Homeopathic medicines are not health supplements

This is in response to the press release issued by the Philippine Society of Medical Oncology regarding homeopathic medicines that saw print in many of the country’s broadsheets recently that erroneously lumps homeopathic drugs with health supplements “not supported by high-level scientific evidence.”

Homeopathic drugs are regulated in about 50 nations worldwide, including First World countries such as the United States, Canada, Germany, Great Britain, France, Italy and Australia. These medicines are already in the mainstream practice of medicine, where homeopathic drugstores are readily accessible to the public.

British monarchs including Queen Elizabeth II, use these remedies for centuries under the care of their respective medical doctors and are even responsible in the establishment of the Royal London Homeopathic Hospital. Homeopathy treats the whole person and which will result in the cure of the particular ailment being addressed. Each person is treated individually as not everybody responds the same to different remedies.

Homeopathic drugs use micro-doses of specific substances to provoke defense and self-regulatory responses rather than the conventional approach of blocking physiological reactions. It triggers the body to heal itself.

These medicines are very safe and are cost-effective. It is comprised of natural substances, thus there are now warning or side effects labels in the packaging of these drugs. We have already presented an effective protocol using specific homeopathic drugs to treat dengue to Secretary Enrique Ona in 2010 without administering blood transfusions to patients if treated in its early stages.

In the Philippines, the Department of Health through the Philippine Institute of Traditional and Alternative Health Care (DOH-PITAHC) and the UP Law Center, has recognized the practice of medical doctors who use Homotoxicology, the higher form of homeopathy. This only provides us hi-tech ammunitions without bullets.

Five years after the enactment of FDA Act of 2009 and the Universal Access to Cheaper and Quality Medicines Act in 2008, which include homeopathic drug in the laws’ definition of “drug,” the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Philippines is mandated by law to provide an Implementing Rules and Regulations for homeopathic drugs.

Hence, we are requesting Congress and FDA to revisit said laws for the latter to finally craft a suitable and distinct homeopathy guideline for product listings/registration and “level the playing field” to give the Filipinos the right to choose the health care as enshrined in our Constitution. — ULDARICO “BOY” URIARTE, Jr., MD, founding president, Philippine College of Integrative Medicine & Homotoxicology