Whats homeopathathy?Is it quackery or legit?

Answer 1

Homeopathy is the practice and study of healing disease by treating it with natural substances that will cause the same effect as the disease. The idea is that when you then remove the substance that mimics the symptoms, the actual symptoms disappear as well. For example, if you have a burning rash on your skin, a homeopath will put a poultice of peppers on your skin. When the poultice is removed, your skin doesn't burn and itch anymore. Of course, there is a real, chemical reason for this. The active ingredient in pepper is capsicum oil. Capsicum oil dilates the blood vessels in the area, causing greater blood flow. The increased blood flow helps to remove whatever toxins are there that are giving you those symptoms.

Of course, there are some very wacky ideas that go along with this. One recently posted on Yahoo! Answers was a person trying to combat really bad body odours with sulphur. Yes, sulphur smells bad, but, it is also poisonous. That is the snake oil of homeopathy. It doesn't account for the negative side effects.

Answer 2

A rule here is : Everything in moderation. Homeopathic treatments vary widely in success. Don't trust everything you hear or read. Likewise, beware of traditional medicine as well. Not only is there a 'bell curve" for the active ingredients in a given treatment, but there is a bell curve in the population. Suppose you get the high end of the drug or homeopathic treatment into a person on the high end of the sensitivity spectrum - or the opposite ends. At least with most homeopathic treatments you are dealing with natural organic plant products with little manipulation. Still, an overdose of vitamin A whether from carrots or from a pill - can be deadly. Everything in moderation. And Caveat Emptor!

Answer 3

Hee, hee ... these guys have been around a long time. Homeopathy grew out of the quasi-scientific movements of the second half of the 1800's when medicine itself was finally becoming more scientific and "legitimate." Homeopathy is actually a long-lived fad based on many guesses at solutions to problems. In a way, homeopathy is all that survives of "medicine" as practiced from the time of Hippocrates. the ancient doctors depended on guesses, crackpot theories about what caused illness, and magic as much as any empirical evidence of treatments. Intellectual descendants of Galen today are homeopaths.

Today most societies recognize homeopathy as an 'atlernative' form of physical care. I think chiropractic, as performed by the more conservative and better-educated members of that profession, has a lot to offer - but I think homeopaths are largely kooks.

The idea here is that all sorts of "natural" concotions are the ultimate source of "cures" for everything. For the most part, the solutions those people provide are the same as asprin or hot packs on a sore muscle. some of their solutions will keep a sick person from getting effective medical treatment. The homeopathic treatment for colds, for example, in the past 2 years has been shown to be complete BS.

Homeopathy is to medicine what religion is to science. Believe it if you wish. And make sure your burial insurance is already paid up.

Answer 4

Homeopathy is the real deal. . . when you are seeing someone who is qualified. It isn't healing your body... it is making your body better so it can heal itself.
My sister and brother inlaw are seeing a very good one in Denver CO. They drive out 15 hours to see him every three months. My brotherinlaw has had asthma since he was a child. He has always been on several medications for it. He has been going to the homeopathist for at least a year now... and is no longer on any meds! He only keeps an inhaler... just to be safe. Of course, I think that some of their lifestyle changes have made a difference too. Switching to mostly organic foods, not using any chemical cleaning products in the home... only all natural substances, only using natural body cleansing products and so on. But as far as I am concerned..... they have been helped tremendously by it.

Answer 5

It seems to be legit knowing that the homeopathy is largely used in numerous countries in Europe and Asia.
In fact, Europe requires that anyone practicing homeopathy should have a physician qualification. By having this standard, the homeopathy is practiced by highly qualitfied people.

However, the US standard is really poor by not having a "strict" rule on this matter. Anyone can be an homeopath with all the bad things.

Answer 6

I don't know. I had a friend demonstrate some homeopathic remedies to me. I was mystified. They defied logic.

He was taking his son to the doctor for a long time for a problem with his ears. The doctor said the only thing left to do was surgery. He took the kid to a homeopath. 10 days later the doctor could not believe the problem was gone. Coincidence...maybe.

Wish I knew.

Answer 7

Lots of pros and cons on this issue.
Depends on who you talk to.