What is Homeopathy?

Though many people have heard the term “homeopathy,” most confuse it with the use of herbs or think it is some kind of catchall term for holistic medicine.

Homeopathy is a very distinct and complete system of medicine developed in the 1800s by Dr. Samuel Hahnemann.  It focuses on the person with the disease rather than the disease itself. Treatment is with remedies created from plants, minerals and animals.  These are diluted with water until only the energy of the original substance is left.

This concept that substances can leave energy behind even when they are no longer present causes much doubt, skepticism, and even anger in medical and scientific fields. In fact, the American Medical Association (AMA) formed in 1847 specifically to discredit homeopathy.  Ignorance and prejudice among doctors continues to this day. As recently as November, 2009, the authors of an article published in the American Journal of Medicine state “We should start from the premise that homeopathy cannot work.”

Of all alternative medicines, homeopathy is the one that is most stigmatized. And yet, it also holds the most promise. Perhaps that makes it the most threatening.

–Amy Lansky, PhD author of Impossible Cure: The Promise of Homeopathy