9

Consumer
Chemistr
y
Quarter 4 – Module
5:
Homeopathic Medicine

MANDAUE CITY COMPREHENSIVE

NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL
Introductory Message
This Self-Learning Module (SLM) is prepared so that you, our dear learners,
can continue your studies and learn while at home. Activities, questions,
directions, exercises, and discussions are carefully stated for you to understand
each lesson.

Each SLM is composed of different parts. Each part shall guide you step-by-
step as you discover and understand the lesson prepared for you.

Pre-tests are provided to measure your prior knowledge on lessons in each

SLM. This will tell you if you need to proceed on completing this module or if you
need to ask your facilitator or your teacher’s assistance for better understanding of
the lesson. At the end of each module, you need to answer the post-test to self-
check your learning. Answer keys are provided for each activity and test. We trust
that you will be honest in using these.

In addition to the material in the main text, Notes to the Teacher are also
provided to our facilitators and parents for strategies and reminders on how they
can best help you on your home-based learning.

Please use this module with care. Do not put unnecessary marks on any
part of this SLM. Use a separate sheet of paper in answering the exercises and
tests. And read the instructions carefully before performing each task.

If you have any questions in using this SLM or any difficulty in answering
the tasks in this module, do not hesitate to consult your teacher or facilitator.

Thank you.
 What I Need to Know

This module was designed and written with you in mind. It is here to help
you master the properties, mode of action and effects of homeopathic medicine.
The scope of this module permits it to be used in many different learning
situations. The language used recognizes the diverse vocabulary level of students.
The lessons are arranged to follow the standard sequence of the course. But the
order in which you read them can be changed to correspond with the textbook you
are now using.

This learning module is aligned with the learning competency:

● describe the properties, mode of action and effects of homeopathic medicine

After going through this module, you are expected to:

1. define homeopathy;

2. discuss the preparation and limitation of homeopathic medicine; and

3. compare the effects of homeopathic treatment to conventional medical

practice in reducing anxiety and depression and treating allergies and
asthma and chronic diseases.

1
 What I Know

Directions: Read each question carefully. Choose the letter of the correct answer.

1. What is homeopathy?
a. It is a traditional medicine originated from China.
b. It is a traditional medicine that uses needles just like acupuncture.
c. It is an alternative medicine that uses round the clock water therapy.
d. It is an alternative medicine based on the theory of treating “like with
like”.

2. Who introduced the system of homeopathic medicine in 1796?

a. A. Fleming c. S. Hahnemann
b. A. Sabin d. J. Salk

3. Which of the following are the components of homeopathic medicine?

a. Natural ingredients and herbs
b. Minerals and animal products
c. Disease-causing agent and potentize antigens
d. All of the above

4. What is the dilution level of a typical homeopathic medicine?

a. 1 molecule of medicine in 10 to the 30th power of molecules of solution
b. 1 molecule of medicine in 10 to the 20th power of molecules of solution
c. 1 molecule of solution in 10 to the 20th power of molecules of medicine
d. 1 molecule of solution in 10 to the 30th power of molecules of medicine

5. Which homeopathic medicine is prescribed to treat acne found on face, chest

and shoulders?
a. arnica c. chamomilla
b. belladonna d. kali

6. What is succession in homeopathic medicine?

a. Medicines are prescribed in a series of sets during treatment.
b. A method of rigorous mixing of medicine in 100 L of water or alcohol
c. A method of rigorous dilutions and mixing of medicine in water or alcohol
d. Medicine is taken first thing in the morning and followed by another in
the morning of the next day.
7. Which of the following statements is true about homeopathic medicine?
I. Homeopathic medicine is not regulated in the same way as
conventional over-the-counter medicines.
II. Homeopathic medicine has very specific symptoms, so a homeopathic
cold and flu remedy for someone with a fever and sniffles will be
different than one for a person with chills and a cough.
III. Homeopathic medicine stimulates the body’s natural defences by
re- establishing a normal immune system.
a. I and II c. I and III
b. II and III d. I, II and III

8. Which homeopathic medicine is prescribed to treat fever and dry cough?

a. arnica c. chamomilla
b. belladonna d. kali

9. Which homeopathic medicine is prescribed to treat nausea due to long

travel?
a. aconie c. coffea cruda
b. belladonna d. pusatil

10. Which of the statements is the limitation of homeopathic medicine?

a. It cannot cure allergies.
b. It cannot prevent surgical operations.
c. It cannot provide remedy to chronic diseases.
d. It cannot be administered to a healthy person.

h
Lesson
Homeopathic Medicine
1
What’s In

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correct spaces.

