Homeopathy

Homeopathy (also spelled hom?opathy or homoeopathy) from the Greek words ??????, hómoios (similar) and ?????, páthos (suffering), is a system of alternative medicine, notable for its controversial practice of prescribing water-based solutions that in many cases do not contain chemically active ingredients. The theory of homeopathy was developed by the Saxon physician Samuel Hahnemann (1755–1843) and first published in 1796. It is growing in popularity in some areas where it is practiced today, but neither its empirical nor its theoretical foundation meets minimum scientific standards.

The popularity of homeopathy

Over the past two decades the use of homeopathic remedies and visits to homeopathic practitioners have increased. Possible reasons for this trend are:

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

• Reported clinical efficacy: Some homeopathic patients may have personally found previous treatment to be effective, or heard from friends, colleagues, and the press of many cases in which a sickness was healed after homeopathic treatment. Some reinforce their favorable judgement with selective reference to positive scientific reports. Though they are aware that science has found no adequate explanation for the mechanism of homeopathy, they may subscribe to an empirical view of the matter: whatever works in their experience is good enough for them. This attitude arguably characterizes most health consumers nowadays, whose main concern is for perceived efficacy rather than scientific sanction of their treatment choice. This attraction is possibly further amplified from the inability by conventional healthcare to treat long term diseases.
• Disaffection with the establishment: Some reject the medical establishment, which is perceived to place too much emphasis on machines and chemicals and to treat the disease, not the person. Homeopathic practitioners often spend more time dealing with their patients than do conventional practitioners. Furthermore, homeopathic preparations have few if any side effects and are generally much cheaper than conventional medications.
• Attraction to the homeopathic world-view: Some are attracted to homeopathy through its holistic world-view, their desire for their story to be heard out in detail, their belief that their individually diagnosed complaints belong together in one pattern (classical homeopaths will usually prescribe one remedy to cover assorted ailments), and so on.
• Exhaustion of other options: Some come to homeopathic treatment following years of other conventional or alternative treatment. They therefore try homeopathy, figuring that they have nothing to lose, even though in some cases they actively disbelieve it.