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Homeopathy, and alternative for aquaculture

Abstract:

Homeopathy is an alternative medical system proposed by Samuel Hahnemann in the 18th century. It is based on the “similarity principle”, which establishes that “like cures like”, and uses very dilute and well mixed substances derived from plants, minerals, or animals. Homeopathy is used for the treatment of ailments in humans, but it is also applied in the agronomy and veterinary field. The use of homeopathic medicines during the rearing of production animals has developed rapidly in the last few years, largely motivated by the inadequate use of powerful drugs (hormones, antibiotics and others), which on solving one problem cause diverse collateral effects. Some of these agents bio-accumulative, and they induce or favour a greater resistance to antibiotics in pathogenic strains that ideally should be eliminated. They also have environmental repercussions when they are finally incorporated into the effluents of the production units. Faced with this growing and irreversible problem, it is assumed that homeopathy has a great potential in aquaculture. Some scientific articles have been published over the last 10 years on its application in freshwater fish, natives of Brazil, obtaining benefits in survival, muscle fibre development of muscle fibres, reduction in the inclusion of hepatic lipids, in the hepatosomatic index, and in the total lipid content in muscle tissue. New studies currently developed in the CIBNOR-México, to experimentally determine the effect of homeopathic medicines in the cultivation of species of economic importance such as, the white shrimp, the Catarina clam, and marine fish. The aim of this work is to give a general presentation on the scope of research associated with the application of homeopathy in the aquiculture sector, and propose it as an alternative therapy to the aquiculture industry.