

> better results than the medical approach. I am meeting more and more

> parents

> who have had their children completely recovered by this sequential

> method.

> (I know many who are also doing long-distance detox with our doctor

> who are

> doing very well and recovering thier children completely).

>

> In the 8 months our son has been sequentially deoxing, we have seen

> remarkable progress. Before the detox, our son (then age 4.5) had

> very little eye

> contact, almost no language, many sensory issues, and severe eczema.

> The list

> of improvements are too numerous to mention. Here are just a few:

> 90% eye

> contact, language bursting (lots of singing and dancing), plays

> hide-n-seek,

> seeks out children on the playground, sensory issues disappearing

> (cutting

> nails, washing face is no longer a problem), no tantrums, follows

> directions,

> transitions are MUCH easier, no waking at night, asking " W " questions,

> Eczema

> cleared by 98%. Tonight he sat through his brother's middle school

> concert, in

> his own chair, and clapped and participated appropriately. As far as

> I'm

> concerned, he was better behaved than the (presumed typical) 5 year

> olds that I saw

> there.

>

> I now look at allopathic medicine as being one that looks at the

> individual

> symptoms like the wires on a suspension bridge, tinkering with each

> and every

> tension, but is not solving the scope of the problem. I see my son's

> doctor as

> being the guy down below, fixing the pilings: the FOUNDATION of the

> situation. Once he shores up the pilings and straightens them out,

> the tensions in

> all the wires up above will fall into place.

>

> I believe that our kids got too many toxins (primarily from vaccines)

> for

> their bodies to handle and they drifted into autism. As the toxins

> are dealt

> with, the child can then emerge. Missed developmental milestones must

> still be

> " made up " , but as the detox progresses, it becomes easier and easier

> to pick up

> the lost pieces.

>

> It took me a while to get to this point, but after tackling this for

> 2.5

> years and reading and studying incessantly, we're almost " there " .

> Feel free to

> e-mail me privately if need be. I will always be happy to help

> another family

> and another child. I will answer any questions that I can. Thus far,

> all I

> can give homeopathy is rave reviews, and I am expecting more and more

> progress

> as the months tick down to a full recovery and a very full life ahead.

> Sincerely,

> Jacquie

>

>

> Message: 15

> Date: Tue, 11 May 2004 08:05:34 -0000

> From: " andrewhallcutler " <AndyCutler@...>

> Subject: Re: Psych Today - The Strange Case of Homeopathy - Max & Amy

> Lansky

>

> As discussed by Joyce Frye, DO, in Primary Care; Clinics in Office

> Practice Volume 24 ï Number 4 ï December 1997, controlled trials of

> homeopathic medicines conducted by regular MD's all show no effect,

> while controlled trials of homeopathic medicines by homeopaths do show

> positive results.

>

> Seems like you have to know how to prescribe properly in order for the

> stuff to work, and being trained in an entirely unrelated field of

> medicine doesn't qualify one to do that with adequate facility to get

> results.

>

> Andy . . . . . .

>

>

> Message: 11

> Date: Mon, 10 May 2004 20:10:49 +0200

> From: Moppett@...

> Subject: Psych Today - The Strange Case of Homeopathy - Max & Amy

> Lansky

>

> Psych Today - The Strange Case of Homeopathy - Max & Amy Lansky

>

>

> Amy & Max's Story in Psychology Today

> http://www.nccn.net/~wwithin/bookstor.htm#homeopathy

> Amy's book can be bought at my website - Impossible Cure

>

> http://babyurl.com/QQzc8o

>

> PSYCHOLOGY TODAY

>

> The Strange Case of Homeopathy

> By Castleman -- Publication Date: Mar/Apr 2004

>

> Summary: PT examines whether treating illnesses with homeopathy is

> simply

> unconventional nonsense or a medicinal cure thatis here to stay.

>

> In 1994, NASA computer scientist Amy Lansky of Portola Valley,

> California,

> began wondering about her two-year-old son. Max knew the alphabet and

> could

> beat adults at memory games, but he barely spoke and, despite normal

> hearing, didn't seem to understand language. At preschool he was a

> loner.

> His main form of communication was poking people with his finger.

> Eventually, school officials urged Lansky to have him evaluated. The

> diagnosis: autism, a neurological and behavioral disorder for which

> there

> is no known remedy.

>

> But Lansky refused to believe Max was untreatable. Her search for an

> answer

> led her to homeopathy, an 18th-century healing art now enjoying renewed

> popularity because of Americans' growing interest in alternative

> medicine.

> Homeopathy involves treating illnesses with such extreme dilutions of

> herbs, animal substances and chemical compounds that frequently not one

> molecule of the diluted substance is left in the solution. Homeopathy

> defies the known laws of science, not to mention common sense. But

> rigorous

> studies show it just may work.

