Homeopathy is a type of alternative medicine that has a long history. It was first proposed by a German physician in 1796 named Samuel Hahnemann. Its purpose is to treat certain physical ailments with the use of heavily diluted preparations that are able to cause the same symptoms as the actual condition.
Homeopathy is an alternative form of medicine that is based from the philosophy that interprets physical ailments and diseases as caused by disturbances in the life force. These disturbances in the life force are manifested as physical symptoms. Homeopathy also believes that the life or vital force can react or adapt to the external causes of the symptoms.
Homeopathy History
Homeopathy was first introduced by Samuel Hahnemann, a German physician who first proposed its practice in 1796. He first conceived of the idea while translating the medical treatise into German by Scottish physician and chemist William Cullen. It tells of the action of cinchona in malaria. Dr. Hahnemann tried the effects of Dr. Cullen’s theory and ingested the bark to determine if it does can cure a fever through its effect of strengthening the stomach. The bark did result in Dr. Hahnemann experiencing fever, joint pain and shivering, the typical symptoms displayed by those who suffer from malaria. But he also noticed that he only experienced few stomach symptoms.
Through his own experience, Dr. Hahnemann theorized that medications used to treat certain diseases produce similar symptoms when taken by healthy individuals. This eventually became the Law of Similars that became the main basis for the practice of homeopathy. It was also Dr. Hahnemann who eventually coined the term “homeopathy” that was first used in a series of printed articles that Dr. Hahnemann wrote in 1807.
Dr. Hahnemann then went on to test out other substances and what possible symptoms they may produce in humans. This procedure eventually became known as homeopathic proving which involved testing the substances on healthy humans. It was a time consuming process that involved listing all the symptoms experienced by the test subjects and the other conditions that may appear. The exhaustive list became the basis where Dr. Hahnemann then identified substances ideal for treating particular diseases based on the symptoms that they are able to cause on the healthy subjects.
Dr. Hahnemann also believed that large doses of the substances tat would cause the same symptoms may also possibly aggravate the disease or illness. He went on to advocate diluting the substances in minute amounts. He developed a process or method in making dilutions that can still preserve the therapeutic effects of the substances. The extreme dilutions was also believed to help remove the harmful effects of the substances while yet maintaining its beneficial effects.
This in turn became the Principle of Minimum Dose, another principle widely used in the practice of homeopathy. There were other principles developed that came to be the basis for the progress of homeopathy. It eventually gained quite a following among other people looking for an alternative means to treat certain conditions.