Homeopathy

The German doctor Samuel Hahnemann came up with the idea that like should cure. The triggers of a disease or various symptoms should therefore be suitable for treating this disease or alleviating the symptoms at the same time. Despite more than 200 high-quality studies on homeopathy, there is no scientific evidence for this theory. There is no evidence for the effectiveness of homeopathy that goes beyond the effectiveness of a placebo (dummy drug without material).

At the end of the 18th century, Hahnemann established the principle of healing like with like, the doctrine he devised, and created the word homeopathy from the Greek words homoion (for “similar”) and pathos (for “suffering”). Today, homeopathy is an independent form of therapy within what is known as alternative medicine.

There are around 2500 different homeopathic medicines today – made from

• Minerals
• Plant
• Animals and animal products

Sometimes the body’s substances (so-called nosodes) are used, such as blood or pus, as well as pathogens such as viruses. All of these substances cause symptoms in a healthy person. And according to Hahnemann’s teachings, the respective substance should be suitable as a remedy for exactly this symptom, but in an extremely diluted form. The selected substance is usually ground up and mixed with another substance. For dilution service for example

• Water
• Alcohol
• Milk sugar
• Or glycerin

A portion of this diluted mixture is diluted again with the carrier, over and over again — this is how the so-called potencies result.

How does homeopathic treatment work?

In the case of an acute problem, a short questioning of the patient is enough for the homeopath to start homeopathic treatment. But homeopathy is not only used for acute complaints but also chronic ones.

The therapists record all the complaints, symptoms, and peculiarities of a person. Then it is important to get an overall picture of the person. A homeopathic anamnesis and subsequent examination take up to two hours.

In the end, there are five to ten main criteria on the list – health complaints, but also the body’s reaction to cold or heat, emotional states such as fear, and typical behavior patterns.

Based on these main criteria, the practitioners look for the right homeopathic substance or substances. Often three to four remedies are shortlisted, then you have to decide on the most suitable drug.

Only one drug is administered at a time to accurately assess the response of the sick body. This means this is, is clarified by confirmation questions. Then the symptoms are queried again and compared with the homeopathic drug picture.

However, the results are often very different, i.e. several practitioners came up with different substances for the same person with the same clinical picture. This is another criticism of homeopathy by medical professionals.

Globules and Drops

If a remedy for the symptoms is found according to the system described, it can be given in various forms. Homeopathic preparations are often available as so-called globules.

These are small lactose globules that are supposed to contain the potentized substance. They are allowed to slowly melt on the tongue, as they are supposed to develop their effect through the oral mucosa — according to homeopathy.

Globules, on the other hand, should not have an effect if swallowed, as the stomach acid robs them of their strength, according to homeopathic teaching.

…