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Homeopathy And Pregnancy – A Combination That Has To Be Avoided!

 

The pregnancy represents a very important period for every woman, being absolutely normal too look for the best solutions for the baby to be healthy, to feel good and receive the best possible care. It is quite easy to feel a little panicked, especially if it’s the first child, seeming that something has to be done more or less all the time in order for everything to be perfect. If these concerns and fears are very normal, it is not normal at all that some profit from this phenomenon in order to make sells and lie about some apparently-miraculous effects. Homeopathy and pregnancy are very often mentioned in this context, the future mothers being promised that the alternative method will bring them more benefits than regular care and treatments. Could it be true?

Homeopathy prides itself with its long scientific experience, mentioning Hippocrates, who wrote about some principles that are somewhat similar, experimenting with belladonna. The idea behind this so-called science is that diluting an active substance until reaching an extremely small concentration can cure a certain disease much better than o larger quantity of the same substance. As a result, bay analyzing these products, one will find sugar in capsules, water or alcohol in liquid solutions or syrup and just about it, as any other substance is so diluted that it cannot be detected. Maybe this is why homeopathy and pregnancy got connected: these products promise not to hurt the mother or the baby in any way, especially due to the lack of substances that may produce side effects.

From this point of view, homeopathy sticks to its promises. The conventional medicines are sometimes not recommended to pregnant women, as very strong concentrations can affect the development of the future child. Others must be administered under close medical supervision, while the risk of side effects is always present. As a result, the promise of a medicine that can strengthen the body and the immune system, which can improve the general state of health and even combat the unpleasant symptoms of the pregnancy itself, but without negative outcomes, seems a dream come true. Again the homeopathy and pregnancy seem to provide a great market.

The cures proposed by homeopaths address the majority of symptoms that future mother may feel. Up to 20% of women feel sick in various situations, even if before getting pregnant this was not the case. Pregnant women feel carsick, or feel physically disturbed by different kinds of foods or even without any reason or warning. For each case, there is a homeopathic remedy, mostly under the shape of capsules. Several pills and syrups promise to solve circulatory problems as well, especially those related to swollen feet or painful veins. Finally, others promise to solve other problems as well, such as hemorrhoids, which are very unpleasant in case they occur. The market is even more diverse than this though. As many women feel strong pain, homeopathy and pregnancy meet again, these remedies claiming to reduce painful sensations without harming the future child. Moreover, there are pills aimed at helping women give up smoking without feeling bad physically in this important time of their lives. The homeopaths really seem to have thought about everything, a small shop dedicated to these products existing in almost any neighborhood.

What the future mothers need to know is that they risk quite much if they only use these products, without consulting a medic regarding this decision. The homeopathy specialists are not always college graduates, getting their diplomas after taking part in some courses, this category not being officially recognized in many countries. Studies have shown no clear effect of these medicines, homeopathy products directed at pregnancy entering the same category. The few studies conducted by the homeopaths were procedurally incorrect so they cannot be considered as proof of efficiency. Their only effect is the one called placebo. So, the future mothers may feel a reduction of pain and sickness, but not due to the efficiency of the products, but due t their own minds, so they convince themselves that this happens due to the miracle pills! But what is actually bad about this?

Well, some homeopaths recommend the cessation of any other kind of treatment and do not ask for a second opinion. Sometimes repeated pain can be a sign of problems with the pregnancy, so no placebo effect can help. There were cases in which the so-called medics recommended patients not to accept certain vaccines, providing their own solutions, which is totally unethical. Even if someone decides to take these products, this must not be made without consulting a real specialist, to monitor the evolution of the baby and recommend proper treatment if case occurs. If there are still doubts, they will be shattered by the 10.23 campaign, in which several volunteers took huge overdoses of homeopathic products without having the smallest side effect, sleeping pills not being capable to make participants sleepy either.

It is absolutely normal to search for the best solutions for a healthy child, but this does not mean that homeopathy and pregnancy should become a whole, just because they are promised certain benefits  with no scientific claim to back them. The choices are free and everyone can decide regarding their own body; however a specialized opinion is a must. And don’t forget, there is a reason why Switzerland and Austria give no chance to these medicines, and they are just two examples of many!

 

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