Homeophaty

We always hear about homeophaty as a natural medicine.
There are some reference you can read :

Homeopathy is a natural, noninvasive system of medical treatment based on the theory that substances that cause certain symptoms in a healthy person can-in diluted amounts-cure those symptoms in an unhealthy person; thus we get the name homeopathy: homeo for similar, pathy for disease. The logic is that the similar substance promotes healing by stimulating your body's natural healing mechanisms.

The term "homeopathy" is often incorrectly used to refer to almost any alternative approach to medicine-especially the use of herbal and other natural remedies. The practice does, however, share much in common with other alternative health care modalities. For instance, homeopathy takes a holistic approach to health: It focuses on the whole person, not solely on the condition. Homeopathy is designed to help the body heal itself-not to suppress or control symptoms. In conventional-or allopathic-medicine, the aim often is to control illness through drugs or surgery. Homeopaths contend that this approach often fails to restore the patient to health and only suppresses symptoms. Homeopathy seeks to restore health rather than to cure illness.

Samuel Hahnemann, a German physician, founded homeopathy in the late 18th century and it came to U.S. around 1825, spread by American physicians who had studied in Europe and embraced the approach. Its popularity reached a peak in the 19th century. As allopathic medicine (term applied to the general practice of medicine today) gained prominence in the 20th century, homeopathy fell off dramatically. It's always been popular in many European and Asian countries, and it's starting to regain a following here, thanks to the current interest in alternative and complementary approaches to health care.

Several sources, including "New Choices in Natural Healing: Over 1,800 of the Best Self-Help Remedies from the World of Alternative Medicine," (Rodale Press, 1995), estimate that more than 2.5 million people seek homeopathic care annually. But since there's no single entity counting patients or practitioners, it's impossible to know an exact figure. It's also hard to gauge how many Americans use homeopathic remedies-and it's particularly difficult to determine which consumers buy the products because they are "natural" and which are making the purchase because they embrace homeopathy. But manufacturers do gauge sales, and sales of homeopathic remedies are on the rise. Retail sales for homeopathy in the U.S. are around $300 million annually and growing at about eight percent annually, according to J.P. Borneman, chairman and CEO, Standard Homeopathic Company and a member of the board of directors for the National Center for Homeopathy (NCH).

Today, there are more than 2,000 homeopathic substances on the market. Most are available without a prescription. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) classifies them as drugs: The Homeopathic Pharmacopoeia-the official listing of homeopathic remedies-was incorporated into federal law in 1938.

The FDA regulates these products, but differently than it does other drugs: There's no expiration date requirement and no limit on the percentage of alcohol they contain. And these formulas don't undergo the same scrutiny as typical pharmaceuticals. The FDA points out that safety isn't really a concern, since homeopathic drugs are so highly diluted. Nevertheless, the labels must include a list of which substances are included (and at what dilution), instructions, and an indication as to how to take the remedy.

These remedies, derived from plant, mineral and animal sources, are used to treat patients with conditions ranging from depression to diarrhea. Minute traces of a particular substance are used to stimulate your innate healing processes. A good example is nux vomica. Consumed in large quantities, nux vomica can cause nausea (it's a seed that contains strychnine). In very small, highly diluted doses, however, it is a typical homeopathic remedy for treating nausea and upset stomach.

Here's how the remedy is created: A plant extract is mixed in alcohol and/or water at a 1:100 ratio and vigorously shaken in a process called "succussion." The resulting formula would be labeled 1C. If the process is repeated with a drop of the 1C formula, it becomes 2C, and so on. The more times this is done, the more potent the remedy is believed to be. Over-the-counter homeopathic remedies are often the least diluted and the least potent. Doctors of homeopathy generally prescribe the higher potencies.

While classical homeopaths prefer to offer one remedy at a time, many of the over-the-counter homeopathic remedies are combinations of different substances.

Depending on whom you ask, you may hear that homeopathic remedies can treat an almost infinite number of conditions, including acne, arthritis, bronchial and respiratory problems (including colds and asthma), bruises, cramps, cystitis, depression, diarrhea, diabetes, digestive problems, insomnia, menstrual problems, psoriasis, stress, toothache, varicose veins-even worms. While homeopathy has many followers who are convinced of its efficacy, the scientific jury is out: More studies still need to be done. In fact, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) is doing research into the efficacy of homeopathy.

