Homeopathic vaccines are homeopathic treatments that are believed to offer immunity to disease. These vaccines are typically offered to parents and patients as an alternative to allopathic, or conventional, vaccines, which can have dangerous, if rare, side effects. Many homeopaths who offer homeopathic vaccines say that these vaccines are just as effective as conventional vaccines, with far fewer risks. Many physicians, and many practitioners of homeopathy believe that homeopathic vaccines may offer no immunity to illness, and may even cause illness in a healthy patient. Many point out that there is no evidence supporting the claims that homeopathic vaccines are safe and effective for preventing disease.
Many people have become concerned about using the conventional vaccines developed in Western medicine. These vaccines can provide lifelong immunity to dangerous diseases such as smallpox, polio, and diptheria. A conventional vaccine can, rarely, cause the patient to fall ill with the disease that the vaccine was intended to prevent. Conventional vaccines are believed to carry a number of risks. A small number of persons may have severe, and even life-threatening, reactions to these vaccines.
Physicians often stress, however, that the benefits of conventional vaccines far outweigh their risks. While many people believe that conventional vaccines may be responsible for the increase in autoimmune disorders, childhood cancers, and autism, there is little evidence to support these claims. Most physicians believe that the dangers of contracting diseases like polio are far more severe than the minimal risk of a vaccine reaction.
Homeopaths have begun offering homeopathic vaccines as an alternative to traditional vaccines. Some homeopathic practitioners believe that these vaccines are just as effective at preventing disease as their allopathic counterparts. Homeopathic vaccines are typically made from the tissue of a person who has the disease in question, while the homeopathic vaccine usually contains only a very small percentage of tissue from a sick person, since homeopathic remedies in general are usually very diluted.
While some practitioners of homeopathy espouse the use of homeopathic vaccines as a safe and effective alternative to allopathic vaccines, other homeopaths believe these vaccines could be dangerous. Practitioners of traditional homeopathy often believe that these vaccines are completely ineffective, and some point out that there is no evidence to support claims of efficacy or safety for homeopathic vaccines. Research into the area seems to show that homeopathic vaccines do not promote the production of the antibodies that provide immunity to disease. Many practitioners of homeopathy also believe that introducing homeopathic remedies into the body on a preventative basis can damage health, since homeopathy was probably never intended to provide preventative treatments.
Many physicians also agree that homeopathic vaccines are ineffective and unsafe. Children treated with homeopathic vaccines often don't develop the desired immunity. Without such immunity, these children can remain capable of contracting the often deadly diseases most vaccines protect against.