Is Homeopathy Effective Or Is It Due To The Placebo Effect?

Homeopathy is a form of alternative medicine, which is based on treating the individual with highly diluted substances which triggers the body’s natural system of healing.

Homeopathic medicine was first proposed by German physician Samuel Hahnemann in 1796, which works on the principle of "like cures like" - i.e. a substance that causes the symptoms in a healthy individual is used to cure the same symptoms in illness. If, for example, an individual is biten by a poisonous snake, the cure for the poisonous snake bite will be derived from snake venum in a highly diluted form.

In the UK, the House of Lords’ Select Committee on Science & Technology regarded homeopathy as having “an individual diagnostic approach” along with osteopathy, chiropractic, herbal medicine and acupuncture.

Homeopathic medicine is prepared using a process of dilution called 'succession'. In the first stage of the process, one part of the homeopathic substance is diluted in 99 parts of water and then shaken firmly 10 times. This is a 1C dilution.

Then 1 part of the 1C diultion is diluted in 99 parts of water and again shaken firmly 10 times to produce a 2C dilution. This process can be diluted for over 30 times (30C dilution). The final product is diluted so much that it safe to consume and the medicine tastes like water.

Homeopathic treatments

It is effective for the following treatments:

• colds, tonsillitis, cystitis


• insect and snake bites


• stress related symtoms, such as anxiety, depression and insomnia


• allergies and skin conditions


• headaches and chronic fatigue


• menopausal and menstrual problems

Many critics of homeopathy have argued that any improvements in symptoms that occur after homeopathic treatment are actually due to the placebo effect.

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Alternative therapies provide an alternative range of therapeutic treatments.
Alternative therapies include acupunsture, aromatherapy, massage therapy, meditation, reflexology.