Someone recently said to me: “I’ve never heard about homeopathy for autism. If it’s so great, how come I haven’t heard of it?”
This struck me as significant because I have the great fortune of seeing patients get better from homeopathic treatment on a daily basis, but for some people who don’t know anything about homeopathy it’s like learning about a whole new world. In some ways, homeopathy is like the best-kept secret that I wish wasn’t a secret so that more people could benefit from it. When I heard that question I realized that us homeopaths are not doing a good enough job at getting the word out there to parents that we have a safe, gentle, and effective therapy that can help their children recover from autism spectrum disorders.
In this post, I’ll address some other common questions I hear about homeopathy for autism:
Yes, there are several books about homeopathy for autism. Here are a few that are for either parents or homeopathic practitioners.
Amy Lanksy, PhD wrote a wonderful best selling book called “Impossible Cure”. In her book she has a chapter that outlines how her son recovered from autism with homeopathic treatment. She also has an excellent essay on this webpage about the homeopathic treatment of autism that offers valuable information for parents seeking a skilled homeopathic practitioner to treat their child as well as what to expect from the process of homeopathic treatment.
On Amy’s website she writes the following: “More and more people are stepping forward to let the world know about the homeopathic cure of their children. One wonderful site about the homeopathic cure of an autistic boy is www.recoveredfromautism.com. This family is one among many who have been guided by Impossible Cure in their journey. Another family finding success with classical homeopathy has developed the web site www.recoveringnicholas.com. A news item about a child in the process of homeopathic cure appeared in the press. More testimonials can be found in the Cure Stories Database on this site.”
Here is another book about homeopathy for autism: “A Drug-Free Approach to Asperger Syndrome and Autism” – Reichenberg-Ullman”
This book includes seventeen actual cases drawn from the authors’ extensive clinical experience treating a wide range of children with developmental, behavioral and learning challenges. For parents or homeopaths who would like to read cases of other children helped with homeopathy, this book may be beneficial.
For practitioners, Dr. Paul Herscu wrote this book where he uses the description of the homeopathic medicine Strammonium as an example for treating children’s developmental disorders: http://www.wholehealthnow.com/books/stramonium.html
Dr. Herscu has an entire chapter for practitioners on the homeopathic treatment of autism. Note that this book is meant for homeopaths, not for parents.
“I don’t have time to read! Are there any DVD’s or videos for parents parents to learn about homeopathy for ASDs?”
Yes, there are both DVDs and videos. I recommend “Putting the Pieces Together: The Homeopathic Treatment of Autism” DVD by Dr. Paul Herscu http://www.wholehealthnow.com/books/autism-dvd.html
This 80 minute DVD is designed for those new to homeopathy, as well as those interested in the possibility of seeking homeopathic care for a loved one or a patient who has symptoms of Autistic Spectrum Disorder. Dr. Herscu offers an overview of his underlying philosophy of homeopathic medicine as well as his clinical experience working with this population.
With over two decades in the field, Dr. Herscu has treated hundreds of children and adults with ASDs. This DVD is meant for parents and loved ones as an introduction to homeopathy for autism and is not a “how-to,” instructional tape on treating children with autism.
Two independent films are also in the works about the treatment of autism using homeopathy. Please visit these sites and lend the filmmakers your financial support!
“Is there any scientific research or published papers on the homeopathic treatment of autism spectrum disorders?”
Homeopathy is one of the most popular and well-researched areas of alternative medicine. There are many scientific studies showing the efficacy of homeopathy for a variety of health conditions. Here I’ll give some links to some research studies and case reports that may pertain to kiddos with ASDs.
Click here for a case report describing a child with Asperger syndrome who was helped with homeopathic treatment. It was published by a Swiss pediatrician, Dr. Heiner Frei who has been very prominent in publishing research showing that homeopathy can be very effective for treating pediatric disorders like ADHD and ear infections. Many children with ASD’s have co-morbid ADHD as well as related problems that get better with homeopathic treatment. Check out these studies:
- Frei H. Treatment for hyperactive children: homeopathy and methylphenidate compared in a family setting. British Homeopathic Journal 2001, 90: 183-188. Download
- This was an exciting observational study where 75% of kids with ADHD treated with homeopathy had significant improvement. Those that didn’t improve were treated with methylphenidate (aka Ritalin) and of those, 65% got better on the drug medication.
- Frei H, Everts R, von Ammon K et al: Homeopathic treatment of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder – a randomized, double blind, placebo controlled trial. European Journal of Pediatrics 2005, 164/12: 758-767. Download
- This was an exciting randomized, double blind, placebo controlled trial that was published in a big conventional journal, the European Journal of Pediatrics, showing that homeopathy was more effective than placebo at treating ADHD.
- Gordon M., Michell E (Editors): Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Chapter 7: Heiner Frei, Klaus von Ammon, André Thurneysen et al.: Homeopathic Treatment of Children withAttention Deficit Hyperactivity disorder: Results of a Long-Term Study over 5 years, Including a Randomized Double-Blind Placebo Controlled Crossover Trial. Download
- This is a great 5 year follow up showing the long term benefits of homeopathic treatment for kids with ADHD.
- Frei H: Homeopathy in acute otitis media in children: Treatment effect or spontaneous resolution? British Homeopathic Journal 2001, 90: 180-182. Download
- This is an exciting study showing that homeopathy was more effective than placebo and more cost effective than conventional antibiotics for treating ear infections. Many kiddos with autism spectrum disorders also suffer from recurrent ear infections, which makes homeopathy a great treatment for improving their overall health so that they stop getting ear infections.
Here are two excellent articles by Fran Sheffield, an Australian homeopath who has extensive experience with the homeopathic treatment of autism spectrum disorders. In Part 1 she presents a case series and in Part 2 she discusses some practical treatment decisions for homeopathy and biomedical therapies. Download her papers here:
- Reversing Austism: Homeopathy and the Treatment of Autism Spectrum Disorders, November 2008 by Fran Sheffield
- Reversing Austism: Homeopathy and the Treatment of Autism Spectrum Disorders Part II – November 2008 by Fran Sheffield
For those interested in research studies about homeopathy and autism, here are some papers written by an Indian homeopath, Dr. M.A. Rajalakshmi:
- Role of Homoeopathy in the Management of Autism: Study of Effects of Homoeopathic Treatment on the Autism Triad
- New Dimensions in the Treatment of Autism with Homeopathy
There are many other intriguing scientific studies showing that homeopathy can help with other conditions that are commonly seen in children with autism spectrum disorders including diarrhea, allergies, ear infections, colds and flu’s. Stay tuned for future blog posts where I will discuss those.
