Covid Vaccination: Homoeopath’s Dilemma.

The National webinar on Covid Vaccination was the need of hour hot topic and was Zoom full house within 10 mins. The webinar started with positive vibration and aura created by Shangunadham by our Patron Dr.B.D.Patel.
Dr Shreepad Hegde welcomed all Panelists and participants and gave a preamble on the topic and about the Panelists. The whole purpose of this webinar is to discuss about the vaccination, it’s types, its pros and cons, the mindset of confusion surrounding it, the fear of complications, why Ayush doctor’s are not taking vaccination etc.
Dr.B.D.Patel in his speech said it is the worst crisis affecting the world and is killing people. Every country is working towards it and our country has wonderfully tried to contain it given the population. The immunization drive is for the entire nation to overcome the crisis. He personally feels we all as citizens should support the drive, though we may differ individually. Commonly asked question is the effectiveness of the vaccine and its side effects. As Homoeopaths many of us want to know how to handle side effects of vaccination with Homoeopathy. He wished everyone will be wiser and clearer in their thoughts after listening to the webinar.

Dr.H.L.Swamy was the Moderator for the webinar who putforth the questions to the panelist doctors and summarized their views and thoughts. Before starting the discussion, he quoted few words said by Mahatma Gandhi, “Vaccination is a barbarous practice and one of the most fatal of all the delusions correct in our time”. The panel discussion started with our first Panelist was Dr.S.K.Tiwari (Former Principal of Father Muller Homoeopathic College and Director NIH Kolkata)
Q: What is your opinion about Vaccination against Covid 19? A: We as doctors should think rationally and see what is useful for the society. Last year most of the homeopaths were enthusiastic in distributing prophylaxis Arsenicum album which benefited 95% people and only 2% died according to records, which shows in people who took it, mortality rate was low, but again there is not enough research to support it. All of us should share our records or reports on results and efficacy of taking Homoeopathy.
I am not against vaccination, neither do I support it. We need to analyze rationally, most of us are forced to take it if we intend to travel abroad, which does not say that we support it.
How to convince our patients who ask for homoeopathic medicines instead of vaccination, what is our role as homoeopaths in this crisis? Is it only to treat the bad effects of Covid and bad effects of vaccination?
Second Panelist Dr M A Udachanker (Former Principal of Sheikh Homoeopathic Medical college,
Q: Is there any conceptual correlation between vaccine and Homeopathy and do you recommend vaccination? Answer: In 1796 when homoeopathy was founded, in the same year General Edward found out small pox vaccine, which means years are same. Nosodes are prepared from diseased tissue and influence of the disease in there on the nosodes, hence nosode is a remedy for specific disease for cure of disease. Vaccine undergoes PCR and is prepared for its own disease whereas in Homoeopathy nosodes is given in potentized form for the particular disease in minimal doses, given on symptomatic indications. Vaccines are for acute condition whereas nosodes for chronic conditions. In an article on immunology and Homoeopathy, two types of immune modulation will take place as active and passive immunization. Active immunization in present scenario, the vaccine for COVID vaccine stimulates the individual immune system to produce antibodies. Giving serum or passive immunization is not per our system. When we treat with potentized form of homoeopathic medicines we are stimulating the vital force to fight out the disease. Vital force and immune system is not same but have conceptual correlation. In Homeopathic Pharmacopeia, 4 Types of nosodes such as:
N1 (Prepared from lysates of microorganisms producing bacterial endotoxins)
N2 (Prepared from microorganism producing exotoxins)
N3 (Purified toxins)
N4 (Prepared from microorganisms or viruses, clinical material of human convalescence or diseased subjects).
