Homoeopaths go gaga over Belladona

HYDERABAD: Even as allopaths and scientists dismiss homoeopathy as nothing more than a placebo, practitioners of the latter system of medicine are claiming that the government ploy of tackling the viral fever epidemic with the homoeopathy pill Belladona has worked.
Since the government ordered distribution of Belladona in epidemic-hit Warangal, Karimnagar and Mahbubnagar districts, deaths due to the mystery fever — which had hit a peak in mid-July — have come down to almost nil now, according to Japanese Encephalitis Research Project and Communicable Diseases coordinator, Dr B Sohan Singh, a homoeopathy practitioner.
With allopathy unable to provide a drug to tackle the outbreak or even diagnose the disease, the government turned to homoeopathy, and distributed Belladona in the fever-hit districts on July 12, 13 and 14. The drug is supplemented with one dose of Calcarea Carb-200 and Tuberculinum.
Before Belladonna, there had been 92 deaths due to viral encephalitis in Karimnagar and Warangal districts. Within a week, incidence of viral fever and mortality due to it came down drastically, Dr Singh claims.
There is no doubt that the medicines have worked, he says. In earlier years, distribution of Belladona started around Aug. 1, essentially to fight Japanese encephalitis. This year, the government took up distribution of Belladona earlier than usual because of the urgency mandated by the viral fever epidemic.
Since the government turned to Belladonna, Calcarea and Tuberculinum in 2000, incidence of Japanese encephalitis and deaths due to it have drastically come down. As per the handbook on JE of the department of Indian medicine and homeopathy, there were 1,036 JE cases and 203 deaths in the state in 1999. After the BCT campaign was launched in 2000, incidence came down to 343 and deaths to 72. In 2001, there were 33 JE cases and 4 deaths. In 2002 there were none at all.
Encouraged by the apparent success of Belladona, the government has begun distributing the homoeopathy formulation in Nalgonda and Krishna too. The Belladona offensive in the rest of the state will begin on Aug. 1.