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What’s New

Alternative medicine is a term that describes

medical treatments that are used instead of traditional
therapy.
Some people also refer to it as “integrative” or
“complementary” medicine. These are acupuncture and
Tai chi, to herbal medicine, Reiki, chiropractic
manipulation, homeopathy, and more. These services
are often used interchangeably with the term
"alternative medicine", a designation created in the
1800s that distinguished these modalities as
“alternative” to allopathic medicine.
 Allopathic medicine is also commonly referred to
as Western medicine, evidence-based medicine,
conventional, or mainstream medicine. In the nineteenth
century, allopathic medicine was based on a practice of
opposites whereas the alternative branch suggested that
“like cures like.” Present day differences remain but tend
to revolve around a disease-centric (allopathic) versus a
whole-body (alternative) approach. Alternative practices
focus on stimulating the body’s ability to heal itself via
energy alignment, herbal supplementation, and other balancing techniques.
Conversely, allopathic medicine focuses on symptom-specific treatment, typically
with pharmacological or invasive methods to remove the offending agent. With
ancient records supporting alternative modalities and rigorous clinical trials
supporting allopathic modalities, there continues to
be disagreement over which method is proven beneficial
and safe. Today, many physicians are embracing the
beneficial aspects of both types of medicine through the
practice of Integrative Medicine in which they combine
appropriate alternative and allopathic techniques
according to the patient, symptoms, and circumstances.
Additionally, large trials attempting to solidify evidence
for the anecdotal benefits of alternative medicine are
increasing in popularity.

Direction: Answer the following questions:

