Health – Homeopath: is it just quackery?

Since its origins in the 1800s, homeopathy has been shrouded in controversy and debate. However, its history is fascinating, especially with respect to the early accomplishments – it has been recorded in medical hospitals to be the most effective treatment in epidemics such as the Spanish Flu, boasting a one per cent death rate compared to 60 per cent with orthodox treatment. While now it is currently a first choice for many medical doctors in Europe and India, it is actively opposed in many other countries around the world. Interestingly, most who oppose it have had little or no experience with it and have very little understanding about it!

Homeopathic remedies are made with minute traces of a substance (usually a toxic substance e.g. arsenic, a toxic plant etc). This undergoes many dilutions, but between each dilution succession is performed (a specific process of mixing and banging the diluted substance). Without this succession, the remedy will not have a therapeutic effect. This succession is what adds the dynamic/energetic component to the remedy.

While many are very sceptical about homeopathy, when the remedies are applied in a scientific manner they produce very clear and precise results. The placebo effect is often claimed as the only real effect, but this holds no merit. Two examples immediately invalidate the placebo effect as the reason. In organic dairy farming, the treatment of choice for mastitis (udder infection) is frequently a homeopathic remedy placed in the drinking water of the infected cow. The result of this is typically the infection clears up within 24 hours. Surely the cows are not aware that they have had a remedy and that they ‘think’ that they should get better! We successfully use homeopathy on babies with colic and teething. The improvements are often seen within an hour, and in many of these cases the youngsters are not even aware that they have had a remedy.

But there is one more feature of homeopathy that very few are aware of – that is how the remedies are tested. When a homeopathic remedy is tested, it is given to a ‘healthy’ person (person without specific illness or symptoms) under strict guidelines (one guideline being that they will not know the remedy that they are given). This is repeated every day until the person develops symptoms. These symptoms are recorded and will be consistent with others who under-go the test for the same remedy!

Why not investigate before making your mind up!