By Alan Cassels

I spoke to Dr. Ronald Whitmont in mid-January from his country house nestled in the beautiful Hudson Valley, near Rhinebeck, New York. I started off by remarking that we had something in common: We both had served in our country’s navies.

“Canada has a navy?” he asked. I reminded him that yes, we, in fact, do—one that is small and certainly insignificant compared to the US Navy, but it’s one of those things that ties Canada to the US: naval co-operation between countries with international seagoing trade in the Atlantic and the Pacific. Since I like to deal in analogies, comparing Canada’s tiny and insignificant Navy to the US Navy is almost like comparing homeopathy to conventional medicine. Which is to say, most people don’t even know of its existence. Those that do might be able to surprise others.

Ron Whitmont would say that the low public profile of homeopathy is unfortunate as the contribution of homeopathy to our understanding of health and healing is outsized compared to its stature. He’ll be delivering a webinar on March 26th on behalf of the Canadian Coalition for Homeopathy, focusing on the microbiome and how it’s critical to pain management. (Summarized in this 2020 paper and see box below)

Dr Ronald Whitmont is a board-certified physician, schooled in both conventional and internal medicine (courtesy of the US Navy), and a practicing homeopath. He was drawn to study homeopathy quite naturally, being raised in a household where his father was a practicing homeopathic physician. He is currently the president of the National Homeopathic Product Certification Board and medical advisor to Americans for
Homeopathy Choice.

I asked him what the audience could expect in his forthcoming webinar and he admitted that he has given many talks about homeopathy and loves to have a live audience.

“I hope my audience will learn a lot about the microbiome and why it’s critical in terms of pain management,” he said, adding that his talk will also contain a survey of conventional treatments and their downsides and a summary of data on the use of homeopathy in treating painful conditions.

As he laid out the argument in his 2020 paper, he noted the reductionist way in which conventional medicine treats organ systems, “theoretically categorized as separate and distinct entities.” This, he wrote, may make it easier for practitioners, but ignores how all those systems interact, “every single organ system of the body interacts and is connected structurally, biochemically, hormonally, electrically, and through the microbiome, with every other organ. Treating conditions and organs without regard for their holistic interconnection ultimately imperils the health of the entire organism, promotes polypharmacy, drug overuse, and contributes to the epidemics of addiction, antibiotic resistance, and a wide array of other adverse outcomes that increase the risk and cost of conventional medical care.”

He summed this up nicely contrasting the approach of conventional medicine to homeopathy by saying: “dealing with the microbiome, one can treat the cause of the pain and not just the pain itself.”

While “microbiome science” is very cutting edge, the key principles in the development of homeopathy over 200 years ago parallel the same natural phenomena that are being revealed by microbiome science. Today, Dr.
Whitmont is happy to see developments, such as the expansion of nutrition education which is gaining more serious attention (a subject, which, for a while was completely besmirched).

I asked him to circle around and tell me how physicians typically arrive at the door of homeopathy, even though it might even be considered too unorthodox for practitioners of complementary and alternative medicine.

He said: “Often physicians turn to homeopathy through necessity — usually when something crosses their desk that doesn’t improve or get better with conventional medical practices.” That is often the reason patients will see homeopaths or naturopaths — after conventional medicine has failed them. Dr. Whitmont said: “It’s a completely backwards thing—they should see the homeopath first and, if treatment isn’t successful, then go on to conventional medicine and drugs which carry far more risk and are far more dangerous to health.”

That is reflected somewhat in the patients whom he sees seeking out homeopathy and he told me: “People come here when they’re not happy with the side effects or the results of conventional medicines”. He continued, “As we know, all allopathic drugs come with significant side effects.”

I asked him if people sought out homeopathy because of the toxicity of the conventional pharmaceutical supply, and he replied: “It’s probably a subset of people in this category. There are other people who just say: I want a ‘natural’ treatment. Furthermore, he said, “Others have ‘been around the block’ and either had intolerable side effects, or the treatments were not effective or the description of the treatment were not tolerable to them.”

I wondered what the main areas are where he sees good success with homeopathy and he turned that question around: “It’s easier to discuss places where one wouldn’t use homeopathy—such as with severe trauma—cases that need surgical approaches, tumours, etc. But homeopathy is brilliant in acute conditions, acute injuries, infections, illness, colds, flus, even Covid-19, which was completely a harmless condition under
homeopathic care.”

