Homeopathic approach to Osteoporosis

Dr Mansoor Ali
Govt. Homoeopathic Medical College, Calicut.Kerala

(Paper presented at International Conference on Osteoporosis at Amala Cancer Research Centre. Kerala)

Homeopathy has been a very beneficial modus operandi in the campaign against Osteoporosis. Homeopathic remedies will not reverse existing bone loss, but can help control pain, will slow down or stop further bone loss, can promote stability and healing.

Homeopathic remedies will allow the essential minerals and nutrients to be absorbed more efficiently, thus, further preventing bone fractures, or accelerating healing of any existing fractures by strengthening the bones.

Homeopathic constitutional approach takes into account a persons’s characteristic symptoms, their overall physical and mental condition and understands the way a person’s body reacts to Osteoporosis.

The purpose of Homeopathic approach is to vitalize the body’s natural healing and self-repair ability to create the highest state of health and well-being.

The aim and objective of Homoeopathic management can be achieved by:

• Dietary intake of intake of calcium required by body.
• Correction of intake of calcium apart forms food to regulate the daily requirement of calcium.
• Correction of intestinal absorption of calcium.
• Correction of assimilation of calcium channels in body by constitutional approach.
• Exercise, in the form of light exercises and/or meditation.
• Therapeutic correction in case the above criteria fail or partially improve the patient.

The line of treatment of osteoporosis depends upon the cause of osteoporosis.

• Most common form is primary osteoporosis which is due to age and therefore can be corrected by dietary intake of calcium or by calcium supplementation. Homeopathic drugs like Calc carb., Calc phos., Calc iod., and Silicea have shown good results.
• In GIT disorders causing malabsorption, homoeopathic medication can be done on totality of symptoms with which patient presents to the doctor. It is seen that 60 – 80 % of the calcium is absorbed from the total intake of calcium taken through oral route, but this can be reduced in cases of impaired intestinal absorption of calcium.The homoeopathic medication will increase the intestinal absorption and assimilation of calcium.
• Osteoporosis resulting from inflammatory conditions of GIT or joints can be managed by medicines like Argentum met., Asafoetida., Calc., Merc., Nit. ac., Fl. ac., Phytolacca., etc

Clinically verified medicines mentioned in Homeopathic Repertory (Synthesis)

• EXTREMITIES – OSTEOPOROSIS: Bor-pur. cortiso. dys. Mucor
• GENERALS – OSTEOPOROSIS: arg-met. bacls-7. calc-f. cortico. cortiso. dys. fl-ac. morg-p. palo.
• GENERALITIES – BRITTLE bones – general: asaf. banis-c. bar-c. bufo calc-f. calc-p. Calc. carc. cor-r. cupr. fl-ac. Lac-ac. lyc. Merc. par. ph-ac. pip-n. rutaSIL. sulph. Symph. thuj.
• GENERALS – SOFTENING bones: am-c. ASAF. aur. bar-c. Bell. bufo calc-f. Calc-i. calc-p. CALC. caust. cic. con. Ferr-i. ferr-m. Ferr-p. ferr. guaj. hecla Hep. iod. ip. Kali-i. Lac-c. Lyc. mag-f. mag-p. MERC. mez. Nit-ac. nux-m. Ol-j. parathyr. petr. ph-ac. Phos. plb. Psor. Puls. rhod. ruta Sep. SIL. staph. Sulph. syph. ther. thuj.
• GENERALS – BONES; complaints of: Arg-met. ASAF. aur. bell-p-sp. Calc-f. Calc-p. Calc. castor-eq. chin. chlam-tr. cocc. cupr. daph. eup-per. fl-ac. hep. kali-bi. kali-i. lyc. merc-pr-r. merc. mez. Nit-ac. PH-AC. Phos. Phyt. PULS. pyrog. rhod. rhus-t. Ruta sel. sil. staph. Sulph. syph.

In Murphy’s Homeopathic repertory –

GENERALS – OSTEOPOROSIS : arg-met._jl3 bacls-7._pte1 calc-f._jl3 cortico._sp1 cortiso._jl3,mtf11 dys._fmm1,pte1 fl-ac._mtf11 morg-p._fmm1,pte1 palo._jl3 

EXTREMITIES – OSTEOPOROSIS : Bor-pur._stj2 cortiso._mtf11 dys._mtf11 mucor_mtf11

Clinical – DECALCIFICATION, bones : Calc._mp1 Calc-f._mp1 Calc-p._mp1 cor-r._mp1 hecla_mp1 sil._mp1 symph._mp1

Arg-met (silver) is well suited for treating osteoporosis, and is also indicated for juvenile bone growth disorders and for fractures of the metatarsal, scaphoid, tarsal and anterior tibia bones.

Calc-carb (calcium carbonate) is one of the main homeopathic remedies for osteoporosis.

Calc-phos (calcium phosphate) is another main remedy for osteoporosis. It may be used for sports-related injuries and occupational diseases.

