Homeopathy

Published by Bupa's Health Information Team, July 2011.

This factsheet is for people who are planning to have homeopathy, or who would like information about it.

Homeopathy is a complementary therapy that aims to treat illnesses with preparations called remedies, which are made from plants, minerals, metals, body fluids, insects and other materials. Homeopaths believe that the remedies stimulate the body's own healing processes.

Your care will be adapted to meet your individual needs and may differ from what is described here. So it's important that you follow your homeopath's advice.

About homeopathy

The word homeopathy is a combination of two Greek words – 'homoios' from 'homos' meaning similar and 'pathos', which means suffering. Sometimes known as homoeopathy, it's often simplified to homeopathy.

How does homeopathy work?

Homeopathy was developed in Germany in the eighteenth century. It's based on the principle that 'like cures like', meaning that a substance that can cause a symptom may also be able to relieve it. Supporters of homeopathy believe that greatly diluting substances that would usually cause symptoms can strengthen the body's own healing response to it, even when the remedy is so dilute that it doesn't contain a single molecule of the active ingredient.

Homeopathic remedies are dilutions of original, mostly natural substances. Their production involves two processes – dilution and 'succussion' (a form of vigorous shaking). The raw extracts (from plants or animals) or triturations (from minerals and salts) are made into a 'tincture' with alcohol. This is then diluted with water and succussed many times.

Remedies come in different potencies depending on the number of times they are diluted. Most commonly, one drop of tincture is diluted in 100 drops of water or a water/alcohol blend – this has a potency of 1 centesimal or 1c. This process is then repeated many times, so that the original substance becomes increasingly diluted. The potency refers to the number of times this process of dilution and succussion has been repeated. Common potencies are 6c, 12c and 30c, meaning that the process has been repeated, six, 12 or 30 times. The higher the figure, the more diluted the substance.

Remedies of 12c and above don't contain any molecules of the original substance. This means that scientifically the remedy is inactive. However, homeopaths claim that diluting a remedy in this way actually makes it more effective.

The exact way that homeopathy works isn’t known but homeopaths believe that water can store information about substances with which it has been in contact. The idea is that the water which is used for dilution is imprinted with information from the original substance during the vigorous shaking that takes place during succussion, and this message carried by the water allows such ultra-high dilutions to work.

When is homeopathy used?

Homeopathy is used mainly as a complementary treatment, where it's given alongside conventional treatments. As well as tinctures, you can buy homeopathic remedies in the form of sugar-based tablets, pills, granules and powders that you dissolve in your mouth. You can also get some as creams or ointments to apply directly to your skin.

Most homeopaths claim that homeopathy is holistic and doesn't just treat the symptoms of a disease, but takes into account your mind, body and spirit. Because of this, it's used for many different disorders, including:

• allergies
• arthritis
• asthma
• chronic fatigue syndrome
• depression or anxiety
• digestive disorders
• eczema
• fibromyalgia
• hay fever
• migraine
• period problems
• vertigo

Where can I find a homeopath?

Homeopathy is practised by two separate groups.

• Medical homeopaths are medically qualified practitioners regulated by the General Medical Council. They use homeopathic techniques as part of their practice. You can search for medically qualified doctors and other healthcare professionals who practise homeopathy on the British Homeopathic Association website (see Resources).
• Non-medical homeopaths are professionals who use homeopathy only. You can check whether your homeopath belongs to a professional body on The Society of Homeopaths website – the UK's largest representative body.

Both the British Homeopathic Association and The Society of Homeopaths can offer you advice about finding a practitioner. Alternatively, your GP may be able to refer you to a homeopath.

About the treatment session

If you're considering homeopathy, it's important to visit your GP first, to help diagnose your condition and to ensure that you understand all the treatment options that may be available to you.

If you decide to try homeopathy, you will first have a detailed consultation. Your homeopath may ask you questions about your medical history, diet, lifestyle, emotional state, sleep patterns, personality and so on. He or she may also examine you. You can ask any questions you might have.

Your initial consultation with a homeopath will last about an hour. If you have any further consultations, these will be shorter than the first, as the homeopath will already have your background information.

At the end of the consultation your homeopath will give you a homeopathic remedy or a prescription for one. Your homeopath will advise you how often to take the remedy. You may only need one dose of a remedy, but if you have a chronic condition (one that lasts for a long time), you may receive treatment for many months, with several consultations and a variety of remedies.

You can choose to see a homeopath to receive your treatment, or you can buy certain homeopathic remedies, such as those used to treat minor problems like colds and headaches at pharmacies and health food shops. Ask your GP or pharmacist for advice before taking the remedy and read the patient information leaflet that comes with it.

Is homeopathy effective?

Although there is anecdotal evidence to support the use of homeopathy, there is no good quality scientific evidence to prove that it works.

The best way to test the effectiveness of a treatment is usually considered to be with randomised controlled trials, where the treatment under investigation is compared with a placebo ('dummy') treatment. Several studies have been carried out comparing homeopathy with placebo on a variety of diseases and conditions. However, those studies considered to be of good enough quality show that homeopathy is, at best, no better than placebo. Studies that suggest homeopathy works have been much smaller and are therefore less reliable as evidence.

Reviews that have been carried out to examine all the available evidence to reach an overall conclusion, have similarly failed to show any benefit of homeopathy above placebo.

It's possible that you may find homeopathy makes you feel better. However, many scientists argue that this is likely to be due to the 'placebo effect'. This means that you would have got a similar effect by taking a placebo treatment. You may feel better just because you expect the treatment to work, or your condition may have improved anyway without receiving any treatment (see our common questions for more information).

What are the risks?

In general, homeopathic remedies appear to be safe, probably because they either don't contain any chemically-active ingredients or these are only present in very low concentrations.

You may find that after taking a homeopathic treatment, your symptoms get worse for a short period of time before they get better. Some homeopaths believe this is part of the healing reaction and that it may be a necessary part of the healing process.

The British Homeopathic Association advises that homeopathic remedies can be taken at the same time as any conventional medicines you need, rather than as an alternative to them, as homeopathy won't interfere with them.

Always seek advice from a qualified doctor for any medical problem before trying treatment with homeopathy. If you have a serious condition such as a heart problem or cancer, delaying treatment with conventional medicines can be life-threatening.

For answers to frequently asked questions on this topic, see Common questions.

For sources and links to further information, see Resources.