Originating in Germany around 300 years ago, homeopathic medicine is a natural pharmaceutical science that uses various plant, mineral or animal materials in very small doses to stimulate the body’s self-healing mechanisms. Widely used in Europe, homeopathy is legislated as part of the British health system. The British royal family employs homeopaths as personal physicians.
What’s Homeopathy
Homeopathic medicine is an alternative to the Western pharmaceutical drugs we are all used to. It can deal with both minor and major health problems, ranging from the common cold and fever to the dreaded cancer.
How Homeopathy works
Homeopathy is based on the “Principle of Similars,” which states that symptoms of illness are efforts of the body to reestablish balance in its system and defend itself. Thus, homeopathic medicines try to cause an overdose of similar symptoms using substances that are found in nature. Homeopathic practitioners also believe that diluting the medicine will increase its potency.
A homeopathic treatment begins with a lengthy interview, running from one to three hours, to assess the totality of a patient’s physical, emotional, and mental symptoms. Based on this interview, the homeopath will prescribe medicine from the 3,000 remedies available that will cause similar symptoms. If you are hypersensitive to the medicine, your body will react to it and will catalyze or boost your body’s ability to heal itself. If not, nothing will happen. It is not unusual to hear of patients who have survived cancer for over ten years using homeopathy.
The pros Homeopathy
Unlike commercial pharmaceutical drugs, homeopathic remedies have no expiration date, and their efficacy does not become outdated. People also do not develop resistance to homeopathic medicine.
The cons of Homeopathy
A course of treatment can be more expensive than Western medicine. Like other alternative mode of treatments, homeopathy also has its detractors. Some Western-trained physicians say this method does not provide any significant and convincing benefits to patients.
