What is homeopathy?

Homeopathy is a well-known alternative medical practice and is used worldwide. It differs fundamentally from evidence-based medicine in its ideas about the causes of illnesses and their treatment. Homeopathy is based on various principles that its founder, Samuel Hahnemann, recorded and formulated.

Homeopathic remedies are used to treat illnesses. However, these do not only deal with the specific criteria of the illness to be treated, but also with many different aspects of the individual personality of the patient. The type of treatment is often largely determined by the patient's personal character and living environment, while the type of illness is sometimes given even less importance. The holistic approach followed is focused on the patient as a person and aims to enable them to recover on several levels at the same time. In homeopathy, body and mind are always viewed as a unit, and the philosophy is that a person can only be healed when their soul and body are treated as a unit. This philosophy does not replace a medical diagnosis and is not an established model of action.

Patients value homeopathy for reasons including detailed diagnostic discussions (anamnesis), treatment perceived as gentle, and often low unit prices for the remedies. Detailed contact between doctor and patient can create trust. Neither that trust nor the price proves specific efficacy; good tolerability is not guaranteed for every preparation.

Homeopathic treatment is offered for many illnesses and age groups. This does not establish general efficacy or safety. Symptoms must be appropriately diagnosed; necessary evidence-based treatment must not be omitted or delayed. This is particularly important for children and serious illnesses.

The History of Homeopathy

The father of homeopathic medicine is the physician and researcher Samuel Hahnemann (1755 - 1843). He suspected that the cause of illnesses was malfunctions in the vital force as an organizing principle. He therefore began to search for therapeutic approaches that could strengthen the vital force so that the illness could ultimately be defeated.

From self-experimentation and observation of his patients, Hahnemann derived the assumption that highly diluted medicines and poisons could treat symptoms that they produce in healthy people. This laid the foundation for his teaching and he formulated the guiding principle that "like cures like". This is still known today as the principle of similars; the historical assumption is not evidence of clinical efficacy.

For example, the remedy Belladonna is extracted from deadly nightshade (Latin: Atropa belladonna) and used for fever in homeopathy; this does not establish efficacy. Poisoning with deadly nightshade can cause overheating, confusion and dangerous cardiovascular disturbances, among other effects. This new doctrine found both vehement opponents and supporters and followers. At that time, medicines were rare and the dosage was often toxic for the patient. In India, the doctrine of homeopathy was adapted and is still used in the health system today.

In Germany and other European countries, homeopathy met with controversy. Skeptical scientists demanded proof of its mode of action. Its practitioners included doctors as well as lay healers without medical training; the professional group alone neither proves nor disproves efficacy.

Research funding, for example by the Karl and Veronica Carstens Foundation, and the study of homeopathy at individual universities are not evidence of efficacy. Therapist training and reports of successful self-treatment do not replace suitable controlled studies either. The principle of similars is a teaching, not an established mechanism of action. NCCIH and EASAC do not substantiate disease-specific efficacy proven beyond doubt; the blanket claim that a placebo effect has been refuted is not justified.

For allergic rhinitis (hay fever), diarrhoea in children, ADHD (attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder) or ileus after an operation, the sources cited here do not establish that homeopathic products are equivalent to effective standard treatment. Childhood diarrhoea can cause dehydration; suspected bowel obstruction or severe postoperative bowel dysfunction requires immediate medical assessment. Homeopathy must not replace this care.

Experience reports from the last 200 years can describe personal observations, but cannot reliably exclude the natural course of illness, accompanying treatments and expectation effects. They do not establish a general healing benefit for acute or chronic illnesses, reduced pressure on the health system or generally better tolerability. Products labelled as homeopathic can also contain active ingredients and carry risks. An appropriate diagnosis, tested treatment and timely medical advice remain essential.