History of Homeopathy

Holistic wellness for the mind, body, and soul.

Homeopathy was originated by Samuel Hahnemann, a German doctor, in 1810. Hahnemann hypothesized that if a medicine produced the effects of an illness in an otherwise healthy person, proper doses of that same medicine would treat a person suffering from said illness. This became the basic principle behind Homeopathy; give medicine to an otherwise healthy person that produces the effects of an illness but that in proper doses that same medicine given to a sick person can treat that illness. This notion is commonly referred to as the principle of similars. If you’ve heard the phrase ‘like cures like’ then you have run across the backbone of homeopathy. Samuel Hahnemann wrote three major publications that discussed homeopathy and disease: Organon of Medicine (1810), Materia Medica Pura (1821), and Chronic Diseases (1828). Each of these texts was written for a professional physician audience.

Homeopathy is considered a holistic medicinal discipline that focuses on consulting with the patient about their overall health and wellness and is not narrowly confined to the treatment of a single ailment. The treatment path is selected based on the entirety of the patient’s history, health, and wellness.

Homeopathic drugs are given only in doses that will produce light symptoms of the medical ailment being treated. The medical preparations in homeopathy are prepared for therapeutic efficacy. Samuel Hahnemann’s concept set the groundwork for homeopathic medicine.

Modern homeopaths promote healing with homeopathic medicines that are gentle but effective. In homeopathic medicine, treatment is administered for acute and chronic illnesses.

The American Institute of Homeopathy was founded in 1844 to develop and promote a delivery system for pharmaceutical information for physicians who practice Homeopathy. Homeopathic Medicine has been officially recognized under the 1938 Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, the Social Security Amendments of 1965, and the 1987 FDA Compliance Policy Guidelines. In 2016, the Swiss government officially recognized homeopathy as having equal standing with conventional medicine.

Homeopathy is now used by over 500 million people and tens of thousands of physicians worldwide.