Healthy Living Makes a Difference

Homeopathy is one of the more popular alternative medical practises – but also one of the most controversial. Developed in the late 18th century by Samuel Hahnemann, a respected doctor in Germany, it is based on the “law of similars” which states that a disease is cured by medicine that creates symptoms similar to those the patient is experiencing. In other words, it is believed that minute concentrations of a particular toxin may cure the very symptoms that would cause it in larger doses. Is there a case to be made for homeopathy – that is, does it in fact work – or is it quackery as the medical community is quick to say?

Homeopathic remedies start with substances such as herbs, minerals and animal products – so-called “natural material” – which are crushed and dissolved in a liquid – usually grain alcohol or lactose, then succussed (shaken) and stored to create a “mother tincture.” This concentrated tincture is diluted many times over with more alcohol or often water, some up to thousands of times – a process known as potentization – so there may be only a single molecule remaining of the original substance.

Potent element

Chemists today declare that basically the potent element or medicine has been diluted right out of the solution, but this does not deter homeopaths who claim that the more diluted the substance the more potent the healing powers are. They base this belief on “water memory,” a concept that water has the ability to remember the shape of the medicine it once contained – which is beyond the realm of known physics.

These types of medicines are available as over-the-counter drugs at health food stores, pharmacies and some supermarkets since the general feeling is that they will do no harm and may have some curative effects as a placebo. It should be noted that homeopathy products on the market have been approved by Health Canada through the Natural Health Products Directorate and a NHP number appears on the label for verification. This means the product has been critically assessed and been approved on the basis of safety, efficacy and quality.

When Hahnemann developed his methods of treatment, he did so partly in order to offer an alternative to the common medical treatments of the day which included remedies such as bloodletting and leech-sucking. Certainly his medical practises were seen as safer and gentler and might well have been as efficacious as the practises then in vogue.

The notion that “like cures like” has been viewed as similar to the science of vaccination where a small dose of the offending substance raises antibodies in the bloodstream that will, in turn, protect the individual from the disease. However, this is not a valid comparison since the amount of the active substance injected into the bloodstream in the case of vaccination is much larger than the active ingredients in homeopathic medicines, and the response (antibodies) can be measured. In homeopathy, there is no measurable response.

Double-blind studies

That said, there have been double-blind studies as well as numerous testimonials that attest to positive results in practising homeopathy. Conditions that appear to benefit from homeopathic remedies are pain-related ones such as bruises from injuries, minor skin irritations, bed-wetting and chronic inner ear infections. Certainly homeopathy remedies work well with children since they are safe and gentle. One example is teething tablets which parents use with success to ease pain, irritability and inflammation when babies teeth.

One of the positive facets of homeopathy is that practitioners understand an individual’s well-being is related to not only the physical, but also the emotional and mental. In other words, homeopaths treat the person rather than the illness. Thus, they will initially do a detailed interview which will touch on things such as sleeping habits, patterns of elimination and causes for fears and anxieties. The homeopathic remedy prescribed will be customized to take into consideration the information gleaned.

What might be some of the dangers in homeopathic medicine? Side effects from the medical remedies are rare, indeed, since they are so highly diluted. The danger might lie in individuals deciding to forgo regular medications prescribed by their physicians in favour of homeopathic medicine. This could, of course, have dire consequences. In fact, it is wise to let your physician know when you embark on the route of alternative medicine. It should also be understood that serious conditions such as cancer or heart disease cannot be treated with homeopathy although it may be used as a supplement in some cases.