Homeopathy Holds the Cure for Sinus Infections, Says Institution

On Thursday, Washington Homeopathic Products (WHP) announced that recent studies show that standard antibiotics and steroid nose sprays provide little or sometimes zero relief from the symptoms associated with sinus infections. The studies also show that people suffering from sinus infections generally got better within approximately two weeks whether they took antibiotics, steroids, or placebos.

The recent studies conclude that someone wanting relief from a sinus infection may pay for a doctor's visit and a prescription without getting any symptom relief. What's more, the person may suffer side effects from the prescribed antibiotics, which are the most commonly prescribed treatment for sinus infections, particularly amoxicillin. Amoxicillin may cause side effects including fever, flu symptoms, nausea, diarrhea, seizure, allergic reactions, and drug interactions.

According to the WHP, which was established in 1873 to serve as the homeopathic pharmacy for the Washington DC community, including the National Homeopathic Hospital, says that homeopathic remedies are far more effective than prescription drugs and have no risk of adverse side effects when a person needs treatment for a sinus infection.

In contrast to allopathic medicine, which suppresses symptoms instead of curing their cause, homeopathy fortifies the natural curative mechanisms within the human body.

"Because [homeopathic] medicines are inexpensive, safe, and easy to use, individuals can learn to handle many common illnesses for which people regularly seek medical help," says William Shevin, MD.

"Homeopathy" is rooted in the Greek word "homios" meaning "like" and the word "pathos" meaning "suffering". In sum, homeopathy is the treating of an unhealthy condition with a similar treatment.

The philosophy of homeopathy is that substances that are toxic in large doses may actually bestow health benefits when administered in small doses. This philosophy began in the fourth century B.C.E. with Hippocrates, the father of modern medicine. Hippocrates noticed that a large amount of certain natural substances can produce symptoms in healthy people similar to those caused by a disease, and at once smaller doses of those substances could relieve those symptoms. In the late 18th century Samuel Hahnemann, who was a German doctor, studied this philosophy of medicine and declared, "Let like be cured by like".

Homeopathic remedies are produced from naturally occurring substances and may be derived from very "odd" sources including snake venom, bee stingers, arsenic, silica, gold, compounds from diseased tissue, and tissue salts prepared from mineral sources. They are officially recognized and regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and are manufactured under strict oversight by established pharmaceutical companies. Over 2000 homeopathic remedies are officially recognized.

While in some ways similar to vaccines, homeopathic medicines are diluted to such an extent by a process called "potentation" that it is impossible to experience side effects from even the most toxic substances.

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