Homeopathic

Homeopathy is a system of alternative medicine created in 1796 by Samuel Hahnemann, based on his doctrine of like cures like (similia similibus curentur), a claim that a substance that causes the symptoms of a disease in healthy people would cure similar symptoms in sick people. Homeopathy is a pseudoscience – a belief that is incorrectly presented as scientific. Homeopathic preparations are not effective for treating any condition; large-scale studies have found homeopathy to be no more effective than a placebo, suggesting that any positive feelings that follow treatment are only due to the placebo effect and normal recovery from illness.

History

Samuel Hahnemann (1755–1843) was a German physician who synthesized the principles of homeopathy in the late 18th century. Dissatisfied with the state of medicine at the time, Hahnemann developed a new system of treatment that he called homeopathy.

Principles

Homeopathy is based on three principles: like cures like, the minimum dose, and the single remedy.

Like cures like

The principle of like cures like states that a disease can be cured by a substance that produces similar symptoms in healthy people. This principle is also used in conventional medicine in the form of vaccines.

The minimum dose

The principle of the minimum dose is based on the belief that the lower the dose of the medication, the greater its effectiveness. Homeopaths use a process called potentization to repeatedly dilute and shake the remedies to increase their potency.

The single remedy

Homeopaths typically prescribe one remedy at a time, based on a patient's individual symptoms.

Criticism and controversy

Homeopathy has been widely criticized for its lack of scientific basis. The principles of homeopathy are not consistent with known laws of chemistry and physics. Many studies have shown that homeopathic treatments are no more effective than a placebo.

See also

• Alternative medicine
• Placebo effect
• Pseudoscience

References

Homeopathic Resources
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