>

> In a German trial, a homeopathic treatment for vertigo outperformed the

> pharmaceutical remedy; at Harvard, subjects with mild brain injury

> showed

> significantly greater improvement with a homeopathic treatment than

> with a

> placebo. And homeopathic remedies have been found to augment

> conventional

> treatments, as well. In the case of infectious diarrhea, a University

> of

> Washington study found that children given the standard rehydration

> fluid

> containing water, sugar and salt, plus a homeopathic remedy, recovered

> after two and a half days-a day and and a half earlier than those who

> received just the rehydration fluid.

>

> " I believe new science will explain how homeopathy works, " says Ellen

> Feingold, a Wilmington, Delaware, pediatrician who left conventional

> medicine to practice homeopathy. " But research is not my concern. I

> want to

> heal patients. As an M.D., I mostly suppressed symptoms. Now I truly

> heal

> people. " " Critics of homeopathy say that because its mechanism of

> action

> can't be explained, it can't possibly work, " says Carlston, a

> Santa

> , California, physician who has combined mainstream medicine and

> homeopathy for 30 years. " But that's hypocritical. Aspirin was used

> for 90

> years before its efficacy was explained-and no doctors shunned it. "

>

> Strange Medicine

> Shortly after her son's diagnosis, Lansky found a magazine article on

> alternative treatments for childhood behavioral problems.

>

> Lansky's acupuncturist referred her to homeopath Melnychuk. He

> did not

> perform a physical exam, nor did he order diagnostic tests. He just

> asked

> questions, including many that M.D.s would consider irrelevant. He

> explored

> Max's milk craving, his fitful sleep, the bluish tint in the whites of

> his

> eyes and his restlessness, intensity, sweetness, stubbornness and

> perfectionism. Then, using reference books, he looked for substances

> that

> produce the same effects in healthy people. This is the fundamental

> principle of homeopathy, the Law of Similars. It's the idea that

> illness

> can be cured by substances-plant, animal or mineral-that evoke the same

> symptoms in those who are well. Melnychuk decided to give Max

> Carcinosin, a

> treatment made from-of all things-an infinitesimal amount of human

> cancer

> tissue.

>

> " There are two types of homeopathic remedies, " Melnychuk explains.

> " Some

> treat symptoms; For example, arnica works well for muscle strains. Then

> there are 'constitutional' remedies, ones that have to be matched to

> the

> patient's personality. Max seemed to fit the Carcinosin profile, which

> includes symptoms of perfectionism, restlessness, sleep difficulties

> and

> milk cravings. " However, Melnychuk cautions, not every autistic child

> should receive Carcinosin. " You have to tailor the remedy to the

> patient's

> unique traits. "

>

> Lansky mixed a little Carcinosin in water and gave Max a teaspoon each

> morning. Within two days, she noticed subtle changes: " Max's speech

> improved, and he seemed more socially aware. " In the next two months

> the

> trend toward improvement continued.

>

> Maybe It's Doing Nothing

> Homeopathy developed during the late 18th century, a time when

> physicians

> knew little about disease. They treated most illnesses by bleeding

> patients

> and administering powerful laxatives. Such treatments were called

> " heroic

> measures, " but the heroism was entirely on the part of patients, many

> of

> whom suffered more from these interventions than from their illnesses.

>

> One 18th-century German doctor, Hahnemann, became so disgusted

> with

> heroic medicine that he closed his practice. But Hahnemann did not

> exactly

> reject conventional medicine. He was impressed with cinchona, the South

> American tree bark that was the first effective treatment for malaria.

> In

> 1790, Hahnemann ingested cinchona and became cold, achy, anxious and

> thirsty-all symptoms of malaria. That experience led him to postulate

> his

> Law of Similars.

>

> Hahnemann tested hundreds of substances on himself-plants, animal

> parts and

> chemical compounds, including salt, zinc, gold and marigold

> flowers-cataloging their effects. Eventually, he reopened his practice

> but

> prescribed only homeopathic medicines.

>

> Homeopathy was controversial from the outset because of Hahnemann's

> other

> postulate, the Law of Potentization, which holds that homeopathic

> medicines

> grow stronger as they became more dilute. Critics howl at the law.

> Homeopathy is " absurd, " argues Sampson, a clinical professor of

> medicine at Stanford University. " It is bankrupt in theory and

> practice. "

>

> " There is no basis for believing that homeopathy has any effect, " says

> Baratz, president of the National Council Against Health Fraud,

> in

> Peabody, Massachusetts. " Homeopathy is a magnet for untrustworthy

> practitioners who pose a threat to public safety. It's quackery. "

>

> Maybe homeopathy involves treatment with nothing. If true, it's still

> an

> improvement over 18th-century heroic medicine-even if patients get

> little

> more than water.

>

> By the late 19th century, conventional medicine had moved away from

> heroic

> measures. As they disappeared, the medical opposition led by homeopaths

> lost steam. The discovery of antibiotics and other modern drugs further

> strengthened conventional medicine at homeopathy's expense. While

> homeopathy remained popular in Europe, there were fewer than 100

> homeopaths

> in the U.S. by the early 1970s. Critics dismissed homeopathic

> treatment as

> placebo.

