homeopathy, alternative medicine, homeopathic medicine, homeopathic treatment, homeopathic remedy, natural remedyHomeopathic medicine is an alternative medical system that aims to promote the body’s ability of self-healing. It stimulates the body to heal itself through very low dosages of highly diluted natural substances. More commonly known as homeopathy, the term comes from the Greek words homeo and pathos, which means similar and disease, respectively. This method was developed about three centuries ago by Samuel Christian Hahnemann, a German doctor.

Homeopathic medicine works under two principles: like cures like (the principle of similars) and law of minimum dose (principle of dilutions). According to the first principle, an ailment can be treated by a substance that causes the same symptoms in healthy people. For example, if the symptoms of cold are the same with poisoning due to mercury, then mercury will be used to cure the cold. The second principle states that the smaller dosages of a substance are, the more effective they are in treating diseases.

Homeopathic remedies involve a process called potentization in which substances are diluted one by one and shaken very well in between the dilutions. This process transfer some energy or essence from the original substance to the dilution, thus stimulating the body’s ability to heal on its own. Homeopathic remedies use substances in highly diluted forms. Usually, these are made up of one part of the substance to about 1,000,000,000,000 parts of water.
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