1. What is an alternative medicine?

2. What are the examples of alternative medicines?

3. What is the concentration of alternative medicine?

4. What is allopathic medicine?

5. What is the difference between alternative medicine and allopathic medicine?

 What is It

Homeopathy, also spelled homoeopathy, a system of therapeutics, notably

popular in the 19th century, which was founded on the stated principle that “like
cures like,” similia similibus curantur, and which prescribed for patients drugs or
other treatments that would produce in healthy persons symptoms of the diseases
being treated.
This system of therapeutics is based upon the “law of similars” that was
introduced in 1796 by the German physician Samuel Hahnemann. He claimed that
a large dose of quinine, which had been widely used for the successful treatment of
malaria, produced in him effects similar to the symptoms of malaria patients. He
thus concluded that all diseases were best treated by drugs and produced in healthy
persons have effects similar to the symptoms of those diseases. He also undertook
experiments with a variety of drugs in an effort to prove this. Hahnemann believed
that large doses of drugs aggravate illness and that the efficacy of medicines thus
increases with dilution. Accordingly, most homoeopathists believed in the action of
minute doses of medicine. Homeopathic medicines are made of combinations of
natural ingredients and herbs, minerals, animal products, disease-causing agent,
healthy element, potentized energy sources and potentized antigens.
Homeopathy is based on rigorous dilutions and mixing, called successions.
The dilution level is printed on the bottle of medicine. A typical homeopathic dilution
is 30X, where the X represents 10. So, one part toxin (such as the aforementioned
poison ivy) is mixed with 10 parts water or alcohol. The mixture is shaken; one part
of this mix is added to 10 parts of water or alcohol again; and the whole process is
repeated 30 times.
The final dilution is one molecule of medicine in 10 to the 30th power (1030)
of molecules of solution — or 1 in a million trillion. At this dilution level you'd need
to drink 8,000 gallons of water to get one molecule of the medicine — physically
possible but implausible.
Other homeopathic solutions are 30C, which represents 100 to the 30th
power (10030). There's not enough water in the solar system to accommodate this
dilution.
Homeopathic medicine is regulated in the same way as conventional over-the-
counter (OTC) medicines. But studies show that it is considerably safer than most
OTC drugs, like aspirin and acetaminophen. It is effective. More than two centuries
of evidence from hundreds of thousands of clinicians and millions of patients attest
to homeopathy’s effectiveness and safety. Today, homeopathic remedies are
prescribed by more than 400,000 health care professionals worldwide, including
pediatricians, family physicians, plastic surgeons, dentists, and orthopedic doctors.
There’s a remedy for almost every condition. Homeopathy addresses very specific
symptoms, so a homeopathic cold and flu remedy for someone with a fever and
sniffles will be different than one for a person with chills and a cough.
 Homeopathic
AILMENT SYMPTOMS
Medicine
Formation of pustules; individual desires Antimonium
company, irritable, drowsy. tartaricum
Acne
Itchy eruptions; worse on face, chest, and
Kali
shoulders.
Very restless, earache with a cold, hot, or Aconite
bursting headache. Hoarse, croupy cough.
Fever, dry cough, sore throat, and throbbing
Belladonna
pain.
Colds
Runny and/or stuffy nose, difficulty sleeping. Chamomilla
Ripe cold with thick yellow-green nasal
Pulsatilla
discharge. Moody, whiney, clingy disposition.
Not thirsty despite a fever.
Fullness, heartburn, indigestion, upset
Digestive Nux vomica
stomach, vomiting, bloating, gas, and
Ailments
constipation.
Nausea due to travel or motion. Cocculus indicus
Intense, throbbing headache that is aggravated
Belladonna
by light, noise, touch, or motion. Face is flushed
or hot and pupils are dilated.
Headache
Splitting pain typically in the front part of the
Bryonia
head. Comes, goes and then returns suddenly.
Irritable and wants to be alone.
Stress Nervousness, anxiety, and restlessness Coffea cruda

Effects of Homeopathic Treatment:

1. Reduces Anxiety & Depression:

The conventional medical practice for mental health care includes prescribing
pacifying medicines to people who suffer from anxiety and depression. These
medicines not only inhibit a person’s ability to emote, they also create a certain
psychological dependence and addiction on an external source for being functional.
Homeopathy on the other hand understands that the symptoms of any illness are
indications that the body is either fighting or adapting to that illness, which means
that it does not need medicines to suppress symptoms but assistance in fighting off
or adapting to the illness. Homeopathy focuses on healing the patient; however, if a
person suffers from violent episodes, even the practitioner would insist that the
individual also seek the help of a psychiatrist.
2. Treats Allergies & Asthma:

Asthma is a chronic disease which results in the inflammation of the air

tracts causing chest pain, breathlessness or shortness of breath, coughing, and
wheezing. Asthma can be developed at any age but is generally found in younger
children. It can also be triggered by anything like genetics, allergens, irritants,
premature birth, cough or cold, changing season and so on. Traditional medicine
prescribes the long term use and dependency on inhalers which ease the
inflammation of the air tracts. Homeopathy, on the other hand, focuses on the
cause behind the development of asthma in every patient and prescribes long term
medicines around it. The long term use of these medicines, lead to the patient being
completely cured of Asthma with the last few months or years being riddled with
random outbursts of eczema for people who are more susceptible to allergies.

3. Treats Chronic Diseases:

Acute diseases are short termed; however, they may have chronic roots.
Mental or emotional trauma generally are root causes of most chronic diseases,
apart from psychological trauma certain unhealed or ill-treated physical injuries,
sensitivity to particular elements in the environment can cause chronic illnesses.
Repetitive or chronic illnesses dilute a person’s quality of life, while traditional
medicine focuses on suppressing the symptoms of the chronic illness; it mostly
doesn’t focus on the possible impact of seemingly unrelated health issues causing
these chronic illnesses. Homeopathy on the other hand deeply dives into a person’s
past and present health issues to understand the relationship between past
traumas and present symptoms. Medicines are prescribed according to the unique
chronic illness root of the patient. Although it must be noted, that while
homeopathy has a great response rate for the treatment of chronic illness,
homeopathy cannot guarantee completely curing some kinds of chronic illnesses
and may refer a patient to seek help from allopathy too.

