02/22/2015
Managing Acetominophen or Paracetamol overdoses with Homeopathy
Panadol (Paracetamol or Acetominophen) is a common painkiller in most family medicine cupboards, but our easy access to it has also turned it into a leading cause of accidental or deliberate overdose. In Australia alone, more than 8,000 men, women and children are hospitalised each year from panadol poisoning; if they don't receive an antidote within 8 hours, liver failure and death can result from what seems to be a simple over-the-counter medicine.
The homeopathic remedy Lycopodium has always been used to treat various types of liver failure and digestive disorders, so researchers wondered if it could also help in Panadol poisoning. The answer? Yes.
Rats were given daily doses of Lycopodium, and then poisoned by paracetamol to see if the remedy would protect against liver damage. The results showed it reduced tissue death and inflammation.
While the Lycopododium was given preventatively in this instance, treatment is likely to be just as helpful, as it has long been known that whatever homeopathy treats, it can also prevent, and vice versa.
From the homeopathic perspective, the results of this study also indicate that those needing Lycopodium as a constitutional or treatment remedy are likely to be at greatest risk of injury from an accidental or intentional Panadol overdose.
Finally, what about the rats? It seems like a backwards and very allopathic approach to test the known homeopathic effects of a remedy on animals. There has never been a need for it in the past and there is none now; let’s just use the remedies according to their known indications, then step back and observe the results.
More Information: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25576269
Homeopathy. 2015 Jan;104(1):29-35. doi: 10.1016/j.homp.2014.05.005. Epub 2014 Jun 27.
