Homeopathy

Gentler healing? Or watered-down deception?

Originally published in Mayo Clinic Health Letter, February 1996 I dont know how, but it works, declares a user. A scam, refutes a physician-investigator of medical quackery. The subject of their disagreement is homeopathy, an estimated $250-million-a-year business. Sold everywhere from major drugstore chains and independent pharmacies to supermarkets and mail-order houses, homeopathic remedies are claimed to cure just about anything that ails you.

Like cures like

Homeopathy is a form of alternative medicine that uses diluted preparations of natural substances, typically plants and minerals, to treat symptoms of disease. The founder of this system of healing was Samuel Hahnemann, a German physician in the late 1700s. Reacting to the largely ineffective medical procedures of his dayincluding bloodletting and purgingHahnemann sought gentler ways to heal. In one of his early experiments, Hahnemann took a strong dose of quinine, a well-known treatment for malaria. After developing symptoms similar to those the drug is supposed to relieve, Hahnemann developed his law of similars. According to this notion, if a substance causes you to develop certain symptoms when youre healthy, a small dose of the same substance can treat illnesses that cause the same symptoms. Hahnemann believed homeopathyfrom the Greek homoios (like) and pathos (suffering)--jump-starts your bodys own healing process. After testing many substances, Hahnemann and his early followers created a guidebook still used by some homeopathic practitioners.

Approaches vary
Homeopaths claim their remedies can relieve or cure colds, flu, migraine, allergies, arthritis, asthma andaccording to somevirtually any illness. During an evaluation, a classic homeopath may spend an hour or more asking questions about your physical, mental and emotional symptoms. Afterward, you may be prescribed a remedy the homeopath claims is matched to the unique and complete picture of your symptoms. Treatments for similar symptoms vary according to several factors, including age, mood, which side of your body is affectedand which practitioner you see. Becoming a homeopath entails no training standards. Some medical doctors use a few remedies in addition to their conventional practices. Chiropractors, naturopaths, acupuncturists and even self-educated consumers may also practice homeopathy. In addition, many products are sold through health-food stores, pharmacies and the mail.

Small doses, big benefits?

In addition to his law of similars, Hahnemann concocted his law of infinitesimals. The more a remedy is diluted, he believed, the stronger its effects. Vigorous shaking after each dilution makes the solution more potent. Many homeopathic remedies are so dilute you may get no more than a water and alcohol solution or a sugar pill. Many contain no molecules of the original substances. Yet many homeopaths contend even after no drug is left, the substance has left its imprint on the solution, likely through vigorous shaking.

Be savvy
Its easy to become frustrated by the limitations of conventional medicine to treat such common maladies as a cold or flu. If you have a chronic illness, you may believe any possible cure is better than none. But if you opt for homeopathy as an alternative, do so with knowledge of these drawbacks and risks: Remedies arent proven to workThe extreme dilutions that characterize homeopathic approaches defy basic principles of science and physiology. Results from a few studies suggesting efficacy have either been poorly designed or lack confirmation. Because they arent proven, homeopathic remedies arent covered by most insurance companies.

Products arent regulated like other drugsThe Food and Drug Administration (FDA) doesnt require that homeopathic preparations meet the same standards of safety and efficacy as other drugs. FDA has permitted marketing of remedies for some illnesses that require a physicians care. The agency also has allowed products to bear claims of effectiveness for which no evidence exists. Last year, scientists, attorneys, consumer advocates and other prominent critics of quackery petitioned the FDA to ban homeopathic products unless the products can be proven effective.

You may get sickerUsing a homeopathic remedy for a minor problem that eventually clears on its own is more damaging to your wallet than your health. But using one to treat a serious or chronic condition, such as a bladder infection or cancer, in lieu of a proven approach can threaten your life.