Homeopathy comes from the Greek omeos which translates as “similar” and pathos which translates as “suffering.” Therefore, homeopathy is the treatment of suffering with something similar. Conventional medicine or allopathy comes from allo or “other.” Allopathy is aimed at destroying the disease process, currently with the use of pharmaceutical drugs such as antibiotics or surgery.

The Law of Similars proposed by the founder of homeopathy Samuel Hahnemann (1755-1843), states that “like cures like”. Therefore if a particular substance causes specific side effects at high doses in a healthy individual, that same substance when highly dilute can actually relieve those same symptoms present in a sick individual. This was a radical theory at the time given that Hahnemann graduated from medical school in 1779 when blood-letting, laxatives, emetics and even mercury were the therapies of choice.

Hahnemann’s discovery of homeopathy is quite remarkable. Frustrated with the practices of modern medicine and the illness it caused, he decided to abandon medical practice. In an effort to support his family, Hahnemann worked as a chemist and a translator. While translating a book written on the use of cinchona bark (quinine) in the treatment of malaria, he was disturbed that the author had concluded that cinchona was effective in the treatment of malaria due to the bitterness of the bark. He argued that there existed many other bitter substances that did not alleviate symptoms of malaria. Performing an experiment upon himself, he ingested large doses of cinchona, only to become very ill with a similar array of symptoms as present in malaria such as fever, sweats, headache, malaise and fatigue. He concluded that cinchona caused malaria-like symptoms in a healthy individual. Hahnemann began experimentation by giving various substances to family and friends. He was assisted by other physicians who kept detailed records of the results they obtained. The administration of a substance in a healthy person and the consequent symptoms produced came to be known as a “proving.” These results as well as the results of documented poisonings were collated into volumes of information. Adhering to this idea, Hahnemann began dispensing substances to sick patients that in healthy people produced the same symptoms as those present in the ill. This provided the groundwork for what is today called classical homeopathy.

In the practice of classical homeopathy, the chosen homeopathic remedy is selected after a lengthy interview which requires the practitioner to match the patient’s constitution to the single most appropriate remedy. Homeopathy supposes that all human beings possess a vital force or that energy which manifests the inherent intelligence and wisdom that guides the body to heal itself. The vital force is that which is stimulated by homeopathic remedies. The remedies are sourced from plants, animals and minerals. Dosages are so dilute that they do not contain any of the original substance, making it unreasonable to the scientific world. Nevertheless, homeopathy has been in existence for at least 200 hundred years and continues to grow across the world.