Heel is a developer, producer and distributor of

homeopathic Homeopathy or homoeopathy is a pseudoscientific system of alternative medicine. It was conceived in 1796 by the German physician Samuel Hahnemann. Its practitioners, called homeopaths, believe that a substance that causes symptoms of a dise ...

preparations. It was founded in 1936 by Hans-Heinrich Reckeweg. Heel has offices in 40 countries worldwide including the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

where it is located in

Albuquerque Albuquerque ( ; ), ; kee, Arawageeki; tow, Vakêêke; zun, Alo:ke:k'ya; apj, Gołgéeki'yé. abbreviated ABQ, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico. Its nicknames, The Duke City and Burque, both reference its founding in ...

, NM.

History

Dr. Reckeweg was a German physician, who received his medical degree in

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

, who practiced

homeopathy Homeopathy or homoeopathy is a pseudoscientific system of alternative medicine. It was conceived in 1796 by the German physician Samuel Hahnemann. Its practitioners, called homeopaths, believe that a substance that causes symptoms of a dis ...

. In 1936, Biologische Heilmittel Heel GmbH was founded in Berlin to develop and market his preparations. In 1953 Reckweg moved the company to its present location in

Baden-Baden Baden-Baden () is a spa town in the states of Germany, state of Baden-Württemberg, south-western Germany, at the north-western border of the Black Forest mountain range on the small river Oos (river), Oos, ten kilometres (six miles) east of the ...

. Between the companies founding year 1936 and 1979 (when Reckeweg relocated to Albuquerque) he developed over 1,000 different homeopathic preparations available through Heel GmbH. When Reckeweg relocated to Albuquerque he created Biological Homeopathic Industries (BHI) and began manufacturing combination remedies in tablet form. In 1997, the Albuquerque company was renamed Heel USA Inc. In 2014, Heel USA became independent from the German Heel organization and operates under the name MediNatura Inc, which now manufactures and distributes BHI products and is the only legal importer of Heel products in the USA.

FDA violations

In 1984 BHI received letters and warnings from the

Food and Drug Administration The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA or US FDA) is a List of United States federal agencies, federal agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Health and Human Services. The FDA is respon ...

that it was in violation of FDA regulations in regards to marketing of homeopathic remedies. BHI was given multiple FDA citations and fines during the 1980s and early 1990s for violation of the Compliance Policy Guidelines labelling guidelines established by the FDA in 1988. These were corrected and have not recurred, though in August 2013 the company again agreed to dial down its health claims tied to its over-the-counter remedies and pay a $1 million class settlement to resolve accusations that it exaggerated the products’ effectiveness to consumers.

Effect of Traumeel

Traumeel® is a multitarget, multicomponent medication that supports inflammation resolution and shortens the inflammation resolution interval. It alleviates the inflammation symptoms without blocking the process, helping to accelerate healing and provides sustained recovery from injury. Traumeel®'s mode of action is different from other medications, suggesting the prevention of typical side effects while showing the same effectiveness for symptom relief. As a result, it helps you regain your normal mobility and activity faster. In particular, it has been shown that the mechanism of action of Traumeel differs from that of the widely used non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug diclofenac (approx. diclofenac has a specific effect, it directly inhibits the Cox2 enzyme). Traumeel does not have a direct inhibitory effect on the Cox2 enzyme, and the downstream mediators PGI2, PGD2 and PGE2 perform their functions. Traumeel reduces mRNA levels in the leukotriene synthesis pathway by activating the Nrf2/KEAP2 pathway. Thus, it provides a more natural wound healing process.

Criticism

In 2012, Heel was criticized for funding a German blogger who smears scientists critical of homeopathy.

References

External links

Homeopathic DoctorHomeopath & Homeopathy Clinic
{{Authority control Companies based in Albuquerque, New Mexico Homeopathic organizations Manufacturing companies established in 1936