I was specifically interested in arthritis and he said that this subject will be reflected in his talk, discussing homeopathic management of pain and painful syndromes. Since I am a drug researcher, I know that typical standard treatment of anyone with painful arthritis usually begins with non-steroidal anti-inflammatories (NSAIDS), but they often cause other effects and can be especially harsh on the gastrointestinal system. He said: “Most people don’t know that the conventional treatments — NSAIDs, opioids and steroids all delay healing and recovery — [They are] a system of medicine that is doing the opposite of what we want in the long run because, in the short run, it delivers the rapid reduction in pain.”

He continued: “People are prescribed these drugs chronically—so you’re taking an acute problem and treating it chronically — the result of this is you have people dying of opioid abuse and from the side effects of the NSAIDs” (due to cardiac toxicity and so on). Linking back to his webinar, he added, “So I am going to show some of that science.”

We had a strong agreement about consumer and prescriber ignorance around drug safety and he said that “the problem with conventional doctors is that they are way too far behind in the evidence of harm literature and keep prescribing drugs that end up harming people.” Amen to that.

I wondered about persistent medical problems that both conventional and homeopathic approaches have difficulty solving which may have to do with the polluted environment that surround us. Dr. Whitmont said: “Much of the illness in the world could be due to environmental pollutions — and there are many things that destroy the microbiome, like endocrine disruptors and so on. And so, these illnesses are very tough to determine what is happening. There are very difficult cases sometimes with people who have multiple chemical sensitivities, people who are electromagnetically sensitive, who have allergies and so on.” He adds, “We have lots of theories: is it vaccines? Pollution? Chemicals in our environment? Unfortunately, we don’t have a good way to find out.”

We concluded by me asking about the side effects of homeopathy. He said: “Any form of treatment is not without side effects. Even psychotherapy has side effects. Water can have side effects. Everything, even homeopathic medicines.”

Having said that he told me about reviews that have been done at places such as the Glasgow Homeopathic Hospital, where patients have been tracked and monitored for side effects. “These are usually described as mild and transient,” later adding, [unlike prescription drugs] “you can’t find anyone who’s been killed by a homeopathic treatment. All in all, we’re talking about the matter of degree. Homeopathy is among the safest categories of drugs monitored by the US FDA.”

Dr. Ron Whitmont is an enthusiastic and knowledgeable practitioner, and his audience will have much to learn as he discusses the importance of the microbiome.

A Short Primer on the Microbiome

• Human Microbiome and Health: Human health is intimately linked to the ecology and diversity of the human microbiome, which functions as a complex super-organism essential for various bodily functions and overall health.
• Homeopathy and Microbiome Science: The principles of homeopathic medicine, such as holism, psychosomatics, direction of cure, the Law of Similars, individuality and susceptibility, and minimum dose, are substantiated by microbiome science. ​
• Impact of Conventional Medicine: Many conventional medical treatments can irreversibly damage the microbiome, leading to chronic immune dysfunction and inflammation, highlighting the need for more sustainable medical practices.
• Historical Insights: Homeopathy, founded by Samuel Hahnemann over two centuries ago, qualitatively described the role of the microbiome in health long before its scientific discovery, suggesting that homeopathy may be one of the earliest forms of sustainably managing the human microbiome.
• Future of Medicine: The future of medicine depends on incorporating microbiome science and adopting ecologically sustainable healthcare practices, with homeopathy being a promising method due to its alignment with microbiome health and sustainability.

This conversation took place on 27 Nov 2024 and has been edited for clarity and
conciseness.

By Alan Cassels

As I write this, it is a fortuitous day, December 5th , 2024 which, according to the United Nations is World Soil Day. According to the UN they mark this day “as a means to focus attention on the importance of healthy soil and to advocate for the sustainable management of soil resources.”

This is an apt segue as I recently had a very engaging discussion with Leonardo Faedo, a Brazilian agronomist and researcher at Coventry University, about homeopathy in agriculture. Without healthy soil we don’t get healthy plants, necessary to sustain human life on this planet and so the robustness and resilience of soil is a vital topic of interest.

Our lively discussion centered on how homeopathy has been studied, and producing preliminary results that can potentially revolutionize farming by reducing chemical dependency and promoting ecological balance. This kind of agriculture is essentially rooted in health, of the soil, the plants, the farmers, and basically of us, and the sustainability, and interconnectedness we share with soil.

What is the field of research of Homeopathy in Agriculture look like?

Leo explained that it is a novel field leveraging the principles of homeopathy to promote crop health and ecological balance. He has a background in agroecology, and newly graduated with a PhD double-degree award from Coventry University in the UK – (Social Sciences) and from the University of Santa Catarina State in Brazil – (Natural Sciences).