Potential Limitations and Side Effects of Homeopathy:

Homeopathy medicines are created in such microdoses that most of them are
safe from episodes of overdose, however, this does not mean that homeopathic
medicines do not have their side-effects or limitations.

1. Homeopathic Medicines can Delay other Healthcare Options:

Getting the correct dosage or the medicine for the individual is a difficult and
time taking task for a practitioner. A patient may forget to mention a key symptom
that he/she thinks is unrelated, leading to a wrong prescription. Not to mention,
homeopathic medicines show results after a point of time. While this may work very
well during the onset of a chronic disease, such delays in healthcare during the
terminal stages of the disease can only prove to be more dangerous.
2. Homeopathic Medicines Cannot Prevent Operations Completely:

A myth surrounding homeopathy medicine is that they can prevent the need
for operations completely. This is not true, it is a fact that homeopathic medicines
can reduce the need for an operation for several illnesses, but even homeopathic
practitioners agree that under certain unavoidable situations, operations are the
best way forward.

3. Effectiveness of the Homeopathic Medicines Depends on the Environment

of the Patient:

This condition is especially true for allergic reactions. Homeopathic medicine

can help cure an acute reaction to an allergen but it will remain ineffective if the
patient is being regularly exposed to the allergen. Under such situations, the patient
may suffer even more than he/she was suffering previously. It is necessary to isolate
the individual from allergen, for the medicine to work and in cases where it is
difficult to isolate the individual and the allergen, exposure to the allergen must be
reduced.

4. Ineffective Against Nutritional Deficiencies:

Homeopathic medicines are also ineffective against nutritional deficiencies,

which could be cured by change in lifestyle and diet as well as opting for necessary
supplements.

5. Immunity of Certain Individuals to Homeopathy:

This is probably the most frustrating limitation for practitioners: a patient

who isn’t responding adequately to the treatment for no reason at all. It is either
because their correct similar element has not been identified yet or that the person
is simply immune to homeopathy. Interestingly, some individuals are resistant to
certain allopathic treatments too.

6. Side-Effects:

While it has already been proven that any serious overdose of homeopathic
medications is hard to come by, there could be certain instances where a person
may start developing similar symptoms as they did when they started their
medication. However, such symptoms don’t bother practitioners, as they could be
contained and remedied immediately. It is however important to remember that
there are several illnesses which could be triggered if homeopathy medicines are
mixed with contradictory allopathic medicines for an unregulated time period.
 What’s More

Activity 1

Complete the concept map below by writing terms and definitions.

It is based on rigorous dilutions and mixing, called successions.Atypical homeopathic

It claims to stimulate healing responses to diseases by administering substances

that mimic the symptoms of
Definition:

Founder:
Homeopathic Medicine

those diseases inhealthy

people.
Source of medicine:
It is an alternative medicine based on the theory of treating ‘like with li

Samuel Hahnemann in 1796

Preparation: It is made of

natural herbs, products,

ingredientsand minerals,animal agent,
Mode of action:
diseasecausing

healthy element, potentized energy sources and potentized antigens.

Limitations:
-Itisineffectivein
malnourished

patientsand
cannotbe helptoavoid
surgical operations.
Guide Questions

1. What is an alternative medicine based on the theory of treating ‘like with

like’?
2. How should we prepare homeopathic medicine?
3. How does homeopathic medicine treat a patient?
Activity 2

Show the comparison of the conventional medical practice vs. homeopathic

treatment
.
- The long-term use of these medicines can lead to the patient being
completely cured of asthma
- It suppresses emotion of the patient and creates a certain psychological
dependence.
- It prescribes the long-term use and dependency on inhalers which eases the
inflammation of the air tracts
- It focuses on suppressing the symptoms of the chronic illness. It mostly
doesn’t focus on the possible impact of seemingly unrelated health issues
causing these chronic illnesses.
- It is prescribed according to the unique chronic illness root of the patient.
- It does not need medicines to suppress symptoms but assistance in fighting
off or adapting to the illness.

conventional medical practice Homeopathic medicine

1. Anxiety and
depression

2. Allergies and
asthma

3. Chronic disease

Guide Questions

1. What is the similarity between conventional medical practice and

homeopathic medicine?

