Health Listings

Listings for Homeopathy

The second most widely used system of medicine in the world, homeopathy, from Greek homoeo (meaning similar) and pathos (meaning suffering) is a complementary medicine that is based on the principle of similium - like cures like - which means that a substance that can cause certain symptoms in a healthy person can cure similar symptoms in an unhealthy person. The same principle is widespread in mainstream medicine, the most notable examples being antidotes and vaccines. This theory can be traced back as far as Hypocrites, 468 -377 BC, but it wasn't until the work of Samuel Hahnemann that the theory developed into a usable practice.

Hahneman (1755 - 1843) was a trained physician, but became disillusioned by the profession, due to the basic and unreliable treatments available at that time. He gave up his practice and made a living chiefly as a writer and translator, while resolving also to investigate the causes of medicine's alleged errors. He later discovered how the bark of a Peruvian tree, was effective in treating malaria. This was alledgedly because of its astringency, yet Hahnemann claimed that other astringent substances are not effective against malaria. Through self testing he claimed that the drug evoked malaria-like symptoms in himself, and concluded that it would do so in any healthy individual. This was the basis of his "like cures like" principle, more fully expressed as "that which can produce a set of symptoms in a healthy individual, can treat a sick individual who is manifesting a similar set of symptoms."

Hahneman's work was continued by James Tyler Kent in 1877-78. Kent's interest in homoeopathic medicine was prompted by his wife's serious illness, which had failed to respond to available medications. Kent's position as Professor of Anatomy at the American Medical College allowed him to observe the effects of substances in precise detail. Kent's research into homeopathy became his life's mission, and he conducted provings on some 650 materials, observing over 64,000 symptoms. Even today, Kent's is still the most widely used repertory in homeopathy.

Note that the original spelling of homeopathy was homoeopathy, and many therapists in the UK in particular prefer to use that term in describing themselves as 'homoeopaths' or their area of therapy. For this reason if you are searching for a homeopath, you may wish to try both variations of the spelling in your search phrases.