I personally to some extent given the current scenario, not knowing how the virus is behaving, vaccination is one entity where it is extracted from cell wall protein is administered in minute dose to produce antibodies against a disease and has to be taken on individual choice as whatever is good for mankind we must accept it. I do recommend vaccination though it is also not 100% guarantee that you wont get the disease. Arsenic Album has proved effective in the first wave and we need to share our reports and records. We need to come together and act complementing each other rather than being competitive.
Third Panelist was Dr.Praveen Raj Moodbidri [Former Principal and current Advisor AHMC] Q: What is your opinion about vaccination and body immunity? Answer: According to AEFI [an adverse event following immunization]31000 cases of Covid death came to them wherein only 1 was Covid related, 18 cases were Coincidental death, 7cases indeterminate, 3cases vaccine product related, 1case due to over anxiety, 2cases unable to conclude death after vaccination in 23 crore people is only 0.002% and so the risk in minimum and hence the strong support for vaccination. Many cases in our country does not get reported and so epidemiological data is not well documented. Another data from infectious expert from Apollo Dr.Ramagopalakrishnan says in the first wave 31% exposure with positive IGG and second wave 23% out of 22900 which says we cannot totally rely on IGG because IGG alone does not say about our immunity. Even if IGG is at low level, it does not mean that we do not have immunity. Success rate from Israel after complete vaccination for 3crore people has come but our country is highly populated and we as homoeopaths cannot reach out to whole population and we do not have any support system and resources too. We cannot allow our citizens to die so we should support the nation.  If we cannot come into conclusion of a single unanimous remedy, then how will we reach to all? We as individuals have a success rate but collectively our ego fails and we do not support as a whole. We have differences of opinion among ourselves in selecting remedies and do not have a unified body like IMA.
Studies about epidemic data have done and documented from very early where homoeopathic prophylaxis have seen to work very well, example: in Japanese encephalitis.
We homoeopaths gave Arsenicum album and saw 95% success rate, few documentation about it has been done in Kerala and North India., Kerala Government is planning a study on 1lakh people too.
Fourth Panelist Dr Sushma Jaiswal Mehr (Research Scholar, Editor NJH)
Q: What are the types of Covid Vaccines? Answer: Through presentation gave a brief summary about Vaccines for Covid. Currently in India there are two vaccines, namely Covishield and Covaxin. Types of vaccines are live attenuated vaccine, a weakened form of the germ that causes the disease. These are similar to the natural infection that they help prevent, and create a strong and long lasting immune system. Just one or 2 doses can give lifelong immunity.Example Covaxin
Inactivated vaccine, it is from the killed version of the germ that cause the disease. These use specific part of the organism like protein or sugars and hence give a strong immune response that targets the key part of the organism. Example Covishield Toxoid Vaccines use the toxin from the germ like tetanus and mRNA Vaccines take advantage of the process that cells use to make proteins in order to trigger a immune response and build immunity to SARS-CoV-2. Example Pfizer and Moderna. Covid Vaccines are recommended in age group 18+ and in lactating women and not recommended in kids below 18 years and during pregnancy. Common side effects, tenderness at the injection site. Pain, fever, chills, malaise, body ache, headache, joint pains, vomiting, nausea. Two doses are to be taken at a gap to 28 to 60 days interval. Interchanging the vaccine is not recommended. Contraindications is in active symptoms of Covid infection, Not before 12 weeks of recovery after Covid Infection, those whom plasma transfusion is given, acutely unwell. Special precautions to be taken in patient with bleeding disorders. The benefits are it is safe and has gone through necessary clinical trials.

