Immunology and Homeopathy. 3. Experimental Studies on Animal Models

Abstract

A search of the literature and the experiments carried out by the authors of this review show that there are a number of animal models where the effect of homeopathic dilutions or the principles of homeopathic medicine have been tested. The results relate to the immunostimulation by ultralow doses of antigens, the immunological models of the ‘simile’, the regulation of acute or chronic inflammatory processes and the use of homeopathic medicines in farming. The models utilized by different research groups are extremely etherogeneous and differ as the test medicines, the dilutions and the outcomes are concerned. Some experimental lines, particularly those utilizing mice models of immunomodulation and anti-inflammatory effects of homeopathic complex formulations, give support to a real effect of homeopathic high dilutions in animals, but often these data are of preliminary nature and have not been independently replicated. The evidence emerging from animal models is supporting the traditional ‘simile’ rule, according to which ultralow doses of compounds, that in high doses are pathogenic, may have paradoxically a protective or curative effect. Despite a few encouraging observational studies, the effectiveness of the homeopathic prevention or therapy of infections in veterinary medicine is not sufficiently supported by randomized and controlled trials.

Induction of Apoptosis of Tumor Cells by Some Potentiated Homeopathic Drugs

“…The role of immunity in the therapeutic efficacy of homeopathic medicines has been reviewed by Bellavite et al 37,38 Gene expression profiling of macrophages with a combinatorial homeopathic drug, canova, has been reported to modulate more than 100 genes involved in transcription/translation, cell structure, immune response, and so on. 39 Likewise, these data indicate that one of the mechanisms of dynamized preparations may be through exerting cytotoxic action by modulating the gene expression of many genes involved in the process of apoptosis.…”

Immunology and Homeopathy. 5. The Rationale of the ‘Simile’

“…In fact, homeopathy could have a positive effect on stress-induced behavior and on gastric and immunologic alterations in mice (48). Highly diluted histamine shows to be active on blood basophils, on skin inflammation reactions and on sleep patterns in rats (5,49). …”

Extremely Low Doses of Arsenic Affect in vitro Pollen Germination

“…According to isopathy, the same substance causing the disease can be used in low doses or high dilutions to treat the disease itself [18]: in our experimentation preliminary stressing of pollen grains with sub-lethal doses of arsenic trioxide was carried out in order to reduce germination rate, followed by treatments with the same substance at low and ultra-high dilutions. Several studies indicate that low concentrations of arsenic stimulate seed germination and plant growth [19,20], while high concentrations cause toxic and ge-…”