Homeopathy is a natural system of health care and has been used for over 200 years! Around 30 million people in Europe and millions around the world benefit from Homeopathy. In fact, it is a very popular form of medicine in South America and India. It is recognized by the WHO (World Health Organization) as the second largest therapeutic form of medicine used all over the world. But, what is homeopathy exactly?

What is Homeopathy?

Homeopathy is a natural form of medicine that uses mineral, plant or animal substances to help the body’s ability to heal itself. It was discovered by a German doctor Samuel Hahnemann who worked tirelessly to reduce toxicity, damages and side-effects associated with medical treatments in those days, in short, to improve medical practices.

Contrary to the popular belief, homeopathy and herbal medicine is not the same. These two systems of medicine are very different. Herbal medicines use tinctures of botanical extracts, whereas, homeopaths use very small doses (micro) from not just plants but minerals and other substances found in nature.

Homeopathy is based on three principles, unchanged since their invention by Samuel Hahnemann in 1796, they are:

1. Like Cures Like
2. Minimum Dosage
3. Individualized Medications

Let’s discuss these 3 principles in details and understand how homeopathy works

1. Like Cures Like

The law of similars or ‘like cures like’ states that whatever is the cause of your symptoms, will also cure the same symptoms. For example, you get watery eyes when you cut onions. If you suffer from allergies or cold and you have symptoms such as sneezing and a runny nose, the most likely remedy for you is the one made from onions – Allium Cepa.

Another instance is when you find it hard to go to sleep, taking caffeine would help! This ‘law’ was based upon Samuel Hahnemann’s imagination. Even today, homeopaths prescribe caffeine (‘coffea’) as a treatment for curing insomnia.

2. Minimum Dosage

Homeopathic medicines are believed to be more effective when their active ingredient is diluted and shaken vigorously. Research shows that the homeopathic medications’ effectiveness is increased every time it is diluted-succussed. In addition, with each additional dilution the safety profile of the medication increases.

3. Individualized Medications

Homeopathy is a system of treatment wherein the medicine is tailored to each person. While selecting medicines, the homeopaths consider not just the physical symptoms of the patient, but also their emotional state, mental state, lifestyle and personality. Therefore, the initial homeopathic consultation is quite lengthy (approximately 1-2 hours) and seeks to understand the details of past and present ailments on the emotional-mental level as well as the physical level.

All types of complicated and chronic ailments (except the ones requiring surgeries) can be managed successfully and benefit from homeopathy. And as the medicines are non-toxic and have no side-effects, they can be used for treating ailments in babies, children, pregnant women and nursing mothers.

Some instances of ailments commonly treated by homeopathy are:

Colds, ear infections, coughs, sore throats, hay fever, asthma, bronchitis, irritable bowel syndrome, constipation, gastric and digestive complaints, menopausal flushes, painful/difficult menstruation, PMT, panic attacks, anxiety, depression, urinary tract infections, candidiasis, rheumatoid arthritis, migraine and headaches, skin problems (acne, psoriasis, eczema) and pediatric issues (teething, colic, ADHD and bed wetting).

Does Homeopathy Work?

You need a lot of patience before the homeopathic medicines actually work and give you results. It works wonders provided the disease is properly diagnosed by a practitioner. Modern medicines suppress the disease and symptoms quickly but homeopathy treats the root cause of the disease and heals the patient. Hence, time is an important factor.

There are hundreds of high quality pre-clinical and clinical studies showing that homeopathy really works. These studies have been published in Pediatrics, Annals of internal medicine, Rheumatology, Lancet, among others. Nowadays, people want fast results. They lose the patience and give up on milder forms of medicines such as Homeopathy. Those who keep going are the ones who have seen results and have faith in this form of medicine.

There may be many debates about the ‘real’ effects and cures of homeopathy, however, homeopathy as a treatment speaks for itself. The modern science may not acknowledge the theory on which homeopathy is based, but there are several patients all over the world who have been cured. For some it works sooner than others, so, it takes time to notice any drastic result. The best aspect of homeopathy is that it has no side-effects and cures ailments permanently. When all other forms of medicines fail, homeopathy cures successfully!

Overwhelmed by the National Health Services and leading Pharmacies ‘no harm’ attitude to homeopathy, over 300 skeptics are now planning to partake in a mass homeopathic binge to help create public knowledge about the fact that homeopathy is a myth.

During this public exhibition which is set to take place on the 30th January 2010, all three hundred protestors will openly swallow in public a complete box of 90 homeopathic tablets to demonstrate that they are nothing more than sugar pills and hopefully prompt pharmacies to stop selling them.