BLUFFER'S GUIDE: HOMEOPATHY

NATURAL: Highly diluted remedies

Thursday November 5,2009

By Charlotte Vowden

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WHAT IS IT?

Homeopathy is an alternative therapy that treats patients with highly diluted remedies made from plants and minerals which claim to trigger the body’s natural system of healing.

The practice was devised in the late 18th century by German physician Dr Samuel Hahnemann. He reasoned that an extremely diluted form of a substance that might cause a problem in a healthy person can cure the same symptoms in an ill person. So if a patient is suffering from insomnia they may be treated with a homeopathic remedy that contains extracts of coffee.

A trained homeopath will know when it is most effective to use homeopathic medicine, conventional medicine or both.

WHAT DOES IT PROMISE?
A non-addictive treatment thatis free from dangerous side-effects. Homeopaths believe their medicines can help any condition that the body has the potential to self-repair. It is used to treat eczema, asthma, irritable bowel syndrome and allergies.

WHAT’S INVOLVED?
Homeopathic doctors work in the same way as conventional doctors. As well as asking about your symptoms, a homeopathic doctor will be interested in you as an individual and the unique way in which your symptoms affect you. Your first appointment could take anything up to an hour and follow-up appointments typically last 30 minutes. At the end of the consultation the doctor will give you a prescription and advise how often remedies should be taken. Homeopathic medicine is usually taken in tablet form but is also availablein liquid and powder form.

CONTACT

Homeopathic treatment is available on the NHS and is also practised privately. Visit trusthomeopathy.org or call 01582 408675 for more information.

COST
For private treatment initial consultations start at around £50. Follow-up appointments are typically shorter and cost less.

DON'T FORGET THE EVIDENCE

06.11.09, 9:53am

As with all medical interventions, homeopathy stands or falls on the evidence that it works better than a placebo. Many good quality, randomized trials have been done, and not one has produced convincing evidence that homeopathy has any effect at all. (So at least the claim that there are no side-effects is supportable.)

This is not surprising, since typically homeopathic remedies are diluted to the point where not one atom of the original substance remains.

Homeopathic remedies include such bizarre preparations as 40-day old duck liver, helium, and the diluted light of the planet Saturn (I'm not making this up - check it for yourself).

• Posted by: SeanEllis • Report Comment