George Vithoulkas

Infobox Scientist
name =George Vithoulkas


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birth_date = 1932
birth_place = Athens, Greece
death_date =
death_place =
residence = Alonnisos, Greece
citizenship = Greek
field = Homeopathy
occupation = Homeopath, Researcher
work_institution = International Academy of Classical Homeopathy
known_as = Rehabilitator of Classical Hahnemannian Homeopathy (quotation from Papyros Larous Britannica, Greek encyclopedia,volume 15, page 396.
prizes = Right Livelihood Award (1996)
salary =
networth =
spouse =
children =
website = [http://www.vithoulkas.com www.vithoulkas.com] | footnotes =

George Vithoulkas (born Athens 1932)cite web
url = http://www.rightlivelihood.org/recip/vith.htm
title = George Vithoulkas
accessdate = 2007-03-22
year = 1996
work = Roll of Honour
publisher = Right Livelihood Award] is a teacher and practitioner of homeopathy.cite web
url = http://www.vithoulkas.com/
title = Homeopathy
accessdate = 2007-03-22
publisher = International Academy of Classical Homeopathy]

He studied homeopathy in South Africa and received a diploma in homeopathy from the Indian Institute of Homeopathy in 1966. Upon receiving his diploma, he returned to Greece where he practiced and began teaching classical homeopathy to medical doctors at what eventually became the Center of Homeopathic Medicine in Athens. In 1972, Vithoulkas started a Greek homeopathic journal, Homeopathic Medicine. In 1976, he organized the first of an annual series of International Homeopathic Seminars. In 1994, he opened the International Academy for Classical Homeopathy on Alonissos, which provides post-graduate training for homeopaths.citeweb|url=http://www.wholehealthnow.com/homeopathy_pro/george_vithoulkas.html|title=Profile of George Vithoulkas|publisher=WholeHealthNow|accessdate=2008-03-24]

Vithoulkas has authored a number of books on homeopathy, two of which, "Homeopathy: Medicine of the New Man" [Arco, New York, 1979] and "The Science of Homeopathy" [Grove Press, New York, 1980] have been translated extensively, and is currently writing "Materia Medica Viva", a homeopathic materia medica or reference work on homeopathic remedies, to reach 16 volumes when finished. In addition to his books, he has published numerous articles in homeopathic journals and has developed an expert system for homeopaths to use in choosing remedies for their patients.

Vithoulkas was a recipient of the Right Livelihood Award in 1996. [ [http://www.rightlivelihood.org/recip/vith.htm Right Livelihood Award: Home ] ]

Views

Vithoulkas asserts that the paradigm of conventional medicine has been disastrous for the health of mankind, having failed to prevent or cure disease, and that the excessive use of powerful chemical drugs is responsible for a worldwide degeneration of health. In his view conventional treatments for serious diseases lead to a reduced quality of life rather than longer life. He contends that this is due to medical researchers ignoring the "eternal truths" that underlie the "true principles of medicine and health", and foretells a spiritual crisis if this is not changed. [ [http://www.minimum.com/reviews/health-disease.htm A New Model For Health And Disease] Review by Alice Greene from the "British Homoeopathic Journal" Volume 82, Number 4, October 1993]

He believes that "conventional medicine, instead of curing diseases, is actually the cause of the degeneration of the human race."Vithoulkas, George, [http://www.vithoulkas.com/EN/speech03.html Acceptance Speech for the Right Livelihood Award] ] He blames modern medicine, vaccinations, and antibiotics for ailments, disease, and mental disorders including various neurosis, hay fever, asthma, cancer and AIDS, claiming that "immune systems of the western population, through strong chemical drugs and repeated vaccinations, have broken down and finally admitted the diseases deeper and deeper into the human organism, to the central and peripheral nervous system."Vithoulkas, George, [http://www.vithoulkas.com/EN/speech03.html Acceptance Speech for the Right Livelihood Award] ] He does not believe modern medicine extends lives, saying that "In the past, old people were getting illnesses and getting ready to die; but then they were given antibiotics, and they would go into a state of Alzheimer's and after that they would live very long... They are included in the figures for average life expectancy, but they are not alive."by Summerley and Ronson, [http://www.vithoulkas.com/EN/interview_vithoulkas_philosophy.html Interview with George Vithoulkas] , International Academy of Classical Homeopathy. (Downloaded 20 March 2007)] He believes standard care will make homeopathic treatment "more difficult."

Vithoulkas believes that conventional modern medicine will soon be recognised as a dead end, and that it should be taken apart and restructured according to the guidance of homeopaths.by Summerley and Ronson, [http://www.vithoulkas.com/EN/interview_vithoulkas_philosophy.html Interview with George Vithoulkas] , International Academy of Classical Homeopathy. (Downloaded 20 March 2007)]

Praise and criticism

According to Vithoulkas's citation from the the Right Livelihood award, his books "have had a profound influence upon the acceptance and practice of homeopathy worldwide."

