Homeopathy
Homeopathy is a form of alternative medicine. A homeopath prescribes homeopathic remedies based on the disease symptoms that the patient is displaying. Homeopathy is being used for a broad range of diseases, including physical and mental illnesses and acute and chronic conditions. The theory of homeopathy is that homeopathic remedies stimulate the innate ability of a person to recover from a disease state to a healthy state.
Homeopathy is considered controversial by many and often debated.
Some medical providers use homeopathy as part of their clinical practice. The European Committee for Homeopathy "represents all medical doctors with an additional qualification in homeopathy, organized in 30 associations in 20 European countries."[1]
Dilution[edit | edit source]
Homeopathic remedies are made as a result from a repeated process dilution of a substance in water and shaking. This process is called potentization. The substance used as base for making the remedy may be a herb, a mineral or other substance. Each substance has a "drug picture", a image of symptoms that a homeopath uses for selecting which remedy should be prescribed for the patient. The fact that a homeopathic remedy may not contain any of the original substance that was diluted makes it challenging to account for a biological effect. However, a meta-analysis of homeopathic interventions showed that the effect of homeopathic interventions differs significantly from placebo.[2]
Homeopathy for ME[edit | edit source]
A scientific randomized control trial using homeopathy as treatment for CFS/ME reported "There is weak but equivocal evidence that the effects of homeopathic medicine are superior to placebo."[3]
See also[edit | edit source]
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ "The European Committee for Homeopathy". The European Committee for Homeopathy. Retrieved September 19, 2024.
- ↑ Hamre, H. J.; Glockmann, A.; von Ammon, K.; Riley, D. S.; Kiene, H. (October 7, 2023). "Efficacy of homoeopathic treatment: Systematic review of meta-analyses of randomised placebo-controlled homoeopathy trials for any indication". Systematic Reviews. 12 (1): 191. doi:10.1186/s13643-023-02313-2. ISSN 2046-4053. PMC 10559431. PMID 37805577.
- ↑ Weatherley-Jones, Elaine; Nicholl, Jon P.; Thomas, Kate J.; Parry, Gareth J.; McKendrick, Michael W.; Green, Stephen T.; Stanley, Philip J.; Lynch, Sean P. J. (2004-02). "A randomised, controlled, triple-blind trial of the efficacy of homeopathic treatment for chronic fatigue syndrome". Journal of Psychosomatic Research. 56 (2): 189–197. doi:10.1016/S0022-3999(03)00377-5. ISSN 0022-3999. PMID 15016577. Check date values in:
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