Homeopathy is a system of treatment developed in the early 19th cemtury by the German doctor Christian Friedrich Hahnemann (1755 -1843). Hahnemann realised that the medical practice of his time - mainly based on toxic purges and bloodletting - had no coherent rational basis to it and most of the practices were more likely to do harm than good. So he began to investigate what it was in the medicines of his day that gave them healing properties and out of his discoveries he developed a new system - homeopathy. In 1810 he published a detailed book about it called the 'Organon of Medicine'

Hahnemann's understanding was that the symptoms of a disease were signs that the body was trying to cure itself. Therefore he concluded that treatments ought to encourage the body's self-healing efforts. Through his investigations he concluded the best way to do this would be by giving tiny amounts (X) of substances known to produce highly similar symptoms in mild poisonings of the healthy to the ones the patient complained of. He called this basic principle of practice 'the law of similars'. So Hahnemann studied the effects of different drugs (herbs and minerals that were commonly used at the time) on healthy people, selecting those which produced the effects he was looking for. His research seemed to confirm this approach, but since many of the medicines which simulated the symptoms of disease were physically toxic and sometimes made the patient feel initially worse, he reasoned that medicines should be used in the smallest possible doses.

Hahnemann began to dilute the doses of the medicines yet found that even though he diluted his 'remedies' (X) more and more, they still appeared to work. In fact (X) he claimed they gained in effectiveness by being diluted, so long as the diluted medicine was vigorously shaken (X) each time it was diluted. On this principle, he diluted his original extracts to one part in a 100; these, in turn, to one part in 10,000; and so on for 30 or more times. Having done this at least 30 times this sequential dilution process made it mathematically impossible for the solution to contain even a single molecule of the original substance. Yet in his observation and in that of many homeopaths since they still appear act therapeutically. So far no-one has been able to accurately explain this phenomenon but the current explanation of most homeopaths is that the shaking and dilution process must in some way imprint the 'memory' of the original substance on to the water molecules.

A great deal of research has been done into its effects. One series of very high quality research studies carried out in a UK has shown that the effects of potentised medicines cannot be explained by pure placebo effect. Ref Reillly and CO HIT trials)

The British public buy millions of pounds worth every year and seek homeopathic treatment from growing numbers of homeopaths and doctors who practise homeopathy.

When it should be done

There is a some limited research evidence that homeopathy may help some with the following conditions.

• Rhinitis and hay fever
• Asthma
• Migraine
• Colds and flu
• Osteoarthritis
• Rheumatoid arthritis
• Fibromyalgia
• Chronic fatigue syndrome
• Inflammation of the mouth caused by Chemotherapy for cancer
• Headache

To find a good practitioner of homeopathy contact The Faculty of Homeopathy or The Society of Homeopaths

Homeopaths claim they can treat eczema, IBS, pre-menstrual syndrome, period pain, peri-menopausal problems and anxiety, however more research is needed.

How it is performed

About half the homeopaths in the UK are doctors. Homeopaths pay special attention to treating individuals as individuals. They aim to understand the whole person and not simply the disease.