Can someone tell me the benefits and/or downfalls to homeopathy? Any info is appreciated!?Homeopathy is a method of medical treatment designed to stimulate the body鈥檚 own healing processes in order to cure illnesses. It is based upon the discovery that a substance in small doses may alleviate symptoms similar to those it causes at higher doses. The phrase 鈥渓ikes are cured by likes鈥?is often used to describe a basic concept behind homeopathy. Thus, the two cornerstones of homeopathy are that 鈥渓ikes are cured by likes,鈥?and that the remedies are properly diluted to eliminate or minimize their toxic effects. The remedies are used to treat conditions such as allergies, coughs, colds, flu, stress, arthritis pain, muscle pain, and teething.
Homeopathic products are therapeutically active micro-doses of mineral, botanical, and biological substances. They are designed to work with the body鈥檚 defense mechanisms and facilitate the body鈥檚 elimination of toxic substances. When used in combination formulations they can be utilized by physicians to treat specific indications. Combination homeopathic products are easy to understand and use for health care practitioners trained within the conventional medical paradigm, as well as those trained in complementary and alternative medicine.
The science of homeopathy was developed by the German physician and chemist, Dr. Samuel Hahnemann, in the early 1800鈥檚. Through numerous homeopathic experiments called "provings", he furthered the theory that 鈥渓ikes are cured by likes.鈥?Dr. Hahnemann then determined that the effects of the remedies he tested on himself were too toxic at the conventional dosage level. He found that when a remedy is properly diluted, healing is achieved without toxic reactions or severe side effects.
Homeopathy was brought to the United States (beginning in 1825) by several doctors who had studied in Europe. They, in turn, converted other doctors to homeopathic practice. Slowly schools were established, and a medical organization was formed. By the mid-1800's, several medical colleges existed that taught homeopathy, including the New England Female Medical College, the first medical school in the U.S. to admit women.
The manufacture and sale of homeopathic medicines is regulated by the Food and Drug Administration. The Homeopathic Pharmacopoeia of the United States was written into federal law in 1938 under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, making the manufacture and sale of homeopathic medicines legal in this country. Most are available without a prescription.
Laws about the practice of homeopathy vary from state to state. Usually it is practiced legally by those whose license entitles them to practice medicine in their state. Health freedom laws in a growing number of states allow the practice of homeopathy by non-licensed professionals as well. Since homeopathic remedies are sold over the counter, people in all states are free to use them for self-care at home.
How does the concept of homeopathy differ from that of conventional medicine? Homeopathy attempts to stimulate the body to recover itself. Instead of seeing the symptoms of illness as something wrong which must be set right, homeopaths see them as signs of the way the body is attempting to help itself. Instead of trying to stop a cough with suppressants, as conventional medicine does, a homeopath will give a remedy that will cause a cough in a healthy person, and thus stimulate the ill body to restore itself.
In conventional medical thought, health is seen simply as the absence of disease. You assume that you are healthy if there is nothing wrong with you. To a person versed in homeopathy, health is much more than that. A healthy person is a person who is free on all levels: physical, emotional, and mental. The homeopath recognizes any limitations at each level of freedom and attempts, through the use of the properly selected remedies, to restore the person to health and freedom.
Another important basic difference exists between conventional medical therapy and homeopathy. In conventional therapy, the aim often is to control the illness through regular use of medical substances, even if the medication is nothing more than vitamins. If the medication is withdrawn, however, the person returns to illness. There has been no cure. A person who takes a pill for high blood pressure every day is not undergoing a cure but is only controlling the symptoms. Homeopathy's aim is the cure: "The complete restoration of perfect health," as Dr. Samuel Hahneman said. Benefits:
-People who really don't need medical treatment don't harass real doctors.
-Companies selling placebos get to maintain large profits and employ many people.
Problems:
-People in need of medical treatment may forgo it in favor of quackery.
-People who don't have the money to afford real doctors become the victim of scam artists. The benefits are that it will probably do no harm because they basically prescribe placebo treatments
The downfall is that it will probably do no good, and if you actually have a real medical condition, you may delay getting appropriate treatment. You will also spend a lot of money on useless treatments.
Homeopathy is pseudoscientific nonsense. It was created in the 18th century at a time before modern medicine had developed...so compared to bleeding and purging, it was probably much safer. However it's 2 main philosophies (like cures like, and diluting things makes them more powerful) are completely unproven and scientifically implausible. They haven't changed their ideas in 200 years, during a time when we've had major advances in science based medicine (the germ theory of disease, knowledge of biochemistry, physiology and anatomy, the dawn of the antibiotic era just to name a few things that have saved millions of lives.
No high quality large study, and there have been several very large trials in recent years, has ever shown homeopathy to be superior to standard care, and it is usually equivalent to the placebo response. The main downfalls are that it doesn't work, it won't cure you and you'll probably feel pretty stupid having wasted your money. A homeopathic treatment contains no active ingredients, so essentially you are paying for a bottle of water or a lactose tablet.
The homeopath may also give dangerous advice such as advising against vaccinations or may promote homeopathy for serious conditions. A homeopath is very poorly educated and has no understanding of pharmacology or anatomy, so if your symptoms are of something more serious they won't recognise it.
The only plus for a suggestible customer/victim is that he/she may benefit from a placebo effect in disorders which the body fixes itself anyway.
The best thing for medical doctors is that it keeps some patients with difficult to treat non-life-threatening conditions (CFS, "nerves" etc) happy - as well keeping attention seekers and hypochondriacs out of their surgeries.
Hope this helped. You will usually find more cures in Holistic medicine. Some main stream pill pushers dont even believe can be cures.
Far less side effects in natural medicine over man made drugs. Man made drugs have their place but only about 1/10th the place they are used.
Main stream doctors aren't schooled or have the time to really find the cause of someone's ailment. They just throw pills at the problem as they are taught by the drug companies. Well, homeopathy in and of itself has a lot of benefits when it's used properly... it basically helps the body heal itself, which is why there are basically no side effects.
The only real downfalls is that there aren't a lot of good homeopathic doctors in a lot of areas (I know some people that drive over an hour to get to their homeopath), there are a lot of skeptics out there that say it doesn't work at all, and most homeopathic doctors are more expensive than "regular MDs" and aren't often covered by insurance. Most people that have found good homeopathic doctors feel that it's well worth it, though.
Do the research into finding a good doctor and you'll be very happy with the outcome. Good luck! |
