Homeopathy : A Brief Overview

If you are here then you probably want a basic understanding of homeopathy, a form of alternative medicine practiced today but originating in the late 1700's. It is the opposite of Western medicine that tries to kill the disease and cure a patient's symptoms. Homeopathy believes that the symptoms are a manifestation of the body's vitality and fighting of the illness. The symptoms are a positive and show the body is working on healing itself. Therefore the symptoms should not be suppressed. The cure to an illness lies in a diluted natural substance that brings about the same symptoms, treating the body as a single organism with a single remedy.

A German physician by the name of Samuel Hahnemann grew dissatisfied with the current medicinal treatments of his age - leeches, bloodletting, etc. Believing the cures were just as dangerous as the disease, he came up with his own method of treatment in 1796. It was called homeopathy.

The inspiration came after he had given up his medical practice in 1784 and taken to writing and translating. One such book he translated was A Treatise on the Materia Medica by Wiliam Cullen. In it he came across the claim that cinchona (a Peruvian tree bark) could treat malaria. Testing it out on himself, he discovered the bark gave him Malaria like symptoms and came up with the key founding principle of homeopathy - Like cures like. His research would continue but the art of homeopathy had been born.

Law of Similar (Like Cures Like)

The overriding principle in homeopathy is that "like cures like", which means if a disease causes a rash then the cure should be a plant, animal or other natural substance that causes a rash in a healthy individual.

To research the proper cure for symptoms, healthy people are given the cure to see what symptoms are developed, which is then recorded for others. It serves as a basis for a homeopathic doctor to know what cure will work for a given individual based on symptoms presented.

Dilution (Less is More or Minimum dose)

The idea of dilution is that by itself the natural cure could make symptoms worse, worsen the condition or create toxic reactions. Therefore the treatment is diluted until the harmful aspects are removed leaving only the cure and benefits. Two steps are involved, the first being dynamisation which is diluting the substance with alcohol, distilled water or other substance and succussion, which is shaking the mixture. Oftentimes after dilution none of the original substance remains yet the benefit does due to the law of contagion. The law of contagion says that two substances that once touched leaves behind a non-physical imprint on the substance.

The Principle of Single Remedy

In homeopathic treatment only one remedy is given to a person as the homeopathic doctor looks at the person's vitality and sees all the symptoms as a whole, treating them en mass. The body is one single organism with everything in harmony and treatment therefore requires treating the entire body as the disease is not compartmentalized or limited to one section of the body.

From a scientific perspective it is highly unlikely. Some clinical trials have shown marginal success, though reviews of the procedures followed reveal gaping deficiencies in how they were carried out. Outside of these few trials and the personal testimonies of individuals, scientific evidence and verifiable clinical trials is lacking. Many in the medical community believe that homeopathic treatments may generate a placebo effect, which is not a bad thing in of itself. A placebo can have quite the affect on the mind and treat you as if you were given a normal medicine. Many parts of homeopathy like the law of contagion cannot be proved and are more than likely false, which is one of the many reasons for the skepticism of homeopathy.

Regardless of whether it works or not, you should consult a physician before beginning any treatments due to possible side effects or conflicts with medicine and other issues that may arise.

If you want my personal opinion, I do not think homeopathy works and refuse to use it. That said, I have tried to keep this article neutral in tone and provide you general overview of what homeopathy is and its basic tenets for your own enlightenment. More information and books on the subject are available if you choose to pursue it or seek out a more detailed account.