Homeopathy

ACCORDING TO WHO, HOMEOPATHY IS SECOND LEADING FORM OF HEALTHCARE
Homeopathy is a holistic form of complementary medicine, aiming to treat the whole person rather than just the physical symptoms. It works on the principle that the mind and body are so strongly linked that physical conditions cannot be successfully treated without an understanding of the person’s constitution and character. 


It is a truism that only one system of medicine cannot cure every illness every time in every patient. However, an integrated approach to medicine can provide a flexible and pragmatic approach to healthcare, and homeopathy has an important role to play in this process. In many countries, conventionally trained doctors are already turning increasingly to complementary therapies such as homeopathy to widen the range of treatments available to them.

Homeopathy’s safe, gentle approach complies with one of the most important rules of medical intervention—namely, that it should do no harm. Many common, everyday ailments may be treated safely and effectively at home using homeopathic remedies. In general, a conventional doctor should be consulted for any ailment that can be quickly and effectively treated by conventional medicine, or for any condition that requires conventional investigation. Certain serious ailments may also be alleviated using homeopathic remedies, but in the treatment of these conditions, the experience of a qualified homeopathic practitioner is essential. 

The theories and principles of homeopathy have their origins  in medicinal traditions established thousands of years ago  in ancient Greece and Rome.

In the 5th century BCE the Greek physician Hippocrates clearly established the idea that disease was the result of natural forces rather than divine intervention, and that patients’ own powers of healing should be encouraged.

Hippocrates developed the use of the Law of Similars, based on the principle that “like cures like”.

This theory proposed that substances capable of causing symptoms of illness in healthy people could also be used to treat similar symptoms during illness. For example, Veratrum album (white hellebore), which was considered effective against cholera, caused violent purging that led to severe dehydration if administered in large doses—symptoms exactly like those of cholera itself.

Paracelsus argued that disease was linked to external factors such as contaminated food and water rather than to mystical forces, and he challenged his contemporaries to recognize the body’s natural ability to heal itself, claiming that the practice of medicine should be based on detailed observation and “profound knowledge of nature and her works.” According to his theories, all plants and metals contained active ingredients that could be prescribed to match specific illnesses. Concentrating on practical experiments rather than on alchemy, he laid the foundations for the early stages of chemistry and subsequent development of pharmaceutical medicine, introducing new medicines, such as opium, sulfur, iron, and arsenic, into the contemporary repertory. His exploration of the chemical and medicinal properties of many substances, and his advocacy of the Hippocratic concept of “like cures like,” also made Paracelsus a key figure in the development of homeopathy. 

According to the British homeopath James Compton Burnett (1840–1901), the author of several important works on homeopathy that are still in use today, “Paracelsus planted the acorn from which the mighty oak of homeopathy has grown.” 

Homeopaths believe that good health derives from an equilibrium between the mind and body, which is maintained by a “vital force” that regulates the body’s self-healing capabilities

More than 4,000 substances from the plant, animal, and mineral kingdoms have been tested since Hahnemann first developed his theories, resulting  in a materia medica that contains over 2,000 remedies.

Delusions and Homeopathy