>

> Strange Power

> Placebos have no direct impact on the body. But when given to treat

> almost

> any illness-from colds to serious conditions-about one-third of

> recipients

> report benefits. " Placebos work as well as they do because of the

> mind's

> ability to affect the body, " says Brown University psychiatrist Walter

> Brown. Many studies have shown that when a doctor offers any treatment,

> people expect it will help, and that expectation itself can aid

> healing.

> Also, through a mind-body mechanism not entirely understood, placebos

> trigger the release of endorphins, the body's mood-elevating,

> pain-relieving compounds. " Improvement in patients receiving

> homeopathy is

> simply a placebo effect, " Sampson says.

>

> But studies consistently yield conflicting reports. British

> researchers are

> divided as to the power of arnica, often prescribed by homeopaths for

> musculoskeletal pain. Patients who received arnica after wrist surgery

> for

> carpal tunnel syndrome reported significantly less pain than did those

> in a

> placebo group; yet patients with other joint conditions had no such

> luck

> (among 58 rheumatoid arthritis sufferers, the placebo group reported

> significantly greater pain relief).

>

> In 1991, Dutch epidemiologists analyzed 105 studies of homeopathic

> treatment from 1966 to 1990, most from French and German medical

> journals.

> Eighty-one studies found patients had benefited from homeopathy,

> prompting

> the Dutch researchers to conclude that " the evidence is to a large

> extent

> positive. [it] would probably be sufficient for establishing

> homeopathy as

> treatment for certain conditions. " A 1997 German analysis of 89 studies

> agreed that homeopathy is often significantly more beneficial than the

> use

> of placebos.

>

> Preferring Alternatives

> Ambiguous as the evidence is, in recent years homeopathy has enjoyed

> renewed popularity in the U.S., coinciding with Americans' ambivalence

> about mainstream medicine.

>

> One-half to two-thirds of Americans have used alternative therapies,

> and

> Americans visit alternative practitioners more often than they visit

> conventional practitioners-some 600 million consultations a year. They

> now

> spend $30 billion a year on alternative therapies, according to a

> recent

> report in Newsweek, and have as much confidence in alternative

> practitioners as they do in M.D.s, according to a study in the journal

> ls of Internal Medicine.

>

> Americans have not lost confidence in physicians-they've just expanded

> their view of what's medically helpful, believing that the combination

> of

> mainstream and alternative medicine will provide the best results. " The

> renewed interest in homeopathy, " explains Dana Ullman, author of eight

> books on the subject, " is part of the groundswell of interest Americans

> have shown for all the alternative therapies. People are not satisfied

> with

> conventional medicine. "

>

> Homeopathy is not the only alternative therapy conventional medicine

> can't

> fully explain. The energy pathways deemed fundamental to acupuncture

> don't

> correspond to any known structures in the body, but a 1998 National

> Institutes of Health report concluded, " The data in support of

> acupuncture

> are as strong as those for many accepted Western medical therapies. "

>

> Nonetheless, homeopathy is nowhere near as accepted as acupuncture. The

> latest Harvard report on Americans' use of alternative therapies shows

> that

> homeopathy accounts for less than 0.5 percent of

> alternative-practitioner

> visits. Recently, University of land researchers surveyed coverage

> for

> alternative therapies by six major managed-care plans-five covered

> chiropractic, four covered acupuncture, none covered homeopathy.

> " Homeopathy, " Ullman says, " is the Rodney Dangerfield of alternative

> therapies: It gets no respect. "

>

> Impossible Cure

> Amy Lansky didn't care that homeopathy is one of America's least

> accepted

> alternative therapies. After nine months of homeopathic treatment, Max

> was

> a different child: talkative, active, sociable and popular. Under

> Melnychuk's guidance, Lansky gradually decreased his dose of

> Carcinosin,

> eventually discontinuing it. Max continued to improve. By age five, he

> was

> virtually indistinguishable from any other kid. " He now sees Melnychuk

> maybe twice a year, " says Lansky. " As far as I'm concerned, he's

> cured. "

>

> Max's experience led Lansky to quit her job and study homeopathy

> full-time.

> Last fall, she hung out a shingle. " As a scientist, " she explains, " I

> recognize that homeopathy is implausible. But I've seen it cure my

> son. "

>

> San Francisco-based writer Castleman is the author of 12

> consumer

> health books, including Nature's Cures (Rodale Press, 1995).

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Can you explain the process of sequential homeopathic detox you are using - is

it different than standard homeopathic treatments?

Thank you,

Psych Today - The Strange Case of Homeopathy - Max & Amy

> Lansky

>

> Psych Today - The Strange Case of Homeopathy - Max & Amy Lansky

>

>

> Amy & Max's Story in Psychology Today

> http://www.nccn.net/~wwithin/bookstor.htm#homeopathy

> Amy's book can be bought at my website - Impossible Cure

>

> http://babyurl.com/QQzc8o

>

> PSYCHOLOGY TODAY

>

> The Strange Case of Homeopathy

> By Castleman -- Publication Date: Mar/Apr 2004

>

> Summary: PT examines whether treating illnesses with homeopathy is

> simply

> unconventional nonsense or a medicinal cure thatis here to stay.

