History of Homeopathy

The history of homeopathy dates to 18th century Europe. Samuel Hahnemann, a German medical doctor and researcher, theorized that a sick person may be treated by a drug that produces symptoms of the sickness in a healthy person; his "let likes cure likes" method of treatment.

Hahnemann's methods were considered successful in combating two diseases that plagued Europeans of his era -- typhus and cholera -- and he gained a wide following. He also gained skeptics, namely other doctors who found his theories lacking in logic.

Hahnemann's success with contagious diseases was due likely to his emphasis on preventative treatments and decontamination rather than his "like cures like" theory. Also, Hahnemann practiced medicine during its scientific infancy, where doctors treated patients with leeches and other barbaric methods. By comparison, Hahnemann's methods appeared wise and humane.

The doctor's treatments used diluted doses of drugs and chemicals that we now call "active ingredients." Hahnemann believed these diluted medicines would activate therapeutic properties and prevent side effects. Other physicians believed these drugs were placebos, and modern science has proved them correct.

Homeopathy in the U.S.

Despite opposition from much of the medical science community, homeopathy thrived in Europe and soon gained foothold in the United States. In the early 19th century, many schools opened. However, by the end of the century almost none remained. Advances in the study of chemistry and the efficacy of drugs based on the germ theory made mainstream medicine more appealing.

In 1938, a homeopath and New York Senator, Royal Copeland, sponsored a bill that would recognize homeopathic remedies as drugs. The bill also excluded these remedies from certain regulations that governed the manufacture other drugs. Among these were the remedies' exclusion from finished product testing and a requirement to make an application to the Food and Drug Administration. The homeopathic remedy industry became self-regulating.

Homeopathy's resurgence

It was not until the 1970s that homeopathy regained popularity in treatment of sickness. The counterculture movement of the late 1960s brought an awareness of alternative medicines. Immigrants into Western countries from India and China brought traditional treatments that intrigued people weary of expensive and caustic pharmaceuticals.

No significant scientific studies show any efficacy of homeopathic treatments. Supporters of homeopathic medicine like Dana Ullman believe organizations like the American Medical Association and the pharmaceutical industry work hard to cripple homeopathy. Ullman also blames some practitioners he feels have abandoned the tenets set forth by Hahnemann.

Even with scientists and journalists sounding the alarm against homeopathy, the industries producing the remedies thrive. The over-the-counter remedies sell well and many American hospitals offer some homeopathic treatments on demand.

Matthias Egger, a doctor who published a study debunking the effects of homeopathic medicine, does see the benefits of homeopathy in general. Egger believes the benefits come from homeopathy's emphasis on patient-centered treatment and that the benefits to the patient are more psychological than physiological.