Beginner's Guide to Homeopathy and Homeopathic Remedies

In the early 1790s, George Washington was President, George III still ruled England, and Samuel Hahnemann developed what he called "homeopathy". The core principles are The Principle of Similarities, and the Principle of the Infinitesimals. The Principle of Similarities states that to treat a symptom, use something that causes that symptom when given full strength. For example, to treat a rash, find a substance that causes a rash. Dissolve this, then dilute it according the Principle of Infinitesimals, which claims that the more dilute the substance is, the stronger its therapeutic effect will be. The diluting process includes rhythmically shaking the glassware and banging it on a leather pad to supposedly increase its potency by imparting energy. This extremely dilute substance is then consumed - or a drop is placed on the skin - to treat the symptom.

In the late 18th century, Hahnemann's ideas were radical. In an age when physicians prescribed near-fatal doses of lead, arsenic and mercury compounds, Hahnemann prescribed what was (and still is) water. Instead of giving his patients strong laxatives to purge them of the supposed imbalances of the humours that were causing their illness, and instead of bleeding off pints of blood, he insisted on bed rest, a light nourishing diet and plenty of liquids. He was providing what is now known as "supportive care" and unlike other physicians of his day, was not killing them with poisons, dehydration, and blood loss. Compared to the standard treatments of his day, homeopathy worked miracles.

However, homeopathy's miracle-working days were more than 2 centuries ago. The problem with homeopathy in the 21st century is that its adherents are stuck in the 18th century, ignoring everything that has been discovered in chemistry, physics, biology and medicine since Hahnemann's began to practice in the 1790s.

Isn't there proof that homeopathy works? In short, no. The more you look for proof, using the same scientific process that has brought us better airplanes, faster computers, penicillin, or even Viagra ... homeopathy has results no better than the plain water that it consists of.

As Dr Simon Singh, a noted British scientist, says, "If homeopathy could be proven to be effective it might earn the researcher a Nobel Prize in Medicine. He or she would also deserve Nobel prizes in chemistry and physics because the laws of science would need to be re-written." Note the words "proven to be effective". That means it has to work predictably, reliably, and be more effective than a placebo or doing nothing. It hasn't happened yet, and with every negative study, every non-repeatable result, and every withdrawn claim the chances get more and more remote.

If homeopathy is correct, if homeopathy works the way it is claimed to work, much of the physics, chemistry and pharmacology our modern lives rely on could not work, would not work. But physics and chemistry clearly do work. Therefore, homeopathy can't work as explained, and there is no evidence that it works in any other manner.

Even if it doesn't work, what's the harm in homeopathy? When I have a fever and cough, I call in sick, rest more, perhaps take aspirin, and I'm better in a few days. When my cousin has a fever and cough, she goes to her homeopath who prescribes her a remedy. Then she calls in sick, rests more, takes the remedy, and she's feeling better in a few days. For a minor illness, or one of the many self-limiting conditions, the harm is economic: she pays $100 or so for the visit and the remedies, I pay a few pennies for the aspirin. We both get better in a few days, but she spends money that could be used for other expenses.

If the condition is not a minor, self-limiting condition, relying on homeopathy can kill you or put you in hospital. A recent flurry of deaths and near deaths from malaria can be attributed to European homeopathy practitioners selling supposed "preventive" remedies to tourists headed for Africa. One remedy was made African swamp water containing impurities, algae and plants as well as mosquito skins, larvae and eggs which would be disgusting and dangerous if it had not been diluted a couple million times with clean water.

One practitioner interviewed by the BBC said, "They make it so your energy doesn't have a malaria-shaped hole in it so the malarial mosquitoes won't come along and fill that in." Yeah, sure, malaria-shaped holes in your energy field are definitely bad for you.The remedies didn't prevent malaria and by the time the victims accepted that the homeopathy was not working, some persons were critically ill and some were dead. the point where real anti-malarial drugs could save them.

What homeopathy remedies are best? It doesn't matter. By the time the dilution and whacking on the leather pad has happened, there's nothing left but water. A bottle of water from the local supermarket would have as much curative power and cost less.