25 Facts about Homeopathy

I thought that I'd use the fact that the Homeopathy Worked for Me facebook page is rapidly approaching 25,000 fans to inspire a few facts about homeopathy and share these here. One fact for every 1k fans of the page.

1.    Homeopathy has been used in the UK for over two hundred years.

2.    Hippocrates, acclaimed as the father of modern medicine and honoured by doctors in the ‘Hippocratic Oath’, was the first to suggest that a person’s own healing ability was vital in choosing the right cure for an ailment.

3.    The founder of modern homeopathy was the 18th century German physician, Dr Samuel Hahnemann.

4.    Hahnemann was a child prodigy: he was teaching Greek by the age of 12, and had mastered eight languages by the time he started to study medicine at the age of 20.

5.    Hahnemann was so appalled by the practices of his day that he set out to find a healing approach that was safe, gentle and effective.

6.    Hahnemann believed that rather than trying to suppress symptoms, the body should be stimulated to encourage its natural healing process.

7.    The word ‘Homeopathy’ is from the Greek homœo (meaning similar) and pathos (meaning suffering).

8.    Homeopathy was originally spelt Homœopathy.

9.    In the 1800’s practitioners and supporters of homeopathy were called ‘homœopathists’.

10.  Homeopathy is based on three principles.

11.  The first principle is ‘like cures like’. Something that in large doses creates the symptoms of a disease, will, in small doses, cure it. This is similar to the theory behind vaccines.  Aristotle (384 - 322B.C.) knew the principle as well, and wrote, “Often the simile acts upon the simile.”

12.  The second principle is extreme dilution which enhances the medicine’s healing properties and eliminates undesirable side-effects along the way.

13.  The third principle is that the whole person must be taken into consideration when choosing a remedy.

14.  Most high street chemists and whole-food shops now stock a limited range of frequently used homeopathic remedies (in the 6C or 30C potencies).

15.  A homeopathic pharmacy will make up a wide selection of homeopathic remedies available in different forms, including soft tablets, which are easier to give to children.

16.  It is suitable for children as well as adults.

17.  Homeopathy can also be used on animals under the control of a vet.

18.  Celebrities such as Paul McCartney, David Beckham, Twiggy, Caprice, Susan Hampshire, Tina Turner, Louise Jameson, Gaby Roslin, Jude Law, Sadie Frost, Nadia Sawalha, Jennifer Aniston, Jade Jagger, Roger Daltry, Annabel Croft and Meera Syal reportedly use homeopathy.

19.  The English Royal Family has been under homeopathic care since 1830 and there has always been a Royal Homeopathic Doctor.

20.  The Royal Homeopathic doctor is currently Dr Peter Fisher.

21.  Homeopathic Practitioners train for 4 years in Anatomy and Physiology, as well as Pathology and Disease, Materia Medica, Homeopathic Philosophy and study of the Homeopathic Repertory.

22.  Initial homeopathic consultations last between one and two hours and your homeopath will ask questions about your physical, mental and emotional health, lifestyle, preferences and fears. Your responses will help classify your symptoms and determine the remedy for you.

23.  In December 2009, Mintel published research on complementary medicines which showed that public interest in the UK was growing. Over-the-counter homeopathic treatments, such as arnica cream are expected to grow in sales by 29% by 2014 in addition to 23% growth 2004-2009.

24.  Almost every pharmacy in Germany and France (20,000) stocks homeopathic remedies.

25.  In India, alternative treatments, including homeopathy, are well established and integrated into the healthcare system, with 94 per cent of people saying that they have faith in alternative remedies.

It's probably apparent (and if not I'm definitely doing something wrong), my love for homeopathy. If you've experienced good effects then it would be wonderful if you'd share your story so we can help others too. The Find a Homeopath website is collecting testimonials so please pop over and fill in the simple form so we can reach further and help more people.

With big thanks,

Em

And big thanks too to Nelson's pharmacy who've compiled a wonderful list of 150 facts, many of which I've used here. Head over and read the extended version on their website.

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