One problem is that, since the treatments are customized to the individual, it's hard to conduct the strict double-blind scientific studies that are generally done to test the validity of an allopathic treatment.

But some research does exist. A study reported in the British Medical Journal in 2000 indicates that the results are attributable to something other than simply a placebo effect. In a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of allergic rhinitis patients, the homeopathy group demonstrated significant improvement compared with the placebo group. And a study published in Lancet in 1997 concluded that subjects taking homeopathic medicines are more than twice as likely to see positive results than those taking a placebo.

Such findings have been hotly debated, and many in the scientific medical community remain skeptical (read the petition addressed to the FDA by Stephen Barrett, MD, along with the accompanying article at Quackwatch.org). On the other hand, many trained health care professionals see value in homeopathy.

http://www.healthywomen.org/healthtopics/homeopathy

another selection article :

About Homeophaty

(Note: Part of this article has been published in the HSC course for Health education, Australia.)

What is homeopathy?
Homoeopathy (=homeopathy) is an alternative method of treatment, based on the nature's Law of Cure, namely 'Like Cures Like'. The truth of this law was discovered by a German scientist Dr. Samuel Hahnemann in 1796, and has been verified experimentally and clinically for 200 years. Homoeopathy is the revolutionary, natural medical science. Homoeopathy is gentle and effective system of medicine. The remedies are prepared from natural substances to precise standards and work by stimulating the body's own healing power.

Why should homoeopathy be the choice of therapy?
Homoeopathy is highly scientific, logical, safe, quick and extremely effective method of healing. It offers long lasting to permanent cure, treating the disease from its roots, for most of the ailments. Homoeopathy is the most rational science with respect to its concepts of health, disease and cure. Homoeopathy does not treat superficially by just driving away the symptoms but heals the patient from within. Undoubtedly, homoeopathy is the medicine of future.

Homoeopathy: Holistic Medicine:
The concept of disease in homoeopathy is that disease is a total affection of mind and body, the disturbance of the whole organism. Individual organs are not the cause of illness but disturbance at the inner level (disturbance of the life force, the vital energy of the body) is the cause of illness. Therefore homoeopathy does not believe in giving different medicines for different afflicted parts of body but rather give one single constitutional remedy, which will cover the disturbance of the whole person. Homoeopathy treats the patient as a whole and not just the disease. Medical philosophy is coming more and more to the conclusion that the mere treatment of symptoms and organs can only help temporarily and that it is the healing power of the body as whole that has to be enhanced. Homoeopathy believes in holistic, totalistic and individualistic approach.

Homoeopathy: Magic of Minimum dose:
Homoeopathy has a unique approach of the method of preparation of the drugs in which the end result will contain only the 'dynamic curative power' of the drug substance, devoid of any original crude substance. By a special mode of preparation called 'potentization', over 2500 homeopathic medicines are prepared from sources such as vegetables, animal, minerals, chemicals, etc. Hence homeopathic remedies with its ultra minute dose are non-toxic, absolutely harmless and bring about SAFE AND SURE CURE. Homoeopathic remedies are dynamic agents influencing body's energy.

Homoeopathy: Ideal for Infants and Children:
Most of the children ailments like Cold, Cough, Fever, Vomiting, Diarrhea, Dysentery, Colic, Tonsillitis, Bronchitis, Asthma, Measles, Chickenpox, Mumps, Dentition problems, etc., could be very effectively and quickly treated with homoeopathy without producing any side effects whatsoever. Unlike antibiotics and other such medicines, homeopathic pills do not hamper digestion, or lower body's resistance. Neither do they cause any allergies nor cause any damage even if taken over a long period. Children, willingly ingest homoeopathic pills being sweet in taste. Indeed, homoeopathy is child-friendly! Besides, homoeopathy is effective also in temperament and behavioral problems seen commonly in children like irritability, obstinacy, temper-tantrums, fears, phobias, destructiveness; and thumb- sucking, nail biting, bed-wetting; as well as in mentally & physically backward children.

