Homeopathy is a system of natural healthcare that has been in widespread use worldwide for over 200 years. Homeopathy specialises in uniqueness; a homeopath treats each person as an individual, with the aim of stimulating his or her own healing ability. A homeopath selects the most appropriate remedy based on the individual's specific symptoms and personal level of health.

Homeopathy was founded and developed by Samuel Hahnemann, a German physician, chemist and translator. Homeopathy is a system of healing which involves treating the individual with highly diluted substances, given mainly in tablet form, with the aim of triggering the body’s natural healing response. Based on the patient’s unique experiences of his/her symptoms, a homeopath will match the most appropriate remedy to the patient.

It is based on the principle of “like treats like” - that is, a substance that would cause symptoms in a healthy person is used to treat those same symptoms in illness. For example, one remedy that might be considered in a person suffering from insomnia is Coffea (coffee), known to cause sleeplessness.

During an in-depth case-taking process, a homeopath will build up a picture of the patient, taking into account all of their symptoms and how they experience them, before prescribing.

The manufacture of homeopathic medicines involves repeated dilution and ‘succussion’ (a specific form of vigorous shaking). The raw extracts (from plants) or triturations (from minerals and salts) are made into a 'tincture' with alcohol. This is then diluted with water and succussed many times, often to the point where we would expect there to be no molecules of the original substance left.

Science cannot yet explain the precise mechanism of action of homeopathic medicines, but clinical research has demonstrated that ultrahigh dilutions such as ‘30c’ homeopathic medicines are able to cause biological effects. For example, the hormone thyroxine prepared as a homeopathic ‘30C’ dilution can slow down the process of metamorphosis of tadpoles into frogs.

Homeopathic remedies have no toxic side effects and can be used safely alongside conventional medicines.

Homeopathy may help with anything you would normally see your GP about, including mental health conditions as well as physical illness.

Homeopathy has been in the news a great deal over the last few years. Would-be defenders of science and so-called ‘evidence-based medicine’ seem to have no problem whatsoever issuing criticisms of homeopathy which are completely and totally at variance with the actual data. The fact is that there is a great deal of hard evidence in favour of the effectiveness of homeopathic medicines.

If you want to find out more about this, have a look at some of these interesting stories:
www.homeopathy-soh.org/research/evidence
www.facultyofhomeopathy.org/research
dcscience.net/Overview-of-research.pdf
Homeopathy is more effective than placebo
Epidemic disease control in Cuba - a must read!
Extraordinary Medicine

Check out The Snooks to find out more about homeopathy

And here they are again, telling you about what happens when you first visit a homeopath