What is homeopathy?

Homeopathy is one of the best-known healing methods and is used worldwide. It differs fundamentally from conventional medicine, especially in the way it looks at 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.

Patients value homeopathy for many reasons: detailed diagnostic discussions (anamnesis), gentle treatment methods that are well tolerated, and low costs for the medication all play a role. The detailed contact between doctor and patient creates trust.

Homeopathic treatment can be used for many illnesses and for people of all ages. However, it must be used responsibly: doctors must have precise knowledge of the limits of homeopathy and, if necessary, recommend conventional medical treatment.

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.

Through self-experimentation and observation of his patients, he discovered that medicines and poisons in highly diluted form can cure the illnesses that were caused by them in high doses. 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.

For example, the remedy Belladonna is extracted from the deadly nightshade (lat. Atropa Belladonna) and is used to treat fever. Poisoning with the deadly nightshade, on the other hand, results in severe bouts of fever. 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.

Homeopathy was received much more critically in Germany and other European countries. Skeptical scientists demanded proof of its effectiveness. As a result of the rejection by doctors, homeopathy was practiced by so-called lay healers, who often lacked medical training.

It was not until the 1990s that the perception of homeopathy changed thanks to the efforts of the Karl and Veronica Carstens Foundation. Homeopathy is now taught at some universities and is still being researched very intensively. Very well-trained therapists treat patients homeopathically. Patients can sometimes successfully treat simpler illnesses themselves. In the absence of more detailed medical evidence, the explanatory model of the principle of similarity is still considered to be the mode of action of homeopathy. The effectiveness of homeopathy has now been proven beyond doubt in recent studies and has been scientifically documented. The suspected pure placebo effect has been refuted.

The positive effect of homeopathy has been proven in many observed illnesses. These include allergic rhinitis (hay fever), diarrhoea (childhood diarrhea), ADHD (attention deficit disorder) and ileus (postoperative intestinal obstruction). The treatment successes here can keep up with those of conventional medicine.

These results largely correspond to those of the last 200 years that Hahnemann's followers and their patients have achieved time and again. It is undisputed that homeopathy, when used correctly and responsibly, makes a major contribution to the health of individuals. It also enriches and relieves the current health system. Homeopathy can bring about improvement and healing in many acute and chronic illnesses, and is usually better tolerated than conventional therapies.