Letters WHERE TO WRITE: health-science@washpost.com · The Washington Post, Health & Science, 1150 15th St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20071

An alternative that works

"A dubious alternative" [Oct. 27] implied that homeopathy may not be safe. However, did the writer ask the Food and Drug Administration how many consumer complaints about injuries, side effects and other maladies caused by homeopathic medicines it gets per year? I bet it's near zero. Can you say that about other over-the-counter products or prescriptions?

If more people treated their self-limiting issues with homeopathy, it would give our health-care system a much-needed break.

In fact, homeopathy is already widely accepted in many parts of the world and used regularly. But the pharmaceutical companies have too much money and power to allow this to happen in the United States.

Please research the flu of 1918 and other, older epidemics and you'll see the history of homeopathy is impressive.

Ellie Whalen

Rockville

Modern homeopathy has consistently protected me during the past six flu seasons. I use a "professional combination" remedy only available from my naturopathic doctor who is trained in techniques that test whether a particular remedy is appropriate for my body. This natural medicine is the ultimate form of "personalized medicine," unlike the one-size-fits-all treatment approach used in conventional medicine. And it's not that strange: Conventional medicine does borrow natural medicine principles. For example, vaccinations and allergy desensitization applies the homeopathic principle "like cures like."

Susan Bonfield Herschkowitz

Washington