Homoeopathy
is a system of medicine that is based on the Law of
Similar. The truth of this law has been verified experimentally
and clinically for the last 200 years.
Let's
look at an example: If your child accidentally ingests
certain poisons, you may be advised to administer Syrup
of Ipecac to induce vomiting. Ipecac is derived from
the root of a South American plant called Ipecacuanha.
The name, in the native language, means "the plant
by the road that makes you throw up." Eating the
plant causes vomiting.
Homoeopathy was discovered by the German physician,
Samuel Hahnemann, over 200 years ago. Hahnemann observed
that there were therapeutic substances (i.e., used in
the treatment of disease) which, when given in small
doses to a healthy person, produced symptoms similar
to the disease itself. As he explored this phenomenon,
he developed a theory which is still the foundation
of Homoeopathy today: "Similia Similibus Curentur"
or "Like Cures Like," also known as the Law
of Similar. Further experimentation and research by
Hahnemann seemed to indicate that the smaller the dose,
the stronger the effect - a counterintuitive finding
which still puzzles physicians and researchers today.
(It is thought by some to resemble the immunization
process, but there are several other theories being
postulated.)
Homoeopathy was brought to the United States in the 1820s,
and in 1835 the first Homoeopathic college was founded.
Although it was not successful, the spread of Homoeopathy
was dramatic through the rest of the 19th century. Estimates
of usage by the end of the century indicate 10% of all
American physicians used Homoeopathy in practice, and
there were more than 20 Homoeopathic medical schools
(as well as courses offered in many regular medical
schools).
Even as Homoeopathy reached its historic peak in the
U.S. a hundred years ago, developments were already
under way which would almost wipe it out by 1950. Chief
among these was the successful effort by the American
Medical Association to force medical schools into a
uniform approach to teaching medicine, and state laws
into a relatively uniform (and monopolistic) approach
to practice. Schools which did not conform, were unable
to survive. Another factor was the appearance of miracle
drugs, making huge advances in treatment, in anesthesia
and in antisepsis. It seemed for a good many decades
in mid-20th century that we were on our way to discovering
cures for everything. Many natural medicine alternatives
declined (Homoeopathy, naturopathy, midwifery, herbalism,
hydrotherapy and others) and their practitioners were
harassed and suppressed.
Slowly but inexorably, the awareness spread through
professional and consumer groups alike that heroic interventions
such as drugs, surgery and radiation, while immensely
valuable, are not panaceas. In addition, voluminous
information began to accumulate about the cascade of
conditions and illnesses that are side effects of their
use. Consumers began to look for gentler, less toxic
ways of treating all those ailments from which civilizations
still suffer. Thus was born the current renaissance
of natural health care; Homoeopathy has experienced a
substantial rebirth in the last 20 years, and continues
to grow rapidly today.
When
a group of healthy volunteers took this substance to
determine the effects of this drug, they found that
the drug induced other symptoms as well. The mouth retained
much saliva. The tongue was very clean. There was a
cough so severe that it led to gagging and vomiting.
There was incessant nausea. While it is expected that
vomiting would usually relieve the nausea, this was
not the case. Such
an experiment, using healthy volunteers, is called a
proving, and it is the homeopath's source of information
about the action of a drug.
Of
what use could this plant be? If a person were suffering
from a gagging cough after a cold, or a woman were experiencing
morning sickness with incessant nausea that is not relieved
by vomiting, then Ipecacuanha, administered in a minute
dose, especially prepared by a Homoeopathic pharmacy
in accordance with FDA approved guidelines, can allay
the "similar" suffering. Samuel
Hahnemann described this principle by using a Latin
phrase: Similia Similibus Curentur, which translates:
"Let likes cure likes." It is a principle
that has been known for centuries. Hahnemann developed
the principle into a system of medicine called Homoeopathy,
and it has been used successfully for the last 200 years.
Scope of practice
Homoeopathy does not have a well-defined legal scope of practice because practitioners in many different professions use it, and there are no uniform educational standards. Practitioners are usually able to adapt their
clinical approach to the scope of practice permitted
by their own discipline and regulatory environment.
Homoeopathy is also practiced by lay homeopaths, who
are often self-taught or minimally trained, and who
do not hold a health care license of any kind. Homoeopathy
does have a core philosophy and established methods
(see Philosophy below), which because they don't closely
resemble conventional medicine, can be interpreted to
mean it is or is not the practice of medicine. Both
interpretations have been applied by states, and there
are still variations in state laws, which refer to Homoeopathy.
In the United States today, consumers may find lay homeopaths,
physicians (medical, osteopathic and naturopathic),
nurses, dentists, chiropractors, and many others offering
Homoeopathy. Consumers should understand that there may
be a wide range in training and expertise among practitioners,
and the burden rests on each consumer to investigate
a practitioner's background to his or her satisfaction.
If you choose a practitioner who has a health care license,
that person will be bound to the scope of practice established
by that licensing law.
The Food and Drug Administration classify Homoeopathic medicines, which may be produced from plants, animals, minerals and other substances, as drugs. Although
most are available over the counter, there are a few
(those using disease materials or controlled substances)
which are available only by prescription. The Homoeopathic
Pharmacopoeia of the United States was incorporated
into federal law in 1938, making the manufacture and
sale of Homoeopathic medicines legal in this country,
and prescribing accepted manufacturing standards. Today,
there are more than 2000 remedies, and new ones are
still being identified.