2. What are the differences between conventional medical practice and

homeopathic medicine?

3. Does conventional medical practice and homeopathic medicine yield the

same result after the treatment?
Activity 3

Directions: Read the following sentences and analyse the situation. Answer the
questions in sentence form.

- belladonna - chamomilla - Cocculus indicus

- kali - pulsatilla

1. Ana is a teenager who has active acne on face, chest and shoulders. She also
experiences itchiness on these areas. What should you prescribe as a
homeopathic doctor? Why?
Example:
Ana should be prescribed with kali since she has active acne on
the face, chest and shoulders. She also feels irritation on these areas

2. Cris is working from 10:00 pm to 6:00 am as call center agent. He often

experiences throbbing headache after work due to sunlight and noise. What
should you prescribe as a homeopathic doctor? Why?

3. Sven has thick yellow green nasal discharge. He also refuses to drink water in
between meals. What should you prescribe as a homeopathic doctor? Why?

4. Oscar has a runny nose and has difficulty in sleeping. What should you
prescribe as a homeopathic doctor? Why?

5. Anne is an outgoing person however she often experiences car sickness

while travelling. What should you prescribe as a homeopathic doctor? Why?

Guide Questions

1. Can you buy homeopathic medicine over the counter drug? Why or why not?

2. What are the ingredients of homeopathic medicine?

3. What are the limitations of homeopathic medicine?

 What I Have Learned

Let us see how much you learned from this module. Complete the paragraph
below by filling out the blanks.
-1

Homeopathy is 1) foundedWaterby
Samuel Hahnemann in 1796. It uses Natural
alcohol
Ingredients and Herbs, Minerals, Animal Products,
Disease Causing Agent, Healthy Element, Potentized
successions
Energy Sources and Potentized Antigens. Homeopathy
is based on rigorous dilutions and mixing, called 10 to2)the 30th power
. It uses 3)/4) or
as a solvent. A typical homeopathic dilution is 30X. 30x
malnourish patients
has 5) molecule of medicine in
6) assistance in fighting off or adapting to the illness
of molecules of solution

Homeopathy claims to stimulate healing

responses to diseases by administering substances that
mimic the symptoms of those diseases in healthy
people. Homeopathic is ineffective in
7) - is alternative
medicine
and cannot be helped to avoid based on the theory of treating ‘like with like’
surgery. Homeopathic treatment is very different from
prescribed according
traditional medicine. It is evident in the case of
to the unique
reducing stress in traditional medicine suppresses the
emotion of an individual, preventing it to emote whileillness root of the patient
chronic
in
homeopathic treatment 8) long term. use of these medicines that lead to
the
In treating asthma is traditional medicine prescribes patient being
the long term use and dependency on inhalers which
ease the inflammation of the air tracts while in
homeopathic medicine 9) .
Lastly, treating chronic disease in traditional medicine
focus on suppressing the symptoms of the chronic
illness while in homeopathic medicine, it completely cured of
asthma
10) .
 What I Can Do

Photo Source: General Chemistry by Raymong Chang

A dilution is a solution made by adding more solvent to a more concentrated

solution (stock solution), which reduces the concentration of the solute. An example
of a dilute solution is tap water, which is mostly water (solvent), with a small
amount of dissolved minerals and gases (solutes). In this activity, make an
experiment following the procedures below:

Pre-Lab Definitions:
Choices
1. Serial: . - fractions.
2. Dilution: . - Water Down
3. Serial dilutions reduce the concentration of a - In a series, order or
sample in small steps or . interval. Measured
steps.
Materials:

3 clear cups (glass or plastic)

Spoon
Measuring cup (substitute: cup in rice
cooker) Soy sauce (toyo)
water

Procedure:

