Homeopathy taught in a Pharmacology class?!?!

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Eeek! I'm in an online Pharmacology class as a prereq for a couple of the nursing programs I'm applying for, and the professor is acting like homeopathy is a valid thing to teach about!! We're going to have material on it every week! This is from the first week:

"Why Study Homeopathy?

In each lesson in this course, you will have a short lecture and activities as appropriate on homeopathic medicine. Why should we discuss homeopathic remedies?

If you are a hands-on caregiver, it will be important during a history gathering to assure you have complete information about all the substances a patient is taking. Widespread use of homeopathic substances means there is an increased risk of potential dangerous interactions between those substances and prescribed medications.

If you are a coder, you often find clues to a patient's conditions frm the prescribed medications. You can also expect these same indications when you see a homeopathic drug listed in the patient's chart. Both situations may lead you to develop a query in order to determine if the condition will be documented and if you are able to assign a code based on the Official Coding Guidelines.

What is homeopathy?

Homeopathy, or homeopathic medicine, is a medical philosophy and practice based on the idea that the body has the ability to heal itself. Homeopathy was founded in the late 1700s in Germany and has been widely practiced throughout Europe. Homeopathic medicine views symptoms of illness as normal responses of the body as it attempts to regain health.

Homeopathy is based on the idea that "like cures like." That is, if a substance causes a symptom in a healthy person, giving the person a very small amount of the same substance may cure the illness. In theory, a homeopathic dose enhances the body's normal healing and self-regulatory processes.

A homeopathic health practitioner (homeopath) uses pills or liquid mixtures (solutions) containing only a little of an active ingredient (usually a plant or mineral) for treatment of disease. These are known as highly diluted or "potentiated" substances. There is some evidence to show that homeopathic medicines may have helpful effects.

What is homeopathy used for?

Historically, people have used homeopathy to maintain health and treat a wide range of long-term illnesses, such as allergies, atopic dermatitis, rheumatoid arthritis, and irritable bowel syndrome. They have also used it to treat minor injuries, such as cuts and scrapes and muscle strains or sprains. Homeopathic treatment is not considered appropriate for illnesses, such as cancer, heart disease, major infections, or emergencies.

Homeopathy has been widely used in India, England, and other European countries.

Is homeopathy safe?

Homeopathic remedies have been regulated in the United States since 1938 and are considered to be safe.

Some critics of homeopathy believe that there is so little active substance in a solution that any benefits from treatment are likely not because of the substance but because you are thinking it is effective (placebo effect)."

It is absolutely terrifying to me that I will be trying to learn anything from this person. Would you be concerned?

Interesting coincidental occurrence over on my FB page . . . I follow a science blog and this issue came up. It became personal to me because my 33 year old son has Multiple Myeloma (recent diagnosis) and her idea of how to cure it is appalling.

Derp of the Month – Joan Shields (Healthy Organic Green) – We Love GMOs and Vaccines

...Homeopathy is actually where some of her most dangerous claims come into play. An RN” claiming that homeopathy is healthcare should, in my opinion, be enough to have such a license revoked. Homeopathy is the idea that water has memory, and that memory comes from diluting something until it is no longer present...........this diet works on the pseudo-scientific idea that cancer lives on solid food, and that 42 days of drinking nothing but vegetable juice and tea will cure it....
Specializes in NICU, Trauma, Oncology.

Fun fact: SciBabe does a lot of homeopathic debunking. She got drunk off of homeopathic children's "med" to cure constipation. Videoed the whole thing, it's been pulled from many pharmacy shelves. Liquid homeopathic meds are basically sugar water, alcohol (from the extraction/dilution process)

I follow SciBabe and ChowBabe and Kavin Senapathy . . . all super smart women who love to debunk anti-science folks.

They are really tough on the anti-vaxxers. :yes:

I follow MommyPhD too. I have this on my FB now.

NeuroLogica Blog >> The Improbability Principle

Specializes in Emergency.
Interesting coincidental occurrence over on my FB page . . . I follow a science blog and this issue came up. It became personal to me because my 33 year old son has Multiple Myeloma (recent diagnosis) and her idea of how to cure it is appalling.

Derp of the Month – Joan Shields (Healthy Organic Green) – We Love GMOs and Vaccines

I had to look up this person...

https://www.linkedin.com/in/joan-shields-1bb86a53

It looks like she has never even worked as a registered nurse.

Specializes in Urology, HH, med/Surg.
Interesting coincidental occurrence over on my FB page . . . I follow a science blog and this issue came up. It became personal to me because my 33 year old son has Multiple Myeloma (recent diagnosis) and her idea of how to cure it is appalling.

