Homeopathic medicine

Encyclopedia of Medicine, Apr 06, 2001 by Rebecca J. Frey

Homeopathic medicine, or homeopathy, is a holistic system of treatment that originated in the late eighteenth century. The name homeopathy is derived from two Greek words that mean "like disease" because the system is based on the notion that a medicine capable of curing a disease will mimic or imitate its symptoms. Samuel Hahnemann (1755-1843), the founder of homeopathic medicine, used the Latin phrase similia similibus curentur, or "let like be cured with like," to summarize the underlying principle of his system. Homeopaths use the term allopathy, or "other disease," to describe the use of drugs in conventional medicine to oppose or counteract the symptom being treated.

Hahnemann was trained in the standard medical practice of his day and licensed as a physician in 1779. In 1796, he gave up his practice because he was disturbed by the poor results of orthodox medical treatment. He supported himself by working as a translator of medical texts. In the course of translating an English physician's research on a treatment for malaria, Hahnemann experimented on himself with small doses of the drug until he responded to it by developing symptoms resembling malaria. He concluded that the curative powers of the substance were derived from its ability to produce symptoms resembling those of its target disease. Hahnemann's reasoning was similar to that of Edward Jenner, who discovered the principle of vaccination in 1798 by observing that exposure to a mild form of pox conferred immunity against smallpox, a deadly disease with similar symptoms.

Hahnemann followed up his experiment by studying local records of accidental poisonings from commonly used medications. He found that when these substances were taken in overdose, they produced symptoms similar to those of the diseases for which they were given. For example, mercury was used to treat syphilis, but could cause syphilis-like ulcers in high doses. Hahnemann referred to his discovery as "the law of similars"--that substances that produced specific symptoms when given to healthy people in sufficient quantity could heal sick people of similar symptoms when given in highly diluted forms. He then began to analyze the remedies available in nature by what he called provings. Provings of homeopathic remedies are still compiled by dosing healthy adults with various substances and documenting the results, in terms of the dose needed to produce the symptoms and the length of the dose's effectiveness. The symptoms are then classified in three categories, depending on whether they are produced in all provers, in a majority of provers, or only in a small number. The findings are collected in large homeopathic reference works called materia medica or materials of medicine as well as in homeopathic repertories.

The purpose of homeopathy is the restoration of the body to homeostasis, or healthy balance, which is considered its natural state. The symptoms of a disease are regarded as the body's own defensive attempt to correct its imbalance, rather than as enemies to be defeated. Because a homeopath regards symptoms as positive evidence of the body's inner intelligence, he or she will prescribe a remedy designed to stimulate this internal curative process rather than suppress the symptoms.

The holistic nature of homeopathic treatment means that practitioners do not focus on isolated symptoms when treating patients. Even if the patient seeks help for only one illness, such as a cold or a skin rash, the homeopath will evaluate the disorder in the context of the patient's overall physical and psychological characteristics. It is thought that a careful assessment of all the patient's symptoms over the course of years will reflect a basic weakness specific to that person's constitution. Constitutional homeopathy is a form of treatment that focuses on recurrent patterns in the patient's medical history. In acute treatment, which is given for colds, vomiting, fever, and similar problems, the homeopath selects a remedy on the basis of the patient's symptomatic reactions to recent stresses in his or her life.

Although a number of practitioners have written books on homeopathic self-care, these writers emphasize the limits of home treatment. The complexity of the case-taking process, and the difficulty involved in the consultation of the repertory or the materia medica persuade most patients to consult practitioners for serious illnesses rather than attempting to treat themselves.

Homeopathic practice incorporates several principles besides the law of similars:

Classical homeopathy prescribes only one medication at a time for the totality of the patient's symptoms. If the patient has an illness for which several different remedies have been proved, the practitioner will select the remedy that most closely fits the overall symptom profile. For example, two patients might come to the practitioner with a fever; but one might have warm, flushed skin and muscle twitching along with the fever and be given belladonna, while the other patient might have a dry skin and dry cough and so be given aconite.