What is Homeopathy?
The Origin of
Homeopathy
The
Law of Similars
Homeopathy:
A Holistic Approach
Should
Other Treatments be Stopped?
Does
the Strength of the Homeopathic medicine Vary with the Dilution?
Are There Side-Effects?
What
Evidence is There That Homeopathy Works?
Common Definitions
Bioelectric Medicine
Classical Homeopathy
Combination Remedy
Double-Blind
Placebo Clinical Trials
Hahnemann, Samuel
High Potency Remedies
Homeopathy
HPCUS
Materia
Medica
Mother
Tincture
Potency
Repertory
Succussion
Suggested Readings
The word
homeopathy is derived from the Greek word "homeo", meaning like or similar and
"pathos" meaning disease or suffering. Homeopathy is a system of healing the
whole person that uses extremely small doses of wholesome organs, tissues, metabolic
factors, recombinant materials, plants, animals and minerals to stimulate the body's own
immune system. It is an established natural system of medicine based on the practice of
treating like with like.
The Origin of Homeopathy
Homeopathy was developed in the 19th century by Samuel Hahnemann
M.D. (1755-1843), a successful German physician frustrated with modern medicine. In a time
of dangerous bloodlettings, blistering, use of toxic drugs and raging epidemics,
homeopathy's gentle yet powerful effects made it immediately popular. According to
historical records, death rates in homeopathic hospitals were 1/8 the rates in orthodox
hospitals! Homeopathy quickly expanded throughout Europe and America, which by the early
1800s had 22 homeopathic medical schools, over 100 homeopathic hospitals, and thousands of
practicing homeopaths. However, with the advent of modern medicine, homeopathy began to
look old and stodgy and its popularity took a nose-dive.
In 1997 adverse drug reactions were the 4th
leading cause of death in the U.S., killing over 100,000 people every year, according to a
University of Toronto study. Today with clear evidence regarding the dangers of drug
toxicity, homeopathic formulations are receiving much wider acceptance because of their
safety and effectiveness. A significant resurgence of interest in homeopathy is taking
place in the United States as millions of Americans are rediscovering homeopathy.
Homeopathic books can now be found in many bookstores and homeopathic physicians are
available in most major cities.
The Law of Similars
Hahnemann noted in his studies that, from the days of Hippocrates,
Cinchona (a Peruvian Bark extract containing quinine) had been used as a remedy for swamp
fever. Cinchona's effect as a stomach tonic was considered to be the reason for its
success. Hahnemann didn't understand the connection between a stomach tonic and swamp
fever, so he investigated further.
Even though perfectly healthy himself,
Hahnemann took small doses of the Peruvian Bark extract. After ingestion, he was surprised
to find he demonstrated many of the symptoms of swamp fever. And the symptoms disappeared
as soon as he stopped taking the extract. This discovery led Hahnemann to develop
"The Law of Similars" or let like cure like.
This concept is also used today by
practitioners of traditional medicine in vaccines and allergy therapies. In vaccines,
minute amounts of dead or weakened bacteria or viruses are introduced to stimulate your
body to produce antibodies. Allergy therapy uses small amounts of allergic substance to
build the body's natural defenses against that substance. In each case, the body does the
real work, not the medicine.
Homeopathy could be
considered a complete medicine as it goes beyond the simple treatment of illness or
disease. In the process used to determine the appropriate medication for a particular
patient's symptoms, the whole person is taken into consideration. This means the physical
symptoms are evaluated as well as the patient's mental and emotional well being.
Homeopathy is effective in treating various disorders and ailments. All functional
troubles can be helped by this approach. Irreversible or degenerative conditions cannot be
cured by homeopathy. However, homeopathy can play an important role in such cases by
providing physical as well as psychological support that will aid the body in defending
itself against the disease.
Should Other
Treatments be Stopped?
In most cases, homeopathic and conventional treatments are compatible and in fact may be
of benefit when used together. Homeopathy can be used in conjunction with other
therapeutic methods to decrease the toxic effects or to treat the general state of the
patient. However, only a properly trained health professional is capable of judging the
compatibility of treatments.
Does the Strength of
the Homeopathic Medicine Vary With the Dilution?
The concept of the strength in a medicine does not exist in homeopathy. The effectiveness
of a medicine depends on its ability to provoke a cellular reaction, not on the quantity
of medication taken. Only the correct dilution or potency will provoke this cellular
reaction by sending specific messages to each cell. BMC does clinical studies to
accurately determine the most effective potency for each of its Cell Signal Enhancers®.
Are There
Side-Effects?