>

> In 1994, NASA computer scientist Amy Lansky of Portola Valley,

> California,

> began wondering about her two-year-old son. Max knew the alphabet and

> could

> beat adults at memory games, but he barely spoke and, despite normal

> hearing, didn't seem to understand language. At preschool he was a

> loner.

> His main form of communication was poking people with his finger.

> Eventually, school officials urged Lansky to have him evaluated. The

> diagnosis: autism, a neurological and behavioral disorder for which

> there

> is no known remedy.

>

> But Lansky refused to believe Max was untreatable. Her search for an

> answer

> led her to homeopathy, an 18th-century healing art now enjoying renewed

> popularity because of Americans' growing interest in alternative

> medicine.

> Homeopathy involves treating illnesses with such extreme dilutions of

> herbs, animal substances and chemical compounds that frequently not one

> molecule of the diluted substance is left in the solution. Homeopathy

> defies the known laws of science, not to mention common sense. But

> rigorous

> studies show it just may work.

>

> In a German trial, a homeopathic treatment for vertigo outperformed the

> pharmaceutical remedy; at Harvard, subjects with mild brain injury

> showed

> significantly greater improvement with a homeopathic treatment than

> with a

> placebo. And homeopathic remedies have been found to augment

> conventional

> treatments, as well. In the case of infectious diarrhea, a University

> of

> Washington study found that children given the standard rehydration

> fluid

> containing water, sugar and salt, plus a homeopathic remedy, recovered

> after two and a half days-a day and and a half earlier than those who

> received just the rehydration fluid.

>

> " I believe new science will explain how homeopathy works, " says Ellen

> Feingold, a Wilmington, Delaware, pediatrician who left conventional

> medicine to practice homeopathy. " But research is not my concern. I

> want to

> heal patients. As an M.D., I mostly suppressed symptoms. Now I truly

> heal

> people. " " Critics of homeopathy say that because its mechanism of

> action

> can't be explained, it can't possibly work, " says Carlston, a

> Santa

> , California, physician who has combined mainstream medicine and

> homeopathy for 30 years. " But that's hypocritical. Aspirin was used

> for 90

> years before its efficacy was explained-and no doctors shunned it. "

>

> Strange Medicine

> Shortly after her son's diagnosis, Lansky found a magazine article on

> alternative treatments for childhood behavioral problems.

>

> Lansky's acupuncturist referred her to homeopath Melnychuk. He

> did not

> perform a physical exam, nor did he order diagnostic tests. He just

> asked

> questions, including many that M.D.s would consider irrelevant. He

> explored

> Max's milk craving, his fitful sleep, the bluish tint in the whites of

> his

> eyes and his restlessness, intensity, sweetness, stubbornness and

> perfectionism. Then, using reference books, he looked for substances

> that

> produce the same effects in healthy people. This is the fundamental

> principle of homeopathy, the Law of Similars. It's the idea that

> illness

> can be cured by substances-plant, animal or mineral-that evoke the same

> symptoms in those who are well. Melnychuk decided to give Max

> Carcinosin, a

> treatment made from-of all things-an infinitesimal amount of human

> cancer

> tissue.

>

> " There are two types of homeopathic remedies, " Melnychuk explains.

> " Some

> treat symptoms; For example, arnica works well for muscle strains. Then

> there are 'constitutional' remedies, ones that have to be matched to

> the

> patient's personality. Max seemed to fit the Carcinosin profile, which

> includes symptoms of perfectionism, restlessness, sleep difficulties

> and

> milk cravings. " However, Melnychuk cautions, not every autistic child

> should receive Carcinosin. " You have to tailor the remedy to the

> patient's

> unique traits. "

>

> Lansky mixed a little Carcinosin in water and gave Max a teaspoon each

> morning. Within two days, she noticed subtle changes: " Max's speech

> improved, and he seemed more socially aware. " In the next two months

> the

> trend toward improvement continued.

>

> Maybe It's Doing Nothing

> Homeopathy developed during the late 18th century, a time when

> physicians

> knew little about disease. They treated most illnesses by bleeding

> patients

> and administering powerful laxatives. Such treatments were called

> " heroic

> measures, " but the heroism was entirely on the part of patients, many

> of

> whom suffered more from these interventions than from their illnesses.

>

> One 18th-century German doctor, Hahnemann, became so disgusted

> with

> heroic medicine that he closed his practice. But Hahnemann did not

> exactly

> reject conventional medicine. He was impressed with cinchona, the South

> American tree bark that was the first effective treatment for malaria.

> In

> 1790, Hahnemann ingested cinchona and became cold, achy, anxious and

> thirsty-all symptoms of malaria. That experience led him to postulate

> his

> Law of Similars.

>

> Hahnemann tested hundreds of substances on himself-plants, animal

> parts and

> chemical compounds, including salt, zinc, gold and marigold

> flowers-cataloging their effects. Eventually, he reopened his practice

> but

> prescribed only homeopathic medicines.

