Brief History

Samuel Hahnemann is considered to be the father of homeopathy and conceived of homeopathy while translating a medical treatise by Scottish physician and chemist William Cullen into German. He was skeptical of Cullen’s explanation of cinchona bark’s mechanism of action in treating malaria, so he decided to test its effects by taking it himself. Upon ingesting the bark, he experienced symptoms similar to those of malaria including fever, shivering, and joint pain. From this, Hahnemann came to believe that all effective drugs produce symptoms in healthy individuals similar to those of the diseases that they are intended to treat. This later became known as the "law of similars", the most important concept of homeopathy.

The term "homeopathy" was coined by Hahnemann and first appeared in print in 1807, although he began outlining his theories of "medical similars" in a series of articles and monographs in 1796. The Law of Similars (that which makes sick shall heal) principle of homeopathy is often compared to vaccination. Vaccines introduce a small amount of the weakened virus or bacterium related to a disease into the body in order to raise the body's immune response against that disease. However, homeopathy is quite different because homeopathic remedies are extremely diluted and therefore no diseased material, biological or chemical, trace is introduced into the body.

Homeopathy in the U.S.

Homeopathy was first established in the U.S. by Dr. Hans Burch Gram in 1825, and rapidly gained popularity, partly because of the fact that conventional medicine of the time was inherently dangerous and risky. The height of its influence was the end of the 19th century where hardly any city with over 50,000 people was without a homeopathic hospital. In 1890, there were 93 regular schools, 14 of them were fully homeopathic and 8 of them were eclectic.  In 1900, there were 121 regular schools and 22 of them were homeopathic and 10 eclectic.  Also, at the turn of the century one out of five doctors was using homeopathy.  But the move toward a mechanical model of the body and of disease pushed homeopathy into the background and by 1910, only 15 colleges remained. By the late 40's, no courses in homeopathy were taught in the U.S.

The Future of Homeopathy

The World Health Organization has cited homeopathy as one of the systems of traditional medicine that should be integrated worldwide with conventional medicine in order to provide adequate global health care in the 21st century.  Homeopathy is a low-cost, nontoxic system of medicine used by hundreds of millions of people worldwide.  It is particularly effective in treating chronic illnesses that fail to respond to conventional treatment and is also a superb method of self-care for minor conditions such as the common cold and flu.  [Source: Alternative Medicine: The Definitive Guide, 2002, Burton Goldberg]

What to Expect

At Northland Holistic Health we conduct an in-depth consultation with our clients beginning with a comprehensive evaluation. If deemed appropriate, one of a wide variety of homeopathic remedies is then recommended. While some clients may feel an immediate surge of well-being, others may suddenly feel very tired and need to rest for a day or so before improvement begins to manifest – especially for those who have been under prolonged and intense stress. Sometimes the original symptoms will temporarily become worse, or clients may experience a brief awareness of symptoms of illnesses they have had in the past and from which they have not truly recovered. All these reactions are indications that the remedy is working and that a process of self-healing has begun. These responses can be quite subtle and pass unnoticed, while at other times they can be quite marked. Homeopathy remedies are generally not taken over an extended period of time and, in fact, oftentimes if the right remedy is identified only one dose is required.

Resources

Sources

Frederick Karst, Homeopathy In Illinois, Caduceus, 4:2, 1988, pp.1-33; p.5
Charles S Cameron, Homeopathy in Retrospect, Trans. Stud. Coll. Phys. Philadelp., 27, 1959, 28-33; p.30

The Family Guide to Homeopathy: Symptoms and Natural Solutions, Andrew Lockie, New York: Prentice Hall, 1993.

Homeopathy, Healing, and You, Vinton McCabe, New York: St. Martin’s Griffin, 1997

The Homeopathic Workshop, Trevor Cook, Ph.D., D.I.Hom. London: Crow Wood Press, 2000