Many websites offer information about homeopathic research, including peer reviewed papers of trials and debates on possible mechanisms of action.
The best sources for information are as follows, with further links throughout and at the end of this article.
ECCH European Council for Classical Homeopathy.
HRI Homeopathic Research Institute.
ECH European Committee for Homeopathy.
BAHVS British Association of Homeopathic Veterinary Surgeons
Research into Homeopathy on Farm Animals
Homoeopathy is not species specific and does not claim to have one remedy to treat one disease. Single named remedies made from a named mother tincture are freely available and not patented, but their production is well regulated and in UK only registered homeopathic pharmacies may make them up for sale to farmers. The use of homoeopathy on the farm is regulated by EU directive (2001/82/EC amended 2004/28/EC) variously adopted in member states (ECCH 2007).
In UK the Veterinary Surgeons Act allows only a vet or an owner to diagnose or prescribe anything for animals. This has made it difficult for UK farmers to find support in their efforts to use homoeopathy.
Reports such as the Swanne and the Curry reports have voiced concerns that antibiotic usage in production animals increases resistances, MRSA has now been found in UK calves and research done by Hoektoen in Norway suggests that farmers using homoeopathy are able to reduce antibiotic usage on their farms. Very few studies involve the farmer in the decision making of remedy selection, or in the assessment of outcome and satisfaction.
In reality, as farmers see the animals regularly, often on a daily basis, it is they who are best placed to see the changes and make decisions about the appropriate remedy.
There is also a concentration on comparing conventional and homeopathic treatment. Very little investigation looks simply at the effect of use. For the farmer the effect on his or her own animals is the issue and little has been done to collect this evidence.
In Norway, (where vets are not permitted to prescribe homeopathy), Hektoen investigated the use of homeopathy by some dairy farmers and found that they used it because, in their experience it worked, trusting it in spite of veterinary and scientific opposition.
HAWL is always keen to hear from farmers or farm vets about any studies they have conducted.
Research Documents
The volume of clinical evidence available for veterinary homeopathy is much smaller than that for use of homeopathy in humans, although this continues to be an active area of research in countries such as Brazil where homeopathy is fully integrated alongside conventional medical techniques.
Click here to The Homeopathy Research Institute to find some veterinary research which includes the prevention of diarrhoea in piglets (See Rachel Roberts Chief Executive of the HRI, talking about this piece of research at 1:10) also a wound healing disorder and antimicrobial resistance in a horse which was cured by Arnica.
You can also register with their CORE research database and search for specific topics such as respiratory conditions here This world-class resource, which was several years in the making, is the result of a close collaboration between HRI and the highly esteemed Karl and Veronica Carstens Foundation in Germany. Here, you can access papers such as this one on the effect of Caulophyllum in normal labour.
“The criticism of homeopathy as a placebo effect could be refuted by the results of these studies” is the quote from this article from De Gruyter.com by Johanna Zeis and Jurgen Fritz entitled “The Use and Efficacy of Homeopathy in Prevention and Treatment of Bovine Mastitis.” The remedies they used were Bryonia, Belladonna, Lachesis and Phytolacca and the article highlights the need for individualisation.
Research into veterinary homeopathy has also reached into the management of parasites. This paper by Talita Nader et al, on the management of ticks in bovine herds in Brazil produced some positive results.
Legislation
See the UK 1966 Veterinary Surgeons Act
(Source: British Association of Homeopathic Veterinary Surgeons).
Royal Support
We are very privileged to have the backing and support of HR Prince of Wales, who is a supporter of homeopathy, which is used on the Duchy Organic estate as a gentle alternative treatment, to help clean up the food chain. Take a look at our 'about' section to read articles about the use of homeopathy on the Duchy Home Farm.
Farmer Experience in Homeopathy
Of course, the best way to find out about the effectiveness of homeopathy is to hear from the farmers themselves. Read more articles in this section, see our homepage for more HAWL farmer videos, and download the HAWL newspaper of farmer testimonials below.
General Articles on Farm Homeopathy
The transcript of a talk for CAM Homoeopathy Conference 18/6/2008 – Oliver Dowding – “Homoeopathy on the farm – If homeopathic success is all in the patient’s mind, how does this work for animals?”
A Study on Use of Homeopathy on Sheep – Patricia Rampton – 4th Year Research Project (2006) The London School of Classical Homeopathy
This Whole Health Agriculture article about HAWL Farmer, Pat Aherne from Cork, Ireland, and his homeopath vet Tom Farrington shows charts for cow fertility improvements following the introduction of homeopathy for his conventional dairy herd.
Is there a role for Homoeopathy in the treatment of the farm animal? Chris Lees’ dissertation for a degree in Agriculture and Land Management at The Royal Agricultural College, Cirencester.