>

> Homeopathy was controversial from the outset because of Hahnemann's

> other

> postulate, the Law of Potentization, which holds that homeopathic

> medicines

> grow stronger as they became more dilute. Critics howl at the law.

> Homeopathy is " absurd, " argues Sampson, a clinical professor of

> medicine at Stanford University. " It is bankrupt in theory and

> practice. "

>

> " There is no basis for believing that homeopathy has any effect, " says

> Baratz, president of the National Council Against Health Fraud,

> in

> Peabody, Massachusetts. " Homeopathy is a magnet for untrustworthy

> practitioners who pose a threat to public safety. It's quackery. "

>

> Maybe homeopathy involves treatment with nothing. If true, it's still

> an

> improvement over 18th-century heroic medicine-even if patients get

> little

> more than water.

>

> By the late 19th century, conventional medicine had moved away from

> heroic

> measures. As they disappeared, the medical opposition led by homeopaths

> lost steam. The discovery of antibiotics and other modern drugs further

> strengthened conventional medicine at homeopathy's expense. While

> homeopathy remained popular in Europe, there were fewer than 100

> homeopaths

> in the U.S. by the early 1970s. Critics dismissed homeopathic

> treatment as

> placebo.

>

> Strange Power

> Placebos have no direct impact on the body. But when given to treat

> almost

> any illness-from colds to serious conditions-about one-third of

> recipients

> report benefits. " Placebos work as well as they do because of the

> mind's

> ability to affect the body, " says Brown University psychiatrist Walter

> Brown. Many studies have shown that when a doctor offers any treatment,

> people expect it will help, and that expectation itself can aid

> healing.

> Also, through a mind-body mechanism not entirely understood, placebos

> trigger the release of endorphins, the body's mood-elevating,

> pain-relieving compounds. " Improvement in patients receiving

> homeopathy is

> simply a placebo effect, " Sampson says.

>

> But studies consistently yield conflicting reports. British

> researchers are

> divided as to the power of arnica, often prescribed by homeopaths for

> musculoskeletal pain. Patients who received arnica after wrist surgery

> for

> carpal tunnel syndrome reported significantly less pain than did those

> in a

> placebo group; yet patients with other joint conditions had no such

> luck

> (among 58 rheumatoid arthritis sufferers, the placebo group reported

> significantly greater pain relief).

>

> In 1991, Dutch epidemiologists analyzed 105 studies of homeopathic

> treatment from 1966 to 1990, most from French and German medical

> journals.

> Eighty-one studies found patients had benefited from homeopathy,

> prompting

> the Dutch researchers to conclude that " the evidence is to a large

> extent

> positive. [it] would probably be sufficient for establishing

> homeopathy as

> treatment for certain conditions. " A 1997 German analysis of 89 studies

> agreed that homeopathy is often significantly more beneficial than the

> use

> of placebos.

>

> Preferring Alternatives

> Ambiguous as the evidence is, in recent years homeopathy has enjoyed

> renewed popularity in the U.S., coinciding with Americans' ambivalence

> about mainstream medicine.

>

> One-half to two-thirds of Americans have used alternative therapies,

> and

> Americans visit alternative practitioners more often than they visit

> conventional practitioners-some 600 million consultations a year. They

> now

> spend $30 billion a year on alternative therapies, according to a

> recent

> report in Newsweek, and have as much confidence in alternative

> practitioners as they do in M.D.s, according to a study in the journal

> ls of Internal Medicine.

>

> Americans have not lost confidence in physicians-they've just expanded

> their view of what's medically helpful, believing that the combination

> of

> mainstream and alternative medicine will provide the best results. " The

> renewed interest in homeopathy, " explains Dana Ullman, author of eight

> books on the subject, " is part of the groundswell of interest Americans

> have shown for all the alternative therapies. People are not satisfied

> with

> conventional medicine. "

>

> Homeopathy is not the only alternative therapy conventional medicine

> can't

> fully explain. The energy pathways deemed fundamental to acupuncture

> don't

> correspond to any known structures in the body, but a 1998 National

> Institutes of Health report concluded, " The data in support of

> acupuncture

> are as strong as those for many accepted Western medical therapies. "

>

> Nonetheless, homeopathy is nowhere near as accepted as acupuncture. The

> latest Harvard report on Americans' use of alternative therapies shows

> that

> homeopathy accounts for less than 0.5 percent of

> alternative-practitioner

> visits. Recently, University of land researchers surveyed coverage

> for

> alternative therapies by six major managed-care plans-five covered

> chiropractic, four covered acupuncture, none covered homeopathy.

> " Homeopathy, " Ullman says, " is the Rodney Dangerfield of alternative

> therapies: It gets no respect. "

>

> Impossible Cure

> Amy Lansky didn't care that homeopathy is one of America's least

> accepted

> alternative therapies. After nine months of homeopathic treatment, Max

> was

> a different child: talkative, active, sociable and popular. Under

> Melnychuk's guidance, Lansky gradually decreased his dose of

> Carcinosin,

> eventually discontinuing it. Max continued to improve. By age five, he

> was

> virtually indistinguishable from any other kid. " He now sees Melnychuk

> maybe twice a year, " says Lansky. " As far as I'm concerned, he's

> cured. "

>

> Max's experience led Lansky to quit her job and study homeopathy

> full-time.

