Some common Myths & Misconceptions about Homoeopathy which are prevalant are :

"THAT" Homoeopathy is very slow acting & of use only in chronic illnesses.		"THAT" Homoeopathy is just ' sweet pills' with only placebo effect.
"HOWEVER ", in fact even in acute situations & conditions e.g. fevers, acute sore throats, injuries, burns, insect bites etc. , correct observation & eliciting appropriate symptoms & a keen eye & open mind help in prescribing for these acute conditions.		"HOWEVER" scientific double blind randomised clinical trials & carefully conducted clinical provings of these dilutions ( Homoeopathic medicines ) prove otherwise & these trials have been duly recorded & can be repeated.
"THAT" while taking Homoeopathic medicines one is forbidden a no. of things such as raw onions, garlic, coffee, spices , tea , alcohol or smoking. "HOWEVER" since all Homoeopathic medicines are absorbed from the tongue & buccal mucosa ( inner lining of the mouth ) -- which is abundantly supplied with nerve endings, it is advised to patients that they refrain from eating or drinking anything for 15 minutes before & after taking the Homoeopathic medicine. Also it is wiser to rinse one's mouth if one has eaten anything strong smelling such ar garlic onion etc. Excess of coffee, alcohol, tobacco are restricted ( as they are stimulants) esp. in patients who are restless or anxious.		"THAT" with Homoeopathy, other conventional medicines such as anti-Hypertensive or Anti-diabetic drugs have to be totally discontinued. "HOWEVER" this in fact is not a fact. Homoeopathy treats the individual patient as a whole human being in context of the long term health & well being & even with conventional medicines, it is imperitive that patients continue their medication which are acting on the physiological plane, but do so judiciously & under the guidance of experienced physicians.

" THAT" Homoeopathic medicines contain STEROIDS When appropriate Homoeopathic medicines act fast & help acute conditions, people often ask or feel that the physicians are using steroids in the garb of Homoeopathy for quick results, irrespective of its sequelae or side effects.
THIS IS ABSOLUTELY UNTRUE. A good Homoeopathic prescription which is geared towards stimulating & helping the body's defense system ( Immune System ) & works as an immuno-modulator, gives very satisfying results in acute cases as well. Homoeopathic remedies which are by & large derived from the plant kingdom do have certain alkaloids that are as effective as steroids & these are extracted & made into Homoeopathic medicines. These however ARE NOT STEROIDS & DO NOT GIVE RISE TO ANY STEROID LIKE SIDE EFFECTS.

"THAT" Homoeopathy is not safe & cannot be prescribed during pregnancy or to lactating/nursing mothers.		"THAT" in Cancers, Homoeopathy is not advisable esp. in conjunction with radio- & chemotherapy.		"THAT" Homoeopathy can make one grow tall or make one lose those extra kilos & make you slim & trim.
"HOWEVER", these infinitesmal minute doses, which have been prepared in dilutions which donot cause any toxicity, pathogenecity; but on the contrary help the person's individual constitution & immune system & are useful for the Mother-to-be's general resistance as well as for problems encountered during pregnancy like nausea, vomiting etc. without any iatrogenic risk.		"HOWEVER" the prime role of helping the patient's immune status & promoting & restoring health is highlighted when Homoeopathic medicines are used to help such patients whose blood counts reduce after chemotherapy & these wonderful piils boost their general resistance.		Wish it was so !!! What if with consuming sugar pills one could have an Arnold Schwartzneggar physique or grow tall like the basketball players. Unfortunately that isn't so, for genetics, as well as environmental factors govern the growth, weight etc. & these medicines do not necessarily modify these influences; but help promote health & help the nature in doing so.

The significant point in the evolution of Homoeopathic medicines is that they are Clinically Proven on Human Volunteers, which takes into account the Objective & Subjective criterion in doing so these carefully carried out, observed & precisely recorded trials are repeated & reproduced scientifically before their verification & ultimately the manufacture of these remedies which in turn are carefully & meticulously standardised. Thus their purity & potential ability to cure is ensured. Homoeopathy with Allopathic Medicines - Is it Justified? There is no rationale of stopping Allopathic drugs and Homoeopathic medicine can be given concurrently, since Homoeopathic potencies act on a dynamic plane whereas Allopathic drugs act on a physio-chemical level.