Philosophy
Although the "like cures like" philosophy
of Homoeopathy and the inverse relationship between dilution
of the remedy and treatment effect are still poorly
understood by scientists and practitioners at the theoretical
level, there is a growing body of research to demonstrate
the philosophy's validity. In addition to the Law
of Similar, there are other important philosophic principles.
Homoeopathy falls into the vitalist tradition of health
care - meaning that practitioners have a belief in the
"vis medicatrix naturae," or the healing power
of nature. Homeopaths believe that their remedies strengthen
and activate the body's own innate healing capacity,
which is what finally accomplishes the cure. Homeopaths
also believe that prescribing the correct remedy relies
on understanding the totality of a person's symptoms
not just those that appear to be directly related
to the disease. In other words, this is also a holistic
discipline, whose adherents believe that each individual
forms a unique, whole being, and that the whole person
must be treated to create optimal health. Homoeopathy's
aim is the cure: "The complete restoration of perfect
health," as Dr. Hahnemann said.
Regulatory scope
There are only three states which directly regulate
Homoeopathy: Arizona, Connecticut and Nevada; in these
states MDs practicing Homoeopathy must be licensed by
the state Homoeopathic licensing board (and other providers
must have it included in their legislated scope of practice).
In those jurisdictions where naturopathic physicians
are licensed, Homoeopathy is included in their scope
of practice. Other professions and practitioners must
determine whether or not Homoeopathy is permitted within
their existing scope of practice; judging by the rapidly
growing number of schools and practitioners, it appears
that most health care practitioners are finding it possible
to add Homoeopathy to their clinical practice without
incurring regulatory problems. Still it is always wise
for the consumer to ask what the regulatory situation
is for a given practitioner, and it is imperative that
you ask about training, because in the absence of state
laws, education and credentialing are important elements
in ensuring accountability.
Education and credentialing
Naturopathic physicians are the only practitioners today
who undergo formal, medical school training in Homoeopathy
as part of their standard didactic and clinical curriculum;
Homoeopathy has been included in their scope of practice
in every state where they are licensed since the early
1900s. Other than this one field with a continuous,
well-established standard, it's open season. There is
an astonishing array of programs and schools, for lay
people, physicians and a whole range of other practitioners,
both here in the U.S. and abroad.
The Council on Homoeopathic Education (CHE) was formed
in 1982 to monitor and approve the quality of courses
offered for licensed professionals; the agency is currently
preparing itself to apply for federal recognition as
an accrediting agency. It publishes a list of schools
which are recognized and those which are in the process
of obtaining recognition.
There are several certification boards of Homoeopathic
practitioners: Council on Homoeopathic Certification
(CHC), North American Society of Homeopaths (NASH),
American Board of Homeotherapeutics, Homoeopathic Academy
of Naturopathic Physicians (HANP), and National Board
of Homoeopathic Examiners. A practitioner who is serious
about offering a high level of expertise in Homoeopathy
should have obtained significant advanced training,
and probably some form of certification as well.
What
is Homoeopathy?
The word 'Homoeopathy' is derived
from two Greek words, 'Homois' mean similar and 'pathos'
mean suffering. Homoeopathy simply means treating
diseases with remedies, prescribed in minute doses,
which are capable of producing symptoms similar to the
disease when taken by healthy people. It is based on
the natural law of healing-"Similia Similibus Curantur"
which means "likes are cured by likes".
Origin
Over 200 years ago, the German physician Dr. Samuel
Hahnemann (1755-1843) discovered the principle that
what substance could cause in the way of symptoms it
could also cure.
Hahnemann
was struck by the effect that certain drugs, when taken
by him while quite healthy, produced symptoms that the
drug was known to cure in sick persons. For instance,
when he took Cinchona Bark, which contains quinine,
he became ill with symptoms that exactly mimicked intermittent
fever (now called malaria). He wondered if the reason
Cinchona worked against intermittent fever was because
it caused symptoms indistinguishable from intermittent
fever in a healthy human.
Hahnemann continued to experiment,
noting that every substance he took, whether a herb,
a mineral product or a chemical compound, produced definite
distinct symptoms in him. He further noted that no two
substances produced exactly the same set of symptoms.
Each provoked its own unique pattern of symptoms. Furthermore
the symptoms were not just confined to the physical
plane. Every substance tested also affected the mind
and the emotions apart from the body.
Eventually, Hahnemann began to treat the sick on the
formula 'let likes be treated by likes'. From the outset
he achieved outstanding clinical success.
Concepts
and Principle
Law
of Similar
It is also called the Law of Cure. This law demonstrates
that the selected remedy is able to produce a range
of symptoms in a healthy person similar to that observed
in the patient, thus leading to the principle of Simila
Similibus Curentur i.e. let likes be treated by likes.
To give a simple example the effects of peeling an onion
are very similar to the symptoms of acute cold. The
remedy prepared from the red onion, Allium cepa, is
used to treat the type of cold in which the symptoms
resemble those we get from peeling onion. The principle
has verified by millions of homeopaths all over the
world.