> Last fall, she hung out a shingle. " As a scientist, " she explains, " I

> recognize that homeopathy is implausible. But I've seen it cure my

> son. "

>

> San Francisco-based writer Castleman is the author of 12

> consumer

> health books, including Nature's Cures (Rodale Press, 1995).

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Jacquie,

Did you do chelation? If so, for how long, how many rounds, etc.

Did you see any progress from chelation?

Thanks for your info -- I'm very interested.

Janet

> Andy and List:

>

> We have been using a wonderful doctor in PA who is utilizing

homeopathic

> remedies to recover our son. He is doing sequential homeopathic

detox similar

> to that of Tinus Smits (Netherlands) and Elmiger

(Switzerland). From my

> exploration, I do believe that this contemporary homeopathic method

is getting

> better results than the medical approach. I am meeting more and

more parents

> who have had their children completely recovered by this sequential

method.

> (I know many who are also doing long-distance detox with our doctor

who are

> doing very well and recovering thier children completely).

>

> In the 8 months our son has been sequentially deoxing, we have

seen

> remarkable progress. Before the detox, our son (then age 4.5) had

very little eye

> contact, almost no language, many sensory issues, and severe

eczema. The list

> of improvements are too numerous to mention. Here are just a few:

90% eye

> contact, language bursting (lots of singing and dancing), plays

hide-n-seek,

> seeks out children on the playground, sensory issues disappearing

(cutting

> nails, washing face is no longer a problem), no tantrums, follows

directions,

> transitions are MUCH easier, no waking at night, asking " W "

questions, Eczema

> cleared by 98%. Tonight he sat through his brother's middle school

concert, in

> his own chair, and clapped and participated appropriately. As far

as I'm

> concerned, he was better behaved than the (presumed typical) 5 year

olds that I saw

> there.

>

> I now look at allopathic medicine as being one that looks at the

individual

> symptoms like the wires on a suspension bridge, tinkering with each

and every

> tension, but is not solving the scope of the problem. I see my

son's doctor as

> being the guy down below, fixing the pilings: the FOUNDATION of

the

> situation. Once he shores up the pilings and straightens them out,

the tensions in

> all the wires up above will fall into place.

>

> I believe that our kids got too many toxins (primarily from

vaccines) for

> their bodies to handle and they drifted into autism. As the toxins

are dealt

> with, the child can then emerge. Missed developmental milestones

must still be

> " made up " , but as the detox progresses, it becomes easier and

easier to pick up

> the lost pieces.

>

> It took me a while to get to this point, but after tackling this

for 2.5

> years and reading and studying incessantly, we're

almost " there " . Feel free to

> e-mail me privately if need be. I will always be happy to help

another family

> and another child. I will answer any questions that I can. Thus

far, all I

> can give homeopathy is rave reviews, and I am expecting more and

more progress

> as the months tick down to a full recovery and a very full life

ahead.

> Sincerely,

> Jacquie

>

>

> Message: 15

> Date: Tue, 11 May 2004 08:05:34 -0000

> From: " andrewhallcutler " <AndyCutler@a...>

> Subject: Re: Psych Today - The Strange Case of Homeopathy - Max &

Amy Lansky

>

> As discussed by Joyce Frye, DO, in Primary Care; Clinics in Office

> Practice Volume 24 ï Number 4 ï December 1997, controlled trials

of

> homeopathic medicines conducted by regular MD's all show no effect,

> while controlled trials of homeopathic medicines by homeopaths do

show

> positive results.

>

> Seems like you have to know how to prescribe properly in order for

the

> stuff to work, and being trained in an entirely unrelated field of

> medicine doesn't qualify one to do that with adequate facility to

get

> results.

>

> Andy . . . . . .

>

>

> Message: 11

> Date: Mon, 10 May 2004 20:10:49 +0200

> From: Moppett@T...

> Subject: Psych Today - The Strange Case of Homeopathy - Max & Amy

Lansky

>

> Psych Today - The Strange Case of Homeopathy - Max & Amy Lansky

>

>

> Amy & Max's Story in Psychology Today

> http://www.nccn.net/~wwithin/bookstor.htm#homeopathy

> Amy's book can be bought at my website - Impossible Cure

>

> http://babyurl.com/QQzc8o

>

> PSYCHOLOGY TODAY

>

> The Strange Case of Homeopathy

> By Castleman -- Publication Date: Mar/Apr 2004

>

> Summary: PT examines whether treating illnesses with homeopathy is

simply

> unconventional nonsense or a medicinal cure thatis here to stay.

>

> In 1994, NASA computer scientist Amy Lansky of Portola Valley,

California,

> began wondering about her two-year-old son. Max knew the alphabet

and could

> beat adults at memory games, but he barely spoke and, despite normal

> hearing, didn't seem to understand language. At preschool he was a

loner.

> His main form of communication was poking people with his finger.

