Defining Alternative Medicine: Homeopathy

When thinking about alternative treatments to conventional antibiotics and other pharmaceutical drugs, homeopathic remedies are some of the first options to come to mind.? These remedies have been used successfully for more than two hundred years, and are now starting to gain recognition and popularity in the United States because of marketing campaigns.

The homeopathic company, Boiron?, has run several memorable marketing campaigns, including TV commercials.? You may remember seeing commercials for their flu remedies, Oscillococcinum? and Children?s Oscillococcinum?.

I have personally used Camellia? as a teething pain reducer for my children, as well as some of the Arnicare? products for aches and pains.? My children and I experienced some level of relief from using these products, without any adverse effects.

There are other homeopathic brands available, of course, but Boiron? is the most recognizable and the only one I have had personal experience with.? Of course I encourage you to research and try brands other than Boiron? if you want to try homeopathy.

History of homeopathy

Homeopathy was developed in Germany over 200 years ago by Samuel Hahnemann, who was a family physician at the time.? Dissatisfied with the state of medicine at the time, he was constantly doing research, translating medical texts from other cultures, and searching for new methods and answers for how to make medicine safer and more effective.? When he obtained and translated William Cullen’s Materia Medica, things changed forever.

William Cullen wrote about the rain forest botanical, cinchona (AKA quinine), being an effective cure for malaria because of its tonic effect on the stomach.? Hahnemann did not believe this, and decided to take small doses of cinchona himself over several days to see if he saw any changes in his own relatively healthy body.? He did, indeed see changes.? ?In this first proving experiment, Hahnemann observed symptoms broadly similar to those of malaria, including spasms and fever.?

This experiment gave credibility to Hippocrates? principle of similars; similia similibus curentur; or ?like cures like?.? This is one of the two premises of homeopathy.? This principle states that ?a disease can be cured by a substance that produces similar symptoms in healthy people.?

This principle also has a place in allopathic medicine, if you consider the conventional treatment for allergies, where the allergic substance is given in small doses to build the body?s natural immunity to it. This is also the idea behind vaccines, where an inactive form of the virus is given to bolster the immune system against that particular virus.

Good results come from small doses

The other main principle of homeopathy, as defined by Hahnemann, is the principle of dilutions, or ?law of minimum dose?.? This states that the lower the concentration of the active ingredient, the greater its effectiveness.? What?? How is that logical?? In fact, ?most homeopathic remedies are so diluted that no molecules of the healing substance remain; however, in homeopathy, it is believed that the substance has left its imprint or “essence,” which stimulates the body to heal itself.?? You can see how this is where people (and governments) become skeptical.

This idea actually comes from the theory that the structure of water (like all forms of matter) is in constant movement.? The current hypothesis states that: ?Water, and perhaps other polar solvents are, under certain circumstances, capable of storing information relating to substances with which they have previously been in contact, and subsequently transmitting this information to pre-sensitized biosystems?*.

Dr. Ben Johnson, about whom I’ve written on several occasions, has built on this theory with his remarkable product, Harmonized Water (not a homeopathic remedy ?I will write more about that in the future).? He states:? ?It seems odd to think that antibiotics and herbal supplements likely function by emanating their ?frequency essence? rather than actually mechanically ?unlocking a receptor?, but that is likely the case. That would explain what has never been explained; how do small amounts of herbs/drugs magically find their way to ?the problem area? in our bodies after ingestion??

Does it actually work?

If you search for scientific studies either proving or disproving the effectiveness of homeopathic remedies, you will find as many that favor it as you will find ?disproving? it.? That’s just how studies go.? Since the active ingredients are so minute in homeopathic treatments, it is nearly impossible imagine them producing an actual biological change in the body.? However, there have been plenty of double-blind studies using homeopathic remedies versus a placebo, where the results have come out in favor of the homeopathic remedy.? Furthermore, if they did not have some level of efficacy, wouldn’t people have stopped using them over the past couple of centuries?

Additionally, even though homeopathy does not fall in line with our government?s preferred allopathic treatment methods, the FDA does require that homeopathic remedies be labeled as drugs, and ?include at least one major indication (i.e., medical problem to be treated), a list of ingredients, the dilution, and safety instructions.?? If the remedy is for common, minor ailments such as a cold or muscle aches, then it can be sold over-the-counter (OTC) if it meets all quality and safety requirements.? However, any homeopathic remedy that claims to treat or cure a serious disease (such as AIDS or cancer) may only be prescribed by a doctor.? Since the FDA generally does not involve itself with alternative healthcare practices, products, or supplements, I would take this as an indication that they believe these remedies have some merit.

If you want to try homeopathy?

First things first, do your research.? There are many online resources available (in addition to the links within this article), with information about homeopathy in general, homeopathic practitioners, and the homeopathic remedies and conditions they treat.? You can use the Internet to locate a homeopathic practitioner in your area, but be cautious?only a few states require an actual license (Arizona, Connecticut, and Nevada?licenses only can be granted to existing medical or osteopathic doctors) to practice homeopathy.? Other than that, there are many certification programs available, and anyone can take a course and become certified as a homeopath.? Make sure you do your due diligence and find out about the practitioner?s experience level, training, and track record.

The last, and most important thing is that even though homeopathic remedies are generally well tolerated and considered safe, be sure to disclose all pre-existing conditions (like pregnancy, lactation, or a disease like cancer) remedies, supplements, and medications you take to any and all practitioners you use for your healthcare needs.? This lessens your potential risk of an adverse reaction.

*Based on Dr. Peter Fisher?s presentation ?Scientific Research on Homeopathic Medicine:
Proving and Improving its Efficacy?, at the Joint American Homeopathic Conference,
2006. Transcribed and edited by Bernardo A Merizalde, M.D.

**Image 1?credit:?”Cinchona Peruviana. Wellcome M0001350″ by http://wellcomeimages.org/indexplus/obf_images/fc/0d/89783c178238b39bede6c72155ca.jpgGallery: http://wellcomeimages.org/indexplus/image/M0001350.html. Licensed under CC BY 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons – http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cinchona_Peruviana._Wellcome_M0001350.jpg#/media/File:Cinchona_Peruviana._Wellcome_M0001350.jpg