Leo explained that homeopathy in agriculture applies the principles of potentized remedies, commonly associated with human and veterinary medicine, to plants and soils. (Potentized means diluted and dynamized, ie: making something more active, productive or energetic) Unlike chemical inputs, these remedies aim to enhance the natural resilience of plants, strengthen root systems, and support overall ecosystem health. As most of us know conventional agriculture is the opposite of sustainable, efficient or healthy for the planet, as it relies heavily on fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides that often degrade soil health, pollute water systems, and harm human health.

The philosophy behind homeopathy in agriculture is rooted in ecology & salutogenesis—a concept introduced by sociologist Aaron Antonovsky—which focuses on factors that promote health and well-being rather than treating disease symptoms. The ultimate goal is to treat the agricultural system holistically.

I kicked off the conversation by asking Leo about the concept of homeopathy in farming asking him if one of the main side effects of this research is creating agriculture that uses fewer chemicals—chemicals that poison groundwater and deplete soils. “Correct,” he said, adding that “one of the advantages of homeopathy is supporting the resilience of crops and maximizing water use efficiency. By applying remedies to plants, which are connected to the soil, you benefit the whole biological sphere of the root
system. At the end of the day, homeopathy isn’t just treating the plant; it’s treating the
system.”

Leo shared a historical perspective on how modern agriculture evolved during the Green Revolution.

“Before the 1970s, farmers grew food locally, and it wasn’t a commodity,” he explained. “After the Second World War, the industrial infrastructure shifted to agriculture. That’s when chemical fertilizers and mechanized farming became dominant.”

This transition, Leo noted, introduced significant challenges: “The soluble fertilizers added salts to the soil, degrading its structure. The ground can’t hold water or organic matter anymore, so we lose the soil—and the landscape suffers.”

The implications of this is obvious: “industrial farming isn’t just harmful, Leo said, it’s unsustainable for farmers financially and environmentally.”

He said: “even industrial agriculture is beginning to acknowledge that these exclusive approaches have negative impacts. Farmers are stuck in a cycle of loans for chemical inputs, and it’s not viable long-term.”

It’s clear to me what he was talking about: Agroecology: is a major paradigm shift. Leo placed the use of homeopathy in agriculture within the broader framework of agroecology, emphasizing its focus on ecological health and food sovereignty.

“For over 20 years, agroecology has been criticized with lies—people saying it can’t scale up, can’t produce enough food. And so on. But now, there’s a shift,” he said, today organic farming and regenerative agriculture are being taken seriously as sustainable solutions for today.”

I wondered how much resistance he was getting from big agribusiness and the multibillion dollar food companies who rely on industrial-scale farming methods.

“The criticism is mostly toward agroecology as a whole,” Leo clarified. “Big agriculture lumps everything under that umbrella. For homeopathy specifically, critics often target its theoretical foundations, but they overlook the real-world results.”

I pressed Leo on the evidence supporting the use of homeopathy in agriculture. “What are some of the best-supported results in this field? What excites you the most?”

Leo said that “There are robust academic literature in the topic, particularly research done in Brazil, Switzerland, Germany, India, Italy, UK and Netherlands. We’re conducting a systematic review of the research done on agriculture, and the results so far are promising. For example, studies on potatoes, beans, tomatoes, wheat, strawberries, and medicinal plants have shown benefits in terms of crop resilience, yields, plant growth and development. The use of homeopathic preparations stimulates the plants to perform better, perhaps by stimulating root growth or photosynthesis.” He also described interesting results to pest control: “For instance with ants, homeopathic remedies reduce their foraging activity instead of killing them. This approach is not just less toxic; they respect the ecosystem.”

This was novel to me so I wondered aloud: “You’re not killing pests, but managing their behavior?” I was thinking of the monoculture practices in Canada, (I grew up in Saskatchewan and most of my uncles were farmers) where herbicides like glyphosate are sprayed heavily and frequently to wipe out everything except GMO crops. There’s clearly a different paradigm in play here. Leo expanded on related concepts like biodynamic farming, which stems from Rudolf Steiner’s philosophy of anthroposophy. “Biodynamics is about the interconnectedness of soil, plants, and human health. It looks at agriculture through a different lens, emphasizing vitality and freedom,” he explained.

What did he mean by bio-stimulation?

“Bio-stimulation is about sending an information pattern to the plant/system through a remedy,” Leo said. “If the right remedy is chosen, it stimulates the plant to perform better—whether producing more roots or increasing photosynthesis. It’s a systems information exchange.”