All homeopathic medicines contain only minute amounts of the active ingredients, therefore
making them safe, nontoxic and generally without side-effects. However, the symptoms of an
illness can sometimes appear worse for two or three days after a homeopathic remedy has
been taken. This is a normal reaction to homeopathic remedies and a sign that the body is
reacting positively and the healing process has begun. Most patients feel nothing more
than an overwhelming sense of well being.
What Evidence is There
That Homeopathy Works?
Homeopathy has a two hundred-year track record of curing illness. It first came to
widespread public attention through its effectiveness in curing epidemics of cholera in
the 19th century.
During the great influenza epidemic after
World War I, homeopathic hospitals reported very low death rates, while hospitals
employing conventional medicine reported death rates of 20% to 30%.
Since World War II, the double blind clinical
trial has become the "gold standard" for determining the effectiveness of
medical treatment. A number of double blind trials have been done on the use of homeopathy
on a number of medical conditions. Although not every study has shown a positive outcome,
the majority of studies have shown that homeopathy is effective. Biomed Comm has conducted
more than three double blind placebo controlled clinical studies on Cell Signal Enhancer
products involving over 150 people.
Three meta-analyses of clinical trials of homeopathy have been done in the last decade and
all have reached the same conclusion: homeopathy is an effective system of medical
treatment.
The most recent study was published in the
September 20, 1997 issue of Lancet. This study, conducted by Dr. Wayne Jonas, head of the
Office of Alternative medicine, and Dr. Klaus Linde, concluded that when the evidence of
the 89 studies of homeopathy judged to be of good quality was pooled, homeopathy was 2.45
times more effective than placebo.
The Homeopathic Medicine Research Group,
formed by the European Union to determine the effectiveness of homeopathy conducted
another study in 1996. This study is notable in that skeptics of homeopathy were involved
in its design. The study pooled results from 17 clinical trials involving 2,001 patients
and found that homeopathy was more effective than placebo with a 0.027% probability that
this result was due to chance. Unfortunately, this study has not been published in a
medical journal, so it is not readily available.
The third meta-analysis was published in the
February 9, 1991 issue of the British Medical Journal. It was performed by two Dutch
researchers, who were asked to assess the efficacy of various forms of alternative
medicine. Although they were skeptics of homeopathy and alternative medicine generally,
they reported. "The amount of positive results came as a surprise to us." and,
"The evidence presented in this review would probably be sufficient for establishing
homeopathy as a regular treatment for certain indications."
Common Definitions
Bioelectric
Medicines
Bioelectromagnetic medicine is an emerging science which studies the interactions between
electromagnetic fields and the electrical properties of biological tissues and cells.
Electromagnetic fields induce selective electrical changes in the micro-environment around
and within cells.
Classical Homeopathy
A method of homeopathic prescribing in which only one remedy, based on a totality of the
patient's symptom is given at a time, followed by a period of waiting, to evaluate the
action of the remedy.
Combination Remedy
A mixture containing more than one homeopathic medicine.
Double-Blind Placebo
Clinical Trials
Refers to experiments in which neither the experimenter nor the subjects know whether a
specific treatment was prescribed or a placebo (a "fake" medicine that looks and
tastes like a homeopathic medicine).
Energy Medicine
The theme of energy permeates many areas of health care, from acupuncture to homeopathy,
as well as many systems of bodywork and movement therapy, and increasingly mainstream
medicine (MRI scans for example).
Hahnemann, Samuel
The founder of homeopathy (1755-1843) was a German scholar, physician and chemist.
High Potency Remedies
Remedies of a 100C potency or higher.
Homeopathy
The use of medicinal substances to treat a particular set of symptoms based on the
principle of "like cures like" called the Law of Similars.
HPCUS
The Homeopathic Pharmacopoeia Convention of the United States.
Materia Medica
A book which includes individual homeopathic remedies and their indications.
Mother Tincture
The initial, standardized alcohol preparation from which homeopathic dilutions are
subsequently made.
Potency
The specific strength of a homeopathic medicine determined by the number of serial
dilutions and succussions. For example: X, C, M
Repertory
A book which lists symptoms and the medicines known to have produced such symptoms in
experiments and patients.
Succussion
The systematic and repeated shaking of a homeopathic medicine after each serial
dilution.
Suggested Readings
The Consumer's Guide to
Homeopathy
Dana Ullman, M.P.H. A Jeremy P. Tarcher
Putnam Book ©1995
Homeopathy: A Frontier in Medical Science
Dr. Paolo Bellavite & Dr. Andrea Signorini
North Atlantic Books ©1995
The Similia Principle as a Therapeutic Strategy:
A research program on stimulation of self- defense in disordered mammalian cells
R. Van Wijk & F.A.C. Wiegant
Alternative Therapies in Health & Medicine 1997 3(2):33-38
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Last modified:
July 22, 2011