Myths such as mRNA alters the DNA is wrong, it doesn’t interfere with the DNA. One cannot get Covid after Vaccination, can avoid wearing mask is a myth, one has to wear mask even if vaccine is taken. Other myths were also discussed. Instead of telling whether to take vaccine or not, one can educate about the vaccine and it should be individual choice.

Fifth Panelist Dr Latha Devarajan (Research Scholar, ICMR, NJH Editor)
Q: What are the post covid complications and why that indicates to us the need to vaccinate as many people as possible? Answer: In the first wave we had a longer time to analyse and be prepared with our resources and planning the treatment. The second wave was sudden, intensity of pathology was faster, the mutant variant of the virus, there were many coordinates of the second wave. Initially week many patients landed up in hospital compared to the first wave. In the first wave we had only 85% Asymptomatic and recovering and almost 15% a lot of them were managed with constitutional, intercurrent, indicated remedies and Arsenic Album may have helped with their immunity, while in the second wave 40% to 50% were asymptomatic, 15% landed in complications, 30 to 40 % had very long covid recovery. The second wave impacted 15% patients with lungs fibrosis which was not there in the first wave. This means the mutant strain was causing very rapid lung fibrosis in 15% of the cases which resulted in 5 days with low oxygen levels. Unexpected metabolic disorders that came up in 5% of the population such as Diabetes which were preexisting and with new complications. There were people with headaches, GBS which were not there in the first wave. The intensity and virulence was at a faster pace and was not studied and much as the virus was studied in first wave. To understand the impact of cancer, we need one year study of the lung condition post covid with this mutant virus.
There were people with cognitive difficulties and memory loss and the Black Fungus due to lack of proper hygiene and steroids. Definitely Homoeopathy has a role to play in the longterm issue coming up post Covid with help of constitutional remedies. When the study is not clear, uncertainty about the virus, complications unknown about the mutant virus, how can we pace our treatment by saying that we will stick to only one “pathy” and not use the vaccine. Hence, the post covid complications and its long term effects need to be studied in depth. People vaccinated in age group of 18 to 45 had more complications due to mutant virus with different pathology compared to the first wave. Whether to get vaccinated or not, does he have any comorbidities then getting a blood work done helps in understanding whether vaccine can be taken or not. The front line workers, vegetable vendors, airports, virulence is high hence getting infected is more compared to people sitting at home. This is pandemic that is affected mentally, emotionally, economically all across the world and has to be dealt with accordingly. Sixth Panelist was Dr Sreevals G Menon, Kerala
[ M T Global homoeopathic foundation] Question: What is our stand as Homoeopath in Hahnemannian and Post Hahnemannian era? Answer: When Edward Jenner introduced vaccination in 1798 Hahnemann considered this a confirmation of his principles. Body is highly sensitive to drugs during illness, vaccination is similar to homoeopathy. Emil Adolf[founder of Diphtheria vaccine] says the Clue to vaccine was from Homoeopathy so most certainly Homoeopathy has inspired. Both Homeopathy and Vaccination has evolved more or less together. They use antigen-antibody-contagian principle whereas we use symptomatology. When Virus passes into a weak body its virulence increases Compared to diseases like small pox, Polio , Inflenza etc for which Vaccines are given, Covid 19 is a very unstable virus with new strains which is not fixed. Immunity attained with some strains cannot withstand the new infections. Nipah virus and Covid 19 are special cases with single strand RNA with more virulence. If disease is repeating  in same person then the scope of vaccination is very limited. Vaccination has more scope in poliomyelitis and small pox. If infected person will go and get vaccinated without prior testing then its a nightmare which can backfire, its better to do an antigen test before vaccination. We cannot attain anything naturally with an artificial approach. If you run a disease then its as good as vaccinated. Seventh Panelist is Dr.Punnose Sam, Australia [Executive member, Australian homoeopathic association] Q: What is Vaccinosis? Answer: Any disease which comes out after vaccine is introduced into body is called vaccinosis. In the past post Vaccination problems like ADD,ADHD, Gillian Barrie syndrome were there.Immunologists who are sincere and honest say that they have not yet studied fully as to how the immune system works. Its not just Antigen-Antibody reaction to say immune system is working well but there are many more factors. when immune system is not understood well by senior immunologists then how can we confirm vaccines will give favourable results. Paediatricians and immunologists who have intention of helping people are openly saying that complications and vaccinosis is indeed happening in many children after vaccination. Doctors say that quite many additives are added to make vaccines like aluminium, homan fetal cells etc which is not good for children. Lot of paralysis, neuromyelitis, and suicidal tendency happened after taking Gardasil Vaccination in many. Robert who invented the M RNA  vaccine said getting spike protein into the system is dangerous and he had approached the FDA with his data and research. AEFI has not been reported correctly

Before Vaccination there was only 1 Covid death reported in Australia but after Vaccination drive death toll went to 210 and adverse effects 22000+. Many doctors in Australia lost their Licence when they said Covid vaccine is dangerous. After effects like myocarditis, clots, Paralysis, Neurological problems, High electromagnetic frequency etc are reported. Mass vaccination is seen to bring more mutant variants. Sur amin is considered a good antidote which is extracted from star anise seed. Thuja, Plumbum, Vanadium, lathyrus sativus are considered good antidotes in homoeopathy.

The webinar was concluded by Dr.Shreepad Hegde who stated that homeopath's Dilemma remains because even if Arsenicum helped , we could not convince the higher authorities about its action in our system, was antibodies produced, if so then how long it remained and when should Arsenicum be repeated as we don’t have a proper systematic study and recordings or vast research done in our system. He advised henceforth all homeopath's to do extensive study and research and be prepared.

The webinar ended with Vote of thanks by Dr.Chiranth.Webinar was well Co ordinated by Dr.Subha and Dr.Trupti. Reported by Dr.Trupti Pai and Dr.Anusha Mathew Login to www.kqhda.com website for regular updates.