I wondered why the use of homeopathic in agriculture hasn’t gained traction in North America thinking of the usual suspects “Is it the lobbying power of agribusiness?” Leo agreed partially. “Yes, big corporations have significant influence. But there’s also a lack of awareness. In countries like Brazil, India and Germany, farmers are more open to traditional and alternative methods. Biodynamic farming is growing in the U.S. and Canada, which is a step in the right direction.”

When I asked Leo what excites him most about the field, Leo’s passion was evident. “It’s not just the practical results—like seeing crops become more resilient. It’s also the dialogue spaces that this method creates,” he said. “As Paulo Freire discussed in his Pedagogy of Freedom, these conversations bring together farmers, agronomists, scientists, vets, and students in non-hierarchical ways. We talk about health, vitality, and how to promote it on a global scale.”

He added, “These discussions connect the health of the soil, the health of food, and the health of people. That’s what brings me the most energy—it’s about creating awareness and integrating knowledge.”

While our conversation gave me some idea of the transformative potential of homeopathy in agriculture, it seems like this field is still very much in its infancy. It is unarguable that using sustainable solutions derived from homeopathy which could reduce chemical use, respect ecosystems, and empower farmers is sorely needed today. While challenges remain in gaining broader acceptance, the real-world successes and collaborative spirit driving this field offer hope for a more sustainable agricultural future.

By the end of the conversation, it was clear that homeopathy in agriculture isn’t just about farming—it’s about reimagining the relationship between people, plants, and the planet. As Leo put it, “We need this kind of discussion today—this awareness of health, vitality, and interconnectedness.”

Dr. Leonardo Faedo will be presenting a talk as part of our research webinar series entitled ‘Agroecology and the Use of Homeopathy and Dynamised High Dilutions in Agriculture: Pathways for Sustainable Food Production.’ 

To learn more about Dr. Faedo’s research before then, please see the publication below: 

The use of mineral dynamised high dilutions for natural plant biostimulation; effects on plant growth, crop production, fruit quality, pest and disease incidence in agroecological strawberry cultivation. 

A Profile of Dr. Jennifer Jacobs

Presenter for CCFH’s October 23, 2024 research webinar

By Alan Cassels

After interviewing Dr. Jennifer Jacobs, one of the world’s most prominent promoters of high-quality research into homeopathy, I am left with one main insight: “The people who say homeopathy isn’t evidence-based haven’t actually read the research.”

I put that sentence to her in the course of our zoom conversation from her home in Tucson, Arizona. Dr. Jacobs’ story is enlightening, and inspirational and reminds us that in today’s pharma-dominated medical culture there is still a very rocky road towards educating the public about the benefits of homeopathic medicine.

Ever since her early days at medical school, and the first years of her practice, Dr Jennifer Jacobs experienced a growing disillusionment with the practice of modern medicine. She was driven to seek out alternatives and soon became attracted by midwifery. While attending a midwifery conference early in her career she had what one would call an “A-ha” moment.

“This was where the proverbial light went on,” she said, referring to a lecture at that midwifery conference on the subject of homeopathy.

“It just made so much sense to me. That the body has its own innate healing ability and you should be giving medicine to help potentiate that,” she told me. “The drugs we were using only covered up the symptoms and came with side effects.”

That lecture was something that not only changed the course of her life as she devoted the rest of her career to studying and practicing homeopathy but also drove her to become one of homeopathy’s most serious research methodologists.

This enthusiasm for homeopathy led to both her and her husband practicing it for their entire careers, yet more than that, Jennifer knew that with proper research the practice of homeopathy could gain more legitimacy in the medical world. In order for homeopathic research to be respected, Dr. Jacobs knew that she needed training in epidemiology and so she took advanced training to help her design and conduct proper
trials. She rose to eventually become a Clinical Assistant Professor of Epidemiology at the University of Washington School of Public Health and Community Medicine and over time became one of the leading proponents of high-quality research for homeopathy.

In the course of our conversation, I really warmed up to Dr. Jacobs when I discovered she wrote a book called “Do You Really Need That Pill?”, a question that neatly captures my own sentiments about our excessive, illogical and harmful obsession with prescription drugs, which I’ve studied and criticized in numerous books over the last 30 years. I think that her book, written for the lay person, will help engender even more ‘healthy skepticism’ that our society needs, burdened as we are by a medical system slavishly and unthinkingly addicted to pharma’s potions.

I asked her if it bothered her that the mainstream view put out there by Big Pharma and modern medicine is that homeopathy isn’t evidence-based.

“The research base is actually very extensive,” she told me. “For example, the Homeopathy Research Institute  based in London, has massive bibliographies covering homeopathic literature from around the world. Many studies are very rigorous and they continue to help patients.”

