Medical Self-Care: What Is Homeopathy?

Article Tools

Image Gallery

Print

E-mail

Comments

RSS

In 1844, the American Institute of Homeopathy was established, and two years later the American Medical Association was founded. The AMA refused homeopaths admission to their fledgling society, even though most homeopaths had also been trained in the allopathic medicine of the day. The AMA also expelled some of its members for merely consulting with homeopaths.

Nonetheless, homeopathy flourished in the United States during the late nineteenth century, as an alternative to allopathic bloodletting and purging. Many members of the social, intellectual, and political elites turned to homeopathy after seeing its impact on epidemics of cholera, yellow fever, scarlet fever, and meningitis in Europe. Some epidemiological studies of the time showed homeopathic treatment to be actually more effective than allopathic care.

As the AMA gained influence, however, its strong antihomeopathy position discouraged American physicians from studying the alternative healing art. A further deterrent was the emergence of new allopathic drugs that speeded treatment and helped orthodox medicine progress beyond bleeding and purging.

Then, in 1911, the Flexner Report, a highly influential evaluation of medical schools, rated homeopathy training programs so poorly that foundation and government support was withdrawn, and homeopathy virtually disappeared from the American medical scene. In England and other countries, however, homeopathy continued to be popular and widely respected. Gandhi believed in it, and even today the British royal family's physician is a homeopath.

Homeopathy Versus Allopathy

Allopathic medicine takes the view that symptoms must be counteracted or suppressed. Homeopathy views symptoms as expressions of the body's curative processes. Thus, homeopaths do not try to eliminate symptoms; rather, they welcome them as signs of healing.

The allopath treats with opposites: decongestants for nasal congestion, antibiotics for bacteria. Homeopaths rely on the law of similars. If nasal congestion is one symptom, a homeopath might administer a remedy known to bring on a brief, mild aggravation of congestion in order to cure the disease.

Finally, allopathic medicine generally holds that more is better. If a certain dose of medication does not alleviate the problem, most M.D.'s would prescribe larger doses. Homeopaths believe that less is more. Their remedies are highly diluted, and they try to give the smallest number of doses possible. Homeopaths believe that despite ex treme dilution—to the point where only a few molecules of the remedy might actually be taken—their prescriptions stimulate the body's "vital force" and catalyze the cure.

RSS | Comments | E-mail | Print