Calc-fluor (calcium fluoride) is indicated for osteoporosis and other disorders such as Albright’s disease, Paget’s disease and Recklinghausen’s disease.

Potentized cortisone has the exact opposite action of its pharmaceutical form. Overprescribing regular cortisone causes a reduction in bone matrix and may induce osteoporosis. In homeopathic doses, cortisone helps reverse this condition.

Symphytum  is indicated for osteoporosis and is known for “knitting” bones that refuse to mend or are slow to fuse after fracture or break.

Two research findings

1. Comparative therapeutic use of Risedronate and Calcarea phosphorica–allopathy versus homeopathy–in bone repair in castrated rats.

Werkman C, Senra GS, da Rocha RF, Brandão AA.

Source : Department of Biosciences and Oral Diagnosis, School of Dentistry of São Jose dos Campos, São Paulo State University.

Result
The aim of this work was to study the effects of Risedronate (allopathic medicine) and Calcarea phosphorica 6CH (homeopathic medicine) on the repair of bone lesions in male rats with osteoporosis induced by castration. Eighty-four three-month-old rats were used divided into four groups of twenty-one animals each. Three groups where castrated and one group was submitted to Sham surgery. One month later, cortical lesions were made in all animals’ tibiae and, after one day, the different experimental treatments began according to the following groups: CR–castrated/Risedronate (1 mg/kg/day); CCp–castrated/Calcarea phosphorica 6CH (3 drops/day); CP–castrated/placebo and SP–Sham/placebo. The animals were sacrificed at seven, fourteen and twenty-eight days after the beginning of the treatments and had their tibiae removed. Digital radiographs of the tibiae were taken and analyzed in order to evaluate the optical density of the defect area. Then, they were decalcified and processed for histological and histomorphometrical analysis. The data were submitted to ANOVA, and to the Tukey and Dunnett tests (5%). The allopathic and homeopathic treatments led to different bone formation as regards remodeling and maturation aspects. Further research is necessary to access the resistance and quality of the newly formed bone.

2. Osteogenesis in vitro in rat tibia-derived osteoblasts is promoted by the homeopathic preparation, FMS*Calciumfluor.

Palermo C, Filanti C, Poggi S, Manduca P.

Source : Genetics, Department of Oncology, University of Genova, 26 C. Europa, Genova, 16132, Italy.

Abstract
We studied the effects of in vitro treatment of differentiating osteogenic cells with FMS*Calciumfluor, to determine whether it caused changes in proliferative or differentiation potential of osteoblasts. FMS*Calciumfluor was developed for the therapy of post-menopausal and age-related osteoporosis on the basis of the principles of resonance homeopathy and VTR Vega test. Its daily prescribed therapeutical usage is about 30,000-fold less in fluoride concentration than that recommended for NaF associated with calcium monophosphate. Rat tibial osteoblast (ROB) primary cultures represent populations of early osteoblasts and their derivative cultures of more than 60 cumulative population doubling (CPD) represent more mature osteogenic cells. Both these populations were shown to undergo in vitro differentiation, as monitored by the sequential expression of markers that define the stages of the osteogenic progression. Here we report that continual treatment of ROB during osteogenesis with FMS*Calciumfluor modulated the expression of critical osteogenic markers: alkaline phosphatase (AP), an indicator of osteoblast maturation, and(45)Ca incorporation into the matrix and nodule formation, events of the last phase of osteogenesis and a measure of osteoid mineralization. Treatment did not affect proliferation, or expression and activation of metalloproteinases (MMP). AP activity and levels of AP mRNA were increased by treatment with FMS*Calciumfluor; the incorporation of radiolabelled Ca into the matrix was also increased and the formation of nodules occurred in a shorter time and with higher frequency than in untreated control cultures. The effects of FMS*Calciumfluor were concentration dependent and specific for its modalities of preparation, and were observed at a concentration about three orders of magnitude lower than similar effects reported in the literature by treatment of osteoblast cultures in vitro with NaF.

3.  A major clinical trial published in the journal of the American Medical Association showed that women on hormone replacement therapy for various ailments like menopause and PCOD were at a much higher risk for breast cancer, heart disease and osteoporosis than those using homeopathy.

Conclusion
Homeopathy provides effective remedies that not only help to prevent the disease but also to minimize.It is a safe and gentle way to tackle osteoporosis. It works both to correct osteoporosis and prevent further nutritional deficiency.

References

1. Hershoff A. Homeopathy for musculoskeletal healing. Berkeley (CA): North Atlantic Books; 1996. GPS. p 157, 161, 233, 247, 257.
2. Julian OA. Materia Medica of new homeopathic remedies. Beaconsfield (UK): Beaconsfield Publishers Ltd.; 1990. GPS. p 77, 192, 357, 384, 392, 476, 607.
3. Schroyens Frederick – Repertorium Homeopathicum Syntheticum 2010 edn
4. Richard Hahnemann, a homeopathic researcher and consultant in Arizona.
5. Murphy Robin – Homeopathic Medical Repertory 3^rd edn