My aunt is a homeopath and is about to send me out what they prescribe as a homeopathic prophylactic: natrum muriaticum. Now I know nothing about this stuff but I'm still more willing to take it than Doxy.

Only once a week apparently...

Being honest? I'm not sure I'm convinced, although Artemisinin certainly has me nodding - it's another plant derivative, Chinese I think, which they use as therapy after infection in hospitals, it knocks it dead apparently.

Mum panicked, she said there'd been something on homeopathic prophylactics recently saying they weren't effective, but it's got to be worth a try in comparison to...nothing, which is what I take most of the time.

How far would you trust homeopathy?

I've been through homeopathy and so has my wife. She swears by it. I'm happy with it. It doesn't cure everything.

The thing is, homeopathy is a matter of taste. Or rather, un-taste. The way I see it (and I've looked into it) the succussation effectively charges the water with the "un-taste" of the substance succussed. This is also why homeopathy does so badly in "scientific" tests: because it's a matter of taste. The "Scientists" are not prepared to indulge the homeopaths' "foible" that different characters react in different ways. As far as the "Scientists" are concerned, if it don't work for everybody, then it don't work. As far as I'm concerned, that's failing to be properly scientific.

If you've ever seen a homeopathic proving, you might have some confidence in its efficacy. My wife used to bring three sets of apparently identical pills home from the homeopath to try. Two, or maybe all three, would have no effect. But usually one would effectively knock her out. It would be like a couple of strong sleeping pills.

Nat. Mur. that your aunt has sent you is the "un-taste" of common table salt.
It will work wonders for you if (for instance) you over-indulge in crisps and salty food. Why she thinks it would work for Malaria, I don't know. Does it have a quality of hydrophobia? Although I'm strongly in favour of homeopathy, I have no confidence in this. It just might stimulate your bodies defences to a higher level of immunity, but you would be lucky. On the other hand, it's not going to do you any harm. Unless you are lactose-intolerant, as the homeopathic pills are typically prepared with cows milk.

Homoeopathy worked well for me when me Liver was Fecked


Be careful though, as soon as you *start* to feel better, stop the remedy or you may prove it (as I'm sure your Aunt will have told you). If you start to feel worse, this is an "Aggravation" & the remedies way of acting on your immune system.

Nat-Mur is one of the Polycrest remedies & is a common one given for malaria

Thinair, do you tend to get cracked lips or cold sores?
This would go to indicate that you might respond to Nat. Mur.

Thin, are you looking for a protection against getting malaria or a treatment for already contraacted malaria and which is the remedy supposed to do?

Apart from the prophylactic quality, maybe her Aunt suggested Nat-Mur for her other symptoms too

Malaria kills more than a million people worldwide each year—90 percent of them in Africa, I trust you are not really considering stopping doxycycline in favour of something of unproven effectiveness ?

dav

Dav, I haven't taken doxy for ages. Malaria kills a lot of people (one baby in Africa every 30 seconds) because they have absolutely no access to medical care. Even doxy is not 100% effective - people still get malaria with it. Only one strand of malaria is particularly horrific and with a VSO medical fund behind you, access to one of the best clinics in Kigali and a repatriation plan should the worst happen, you are not about to die of malaria as a westerner.

Honey - it's a prophylactic, so it helps prevent. Artemesinin on the other hand is used as a treatment, and a very effective one. You can get it as a 'field treatment' in the UK but doctors don't tend to prescribe it because, rightly so, they like you to get yourself to a hospital if you display the symptoms.

I don't think it's for my other symptoms (and no to chapped lips and cold sores). Anyway, I'm off to chat to the doctor today - this cold isn't clearing up.

I was - out of sheer curiosity - reading up on TB the other day after my friend said the vaccine wasn't that effective. He's right you know. Did you know it only lasts for up to 15 years and boosters after that don't work. Plus it's only about 77% effective (most vaccines are more than 95% effective) - I think they've stopped the compulsory school immunisations now too as it's not cost effective compared to infection rates. I found that fascinating.

Anyway, I only have a cold, but it's driving me up the wall now so I will go and get probably yet another course of the same antibiotics they dish out for everything lol