Homeopathy

Homeopathy is a holistic healing method developed by the German physician and chemist Samuel Hahnemann (1755 - 1843). It is a bioenergetic treatment method; that is, it is not the ingested substance itself that is responsible for the effect, but its "information."

In homeopathy it is assumed that symptoms of illness are not the illness itself, but merely a reaction to disruptive causes that the body is battling. Homoeopathy therefore does not try to suppress the symptoms, but rather to stimulate the self-healing powers of the body and therefore automatically restore the balance of the body and health. Homoeopathy only works where the body's own regulation is still intact and where there is a fundamental ability to self-heal.

The principle of similarity

Homeopathy follows the principle of similarity; that is, similar things are treated with similar things. This means that the drug administered in high doses causes similar symptoms as the disease itself. Homeopathic preparations are based on substances from animals, plants or minerals, which are diluted and shaken (potentiated) according to certain rules. The higher the potency, the more effective the homeopathic remedy is. Homeopathy follows a holistic approach in which physical and mental characteristics are used to select the right remedy.

Hahnemann's Discovery

In 1790, Dr. Hahnemann carried out a self-experiment with cinchona bark, a common remedy for malaria at the time. He discovered that although he did not suffer from malaria, regular drinking of a quinine bark concoction caused the symptoms typical of malaria patients.

He concluded that although the cinchona bark improved the symptoms of malaria, too-strong doses brought on the exact symptoms of malaria.

He then tested other substances, which also produced a similar picture. Dr. Hahnemann then generalized these findings to his principle of similarity. He carefully recorded his findings and thus provided the basis for a clinical overview of what's typical for respective substances and which is still the basis of homeopathic treatment today.