Homoeopathy: Better substitute to Antibiotics...
Homoeopathy is an effective alternate to antibiotics in infectious diseases, producing no toxic side effects and bringing about rapid recovery. Homoeopathy has definite treatment for most of the infectious disease such as Sinusitis, Tonsillitis, Bronchitis, Pneumonia, Tuberculosis, Meningitis, Otitis media (pus from ear), Gastroenteritis (vomiting-diarrhea), Dysentery, Urinary Infections, etc.

Homoeopathy offers wonder treatment for Viral infections:
Viral infections such as common cold, influenza, measles, Chickenpox, mumps, viral hepatitis (jaundice), viral meningitis etc. are very well treated with homoeopathy. Allopathic system has no curative treatment for viral diseases except infusing antibiotics under the pretext of preventing secondary bacterial infection.

Homoeopathy: Often avoids Surgery
Homoeopathy is not against surgery. Surgery is an art and science by itself. Surgery is called forth in the conditions where medicines have limited or no role, and where surgical aid, operation can cure or improve the condition. There are number of diseases which are labeled as 'surgical', where homoeopathy works curatively and can avoid surgery. Some such ailments are: Septic recurrent Tonsillitis, Piles, Fissure-in-ano, Fistula, Appendicitis (except gangrenous), Chronic ear discharge, Vocal cord nodules, Polyp in nose-ear, Kidney & Biliary (small) stones, small size Uterine Fibroid, Ovarian Cysts, Warts, Corns, etc.

Homoeopathy: Answer to Allergic diseases
In modern life infections have diminished and various allergic disorders have grown rampant. Homoeopathy offers very effective treatment in all allergic diseases such as various skin diseases like Urticaria, Eczema, Contact Dermatitis, as well as gives unbelievably miraculous results in Asthmatic Bronchitis.

Homoeopathy: Excellent for Psychosomatic ailments
The psychosomatic disorders like Migraine, Asthma, Acidity, Peptic ulcer, Allergy, Ulcerative colitis, etc. are successfully treated with homoeopathy. Homoeopathy has long recognized the psychological origin of somatic (body) symptoms. Homoeopathy always examines patient's mental make-up in all cases and remedies are given acting at the level of mind and body together, thus eradicating the disease.

Perhaps no other system of medicine has such a superb approach of tackling the mind-body disorders with definite therapeutic agents. Homoeopathic remedies are capable of influencing the state of mind. They can specifically act to alleviate emotional disturbance such as excessive anxiety, irritability, insecurity, obsessive traits, undue jealousy, suspicion (paranoid) fears, depression, neurosis etc. By relieving the emotions such as above, homeopathic remedies bring about harmonious state of health. Thus homoeopathy demonstrates the possibility of the highest goal of medicine, the therapy for the person rather than for the disease alone. Homoeopathic remedies can cure mental & emotional disturbed states.

Homoeopathic Opinion: A must...
In this scientific era of health consciousness, the time has come that for the treatment of any disease, which does not respond to any particular line of treatment, one must take a homeopathic opinion immediately. Often patients lose their early time going to one specialist to another helplessly, without permanent relief, and approach homoeopathy only when other medicines fail.

Homoeopathy: Not a last Resort
To obtain the best results and full benefits of homeopathic science, one should resort to homoeopathy in the early phase of sickness. Because of ignorance and lack of awareness in general public about the usefulness of homoeopathy in all kinds of diseases ranging from Cold to Cancer, many patients approach homoeopathy late. By this time the disease process advances to an incurable stage and homoeopathy can offer little then, to the otherwise curable disorders. However timely given homeopathic treatment could be a blessing to the ailing humanity.

Homoeopathy: A near complete system of medicine:
Homoeopathy is not limited to certain diseases but is universally applicable to all kinds of diseases. It is time, when people must be made fully aware of the benefits and the scope of homoeopathy in various day-to-day diseases. Homoeopathy should be more and more made available to the benefit of ailing persons, as it can positively help 90% of the diseases we have today.

From :

http://www.mengandung.com/homeopati/index.html