The principles of homeopathy

There are four important principles associated with the practice of homeopathy:

1. Like cures like. Hahnemann believed that, in order to cure disease, one must seek medicines that can excite similar symptoms in the healthy human body. This idea is summarised in the Latin phrase similia similibus curentur, often translated as ‘let like be treated with like’. Thus a medicine such as Coffea tosta, made from toasted coffee beans, might be used to treat insomnia.
2. Minimal dose. When Hahnemann carried out his original work he gave substantial doses of medicine to his patients, in keeping with contemporary practice. This often resulted in major toxic reactions; fatalities were not uncommon. He experimented to try to dilute out the unwanted toxicity, while at the same time maintaining a therapeutic effect. Hahnemann found that, as the medicines were serially diluted, with vigorous shaking at each stage, they appeared to become more potent therapeutically. To reflect this effect he called the process potentisation. The potentisation process is described in detail belowS
3. Single medicine. Hahnemann believed that one should use a single medicine to treat a condition. Provings in all materia medicas relate to single medicines and there is no way of knowing whether or how individual medicine drug pictures are modified by combination with other ingredients. In later life Hahnemann did use mixtures of two or three medicines, and there are a limited number of such mixtures still used today, including Arsen iod, Gelsemium and Eupatorium perf (AGE for colds and flu), and Aconite, Belladonna and Chamomilla (ABC for teething). There is a growing tendency for the major manufacturers to combine mixtures of medicines and potencies in one product. These are known as complexes (see Chapter 3).
4. Whole patient. The holistic approach to treatment, in which all aspects of a patient’s wellbeing are considered, not just local symptoms in isolation (see below).