Homoeopathy is a medical science developed by Dr. Samuel Hahnemann (1755-1843), a German physician. It is based on the principle that “like cures like”. In simple words, it means that any substance, which can produce symptoms in a healthy person, can cure similar symptoms in a person who is sick. This idea is referred to as the “Law of Similar”, and was understood by Aristotle and Hippocrates and mentioned in ancient Hindu manuscripts. It was Hahnemann, however, who turned it into a science of healing.

Here are examples of this principle:

• An onion is a substance which makes your eyes water and your nose burn. If you are having an attack of hay fever with watering eyes and a burning nose, a homoeopathic remedy made from onion can relieve it.
• Poison ivy causes redness, intense itching, burning, blistering and sometimes stiff muscles. Homoeopathically it has been used for everything from herpes and burns to eczema and arthritis.
• When you are stung by a bee you feel a burning, stinging pain and the tissues surrounding the area swell up. Some relief is gained from applying cold to the area. If you had swollen tonsils with burning and stinging pain relieved by cold, a homoeopathic remedy prepared from the same source could cure.

Currently there are three thousand substances used as homoeopathic remedies to treat everything from colds and cough to arthritis and cancer.

A second principle of homoeopathy is that you should give the least amount of medicine necessary to evoke a healing response. This is called the “Minimum Dose”. We all know that normal medicines can cause side effects, leading to much suffering or even death. In an effort to prevent side effects, Hahnemann began successive dilution with agitation of his medicines, to find the point at which they would be therapeutic, but not toxic.

Homoeopathy’s Track Record

You may be wondering what kind of track record homoeopathy has for treating serious diseases. A look at the past will establish that homoeopathy has proven itself reliable and is often much more effective than conventional treatment.

The worldwide influenza epidemic of 1918 killed 22 million people worldwide and 500,000 in the U.S. The death rate was 30% or higher for those treated conventionally, while homoeopaths cured an amazing 98% of their cases!

During the Cholera and Typhus epidemics in Europe from the 1860’s to early 1900’s, people using homoeopathy had survival rates 50% or greater than those treated by conventional medicine.

In an epidemic of Typhus in Leipzig (1813), Dr. Hahnemann treated 180 cases of Typhus, losing only two patients. Mortality rates for conventional treatment were over 30%.

During the cholera epidemic of 1849 in Cincinnati, with survival rates between 40 -52%, those treated by homoeopathy had a 97% survival rate. These results were published in the local newspapers.

Prevention

Homoeopathy has also proven itself invaluable in preventing illness. In 1957 polio epidemic in Buenos Aires, the homoeopathic remedy Lathers was given to thousands of people. Not one case of polio was reported in these individuals.

In 1974 epidemic of meningococcal meningitis in Brazil, 18,640 children were given a homoeopathic remedy for prevention. Only 4 cases of meningitis occurred in these children.

In the smallpox epidemic of 1902 in Iowa, the homoeopathic remedy Variolinum was given preventively to 2,806 patients of 15 doctors. The protection rate was 97%.

Homoeopathy Today

The World Health Organization estimates that homoeopathy is used by 500 million people worldwide, making it the second most widely used medicine in the world.

In England, France, Germany and the Netherlands, homoeopathy is included in the National Health Service.

In France, 18,000 physicians prescribe homoeopathic remedies. There are seven medical schools offering post grad degrees in homoeopathy and all 23,000 pharmacies carry homoeopathic remedies.

In England, 42% of British physicians refer patients to homoeopaths. The Royal family has used used homoeopathy for three generations. There are currently five homoeopathic hospitals, and the oldest, the Royal London Homoeopathic Hospital, has been there for 100 years.

India has over 70,000 board certified homoeopathic physicians, hundreds of homoeopathic hospitals and clinics and many homoeopathic medical schools.

In Germany, 20% of Physicians prescribe homoeopathic remedies.

In the Netherlands, 45% of physicians consider homoeopathy effective.

Homoeopathy is also practiced in Vienna, Scotland, New Zealand, Australia, Canada, Russia, Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, Pakistan, Greece, and Belgium.

Well known people who have used homoeopathy

The Royal family since 1830’s. Queen Elizabeth is patron of the Royal London Homoeopathic Hospital. Mahatma Gandhi, Wm.James, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Daniel Webster, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Samuel F. Morse, John D.Rockefeller.

Gandhi: “Homoeopathy..Cures a larger percentage of cases than any other method …and is beyond all doubt safer, more economical and the most complete medical science”.