Saturday, January 2, 2010

Homeopathy

The homeopathy homeopathy (Greek όμοιος / homoiosis, 'similar' πάθος / pathos, "suffering" or "disease") is a non-conventional medicine invented by Samuel Hahnemann in 1796 comprising administering to the patient or lower doses infinitesimal obtained by dilution and agitation (boosting) of a substance selected according to the physical and mental condition of the patient.



It is based on the principle of "similarity". This principle states that a person with a disease can be treated with the substance producing symptoms similar to those of the disease in a healthy person.

Homeopathy is considered by most of the international scientific community as a pseudo-science without scientific validity or clinical efficacy.

Homeopathy is in total contradiction with the fundamental principles of chemistry and physics today. The supposed effect of homeopathic medicines is generally regarded as the result of the placebo effect.

The practice of homeopathy is unevenly distributed around the world. The annual rate of use ranges from 2% in the United Kingdom to 36% in France. In France, homeopathic medicines are between 1.2 and 2% of repayments of CNAM.

The homeopathic industry is dominated globally by Laboratoires Boiron who are also the second largest manufacturer of prescription drugs in France.