Homeopathy and Mastitis
The India Study paper entitled “The comparative efficacy of homeopathic and allopathic systems of medicine in the management of clinical mastitis of Indian dairy cows by J.P. Varshney abd R. Naresh from the Indian Veterinary Research Institute concluded “the combination of Phytolacca, Calcarea fluorica, Silica, Belladonna, Bryonia, Arnica, Conium and Ipecacuanha (Healwell VT-6) was effective and economical in the management of mastitis in lactating dairy cows.”
This paper published in 2020 by Maria Fernandez Portales on the Efficacy of Homeopathic Herd Health Management in Antibiotic Resistant Dairy Cattle in Northern Spain concluded “when comparing treatments in dairy farms, homeopathy is more effective at keeping SCC below the 250 threshold.”
An “Assessment of the effect of homeopathic nosodes in subclinical bovine mastitis by Kiarazm, Tajik, and Nava” concluded that “treatment of cows with subclinical mastitis using a combination of homeopathic nosodes resulted in lower SCC and reduced isolated bacteria compared with the control group. In addition, the nosodes had an effect in reducing the incidence of mastitis.” You can download this document below.
Homeopathy and the Environment
In this YouTube video, Veterinarian, Prof Leoni Bonamin discusses homeopathy in the context of environmental pathology. Prof Bonamin also discusses the study in which the protective role of isotherapy in Artemia salina exposed to pesticides and heavy metals was verified, highlighting that this crustacean is a known experimental model of eco-toxicology.
Homeopathy Sites of Interest
Chris Day – Alternative Vet Centre Chris Day has over 40 years’ experience as an homeopathic vet. His site is a wealth of knowledge and information. A valuable resource!
Complementary Veterinary Therapies This site has some interesting articles on the various therapies, the law regarding treatment and a holistic vet and complementary therapists search facility.
HPathy Online Resource One of the biggest resources in the homeopathic world – an absolute gem of information
Homoeopathic Associations in the UK
Alliance of Registered Homeopaths The Alliance of Registered Homeopaths (ARH) registers qualified homeopaths. Their site has useful information on registered members, research and events.
British Association of Homoeopathic Veterinary Surgeons The Association was formed in 1982, to advance the understanding, knowledge and practice of veterinary homoeopathy. As a service to animal owners seeking homoeopathic help, the Association will supply names and addresses of veterinary surgeons with the ho
The British Homeopathic Association Founded in 1902 to promote education and research in homeopathy
The Society of Homoeopaths Contains general information about homoeopathy and registered practitioners.
Sites of Agricultural Interest
Duchy College Courses covering agriculture and the countryside.
Healthy Beasts Inspired by Nature, promoting integrative and holistic ideas in animal healthcare and beyond.
Homeoweb A fact Sheet about Avian Influenza or Bird Flu and other useful information
Louis Bolk Institute Based in Holland and contains excellent information for the natural farmer. Lots of interesting research!
Organic Milk Suppliers Co-operative OMSCo is a co-operative of around 300 British farmers. It is the largest and longest established supplier of organic milk in the UK.
Organic Studies Cornwall The Organic Studies Centre is committed to the delivery of a high quality trials and demonstration programme for organic agriculture in Cornwall and Isles of Scilly. This will be achieved by working closely with organic producers, conducting sound scientific research.
Soil Association Soilassociation.org - Campaigning for organic food, organic farming and sustainable forestry.
Whole Health Agriculture Whole Health Agriculture is a community of farmers, consumers and professionals aimed at supporting and promoting holistic farming and food production
Please support us
Homoeopathy at Wellie Level (HAWL) is a tiny not-for-profit organisation with no paid staff members. Our aim is to provide unbiased and qualified training and support to farmers who wish to learn and use homeopathy on their farms. We survive due to the goodwill and dedication of our volunteers and supporters, the generosity of benefactors, such as HRH the Prince of Wales, and the homeopathic pharmacies Ainsworths, Freemans, Helios and Crossgates Bioenergetics, who kindly sponsor some of our course materials.
Why support us?
The simple answer is that farmers who use a homeopathic approach to animal health report that they use fewer antibiotics and drugs, which means safer animal products such as meat, milk and eggs, as well as a healthier environment.
Our course fees cover the cost of paying for our expert vets and homeopaths to deliver the live training and the training venue, but do not cover the cost of:
Keeping the cost of the course as affordable as possible, to all farmers
Offering bursaries to make the course accessible to all farmers regardless of income
Course materials
Running the website and other overheads
Advertising the course and promoting the benefits of homeopathy on the farm
Running webinars to provide further training
Sending newsletters to keep our members up to date with the latest in prescribing
Creating new content
Future proofing the running of HAWL as founder Chris Lees looks to pass the reigns on to the next generation.
With our online courses, running alongside our attendance course, we are now able to train farmers all over the world, and have had great success with this already. We are therefore doing such great things for homeopathy in farming, assisting organic farming, sustainable farming, and cleaning up the food chain by reducing reliance on pharmaceutical antibiotics.
Therefore, any support - regular or one-off, is always ploughed straight back into our core driving purpose - homeopathy in farming, for the welfare of the animals, the quality of the food chain and the financial saving that is gives back to the farming community.
Comments