Homeopathy is a "treatment" based on the use of highly diluted substances, which practitioners claim can cause the body to heal itself.

A 2010 House of Commons Science and Technology Committee report on homeopathy said that homeopathic remedies perform no better than placebos (dummy treatments).

The review also said that the principles on which homeopathy is based are "scientifically implausible".

This is also the view of the Chief Medical Officer, Professor Dame Sally Davies.

Homeopathy is a complementary or alternative medicine (CAM). This means that homeopathy is different from treatments that are part of conventional Western medicine in important ways. It's based on a series of ideas developed in the 1790s by a German doctor called Samuel Hahnemann.

A central principle of the "treatment" is that "like cures like" – that a substance that causes certain symptoms can also help to remove those symptoms.A second central principle is based around a process of dilution and shaking called succussion.Practitioners believe that the more a substance is diluted in this way, the greater its power to treat symptoms.Many homeopathic remedies consist of substances that have been diluted many times in water until there's none, or almost none, of the original substance left.Homeopathy is used to "treat" an extremely wide range of conditions, including physical conditions such as asthma and psychological conditions such as depression.There's been extensive investigation of the effectiveness of homeopathy. There's no good-quality evidence that homeopathy is effective as a treatment for any health condition.Homeopathy isn't widely available on the NHS. In 2017, NHS England recommended that GPs and other prescribers should stop providing it.This is because they found "no clear or robust evidence to support the use of homeopathy on the NHS (PDF, 607kb)".Homeopathy is usually practised privately, and homeopathic remedies are available from pharmacies.The price for a consultation with a homeopath can vary from around £30 to £125. Homeopathic tablets or other products usually cost around £4 to £10.When you first see a homeopath, they'll usually ask you about any specific health conditions, but also ask about your general wellbeing, emotional state, lifestyle and diet.Based on this, the homeopath will decide on the course of  treatment, which most often takes the form of homeopathic remedies given as a pill, capsule or tincture (solution).Your homeopath may recommend that you attend one or more follow-up appointments so the remedy's effects on your health can be assessed.Homeopathy is used for an extremely wide range of health conditions. Many practitioners believe it can help with any condition.Among the most common conditions that people seek homeopathic treatment .There's no good-quality evidence that homeopathy is an effective treatment for these or any other health conditions.Some practitioners also claim homeopathy can prevent malaria or other diseases. There's no evidence to support this, and no scientifically plausible way that homeopathy can prevent diseases.The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) advises the NHS on the proper use of treatments.Currently, NICE doesn't recommend that homeopathy should be used in the treatment of any health condition.

Hahnemann went on to document his work, and his texts formed the foundations of homeopathic medicine as it is practised today. A BBC Radio 4 documentary aired in December 2010 described Hahnemann as a medical pioneer who worked tirelessly to improve medical practice, insisting that medicines were tested before use.

Last Updated on: Nov 27, 2024