> Eventually, school officials urged Lansky to have him evaluated. The

> diagnosis: autism, a neurological and behavioral disorder for which

there

> is no known remedy.

>

> But Lansky refused to believe Max was untreatable. Her search for

an answer

> led her to homeopathy, an 18th-century healing art now enjoying

renewed

> popularity because of Americans' growing interest in alternative

medicine.

> Homeopathy involves treating illnesses with such extreme dilutions

of

> herbs, animal substances and chemical compounds that frequently not

one

> molecule of the diluted substance is left in the solution.

Homeopathy

> defies the known laws of science, not to mention common sense. But

rigorous

> studies show it just may work.

>

> In a German trial, a homeopathic treatment for vertigo outperformed

the

> pharmaceutical remedy; at Harvard, subjects with mild brain injury

showed

> significantly greater improvement with a homeopathic treatment than

with a

> placebo. And homeopathic remedies have been found to augment

conventional

> treatments, as well. In the case of infectious diarrhea, a

University of

> Washington study found that children given the standard rehydration

fluid

> containing water, sugar and salt, plus a homeopathic remedy,

recovered

> after two and a half days-a day and and a half earlier than those

who

> received just the rehydration fluid.

>

> " I believe new science will explain how homeopathy works, " says

Ellen

> Feingold, a Wilmington, Delaware, pediatrician who left conventional

> medicine to practice homeopathy. " But research is not my concern. I

want to

> heal patients. As an M.D., I mostly suppressed symptoms. Now I

truly heal

> people. " " Critics of homeopathy say that because its mechanism of

action

> can't be explained, it can't possibly work, " says Carlston,

a Santa

> , California, physician who has combined mainstream medicine and

> homeopathy for 30 years. " But that's hypocritical. Aspirin was used

for 90

> years before its efficacy was explained-and no doctors shunned it. "

>

> Strange Medicine

> Shortly after her son's diagnosis, Lansky found a magazine article

on

> alternative treatments for childhood behavioral problems.

>

> Lansky's acupuncturist referred her to homeopath Melnychuk. He

did not

> perform a physical exam, nor did he order diagnostic tests. He just

asked

> questions, including many that M.D.s would consider irrelevant. He

explored

> Max's milk craving, his fitful sleep, the bluish tint in the whites

of his

> eyes and his restlessness, intensity, sweetness, stubbornness and

> perfectionism. Then, using reference books, he looked for

substances that

> produce the same effects in healthy people. This is the fundamental

> principle of homeopathy, the Law of Similars. It's the idea that

illness

> can be cured by substances-plant, animal or mineral-that evoke the

same

> symptoms in those who are well. Melnychuk decided to give Max

Carcinosin, a

> treatment made from-of all things-an infinitesimal amount of human

cancer

> tissue.

>

> " There are two types of homeopathic remedies, " Melnychuk

explains. " Some

> treat symptoms; For example, arnica works well for muscle strains.

Then

> there are 'constitutional' remedies, ones that have to be matched

to the

> patient's personality. Max seemed to fit the Carcinosin profile,

which

> includes symptoms of perfectionism, restlessness, sleep

difficulties and

> milk cravings. " However, Melnychuk cautions, not every autistic

child

> should receive Carcinosin. " You have to tailor the remedy to the

patient's

> unique traits. "

>

> Lansky mixed a little Carcinosin in water and gave Max a teaspoon

each

> morning. Within two days, she noticed subtle changes: " Max's speech

> improved, and he seemed more socially aware. " In the next two

months the

> trend toward improvement continued.

>

> Maybe It's Doing Nothing

> Homeopathy developed during the late 18th century, a time when

physicians

> knew little about disease. They treated most illnesses by bleeding

patients

> and administering powerful laxatives. Such treatments were

called " heroic

> measures, " but the heroism was entirely on the part of patients,

many of

> whom suffered more from these interventions than from their

illnesses.

>

> One 18th-century German doctor, Hahnemann, became so

disgusted with

> heroic medicine that he closed his practice. But Hahnemann did not

exactly

> reject conventional medicine. He was impressed with cinchona, the

South

> American tree bark that was the first effective treatment for

malaria. In

> 1790, Hahnemann ingested cinchona and became cold, achy, anxious and

> thirsty-all symptoms of malaria. That experience led him to

postulate his

> Law of Similars.

>

> Hahnemann tested hundreds of substances on himself-plants, animal

parts and

> chemical compounds, including salt, zinc, gold and marigold

> flowers-cataloging their effects. Eventually, he reopened his

practice but

> prescribed only homeopathic medicines.

>

> Homeopathy was controversial from the outset because of Hahnemann's

other

> postulate, the Law of Potentization, which holds that homeopathic

medicines

> grow stronger as they became more dilute. Critics howl at the law.

> Homeopathy is " absurd, " argues Sampson, a clinical

professor of

> medicine at Stanford University. " It is bankrupt in theory and

practice. "

>

> " There is no basis for believing that homeopathy has any effect, "

says

> Baratz, president of the National Council Against Health

Fraud, in

> Peabody, Massachusetts. " Homeopathy is a magnet for untrustworthy

> practitioners who pose a threat to public safety. It's quackery. "

>

> Maybe homeopathy involves treatment with nothing. If true, it's

still an

> improvement over 18th-century heroic medicine-even if patients get

little

> more than water.

