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Homeopathy is a form of alternative medicine developed by Samuel Hahnemann in the 18th century[1]. Homeopathic practitioners offer treatment comprising diluted substances that can produce, in a healthy person, symptoms similar to those of the illness. To reduce the toxicity of substances such as arsenic, Homeopaths follow a system of serial dilution, comprising rapid shaking between each dilution, which is aimed at retaining the qualities of the substance in the diluent (usually water, sugar, or alcohol) whilst rendering it safe to ingest.
The levels of dilution involved in developing homeopathic medicine can be extreme to the point that the end product is materially indistinguishable from pure water, sugar or alcohol.[2][3][4] Practitioners select treatments according to a patient consultation that explores the physical and psychological state[5] of the patient, both of which are considered important to selecting the remedy.[6]
Homeopathy is scientifically implausible[7][8] and "is diametrically opposed to modern pharmaceutical knowledge."[9]. The lack of convincing scientific evidence supporting its efficacy[10] and its reliance on remedies without molecules have caused homeopathy to be regarded as pseudoscience;[11] quackery;[12][13][14] or, in the words of a 1998 medical review, "placebo therapy at best and quackery at worst."[15]
With rare exceptions, homeopathic remedies are considered safe[16][17], though homeopaths have been criticized for putting patients at risk by advising them to avoid conventional medicine, such as vaccinations,[18] anti-malarial drugs[19] and antibiotics.[20] In many countries, the laws that govern the regulation and testing of conventional drugs do not apply to homeopathic remedies.[21] Current usage around the world varies from two percent of people in the United Kingdom and the United States using homeopathy in any one year[22][23] to 15 percent in India, where it is considered part of Indian traditional medicine.[24] In the UK, the National Health Service runs five homeopathic hospitals,[25] and in the 1990s, between 5.9 and 7.5 percent of English family doctors are reported to have prescribed homoeopathic remedies, a figure rising to 49 percent in Scotland.[26]
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Homeopathy (also homœopathy or homoeopathy; from the Greek ὅμοιος, hómoios, "similar" + πάθος, páthos, "suffering" or "disease") is a popular alternative medicine developed by Samuel Hahnemann in the late 18th century,[1] based on the concept of similia similibus curantur ("like cures like").[27]
After taking a detailed history of a patient's physical symptoms and state of mind, homeopaths prescribe small quantities of substances that, at higher doses, could be expected to produce symptoms of the disease being treated.[27][28] They contend that remedies for disease can be created by repeatedly diluting certain substances, and shaking them between each dilution. The positive therapeutic power of the substance is allegedly retained by the diluent (water, sugar, or alcohol), while its negative effects are removed. The end product is usually so diluted that it is indistinguishable from pure water, sugar or alcohol by laboratory tests, but is still said to have a therapeutic effect. Mainstream medical practitioners label this a placebo effect.[29][2][30][4]
Homeopathic remedies are generally not tested and regulated under the same laws as conventional drugs. Usage varies around the world, with two percent of people in the UK and the U.S. using homeopathy in any one year,[22][31] while in India, it is considered part of the country's traditional medicine.[24] In the UK, the National Health Service runs five homeopathic hospitals,[32] and in the 1990s, between 5.9 and 7.5 percent of English family doctors are reported to have prescribed homoeopathic remedies, a figure rising to 49 percent in Scotland.[33] Homeopathic remedies are generally considered safe, with rare exceptions,[34][35] although there has been criticism that patients have been placed at risk by advice that they avoid conventional treatment such as vaccination, anti-malarial drugs, and antibiotics.[18][19][36]
The ideas behind homeopathy are regarded by mainstream scientists as "diametrically opposed to modern pharmaceutical knowledge."[7][8][37] Claims for its efficacy beyond placebo are unsupported by the collective weight of scientific and clinical studies.[38][39][40][41] The lack of convincing scientific evidence,[10] and its contradiction of basic scientific principles, have caused homeopathy to be regarded as pseudoscience,[42][43][44][45] or, in the words of a recent medical review, as "placebo therapy at best and quackery at worst."[15]