He has been described as "the maestro of classical homeopathy" by Robin Shohet; [cite book | first = Robin | last = Shohet | title = "Passionate Medicine: Making The Transition From Conventional Medicine To Homeopathy " | pages = 29 | publisher = Jessica Kingsley Publishers | year = 2005| id = ISBN 1843102986 ] Lyle Morgan says he is "widely considered to be the greatest living homeopathic theorist"; [cite book | first = Lyle | last = Morgan| title = "Homeopathy and Your Child: A Parent's Guide to Homeopathic Treatment from Infancy Through Adolescence" | pages = 4 | publisher = Healing Arts Press | year = 1992| id = ISBN 978-0892813308 ] and Scott Shannon calls him a "contemporary master of homeopathy." [cite book | first = Dr. Scott| last = Shannon | title = "Handbook of Complementary and Alternative Therapies in Mental Health" | pages = 410 | publisher = Academic Press | year = 2002| id = ISBN 978-0126382815 ] Paul Ekins credited Vithoulkas with the revival of the credibility of homeopathy. [cite book | first = Paul | last = Ekins | title = "A New World Order" | pages = 167 | publisher = Taylor & Francis | year = 1992| id = ISBN 978-0415071154 ]

His biography has been published in the book "Georgos Vithoulkas Der Meister-Homöopath Biographie und Fälle" by the journalist Peter Clotten and the homeopath Susan Pfeifer who studied at his International Academy for Classical Homeopathy. [ISBN 344221632X (ISBN 13: 978-3-442-21632-1) published by Random House Bertelsmann, [http://www.amazon.de/exec/obidos/ASIN/344221632X/ Amazon.de] accessed 2007-03-24]

In 1978, Anthony Campbell, then a consultant physician at The Royal London Homeopathic Hospital, [http://www.acampbell.ukfsn.org/homeopathy/homeopathy-html/chapter01.html Homeopathy in Perspective] , Anthony Campbell. Accessed 2007-03-24] [ [http://www.acampbell.ukfsn.org/personal.html Personal file] , Anthony Campbell. Accessed 2007-03-24] reviewed "The Science of Homoeopathy". He criticised Vithoulkas for substituting assertion for hard evidence and constructing an almost meaningless argument on the basis of a dubious theory of disease. He described rhetoric put forward by Vithoulkas (in presenting the argument that "allopathic drugging" is harmful and must be avoided) as including a thoroughly irresponsible statement which could mislead an unfortunate layman into refusing orthodox treatment, mentioning Vithoulkas' claim, "in the course of an argument designed to show that 'allopathic drugging' is harmful and must be avoided", that syphilis, when treated with antibiotics, would have the early stages suppressed, but would go on to the secondary and tertiary stages. However, he felt the book also provided a good, if dogmatic, description of the principles and practice of "classical" homoeopathy. [ [http://www.minimum.com/reviews/science-homeopathy.htm Critical review of "The Science of Homeopathy"] from the "British Homoeopathic Journal" Volume 67, Number 4, October 1978] In response, Vithoulkas quoted various medical studies he claimed supported his assertion that penicillin "may suppress primary syphilis while failing to prevent the insidious development of a tertiary stage, especially as manifested in psychosis." [Vithoulkas, George. [http://www.minimum.com/reviews/answer-science.htm Answer to the review of my book "The Science of Homeopathy"] ] This claim conflicts with other scientific studies, which indicate that penicillin treatment produces a complete cure of syphilis in more than 90% of cases. [cite journal |author=Birnbaum NR, Goldschmidt RH, Buffett WO |title=Resolving the common clinical dilemmas of syphilis |url=http://www.aafp.org/afp/990415ap/2233.html |journal=American family physician |volume=59 |issue=8 |pages=2233–40, 2245–6 |year=1999 |pmid=10221308]

elected works

* "Homeopathy: Medicine of the New Man" Arco, New York, 1979
* "The Science of Homeopathy; Grove Press" New York, 1980
* "A New Model for Health and Disease, North Atlantic Books" 1992
* "Homeopathy Medicine for the New Millennium" IACH, 2000
* "Materia Medica Viva" (11 volumes completed to date, 16 planned) IACH, 2000-

References

External links

* [http://www.vithoulkas.com Vithoulkas' web site]
* [http://www.rightlivelihood.org/vithoulkas.html Biography on Right Livelihood Award website]
* [http://homeoint.org/morrell/articles/vithoulkas.htm An interview with George Vithoulkas]
* [http://www.minimum.com/reviews/materia-viva.htm Materia Medica Viva] Review from the British Homoeopathic Journal (1993)
* [http://www.minimum.com/reviews/medicine-millennium.htm Homeopathy -Medicine for the New Millennium] Review from the British Homoeopathic Journal (2001)
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VjFLMYtl4WU Vithoulkas criticizes the "signatures" approach to homeopathy (video)]
* [http://www.askdrshah.com/pressroom/ht_george.pdf "Interview: George Vithoulkas on Homoeopathy, by Dr. Rajesh Shah" published in Homoeopahty Times, 1994]

See also

*Roger Morrison
*Quackery