1. Label the cup 1, 2, 3, 4.

2. Add 100 mL of water to cup 1.
3. Add 90 mL of water to cup 2 and 3.
4. Add 30 mL of water to cup 4.
5. Add 6 drops of Soy sauce to cup 4. (mix)
 6. Measure 10 mL of water from cup 1 to cup 2. (mix)
7. Measure 10 mL of water from cup 2 to cup 3. (mix)
8. Measure 10 mL of water from cup 3 to cup 4. (mix)

Post-Lab Assessment

1. How do you identify the cup if the numbers were removed?

2. Hold your cup to the light to see the color differences.
What is the meaning of dilution based on the conducted experiment?
3. Calculate the percentage of Soy sauce in each test tube.
Show your solution. 20 drops=1 mL
A. cup #1:
10 mL of water = 10 X 20 = 200 drops
6 drops of soy sauce
Computation:
200 +6= 206 drops total in cup #1
6 ÷ 206 X 100 = %
B. cup #2:
C. cup #3:
D. cup #4:

4. What can you infer from the experiment?

Assessment

Directions: Read each question carefully. Choose the letter of the correct answer.

1. What is succession in homeopathic medicine?

a. Medicines are prescribed in a series of set during treatment.
b. A method of rigorous mixing of medicine in 100 L of water or alcohol.
c. A method of rigorous dilutions and mixing of medicine in water or alcohol
d. Medicine is taken first thing in the morning and followed by another in
the morning of the next day.

2. Who introduced the system of homeopathic medicine in 1796?

a. Fleming c. S. Hahnemann
b. Sabin d. J. Salk
3. Which of the following statements is true about homeopathic medicine?
I. Homeopathic medicine is not regulated in the same way as
conventional over-the-counter medicines.
II. Homeopathic medicine has very specific symptoms, so a homeopathic
cold and flu remedy for someone with a fever and sniffles will be
different than one for a person with chills and a cough.
III. Homeopathic medicine stimulates the body’s natural defences by re-
establishing a normal immune system.
a. I and II c. I and III
b. II and III d. I, II and III

4. Which homeopathic medicine is prescribed to treat fever and dry cough?

a. arnica c. chamomilla
b. belladonna d. kali

5. Which homeopathic medicine is prescribed to treat nausea due to long

travel?
a. aconie c. coffea cruda
b. belladonna d. pusatil

6. Which of the statements is the limitation of homeopathic medicine?

a. It cannot cure allergies.
b. It cannot prevent surgical operations.
c. It cannot provide remedy to chronic diseases.
d. It cannot be administered to a healthy person.

7. What is homeopathy?
a. It is a traditional medicine originated from China.
b. It is a traditional medicine that uses needles just like acupuncture.
c. It is an alternative medicine that uses round the clock water therapy.
d. It is an alternative medicine based on the theory of treating “like with
like”.

8. Which of the following is the component of homeopathic medicine?

a. Natural ingredients and herbs
b. Minerals and animal products
c. Disease-causing agent and potentized antigens
d. All of the above

9. What is the dilution level of a typical homeopathic medicine?

a. 1 molecule of medicine in 10 to the 30th power of molecules of solution
b. 1 molecule of medicine in 10 to the 20th power of molecules of solution
c. 1 molecule of solution in 10 to the 20th power of molecules of medicine
d. 1 molecule of solution in 10 to the 30th power of molecules of medicine
 10. Which homeopathic medicine is prescribed to treat acne found on face, chest
and shoulders?
a. arnica c. chamomilla
b. belladonna d. kali

Additional Activities

OPTION 1:
Search an official web page of homeopathy in the Philippines. Prepare three
questions about them. Then post your work on any social media platform. Take
screenshots of your post. Submit a digital copy of your work.

OPTION 2:
Go to a nearby pharmacy drug store and ask for a short interview with the
Pharmacist. Make inquiries about the availability and prices of homeopathic
medicine.

OPTION 3:
Go to the rural health unit and ask for a short interview with the medical
personnel. Make inquiries about the availability of homeopathic medicine.

PRECAUTION:
The teacher should consider the safety of the locality. Activities could be
modified and be used with professional judgment.