Does Homeopathy Work?

There are several examples of practices that does not really fit into what is known as orthodox or allopathic Medicine. The accurate term that is used to refer to them is Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM), and these category includes acupuncture, herbalism, osteopathy and chiropractic, as well as homeopathy. This last one has existed since 1796 and from then on, many people all around the world, including scientists and physicians, have supported it but this practice has also been severely questioned regarding its efficacy and safety.

The origins of Homeopathy

The principles of homeopathy were developed by Samuel Hahnemann, a German doctor who did not agree with how physicians of that time were approaching patient treatment, specially with practices such as bloodletting. He decided then to give up his practice and worked as a medical writer and translator. One day, when translating a medical document he found information on the effect of cinchona bark, a medicinal plant native of South America, that was being used as a treatment for malaria. Hahnemann started taken cinchona and realized that after a few days of treatment he showed similar symptoms as those seen in malaria patients.

With this, Hahnemann indicated that a disease can be cured by a substance that causes the same or very similar symptoms to the disease in question. But how would he prescribe a toxic remedy and expect to cause no harm? 

Homeopathy as we know it

Soon, Hahnemann further developed his theories and established the well-known “potentiation”concept. What is this exactly? Well, toxic substances could obviously cause severe effects on patients, so Hahnemann thought they had to be diluted in order to reduce their toxicity but still exert a curative effect.

To give you an idea, the dilutions that Hahnemann used and are still given to patients nowadays are comparable to adding one gram of salt into more than 1 centillion milliliters of water... Impressive right? According to Hahnemann, even at those very low concentrations, the active components of homeopathic remedies could be reactivated by simply thoroughly shaking the solution.

See Also: Homeopathy

Nowadays, homeopathy is a very common practice all over the world, however, it has always been questioned to the extent of stating that homeopathy effects, if any, are more likely to be placebo effects.

These questioning towards effectiveness and safety of homeopathy is grounded on the extreme dilutions homeopaths use, but also on the lack of clinical evidence confirming that homeopathy actually works, the poor quality of the trials already conducted and the fact that some homeopaths claim that this practice can't really be studied as orthodox medical treatments are. 

The Effects Of Certain Homeopathic Treatments

Does homeopathy work, then? Or is it just another way people have found to make money? In order to tell if homeopathy works, we should have evidence indicating the effects of a certain homeopathic treatment. Several clinical trials have been carried out to determine both the efficacy and safety of homeopathy, but unfortunately, the evidence that has been gathered until today is not conclusive.

Homeopathic treatments should be assessed differently, so homeopaths say

Homeopaths argue that since this practice is not a conventional one, it can’t be evaluated as an allopathic treatment; others have gathered information taken from trials that indicate that homeopathy does have an effect on disease, comparable to allopathic medications. Nevertheless, almost every trial lacks of correct design and data analysis, so results taken from them can't be relied on. 

The first concept that is difficult to believe is the use of extreme dilutions of the curative substances that homeopaths use to treat a certain illness. There are studies that use analytical techniques that have identified the presence of particles in homeopathic remedies. However, chemists believe that even when the presence of particles can be demonstrated, this does not mean that they are still active and useful at such small amounts.

The placebo effect

Why are there so many cases of successful homeopathic treatments then? This may be due to a placebo effect exerted by the treatment as a whole. If you have been to a homeopath, you would have noticed that the way homeopaths approach a patient is rather different to the way conventional physicians do. 

Holistic approach is the term used for this kind of treatment, which focuses on the patient as a whole and not just as a set of clinical signs and symptoms.  

By taking this holistic methodology, so to speak, the homeopath engages the patient's emotions and feelings, which can reduce stress levels that may be affecting the patient's physiology. 

I certainly aplaude these side of homeopathy. I don't think that we, as humans, can separate our emotional side from our anatomical and physiological components. Our emotions certainly affect the way our body responds to diseases, and feeling blue can certainly cause stress in our body systems and make it more prone to certain illnesses.

What I don't approve is the way homeopathy is sold to patients. I know people that uses alternative treatments to complement the one that was prescribed by a physician. However, certain homeopaths may suggest patients to completely forget about conventional medications and use homeopathy to cure whatever disease they suffer from. This could pose a very delicate ethical issue: 

See Also: Does It Make Sense To Treat Cancer With Homeopathy?

From my point of view, there is still evidence required to establish the efficacy and the safety of homeopathy. Until then, I firmly believe that this practice has no strong grounds to be used on people, but I understand why someone would prefer it over conventional Medicine. My only advice to you is to read about it and gather as much information as you need, before choosing an alternative option to treat your illness.