What is Homeopathy?

Homeopathy is a system of medical therapy that uses very small doses of medicines, or remedies. These remedies are prepared from  substances found  in nature. Nevertheless,  homeopathy should not be confused with herbal medicine. These two systems of medicine are very different. Herbal medicine uses tinctures of botanical substances, whereas homeopaths use ultradilute "micro"doses made from  not only plants, but minerals or any other substance found in nature. 

The homeopathic doctor chooses the proper remedy by following a special rule of nature called the Law of Similars.  This law states "like cures like,"  or that a medicine can cure a sick person if it can cause similar sickness in a healthy person. For instance, if you peel an onion, your eyes burn, itch  and water. You might  also have  a runny nose and begin  to sneeze. If you had similar symptoms during  a cold or allergy attack,  such as a runny nose, watery eyes and sneezing, a homeopathic micro-dose of the remedy Allium cepa (red onion) would help your body heal itself. 

The word "homeopathic" is derived from the Greek words homeos meaning "similar"  and pathos meaning "disease" or "suffering." Thus, homeopathy means "to treat with  a remedy  that produces an effect  similar to the disease  or suffering." 

Is Homeopathy New? 


The Law of Similars has been known since at least  the time  of Hippocrates (ca. 400 B.C.), but it was Samuel  Hahnemann who fully stated the ideas of homeopathy in the early 1800's.  He was a doctor  and a chemist in Germany who lived  from 1755 to 1843. He discovered  the truth  of the Law  of Similars  by testing small doses  of medicine on himself. 

By 1900, about twenty percent of doctors in the United States were homeopaths, but due  to various political and social changes,  homeopathy became relatively unknown in  the USA until recently. There is wider acceptance  of homeopathy in such countries as France, Germany, Mexico, Argentina, India  and Great Britain.  In fact, the family doctor to England's Queen Elizabeth is a homeopathic physician.

What are Homeopathic Remedies? 

Any plant, mineral or animal substance can be used as  a remedy. The original substance is diluted  in liquid repeatedly,  and vigorously shaken with each dilution. Unusual as  it sounds, these very small amounts of remedies can act very strongly when used properly. Also, because  the remedies are very diluted, they are extremely safe. The clinical experience of  homeopathy shows that the micro-dose is effective: It works upon comatose people, infants and animals. 

Is there evidence  that homeopathy works? 

There are literally hundreds  of high quality, published basic science, pre-clinical  and clinical studies showing  that homeopathy works. These studies have  been published in respected journals like Lancet, Pediatrics, Rheumatology,  and Annals  of Internal Medicine, among others. See this website for an abridged bibliography of these papers. 

What to expect during  a visit  to a homeopathic practitioner? 

You will be asked to describe all your problems in detail as well as  a complete description of everything that characterizes you, especially your feelings, sensations, sensitivity, psyche, and all that concerns your organism  in terms of energy, sleep, appetite, digestion, etc. This thorough and initial interview requires approximately two  to three hours. The better  the homeopath understands  the patient and his  or her problems,  the better they can individualize to find  the specific and most similar remedy for the patient's  condition. 

Which diseases can be treated with homeopathy? 

This may sound strange but in homeopathy we do not treat diseases, but treat the person who  is sick. Whether  a person has a chronic  or an acute disease, all  of their symptoms, whether physical, mental or emotional form a  whole representing a state of imbalance very specific  to this individual. The goal of  the homeopath is to recognize  through the unique expression of symptoms  of a patient the pattern of disturbed energy  and identify among  the great number of remedies available  the one most homeopathic, or most similar to, the patient's disease. 

Can a pregnant woman or a newborn baby benefit from homeopathy? 

Since homeopathic remedies are devoid  of all chemical toxicity, homeopathy  is the ideal system  of medicine for people of all ages, even  the most sensitive like an expectant mother or  a newborn baby. Difficulties during pregnancy and  the delivery or its aftermath as well as all  the problems experienced by the newborn can be dealt with very efficiently  and without side effects with homeopathy. 

How does  homeopathy deal with patients affected with mental stress, emotional problems, resulting from emotional trauma, severe grief,  or the consequence  of mood disorders  such as anger, depression or anxiety? 

As incredible as it may seem, all such emotional problems normalize with  the application  of the homeopathic remedy that  is the most similar  to the state of the patient. Patients who are already under psychotherapy find out as a rule that they recover far  more rapidly after they begin  homeopathic treatment. 

How does homeopathy address  patients with infectious diseases? 

Homeopathic treatment is ideal to optimize the body's natural defenses against microbes. With  the appropriate  homeopathic treatment, people recover  from infectious diseases, even the most serious ones, gently and rapidly. During past great epidemics such as diphtheria, scarlet fever, typhoid, cholera, yellow fever, malaria, etc., homeopathy decreased mortality  by 10 to 30 times versus conventional medicine. During  the infamous Spanish flu epidemic of 1918-19,  it has been estimated  that 25 to 50 million people died world wide. In  the United States alone, 550,000 died, approximately 10%  of the people afflicted with  the flu. Homeopathic physicians documented then more than 62,000 patients treated with homeopathy resulting in a mortality of 0.7%. For people who were sick enough  to be hospitalized, conventional medicine had a mortality of 30% while with 27,000 documented hospitalized cases, homeopathy was reporting a mortality of 1.05% (Journal of  the American Institute of Homeopathy 1921; 13:1028-43). 

Which conditions are outside the scope of homeopathy? 

If a patient has a problem that necessitates  a surgical intervention,  the homeopath will refer this patient  to a surgeon. But as surgical interventions are a shock  to the organism,  homeopathic treatment will be ideal to prepare  the patient for surgery and help them recover from the operation. Of course, cases with dislocation or fracture will  be dealt with by an orthopedic doctor. For less serious mechanical physical problems, patents will be referred to a chiropractor, osteopath, massotherapist or other appropriate therapist. Generally, people afflicted with genetic, congenital, or fixed metabolic diseases or with very advanced degeneration cannot always expect full recovery, but more often a palliative relief with homeopathy, free of side effects usually expected when palliation is done with modern drugs. 

What has been the position of conventional medicine towards homeopathy?

Since the beginning, conventional medicine has tried to halt the progress of homeopathy. At best, it accuses it  of giving "placebos" despite double blind studies which demonstrate  the absolutely undeniable efficacy  of homeopathic treatments. If homeopathy is so extraordinary, why is it not recognized universally? Although homeopathy has been practiced for more than two hundred years, it is still in its early period of growth. It is probably  the most difficult medical discipline  to master because it is based on  the pure observation of nature,  and the strict application  of a natural law. Until very recently,  of all the physicians who had studied homeopathy, only a very small minority had succeeded in mastering  this discipline. Today with  the general disillusionment in conventional medicine, homeopathy is beginning  to bloom again  and spread throughout  the world. People find  in homeopathy a system of medicine that  not only displays  more common sense by its respect for the whole person, but which  is also more efficient in restoring  health to  the sick since it optimizes the extraordinary innate self-healing powers  of the organism. With  the advent of modern communication,  the teaching of homeopathy has improved and  a better comprehension and practice of homeopathy has been observed.