Fact Sheet on Homeopathy

by: Caroline Walrad Ph.D., CN

Homeopathy is a 200 year old system of medicine based on the principles of similars; that is, a substance which can cause certain symptoms in a healthy person can cure a sick person with similar symptoms. Orthodox medicine incorporates this principle in its use of vaccinations and allergy treatments.

Homeopathy regards symptoms as the body’s attempt to fight illness and restore health. Homeopathic medicines act to simulate, not suppress, this reaction.

• According to a study published in the January 28, 1993 New England Journal of Medicine, one percent of Americans used homeopathy in 1990; based on data from the study, it is estimated that 4.8 million visits were made to homeopathic practitioners that year. A TIME/CNN poll conducted in October 1991 found that three percent of the 500 surveyed had consulted a homeopathic physician.
• The number of homeopathic practitioners in the U.S. has increased from fewer than 200 in the 1970s to approximately 3,000 at present.
• A survey of family physicians in the Chesapeake region, published in the Sept./Oct. 1995 Journal of the American Board of Family Practice, found that 27 percent of respondents considered homeopathy a legitimate medical practice and 69 percent were interested in homeopathic training.
• Homeopathy is practiced by medical doctors, osteopaths, and other health-care providers, such as naturopathic physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, dentists, veterinarians, chiropractors, licensed acupuncturists, and podiatrists. Licensing requirements vary by state and profession.
• Homeopathic medicines are prepared in accordance with the Homeopathic Pharmacopcia of the United States (HPUS) and are recognized by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as drugs. There are 1300 medicines catalogued in the HPUS – 75 percent are made from plants, the rest are from minerals or animal sources. Because of the small doses used, the medicines are non-toxic and considered very safe. Approximately 95 percent of homeopathic medicines are available over-the-counter (OTC).
• An article in the February 9, 1991 British Medical Journal reviewed 107 controlled clinical trials of homeopathy; of the 22 best-quality studies, 15 showed positive results in conditions such as hay fever, influenza, migraine headache, trauma, and duration of labor. A study in the May 1994 Pediatrics, the journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics, showed homeopathy effective in the treatment of childhood diarrhea. A study in the Dec. 10, 1994 issue of the British medical journal, The Lancet, showed homeopathically prepared medicines effective in the treatment of allergic asthma.
• The National Institutes of Health Office of Alternative Medicine has funded two grants for research in homeopathy, including a clinical trial on the homeopathic treatment of mild traumatic brain injury.
• In Europe, homeopathy is part of everyday health care. At present, 40 percent of Dutch, 39 percent of French, 20 percent of German, and up to 37 percent of British physicians use homeopathy. Other surveys indicate that 56 percent of the Belgian, 36 percent of the French, 34 percent of the British, 31 percent of the Dutch, 28 percent of the Danish, 15 percent of the Swedish, and 10 percent of the Italian public use homeopathy.
• Homeopathy is fully reimbursable under the French social security system, the German national health insurance system, and the British National Health Service.
• In France, where homeopathy is widely practiced, total costs for homeopathic physicians are 42 percent lower per year than for conventional physicians and pharmacy prescriptions cost 48 percent less (CNAMTS 1993).

This information was provided by:
NATURAL CENTER FOR HOMEOPATHY
801 North Fairfax Street, Suite 306
 Alexandria, Virginia 22314
(703) 548-7790

Dr. Caroline Walrad, Ph.D. offers customized education in holistic concepts.  Contact her for more information on this and other homeopathic topics