Homeopathy is a form of medicine which views and treats the body as a whole entity and helps it heal itself. It can be used for acute or chronic illnesses. The treatment is based on the principle that substances which are poisonous in large doses can be very beneficial in small doses. Homeopathy uses animal, vegetable and mineral preparations to cure a person’s illness and prevent them from recurring. Millions of people in Britain, Europe and America are treated homeopathically.

Homeopathy regards each patient individually; practitioners then develop a personal remedy or treatment plan strictly for that patient. Homeopathy relies upon a person’s inherent powers of healing – the immune system – to develop a successful therapy.

There are significant differences between the concepts used in Western medicine and those of homeopathy. In conventional medicine,  symptoms are seen as a manifestation of the disease. Drugs are given to kill the bacteria or to relieve the symptom of the condition. Homeopaths, on the other hand, see the symptoms as the body’s attempt to heal itself. They regard the symptom as a positive sign that the body’s defense mechanism is trying to fight the underlying cause. By this reasoning, they insist that the symptoms should not be suppressed as we are working against the body’s attempt to cure it. In conventional treatment, there is a minimum dosage that must be given before the medication becomes effective in treating the underlying problem. Vaccines are not rendered more potent when they are diluted like homeopathic preparations.

Homeopaths believe that the energy of the remedy rather than the chemical content stimulates the healing by activating the “vital force” that keeps us healthy and balanced. Vital force, which is called chi by Chinese, is the healing power or energy that exists within us all and fuels the mind, body, emotions and mind.

Homeopathic remedies, which are made from natural substances, are recognized and regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and are manufactured by established pharmaceutical companies under strict guidelines, There are over 2,000 homeopathic remedies. Taken in this ultra-diluted form they have no side effects and are perfectly safe, non-toxic and non-addictive.

Scientists who accept the potential benefits of homeopathic theory suggest several theories to explain how highly diluted homeopathic medicines may act. Using recent developments in quantum physics, they have proposed that electromagnetic energy in the medicines may interact with the body on some level. Researchers in physical chemistry have proposed the “memory of water” theory, whereby the structure of the water-alcohol solution is altered by the medicine during the process of dilution and retains this structure even after none of the actual substance remains.

Ailments such as colds, constipation, vomiting and diarrhea respond well to homeopathic treatment. They can also help conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, fibrositis, psoriasis, acne, allergies, back and neck problems, headaches, asthma, colds and sinus problems. Homeopathy is also effective in the treating emotional, mental or physical complaints such as irritability, anxiety, fear, smoking and others.

Several clinical studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of homeopathic remedies, especially with conditions that conventional medicine has not had much of success in treating – infectious diseases such as flu and colds; chronic conditions such as allergies, asthma, migraines, and PMS. Many of these studies employed double blind studies, accepted by scientists. Recent clinical trials suggest that homeopathic medicines have a positive effect on allergic rhinitis, asthma, treatment of dermatological complaints, fibrositis, influenza, and for the treatment of migraine. (Data from holistic-online.com)

In 1994, a study involved homeopathy was published in a peer-reviewed American Scientific Journal (Jacobs J, M.D.). The study included 81 children with acute diarrhea. All the children received standard anti-dehydration treatment. In addition, half the children received homeopathic treatment and half received a placebo. The recovery time for children receiving homeopathic treatment was 20 percent faster than those receiving the placebo, reducing the bout of diarrhea by one day.

In 1991, the British Medical Journalpublished an analysis of 107 clinical studies published between 1966 and 1990. The authors found that in 81 of the experiments, the homeopathic treatments were successful: 13 out of the 19 trials of respiratory infection treatment were effective; 6 out of 7 were positive for other infections;  5 out of 7 were positive for digestive system treatment; 5 out of 5 were successful for hay fever, 5 out of 7 showed accelerated recovery after surgery, 4 out of 6 helped in rheumatological disease, 18 of 20 were beneficial for pain or traumatic injury; and 8 out of 10 worked for mental or psychological problems.

The results of a double-blind, controlled trial (crossed over) published in the British Medical Journal in 1989 were evaluated by a rheumatology professional who was not a homeopath. The study found that the homeopathic remedy provided highly statistically significant improvement in both subjective and objective symptoms.

(Data from holistic-online.com)