>

> By the late 19th century, conventional medicine had moved away from

heroic

> measures. As they disappeared, the medical opposition led by

homeopaths

> lost steam. The discovery of antibiotics and other modern drugs

further

> strengthened conventional medicine at homeopathy's expense. While

> homeopathy remained popular in Europe, there were fewer than 100

homeopaths

> in the U.S. by the early 1970s. Critics dismissed homeopathic

treatment as

> placebo.

>

> Strange Power

> Placebos have no direct impact on the body. But when given to treat

almost

> any illness-from colds to serious conditions-about one-third of

recipients

> report benefits. " Placebos work as well as they do because of the

mind's

> ability to affect the body, " says Brown University psychiatrist

Walter

> Brown. Many studies have shown that when a doctor offers any

treatment,

> people expect it will help, and that expectation itself can aid

healing.

> Also, through a mind-body mechanism not entirely understood,

placebos

> trigger the release of endorphins, the body's mood-elevating,

> pain-relieving compounds. " Improvement in patients receiving

homeopathy is

> simply a placebo effect, " Sampson says.

>

> But studies consistently yield conflicting reports. British

researchers are

> divided as to the power of arnica, often prescribed by homeopaths

for

> musculoskeletal pain. Patients who received arnica after wrist

surgery for

> carpal tunnel syndrome reported significantly less pain than did

those in a

> placebo group; yet patients with other joint conditions had no such

luck

> (among 58 rheumatoid arthritis sufferers, the placebo group reported

> significantly greater pain relief).

>

> In 1991, Dutch epidemiologists analyzed 105 studies of homeopathic

> treatment from 1966 to 1990, most from French and German medical

journals.

> Eighty-one studies found patients had benefited from homeopathy,

prompting

> the Dutch researchers to conclude that " the evidence is to a large

extent

> positive. [it] would probably be sufficient for establishing

homeopathy as

> treatment for certain conditions. " A 1997 German analysis of 89

studies

> agreed that homeopathy is often significantly more beneficial than

the use

> of placebos.

>

> Preferring Alternatives

> Ambiguous as the evidence is, in recent years homeopathy has enjoyed

> renewed popularity in the U.S., coinciding with Americans'

ambivalence

> about mainstream medicine.

>

> One-half to two-thirds of Americans have used alternative

therapies, and

> Americans visit alternative practitioners more often than they visit

> conventional practitioners-some 600 million consultations a year.

They now

> spend $30 billion a year on alternative therapies, according to a

recent

> report in Newsweek, and have as much confidence in alternative

> practitioners as they do in M.D.s, according to a study in the

journal

> ls of Internal Medicine.

>

> Americans have not lost confidence in physicians-they've just

expanded

> their view of what's medically helpful, believing that the

combination of

> mainstream and alternative medicine will provide the best

results. " The

> renewed interest in homeopathy, " explains Dana Ullman, author of

eight

> books on the subject, " is part of the groundswell of interest

Americans

> have shown for all the alternative therapies. People are not

satisfied with

> conventional medicine. "

>

> Homeopathy is not the only alternative therapy conventional

medicine can't

> fully explain. The energy pathways deemed fundamental to

acupuncture don't

> correspond to any known structures in the body, but a 1998 National

> Institutes of Health report concluded, " The data in support of

acupuncture

> are as strong as those for many accepted Western medical

therapies. "

>

> Nonetheless, homeopathy is nowhere near as accepted as acupuncture.

The

> latest Harvard report on Americans' use of alternative therapies

shows that

> homeopathy accounts for less than 0.5 percent of alternative-

practitioner

> visits. Recently, University of land researchers surveyed

coverage for

> alternative therapies by six major managed-care plans-five covered

> chiropractic, four covered acupuncture, none covered homeopathy.

> " Homeopathy, " Ullman says, " is the Rodney Dangerfield of alternative

> therapies: It gets no respect. "

>

> Impossible Cure

> Amy Lansky didn't care that homeopathy is one of America's least

accepted

> alternative therapies. After nine months of homeopathic treatment,

Max was

> a different child: talkative, active, sociable and popular. Under

> Melnychuk's guidance, Lansky gradually decreased his dose of

Carcinosin,

> eventually discontinuing it. Max continued to improve. By age five,

he was

> virtually indistinguishable from any other kid. " He now sees

Melnychuk

> maybe twice a year, " says Lansky. " As far as I'm concerned, he's

cured. "

>

> Max's experience led Lansky to quit her job and study homeopathy

full-time.

> Last fall, she hung out a shingle. " As a scientist, " she

explains, " I

> recognize that homeopathy is implausible. But I've seen it cure my

son. "

>

> San Francisco-based writer Castleman is the author of 12

consumer

> health books, including Nature's Cures (Rodale Press, 1995).

>

>

>