- Is Homeopathy Effective? Find Out What the Resear - Flickr photos by Richard Craig
Are you open to exploring alternative forms of medicine? If so, you are among a growing number of consumers who are turning to non-traditional and complementary forms of medicine to help with a variety of discomforts and other health needs. Homeopathic medicine is one of those forms of alternative medicine that has gained increasing popularity across many cultures today. Does homeopathy live up to its claims?
Homeopathy at a Glance
The founder of homeopathic medicine was German physician, Christian Friedrich Samuel Hahnemann (1755-1843). In a nutshell, he theorized that any illness could be treated by a substance that would produce the same symptoms the person exhibited. In his first book, Hahnemann stated: "To obtain a quick and lasting cure, choose for every attack of illness a substance which can produce a similar malady to the one it is to cure. . . . [L]ike cures like."
Hahnemann' experimented for years on himself, his family and his students, in an attempt to identify "cures" for various diseases. His experiments involved a complex series of mixing, shaking, cooking and stirring substances into smaller and smaller concentrations. However to date, the results of his scientific experiments from 200 years ago have never been duplicated.
Does Homeopathic Medicine Work?
One basic problem with Hahneman's theory is that the infinitely small dilutions of his homeopathic preparations do not make physiologic or scientific sense. In his 1999 article published in the American Council on Science and Health, Steven Ransom explains how small Hahneman's 6c homeopathic preparations really are and why it is difficult to conclude they could be effective. "A 12c onion "concentration" in a homeopathic pill is equivalent to that which would result if one added a single drop of onion mother tincture to a body of water the size of the Atlantic Ocean."
How then can we explain when homeopathic medicine seems to cure a person's illness? According to Ransom, the reason some folks may experience a relief to their symptoms or a cure to their illness as a result of homeopathy is simply due to a placebo effect or that the ill person would have recovered anyway. He adds, "patients in distress seldom accept nontreatment unless they believe it is treatment."
Research on Homeopathy
When looking at the research performed on homeopathy, it consistently fails to live up to Hahneman's success stories. Here is a quick summary of the most recent valid research conducted on homeopathy:
- One review of randomized-controlled trials published recently in the Cochrane Review on the effect of homepathic medicine on treating hot flashes in women with breast cancer showed that it did not have a significant benefit.
- A review on the use of homeopathy to induce labor explained that there was no current evidence from clinical trials to support the effectiveness of homeopathy, although "some women have found these remedies helpful."
- A study on the effect on homeopathic medicine on rheumatoid arthritis patients discovered that the patient consultation, not the actual medicine, showed improvements.
Homeopathic Medicine - Hoax or Helpful?
Some care providers have growing concerns that consumers who should be seeking medical care will instead rely on homeopathy. Calling its use "unethical", some medical experts have recently recommended that health care professionals should no longer recommend homeopathic medicine to their patients.
If you are considering using homeopathic medicine, you should know that there are no valid clinical trials that prove its effectiveness. (For more extensive research, go to PubMedline and search under homeopathic medicine.)
Best case scenario, homeopathic medicine may have a slight benefit for people who believe it works, also known as the "placebo effect.". Worst case, homeopathy may be one of the biggest and most profitable hoaxes in the field of alternative medicine and the use of it may prevent or delay patients from getting the help they truly need to treat their illness.
Sources:
- Ransom, S., "Homeopathy and Its Founder: Views of a British Researcher," Health Issues, ACSH, October 1999.
- Rada et. a'., "Non-hormonal interventions for hot flushes in women with breast cancer," Cochrane Database Systematic Review., September 2010.
- Hall, et al., "Complementary and alternative medicine for induction of labor" Women Birth, April 2011.
- Frass, M., "Adjunctive homeopathic treatment in patients with severe sepsis," Homeopathy, 201.
- Smith, K., "Against Homeopathy - A Utilitarian Perspective," Bioethics, Feb 2011.
- Brien, et. al., Homeopathy has clinical benefits in rheumatoid arthritis patients", Rheumatology, November 2010.
Disclaimer: The information contained in this article is for educational purposes only and should not be used for diagnosis or to guide treatment without the opinion of a health professional. Any reader who is concerned about his or her health should contact a doctor for advice.
Brenda Lane - Brenda Lane is a published author, Lamaze certified childbirth educator, DONA certified birth doula and approved birth doula trainer.
