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Homeopathy is an alternative approach to diagnosis and treatment developed in the late 18th century. Homeopaths treat imbalances in the body using highly diluted remedies. Certification levels vary, and homeopaths rely on individualized approaches to treatment. Critics argue that it is based on the placebo effect. Homeopaths use repertoires and may also use herbal medicine, nutrition, and other tools to treat patients. The approach looks at the body as a whole and is common to many forms of alternative medicine.
A homeopath is an alternative health practitioner who treats patients based on homeopathy, an approach to diagnosis and treatment developed in the late 18th century by Samuel Hahnemann, a German physician. Homeopathy involves treating imbalances in the body that lead to health problems, using preparations known as remedies. Certification levels for homeopaths vary. In some nations, homeopathy is strictly regulated and people must attain a specific level of education and pass certification exams to practice as a homeopath, while in other regions people can advertise themselves as a homeopath with minimal training and no professional certification.
The key to homeopathy is an individualized approach in which each patient is treated as an entirely new and separate person, recognizing that each person is different and that small variations can influence how a remedy will work in the patient. When a patient sees a homeopath, he spends a great deal of time interviewing the patient to learn more about him or to establish a profile that will be used in treatment. After an interview, the homeopath will determine what course of action is necessary. The patient may need a medicine or other form of treatment that can be provided by the homeopath or other care provider.
The remedies are based on the principle that “like cures like”. According to Hahnemann, substances that would induce symptoms in healthy individuals can be used to treat those same symptoms in sick people. Homeopathic remedies are made from highly diluted materials and in fact only a few molecules of the original substance remain in the pills, powders and liquids used by homeopaths to treat their patients. Because the remedies are so diluted that they are not pharmacologically active, some critics of homeopathy argue that it is actually based on the placebo effect.
Homeopaths rely on books known as repertoires, in which the various remedies are listed, along with the appropriate applications for each remedy. The homeopath may consult a repertory while the patient is in the office or wait until the patient leaves and discuss the patient’s remedy at another visit, depending on personal preference and the patient’s situation. A homeopath can also use herbal medicine, nutrition and other tools to treat patients.
The homeopath looks at the body as a whole, rather than just looking at specific symptoms and treating them. This approach is common to many forms of alternative medicine. Alternative medical practice has achieved varying degrees of acceptance around the world. In some countries it may be used as a primary method of treatment, while in other regions it may be largely rejected. Other medical communities combine conventional and alternative medicine, integrating the positive characteristics of both to provide medical treatment.
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