Homeopathy - A Real Alternative Or Quack Medicine

Health care can be an emotive subject to some, especially in regard to alternative medicine such as homeopathic health. Long blasted as ‘cooky’ or ‘quack medicine,’ homeopathy is quickly becoming the ‘in’ treatment; a ‘new’ alternative health care system being tried out by busy businessmen and bored housewives alike. In itself this view of homeopathy as a new alternative health care is rather cooky itself, as homeopathic treatment has been in use for thousands of years.

Of course, what proponents of homeopathy often fail to mention is that while it has been used for thousands of years, one of the reasons that modern medicines are much more popular in the western world is due to the effectiveness of modern drugs. This said, many are finding surprisingly positive results from homeopathy for everything from life threatening illnesses to the common cold.

Homeopathic treatment relies on three basic principles:

• In homeopathy, like treats like. So, instead of being treated for an illness or disease a doctor thinks you may have, homeopathic health treatment is proscribed for the symptoms you know you have.

• Homeopathic treatment is single. You do not have different treatments for the same thing – a big change from the plethora of mixed drugs often handed out by a doctor in more mainstream health care clinics.

• In homeopathy, everything is given in extremely small doses.

What this means is that if you wish to treat yourself homeopathically, you must identify all the symptoms. When this is done, you find a substance that causes the exact same set of symptoms and take a tiny amount of it.

Homeopathic treatment works on the principle that because you are only taking a very small amount, the substance you use for treatment doesn’t harm you, it instead cures you; long term or even permanently. This philosophy may be why homeopathy was classed as quack medicine.

As a layman writing this, quack medicine or not I find the logic of homeopathy rather obscure. I must admit I would always be more inclined to see my main stream health care doctor first (and advise the same to everyone else). However, treating symptoms with something that causes the same symptoms is apparently a concept that’s also used in modern medicine. Though I again admit that apart from inoculations providing a very mild dose of vaccine, I have not heard or seen this principle in use by mainstream physicians.

Is it Safe?

My own doubts aside, many not only considered alternative medicine such as homeopathy effective, but believe such treatment to have many benefits over modern mainstream health care medicine. Most homeopathic treatments are totally natural and, while this doesn’t necessarily make them safe, many perceive ‘natural’ remedies cause fewer side effects, have fewer drug interactions, and are generally better for your overall health. If the right treatment is found, homeopathy is considered very effective. The big problem is that just like the thousands of prescription medicines available, there are also thousands of homeopathic remedies, and if you don’t pick the right one, it won’t work. 

Another thing to remember is that although you can buy homeopathic remedies over the counter, this does not mean they are 100% safe for you to use. Before trying any medicine you should always speak to your own doctor or qualified health worker.

Homeopathic treatment may be still thought of as quack medicine by some, but many are now considering homeopathic treatment as a real alternative to mainstream health care medical treatment. Are you one of them?