Derp of the Month – Joan Shields (Healthy Organic Green) – We Love GMOs and Vaccines

I just read the fb link... now THAT is terrifying!!

I had to look up this person...

https://www.linkedin.com/in/joan-shields-1bb86a53

It looks like she has never even worked as a registered nurse.

Yeah, the author was skeptical. ;) Thanks!

Hi OP, this is a very interesting situation. I am currently in an online pharm class for my nursing pre req as well. My prof. has not so much as mentioned homeopathy. I would not be too worried about this issue however. Once you get into your nursing program you will have a ton more meds to learn. Think of this class as a brushing of the surface of pharmacology as a whole. You will be learning new meds through out your career and this is simply the start of your education; so don't freak out if what your being exposed to isn't completely applicable now. Furthermore, if you so choose, you can be a real go getter and study meds outside of your pharm class. Youtube is an inexhaustible resource for learning meds. You can virtually learn every med you would ever need as a nurse on youtube.

So just jump through the hoops and do what you need to do. Online classes are all open book open note so you should be fine to not really study the homeopathy crap and still pass.

Specializes in NICU, Trauma, Oncology.
I follow SciBabe and ChowBabe and Kavin Senapathy . . . all super smart women who love to debunk anti-science folks.

They are really tough on the anti-vaxxers. :yes:

I follow MommyPhD too. I have this on my FB now.

NeuroLogica Blog >> The Improbability Principle

The credible hulk is good too!

Specializes in Family Nurse Practitioner.

To me it sounds like the professor is using his/her position as teacher of the class to promote his/her personal agenda which is that homeopathy is a valid form of medication. I wonder if the nursing program is even aware of how the class is taught. The syllabus may have mentioned homeopathy in passing but did indicate that this is a core belief of the professor's idea of pharmacology. I agree with the OPs concern and yes this person is terrifying because he/she is misleading students semester after semester because he/she deligitimizes modern medicine and may cause some of these students to make bad healthcare choices.

Specializes in Hospice, Palliative Care.

I'm glad the pharmacology class is looking at other means. I had GERD for years. All my doctor prescribed was Nexium (esomeprazole) with refill after refill. No one explained the dangers of long term PPI use. No one mentioned coming back for any diagnostic tests to see if any damage was being caused by extended PPI use. Almost 30 years later, daily use of Nexium with no doctor intervention (diagnostic tests, warnings, etc.), and I find myself having bowel movements whereby complete, undigested, food is coming out with a terrible smell.

I go to a local doctor of naturopathy who asks me to stop taking the Nexium, and recommends two natural digestive aids (a natural bile and a natural protease and lipase), and in less than two weeks my digestion improves and I'm back to normal bowel movements. With their help, my GERD went away.

Our niece is going to medical school. She is currently doing rounds as/with a family doctor. She's dealing with patients who come in with breathing problems due to smoking, tells them to stop smoking and the breathing problems will clear up. The patient wants medicine to deal with the breathing problems vs. stopping smoking. She has another one come in that's extremely obese. She tells them about eating a balanced diet with proper portions; they want a pill to help them to loose weight.

There's a time and place for drugs from pharmaceuticals, there's a time and place for naturopathic supplements.

Specializes in Nephrology Home Therapies, Wound Care, Foot Care..

Lucky you to be getting such great practical info! Patients use homeopathic medicine all the time, we need to understand it, and it's effects, and interactions. Homeopathy certainly IS a viable alternative medicine, can be very useful. As a nurse, you don't get to decide on what paths your patients choose, or be judgemental about those choices. I sat in on a consult recently between a very ill pt and a young, outrageously smart hospitalist. They had a great conversation about homeopathic for the ot, and the doc recommended 2 things, and told him to avoid a third because it would interfere with another med pt takes. Keep an open mind and be grateful there are choices. My daughter dealt work infertility for years, great doctors, and no luck. Her doctor said go try a local naturopath. We have a beautiful healthy 2 year old running around and another due in October. Her medical docs were thrilled, and she continental to see them for her high risk pregnancis and delivery.

One of our biggest jobs as a nurse is to advocate for our patients, advocating for what our patients want, our own prejudices can't come into play. That means having an open mind and being educated about as much as possible.

Specializes in Telemetry.

Homeopathy certainly IS a viable alternative medicine, can be very useful.

Citations, please.

Are you certain you know what homeopathy is? Do not confuse it with naturopathy, please.

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