Homeopathy is a controversial subset of alternative medicine practices, that aims to treat "like with like." The term "homeopathy" was coined by the German physician Christian Friedrich Samuel Hahnemann (1755–1843) and first appeared in print in 1807, although he began outlining his beliefs of medical similars in a series of articles and monographs in 1796.
Homeopathic remedies are created by diluting an active ingredient in water to the point where few, if any, molecules of the substance remain in a particular "dose". According to homeopaths, the water will retain a memory of the diluted substance and the therapeutic potency of a remedy can be increased by serial dilution combined with succussion, or vigorous shaking. Homeopathy regards diseases as morbid derangements of the organism, and states that instances of disease in different people differ fundamentally.] Homeopathy views a sick person as having a dynamic disturbance in a hypothetical "vital force", a disturbance which, homeopaths claim, underlies standard medical diagnoses of named diseases.
Homeopathy is particularly popular in Europe and India, although less so in the USA,[9]. Stricter European regulations have also been implemented recently by the European Directorate for the Quality of Medicines (EDQM).
Since its inception homeopathy has received criticism on theoretical grounds, and has been subject to a number of studies aimed at testing its efficacy scientifically. The theory that extreme dilution makes drugs more powerful by enhancing their "spirit-like medicinal powers" is inconsistent with the laws of chemistry and physics and the observed dose-response relationships of conventional drugs; critics of homeopathy frequently describe it as pseudoscience and quackery. Placebo-controlled clinical trials have given some mixed results, but most of those showing positive results are found to have methodological problems, and the better-quality trials (e.g. those using double-blind techniques and large numbers of people) give negative results. Several examples of publications in high ranking journals that were later withdrawn are known. Additionally, the use of homeopathic drugs to prevent malaria infection has produced life-threatening consequences
2007-06-20 00:11:12
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answer #1
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answered by jsardi56 7
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Supposedly, if you have a headache, say because of stress,
you would be administered a drug that gives a headache effect too.
Your body would supposedly counter the drug headache symptom and that would take care of the headache produced by stress too.
No, it does not work.
2007-06-20 00:00:34
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answer #2
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answered by Galar 2
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