While there are many who are frankly skeptical to not downright dismissive of homeopathy in the United States, the discipline appears to have rather more credibility in Europe and other parts of the world. Some of these figures are quite remarkable:

• Studies have been able to demonstrate that people who seek homeopathic treatment tend to be considerably more educated than those who don’t.
• 75% of Europeans know about homeopathy and nearly 30% of the population use homeopathy as part of their own health care.
• An estimated 100 million Europeans use homeopathy.
• In France 16% of the population used homeopathy in 1982 which has grown to an amazing 62% in the year 2004.
• In a pharmacist survey it was found in 2004, as many as 94% advised pregnant women to use homeopathy.
• In India 100 million people use only homeopathy as their principle form of medication.
• In India as many as 82% of homeopathy users will not choose to switch to conventional medications.
• In Germany all medical school curriculum include information about natural medicines by government mandate.
• 10 % of german doctors specialize in homeopathic medications.

Source : Huffington Post

The Huffington Post recently published an article refreshingly supportive of Homeopathy, a discipline often maligned by the conventional medical community in general, and the so called upholders of science in particular.

The article seeks to dispel several myths that are sought to be perpetuated about homeopathy by the ‘skeptics’.

• Using homeopathy does not preclude use of conventional or mainstream medications. It is simply the fact that homeopaths seek to do the body the least harm and offer the medications with the least side effects.
• The fact that homeopathy is a tremendously popular alternative treatment is due to the fact that it does indeed work and that people have in fact achieved results ameliorating their conditions due to this medication.
• For those that claim homeopathy is nothing but placebo treatment, there is the reference to 150 placebo controlled clinical studies that have shown positive results.
• Homeopathic treatment has been seen to be effective in cell cultures, plants and animals etc. which further disproves the placebo theory.
• The successes achieved in the field of hormesis (the multidisciplinary science of evaluating the power of small doses of varied biological systems) are also not acknowledged by the skeptics
• There is actually a lack of understanding and a lack of willingness to understand the processes that govern homeopathy; viz., potentization, dilution and succussion (vigorous shaking) etc.

The skeptics often cite the fact that homeopaths themselves are not able to fully explain how their medications work but the fact is that they do indeed work and if millions swear by them, they have reason enough!

The current agitation against Homeopathic Medicines in Britain does lead us to ask the question Does homeopathy work? How, if at all does it work? Protesters have called homeopathic treatments “scientifically absurd” and have asked for withdrawal of the treatments as the BBC reported.

The protestors have dismissed homeopathy as nothing more than a placebo.

So what is homeopathy?

Homeopathy is a system of treatment that supports the body’s own healing mechanism.  Homeopathy bases itself on the principle of “like cures like”. A homeopathic remedy is an extremely pure, natural substance that is administered in a very diluted form.

In large quantities these substances would cause the same symptoms the patient is trying to cure. In small, pure, diluted doses, it is not only safe and free from side effects, but it will trigger the body to heal itself and that is the basis of homeopathy.

Well one may believe in homeopathy or not, but it is our considered view that it is unreasonable to demand that others stop using homeopathy. Certainly there is enough reason to believe in its efficacy; enough people have benefitted from it. Even if there is no benefit, there is no side effect either; so is there any reason to condemn homeopathy? We think not!

Homeopathy is an alternative medicine which is based upon the use of similarity principle.

The founder of homeopathy Dr. Samuel Hahnemann formulated the principle and stated that the symptoms of an ill person can be cured with the help of a substance which produces similar symptoms in a healthy person.

It is similar to the principles of Hippocrates and Paracelsus. Hahnemann and his followers had undertaken extensive study and conducted experiments on themselves. They then painstakingly recorded the results to prove the principle of similarity.

His book the Organon is still considered the best starting point for researches in homeopathy. The fundamental rules prescribed in the book still hold true even after two centuries of being first published.

The principle claims that if a person suffering from an illness is given highly diluted extracts of a particular herb or other natural substances, that cause similar symptoms, there will be success in treating the ailment.

The pain treated with the pain is another way to put it. Through this method, homeopathy focuses on the cause of the disease and based on the symptoms fights the actual illness.

The similarity principle is considered in the modern times the most common way of preventing a disease from expanding.

The herbal properties it uses and the way this principle focuses in making the body more resilient in front of future odds of getting ill, promises a future world when diseases will be prevented from ever occurring, a healthier and happier world.

Homeopathy is a form of holistic healing. It believes not in treating symptoms but in treating the individual as a whole.

Homeopathy aims to deal with the actual cause of a disease and not just the outward symptoms.

Homeopathy believes in the natural law of healing. This states that healing occurs from inside to outside, from the important organs to less important organs and from the top to the bottom. Simply put, it means that unless the person is treated from the inside a disease or an ailment cannot be cured.

Just because the outward symptoms of a disease have been cured it does not mean that the disease has been cured. It is like trying to remove a weed by stripping its leaves. The leaves will simply come back.

Only when the weed is pulled out from its roots, can it be eliminated permanently. Once the roots of a disease or ailment are healed or removed, one can expect to be permanently cured.

Homeopathy does not aim at treating the ailment or the disease. It believes in trying to bring about a balance in the forces inside the body. A balanced body will heal itself faster and better.

Homeopathy is a form of holistic healing. It believes not in treating symptoms but in treating the individual as a whole.

Homeopathy aims to deal with the actual cause of a disease and not just the outward symptoms.

Homeopathy believes in the natural law of healing. This states that healing occurs from inside to outside, from the important organs to less important organs and from the top to the bottom. Simply put, it means that unless the person is treated from the inside a disease or an ailment cannot be cured.

Just because the outward symptoms of a disease have been cured it does not mean that the disease has been cured. It is like trying to remove a weed by stripping its leaves. The leaves will simply come back.

Only when the weed is pulled out from its roots, can it be eliminated permanently. Once the roots of a disease or ailment are healed or removed, one can expect to be permanently cured.

Homeopathy does not aim at treating the ailment or the disease. It believes in trying to bring about a balance in the forces inside the body. A balanced body will heal itself faster and better.

With all the media attention being paid to swine flu, you may be wondering if there are homeopathic remedies that can help. The good news is that there are several that may help. During the flu pandemic of 1918, homeopathy was used to treat people who had the flu. Among people who used homeopathic [...]