Is Homeopathy Safe?

Homeopathy is practiced by a wide variety of health-care practitioners, including medical doctors, osteopaths, naturopathic physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, dentists, veterinarians, chiropractors, acupuncturists, nurse midwives, and podiatrists, as well as by professional homeopaths, who practice only homeopathy and are unlicensed in any other discipline.

The problem for the consumer is that the practitioners level of competence in homeopathy often has little to do with his or her type of licensure. The best test of qualifications is whether they have been certified in homeopathy. The CCH credential (Certified Classical Homeopath) is excellent, as well as the DHt (Diplomate in Homeotherapeutics, available for MDs and DOs), and the DHANP (Diplomate of the Homeopathic Academy of Naturopathic Physicians, available for naturopathic physicians). For veterinarians, the credential CVH indicates that they are a Certified Veterinary Homeopath.

What kind of questions will help you identify your chosen practitioner? The questions will certainly vary with each case, but a few pertinent ones might be: Does the practitioner specialize in homeopathy? Does the practitioner use classical homeopathy? Where was the practitioner trained? How long has the practitioner actively been using homeopathy? Has the practitioner had experience with the diagnostic category in which your condition fits?

Some other important issues might be: how distant the practitioner is from your home and whether or not your insurance company will cover the visit. As a general rule, if the type of practitioner is covered by your insurance, then the visit will be covered. You may also consider whether the practitioner includes other therapies in his or her practice and if you would like to use those therapies.

The choices open to you will vary according to where you live. If you are in a major metropolitan area, you will have more choices, although many practitioners are spread throughout the United States. Remember, use the resources close at hand, and good luck with your homeopathic experience.

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What is homeopathy?

An alternative treatment of disease involving the consumption of natural materials that simulate the symptoms of the disease. These materials are first diluted in pure water to such an extent that there are generally no molecules of the original material left. The efficacy of this treatment is rejected by most medical experts. It has the potential of causing harm, because individuals may seek a cure through homeopathy, and ignore the potential for a cure from a physician.
A natural pharmaceutical science that utilizes substances from the plant, mineral, and animal kingdoms and is based on the premise that these naturally occurring substances can cure disease symptoms similar to those they produce if taken in overdose. Each medicine is individually prescribed according to how it stimulates the immune and defence systems of the sick person. Sometimes it is called the “royal medicine.
A form of medicine that relies on minute amounts of herbs, minerals, and other substances to stimulate natural defences against disease. It is more widely used in Western Europe than the United States. Developed in the late 18th century by Samuel Hahnemann, MD, the therapy uses the "law of similars" to treat disease. That is, if large amounts of a substance such as quinine cause symptoms of an illness in a healthy person, then smaller amounts should be used for the cure.