In my local travels, I have come to know that homeopathy is often confused with herbs, that some people think you have to believe in it for it to work and that generally, it’s not well understood–which prompted me to come up with these–what I believe to be 10 very cool facts about homeopathy.
1. Homeopathy is not herbal medicine
Homeopathy is an unique, holistic system of medicine which uses small amounts of natural substances to kick start the body’s self healing process, thereby restoring health, enhancing vitality and supporting resilience naturally and without side effects.
2: Worldwide popularity
At least 200 million people globally use homeopathy, especially in Europe, India and Latin America: in France 95% of pharmacists recommend it to pregnant women because it is so safe, and in the Netherlands, almost 1/2 of all medical physicians use homeopathic medicines in their practice. Homeopathic hospitals exist in the UK, India and Cuba. Celebrities Dr. Oz and Oprah support homeopathy.
3. Like heals like
In treating the whole person, a remedy is chosen according to the Law of Similars, that is, according to its similarity to symptoms a healthy person experiences from repeatedly taking a remedy. For instance, Coffea, made from the coffee bean, is one of the primary remedies for insomnia and Allium cepa, made from the onion, is a leading remedy for hay fever. While this may seem counter-intuitive, vaccines work on similar principles.
4. Uniquely prepared
Homeopathic remedies are made from a variety of natural substances, such as herbs, minerals and venoms, and these substances are specially prepared, diluted and succussed, then typically administered in pill form.
5. Non-toxic but powerful
Once prepared, homeopathic remedies have none of the toxic effects of the original substances and yet have a stronger effect in stimulating the body’s healing processes than the original substance. In homeopathy, less really is more and I believe this makes it the ultimate green medicine.
6. Scientific proof exists
Homeopathic remedies in a variety of potencies have been clinically tested for decades and beneficial results have been published extensively in scientific journals including the British Medical Journal, Lancet, Pediatrics etc. For more information, check out Dana Ullman’s blog at Huffington Post or his book on Evidence based Homeopathy .
7. Safe for everyone
Safe for children, pregnant women and the elderly when administered without careless repetition, homeopathic remedies do not interact with medications, making it possibly the perfect complementary medicine.
8. No animal testing necessary
Homeopathic remedies do not require animal testing, but are tested on healthy volunteer homeopaths in “Provings” according to strict guidelines. This information along with clinical experience is gathered in books called “Materia Medica,” which is used by homeopaths to accurately select remedies for people, according to the symptoms a person exhibits.
9. Complementary medicine
Consider homeopathy for acute as well as long-standing conditions to build health and resilience –from the flu, coughs and croup to allergies, anxiety, PMS, menstrual irregularities, inflammation, pain, and to spur on healing for injuries–however it should never replace good conventional medical care.
10. Increased vitality, improved resilience long term
In classical homeopathy, the ultimate goal is better long term health, increased vitality and improved resilience, requiring less rather than more treatment over time. In 2011, the Swiss government agreed, publishing a report on alternative medicine in which it stated that homeopathy is not only effective, but also cost effective.
If your interest has been piqued, you can go to Louise Mclean’s version, which has 101 Facts on Homeopathy!