Do homoeopathy use steroids to attain quick results? - A myth

No, says PRABHA PATWARDHAN, and explains the reason for this common misunderstanding

Do homoeopaths use cortisone, A steroid? This question is often posed by some patients during the course of a consultation. The answer is a definite ‘no’. Homoeopathy of integrity and commitment to their profession do not use cortisone. And in fact have no need to. Their material medica is very rich in remedies with a vast range of curative effects.

I am an allopath who turned to homoeopathy after experiencing a personal cure for a minor but irritating ailment which allopathy was unable to cure. I then studied homoeopathy and have been in homoeopathic practice for the last 15 years. My only regret is that I did not study it earlier. Homoeopathy is a wonderful system of therapeutics. and no one who has studied it seriously has ever doubted its efficacy. Then why have people begun to doubt its practice?

When I posed this question to my patients, who had voiced their reservations, they said that "they had the medicines tested (in most cases given to them by very reputable doctors). And they had tested positive for cortisone.
I reasoned with them with the following arguments:

1. If one has been on long-term cortisone. one would show some side effects like ‘moon face’, excessive body hair, osicoporosis, diabetes, etc.

2. Cortisone is not a cure all for all the ills of the world.

3. Homoeopathic remedies have a very wide range of curative properties.

4. Using steroids would in fact be counter-productive as they have a suppressive effect.

In view of this, why would any homoeopathy want to use cortisone?

Recently I had an occasion to test these allegations. One of my old patients who had changed to another homoeopathy nearer her home phoned me frantically to say that she had his medicines checked and they had tested positive for steroids. I decided to send some of my medicines for testing at the same lab. The medicines sent were: unmedicated pills. Cina 1m, Belladona 30 and Sulphur 30. All these medicines were sent in a base of a small amount of lactose (milk sugar).

A report the following week said that all of them had tested positive for steroids!

I asked them to carry out the same test on plain lactose. This also tested positive for steroids. It was now obvious that all these medicines were giving a false positive reaction.

The test used was the “Colorimetric method using tetrazolium blue salts”. In this test, the reaction of tetrazolium blue salt to give a highly colored compound known as Farmazan. Under controlled conditions, the amount of Farmazan developed is proportional to the quantity of steroid or any reducing sugar present in the material being tested.

In fact for some years, tetrazolium salts have been used for determination of reducing sugars. So if the drug contains any lactose. it will impart a strong color with tetazolium blue salt which will give a false impression of the presence of a steroid. Secondly, if the alcohol used in this method is not completely free from aldehyde, it will interface with the characteristic color, which may again give a false positive reaction for a steroid. So this method is not advisable to determine the presence of steroids in the drug.

Most homoeopathy use lactose as a base for holding the pills, containing the homoeopathic remedy. Together in the powders of alcohol, are likely to give a false positive test for steroids if this method is used.

Other methods used to test steroids are Liberman Buchard test. Thin layer chromatography method and UV absorption method.

Almost all steroids show UV absorption between 235 and 240 nm in dehydrated alcohol or methanol in a clear solution. A complete spectrum of this solution is taken between 400 NM and 200 NM on a suitable spectrophotometer, If any steroid is present, it will show maximum at 240 NM.

It was decided to test the same homoeopathic remedies for steroids using the UV absorption method. None of the four samples showed maximum between 235 NM. (The steroid added was clobetasone-17 butyrate which has maxima at 235 NM).

Thus it is clear that before accepting a claim that the tested medicine does contain a steroid, one must find out what testing procedures were used to eliminate the possibility of a misleading result. If tests conclusively prove that the medicine given is indeed a steroid, under the guise of a homoeopathic remedy, then one must confront the doctor and seek an explanation or complain to the homoeopathic Council so that disciplinary action can be taken against the erring doctor. Unsubstantiated allegations against any doctor are most unfair and damaging to his professional integrity and indeed to the profession.