What is homeopathy?
Developed in Germany, in the late 1700s, homeopathy or homeopathic medicine is a medical system that is based on “like cures likes” and “law of minimum dose”. Not as popular in the United States, homeopathy is widely used in European countries. Homeopathic medicine is an alternative medicine that uses minute amounts of natural substances.
- “Like cures like”—the notion that a disease can be cured by a substance that produces similar symptoms in healthy people.
- “Law of minimum dose”—the notion that the lower the dose of the medication, the greater its effectiveness. Many homeopathic products are so diluted that no molecules of the original substance remain.
Homeopathic doctors, also known as homeopaths, take the ingredients needed for homeopathic medicine and weaken them with alcohol or water. Afterward, the ingredients are shaken in a process known as “potentization”. The purpose of this step is to transfer the healing essence.
When you visit a Homeopathic doctor you can expect that they will ask you questions about your physical, emotional, and mental health to help prescribe the remedies that match your symptoms. Then a personalized, individual treatment plan is created for you.
Where are homeopathic products derived?
Plants i.e. red onion, arnica, poison ivy, belladonna, and stinging nettle
Minerals i.e. white arsenic
Animals i.e. crushed whole bees
Homeopathic medicine comes in many forms including sugar pellets, ointments, gels, drops, creams, and tablets. Many health food stores, drugstores, and supplement stores sell homeopathic remedies.
History of homeopathy
Homeopathic medicine was founded in Meissen, Germany by Samuel Hahnemann. During his first fifteen years as a physician, Hahnemann made a discovery - after taking regular doses of cinchona produced symptoms of malaria fever without characteristics of that disease.
He published an Essay on a New Principle for Ascertaining the Curative Power of Drugs, which was followed in 1810 by his famous work The Organon of the Healing Art. “Hahnemann believed that if a patient had an illness, it could be cured by giving medicine that, if given to a healthy person, would produce similar symptoms of that same illness but to a slighter degree. Thus, if a patient was suffering from severe nausea, he was given a medicine which in a healthy person would provoke mild nausea.” He coined the phrase, “like cures like”, also known as ‘principle of similars.
Hahnemann first coined the word “homeopathy” (“homoios” in Greek means similar, “pathos” means suffering) to refer to the pharmacological principle, the law of similars, that is its basis.
Concepts like the law of similars have been found in many cultures including Ancient Greecian, Mayan, Chinese, Greek, and Native American.
What is homeopathy used for?
- Nausea
- Allergies
- Migraines
- Depression
- Headaches
- Toothaches
- Cough and cold
- Bruises and scrapes
- Chronic fatigue syndrome
- Rheumatoid arthritis
- Irritable bowel syndrome
- Premenstrual syndrome
When should homeopathy not be used?
It is not recommended that homeopathic medicine be used to treat life-threatening illnesses, like asthma, cancer, and heart disease. It is also not recommended for emergencies or in place of vaccines.
How does homeopathy work?
The basic tenet of homeopathy is that the body has the tools to cure itself of many ailments, and triggering an immune or healing response is the way to nudge it in that direction. Following “like cures like” take homeopathic medicine that will cause a certain symptom to prompt an immune response to address the symptoms.
Critics argue that many benefits of homeopathy may be due to the placebo effect, seen in clinical studies of traditional medicine. In the placebo effect, someone receiving a medicine without active ingredients still heals or sees improvement. In some sense, believing you are receiving medicine seems to have its own healing effect. It of course isn’t curing cancer or treating HIV, but the placebo effect is very real.
Homeopathy medicine cabinet essentials
- Nux Vomica: Used for gastrointestinal distress, loss of appetite, hangovers, and migraines. Dosage should be tailored to the individual, usually taken in pill form.
- Aconite: Might be useful at keeping the common cold from worsening, if taken at the onset of symptoms. Also used for joint pain, gout, and inflammation. Can be used in pill or cream form.
- Arnica: Pill, cream, or oil depending on what it’s being used for. Can help with bruising, is used to treat arthritis, after-dentist pain, and jet lag. Arnica is also used to promote hair growth.
- Cantharis: An anti-inflammatory cream used to treat burns with minimal scarring. t can also be used to treat urinary tract infections. Usually used as a cream.
- Magnesia phosphoric: Used to treat menstrual cramps, tiredness, headaches, nerve pain, and insomnia. Is also used as a relaxation aid. Usually used in the form of homeopathic pills.
- Rhus tox: Commonly used for muscle sprains and bruising. It is also beneficial for people suffering from backaches, arthritis, sciatica, and body aches associated with the flu. Usually comes in pill form.
