Homeopathy (also spelled homoeopathy or homœopathy) is a form of alternative medicine, first proposed by German physician Samuel Hahnemann in 1796, in which practitioners use highly diluted preparations. Based on anipse dixitaxiom formulated by Hahnemann, which he called the law of similars, preparations which cause certain symptoms in healthy individuals are given in diluted form to patients exhibiting similar symptoms. Homeopathicremedies are prepared by serial dilution with shaking by forceful striking, which homeopaths term succussion, after each dilution under the assumption that this increases the effect. Homeopaths call this process potentization. Dilution often continues until none of the original substance remains. Apart from the symptoms, homeopaths use aspects of the patient's physical and psychological state in recommendingremedies. Homeopathic reference books known as repertories are then consulted, and a remedy is selected based on the totality of symptoms. Homeopathic remedies are, with rare exceptions, considered safethough homeopathy has been criticized for putting patients at risk due to advice against conventional medicine such as vaccinations,anti-malarial drugs, and antibiotics.
Homeopathy's efficacy beyond the placebo effect is unsupported by the collective weight of scientific and clinical evidence.While some individual studies have positive results, systematic reviews of published trials fail to demonstrate efficacy conclusively.Furthermore, higher quality trials tend to report less positive results, and most positive studies have not been replicated or show methodological problems that prevent them from being considered unambiguous evidence of homeopathy's efficacy.A 2010 inquiry into the evidence base for homeopathy conducted by the United Kingdom's House of Commons Science and Technology Committee concluded that homeopathy is no more effective than placebo.
Depending on the dilution, homeopathic remedies may not contain any pharmacologically active molecules,and for such remedies to have pharmacological effect would violate fundamental principles of science.Modern homeopaths have proposed that water has a memory that allows homeopathic preparations to work without any of the original substance; however, there are no verified observations nor scientifically plausible physical mechanisms for such a phenomenon.The lack of convincing scientific evidence supporting homeopathy's efficacyand its use of remedies lacking active ingredients have caused homeopathy to be described as pseudoscience, quackery, and a "cruel deception".
The regulation and prevalence of homeopathy is highly variable from country to country. There are no specific legal regulations concerning its use in some countries, while in others, licenses or degrees in conventional medicine from accredited universities are required. In several countries, homeopathy is covered by the national insurance coverage to different extents, while in some it is fully integrated into the national health care system. In many countries, the laws that govern the regulation and testing of conventional drugs do not apply to homeopathic remedies
Homeopathy tricks
London, Nov 15 (IANS) Homeopathy tricks you into feeling better, even if a tincture prescribed is not genuine, new research says.
Sufferers of rheumatoid arthritis who approached a homeopath experienced significant easing of joint pain, inflammation and other key markers of the disease. Yet, it made no difference whether the solution they received was a genuine homeo tincture prescribed to treat rheumatism, or a placebo, according to the journal Rheumatology.
Sarah Brien of Southampton University, who led the study, said it provided the first scientific evidence to show such benefits were 'specifically due to its unique consultation process'.
Homoeopathy is based on a theory that substances which cause symptoms in a healthy person can, when vastly diluted, cure the same problems in a sick person.
The research compared different groups of patients, who were already being given conventional medication for the disease, reports the Telegraph.
Those who had a series of five consultations with a homeopathic doctor experienced 'significant clinical benefits', whether the tincture they received was a specially prepared 'homeopathic' remedy used to treat rheumatism, or a placebo.
Patients given exactly the same remedies without the consultations did not improve.
The findings suggested that simply 'talking and listening' to patients could dramatically assist their health.
George Lewith, professor of health research from the university, said: 'This research asked the question: 'Is homeopathy about the talking, or is it about the medicine?' We found it was about the talking, and indeed about the listening.'
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