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What Is Homeopathy?Curing with poison |
By Stefan Anitei, Science Editor
6th of April 2007, 13:48 GMT
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Each day, more persons accusing chronic pains turn their attention to the mysterious homeopathy.
In countries like Germany, France or UK, 30-70 % of the patients have visited at least once a homeopath.
This science was developed by the German physician Samuel Hahnemann (1755-1843) and is not a natural medicine, like many believe.
Homeopathy is based on the principle emitted by Hippocrates (460-337 BC), a Greek physician that said the disease can be treated not just with antidotes but also with toxic compounds which would produce, in a healthy person, effects similar to those wanted to be driven off.
Hahnemann experimented on himself with cinchona bark, and after ingesting repeated doses, he noticed, with surprise, he had developed malaria symptoms.
He thought that cinchona activated the same immune reactions like the parasite of the malaria.
In other words, specific doses of extremely harmful products, like strychnine,
toad poison or bee venom can relieve diseases that have symptoms similar to those induced by that compounds.
Hahnemann showed that this can happen when the substances are applied in minimal doses.
Moreover, he found that the lower the concentration of the product in the water, the more effective the treatment.
In this case, the homeopathic drugs did not present secondary effects.
This peculiar medicine does not treat diseases without diseased persons.
The dose, remedy type and level of drug dilution are always linked to the similarity level between the psychic of any patient and the remedy's effects.
Homeopathy has proven its utility in the treatment of chronic conditions, but also improvements in temporary pains.
In France and Germany, the Social Security repays 40-80 % of the consultation and products' price for homeopathic medicine.
There is a large debate about homeopathy, as it treats the patient and not the disease, so that many believe it's about the placebo effect: the patient believes the drug works and this way heals himself/herself.
Each person, linked to its clinic history, height, age, civil status, cold sensibility or other reasons, receives an individualized treatment.
That's why the homeopaths need more time than an allopathic physician to treat a patient, and their fees are higher.
Some experiments proved that in fact, the homeopathic treatments are 2.45 times more effective than placebo treatments.
Some point the efficacy of the homeopathy in children or animals, which are more difficult to influence.
Truths about homeopathy:
-It does not employ medicinal plants, but toxic compounds.
- It has nothing to do with the naturist therapy, linked to healthy diet and fasting.
- The homeopaths can be graduate physicians.
-Homeopathy does not interact with other drugs, but it's better to consult the physician.
- Homeopathic drugs can be taken during pregnancy.
- The homeopathic remedies are not compatible with mint, coffee, chamomile and tobacco.
Lies about homeopathy:
- It acts slowly. In fact, it can be more rapid than other treatments.
- Its mixture cannot be touched with the finger. This is not true.
- You have to chew or swallow the remedies. The pills or granules are dissolved under the tongue, and the droplets are solved in the water and kept inside the mouth for some seconds.
- There is a homeopathic contraceptive pill. That's impossible; the homeopathy does not interfere with the hormones.
- There are slimming homeopathic treatments. Homeopathy can regulate the metabolism but it does not inflict a weight loss.
- The animals cannot take their remedies. In fact, there is an increasing number of veterinarians employing it with pets and livestock.
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