What’s a good example, I wondered? That was very easy to find.

In terms of helping suffering patients one need look no further than the massive global treatment demands for diarrheal disease, which kills almost half a million children in the developing world every year. By accessing effective and affordable treatments for acute diarrhea much death and suffering could be alleviated because diarrhea is the leading cause of malnutrition in the world. While much of the common diarrhea found in poor countries can be prevented through increasing access to clean drinking-water and providing adequate sanitation and hygiene there is still a strong need for medical intervention and it would be a major public health advance if simple, effective treatments could be used.

Thankfully such treatments exist in the form of homeopathic treatments that have been studied in rigorous, blinded randomized trials, considered the ‘gold standard’ of evidence. An early seminal study conducted on the use of homeopathic treatments for acute childhood diarrhea was published in 1994 in the journal Pediatrics. This study conducted in Nicaragua has been replicated in other developing countries around the world and its lead author is Dr. Jennifer Jacobs.

One of the criticisms I have repeatedly heard about homeopathy is that it produces nothing more than a placebo effect, given the diluted nature of the homeopathic agent.

I have pondered that criticism and I have two immediate responses. The first is: “if this is true, then so what?” Which is to say, we know that placebos produce effects that are often meaningful and important to patients. Furthermore, the placebo effect is safe, and people don’t die or become seriously ill being in the placebo arm of a major drug trial (which you can’t say about the intervention arms of most drug trials). The second
response I have is this: Is it not the ultimate manifestation of the Hippocratic Oath to first “do no harm.” I could be wrong but I can’t think of any single drug from the world’s apothecary that more properly embraces the principle of not doing harm than homeopathy.

I asked Dr. Jacobs about the overview of trials, the meta-analyses that exist around homeopathy. She pointed out that there have been numerous meta-analyses done and that this gives even more confidence that homeopathy is a proven, research-based practice.

The most famous one is by Dr. Klaus Linde, a German researcher who published a meta-analytical study of homeopathy in the Lancet in 1997 looking at 119 homeopathy trials. Eighty-nine of those trials had enough data to be included in the statistical analysis, and this covered more than 10,000 patients. The combined “odds ratios” (where there was 95% confidence that the results were not due to chance compared to placebo) was found to be 2.45. This means the people in the active homeopathy arms of the trials had a more than double chance of having a benefit compared to those taking the placebo.

While Linde published a later study that was more critical of homeopathy (where higher quality studies had poorer results) that does not take away from the fact that there was proven efficacy of homeopathic interventions in a broad range of areas including allergy, dermatology, bruises, cramps, stomach and intestinal complaints, sprains, neurological issues, gynecologic issues, childbirth, asthma, upper respiratory illnesses, and rheumatology.

Today we know that many Canadians choose homeopathy. It is practiced around the world and is a central part of health care systems in many other countries. Thanks to people like Dr. Jennifer Jacobs, and the thousands of other homeopathic researchers around the world, patients can have access to effective, safe and affordable alternatives to the prescription drug dominated world of medicine in which we are forced to swim.

My conversation with Jennifer Jacobs, probably one of the most knowledgeable people on the planet in terms of the evidence around homeopathy was not only intellectually enlightening, but also left me on a hopeful note. She has done an incredible service to the world in improving the standards of research that informs her profession, and in turn has expanded the global appeal of homeopathy.

As more people become aware that there are high-quality randomized control trials of homeopathy published in many respected journals, we have a quick answer to those who say homeopathy has no evidence base. I am left comforted with the same solid retort: People making that claim have simply decided not to read the evidence.

Alan Cassels

Alan Cassels is a drug policy researcher in Victoria, BC and the author of numerous books about drug marketing and evidence-based medicine.

On October 23, 2024 Dr. Jennifer Jacobs will be speaking at a research webinar sponsored by the Canadian Coalition for Homeopathy whose mission is to serve as a unified voice for homeopathy in Canada,  where stakeholders in the homeopathy community including consumers, professional homeopaths, manufacturers and educational institutions can meet and share ideas.

Dr. Jennifer Jacobs appears in this short video interview, discussing her research.

The Canadian Coalition of Homeopathy is passionate about Homeopathy and advocating for patients to have natural options for their healthcare choices. We work with industry leaders, professional homeopaths, all healthcare providers, patient and citizen organizations and unite in an effort to promote the use of homeopathy in Canada. The Canadian Coalition of Homeopathy will hereby work towards preserving and maintaining patient, citizen, and health practitioners individual rights to freedom of choice in healthcare.