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Difference between revisions of "Homeopathy"

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Homeopathy is an [[Alternative Medicine]] system that tries to treat illnesses with minuscule doses of the drugs that cause the same symptom as the illness. Homeopathy is based on the ideas of Samuel Hahnemann, a 19th century physician who observed that some contemporary medicines evoked symptoms similar to those of the illnesses for which they were prescribed. There is no clear evidence to support the efficacy of homeopathic remedies, and it is likely that the reported effects are placebo effects.
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'''Homeopathy''' is a system of [[alternative medicine]] whose practitioners believe that if a large dose of a particular substance causes a symptom when administered, then the same substance would cure ailments causing similar symptoms when a smaller, more diluted dose is administered; this is called "like cures like".<ref>http://www.webmd.com/balance/guide/homeopathy-topic-overview</ref> Practitioners repeatedly dilute substances with water and/or alcohol and vigorously shake the resulting solution; the resulting "remedy" often contains very little, if any, molecules of the original substance. However, homeopathists believe that this procedure makes their remedies ''more'' potent through a phenomenon known as ''dynamization''.<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20020826082134/http://altmed.creighton.edu/Homeopathy/philosophy/dilution.htm</ref> Because of the alternative criteria for the marketing of homeopathic medicine as such in the US, the use of a homeopathic medicine label can be a loophole to sell legitimate and effective medicine without going through the lengthy process of ordinary FDA approval. Zinc gluconate products for example have a proven track record of treating the common cold.<ref>https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12424502</ref>
  
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== Introduction ==
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Homeopathy regards diseases as 'morbid derangements of the organism', that involve some disturbance in a 'vital force.' Today, most homeopaths still believe that the fundamental causes of disease are internal and constitutional and that it is contrary to good health to suppress symptoms. They also accept the concept of 'latent Psora', the early signs of an organism’s imbalance which indicate that treatment is needed.
  
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Homeopathic remedies involve treating an illness with an infinitesimally small dose of a substance that, at bigger doses, can cause symptoms that are like those of the illness (treating 'like with like'). Controversially, homeopaths believe that the 'potency' of a remedy can be increased by serial dilutions (repetitively adding water or alcohol) combined with vigorous shaking, to the point where little or none of the original solution remains as part of the final prepared remedy.
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Modern scientific consensus states that homeopathy is [[pseudoscience|pseudoscientific]]; there is a lack of evidence to suggest that homeopathy's effects are any more than [[placebo]],<ref name=researchpaper>https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1874503/</ref> and the basic premises of homeopathy seem impossible under our current understanding of the world.
  
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The word 'homeopathy' was first used by the German physician Christian Friedrich Samuel Hahnemann (1755-1843). Hahnemann was an eminent physician and a prominent public health reformer. He believed that his new system was more humane and effective than the conventional medicine of his time<ref>Hahnemann S (1796) translated into English as "[http://www.minutus.org/library/article_read.asp?id=6 Essay on a New Principle]". Hahnemann's [http://www.homeopathyhome.com/reference/organon/organon.html Organon der Heilkunst] in English translation</ref>, but it was greeted by the establishment with derision and contempt.<ref>Dean ME (2001) [http://shpltd.co.uk/dean-homeopathy.pdf Homeopathy and the progress of science] Hist Scixxxix</ref> Today, homeopathy is not an accepted part of conventional medicine, and its theories are not generally regarded as scientifically credible, but nevertheless it has more than 100,000 practitioners worldwide, and 500 million users.
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==History==
  
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Homeopathy (from the Greek hómoios (similar) and páthos (suffering)) regards diseases as 'morbid derangements of the organism', that involve some disturbance in a 'vital force.' Today, most homeopaths still believe that the fundamental causes of disease are internal and constitutional and that it is contrary to good health to suppress symptoms. They also accept the concept of 'latent Psora', the early signs of an organism’s imbalance which indicate that treatment is needed.
+
Homeopathy was created in the 18th century by physician Samuel Hahnemann, who noticed cinchona bark, used to cure [[malaria]], could cause malaria-like symptoms.<ref>https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1676328/</ref> He believed that his new system was more humane and effective than the conventional medicine of his time,<ref>Hahnemann S (1796) translated into English as "[http://www.minutus.org/library/article_read.asp?id=6 Essay on a New Principle]". Hahnemann's [http://www.homeopathyhome.com/reference/organon/organon.html Organon der Heilkunst] in English translation</ref> but it was greeted by the establishment with derision and contempt.<ref>Dean ME (2001) [http://shpltd.co.uk/dean-homeopathy.pdf Homeopathy and the progress of science] Hist Scixxxix</ref> Since then, homeopathy became more popular. Homeopathic hospitals of the time were better for their patients than conventional hospitals, as they generally prescribed medicines that had no effects at all, while contemporary conventional hospitals had dangerous, potentially fatal treatments.<ref>"British Medical Journal", BMJ 1 (533): 283–4, 1871 [http://www.bmj.com/content/1/533/283 Registration required for access]</ref> As new medical discoveries were made and conditions in conventional hospitals improved, however, homeopathy fell into decline.<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20070705095116/http://altmed.creighton.edu/Homeopathy/history.htm</ref> Today, homeopathy is not an accepted part of conventional medicine, and its theories are not generally regarded as scientifically credible, but nevertheless it has more than 100,000 practitioners worldwide, and 500 million users.
  
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== The popularity of homeopathy ==
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== Methods ==
  
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Homeopathy is popular in Europe and in India, but less so in the USA, where non-orthodox therapies are more tightly regulated. There are estimated to be more than 100,000 practitioners worldwide, and 500 million people receiving treatment. In Germany, homeopathy has been recognized as a 'special form of therapy' since 1978, meaning that its remedies do not have to have been shown to be efficacious, but since 2004, most are not covered by public health insurance. In Switzerland, homeopathic remedies were covered by the basic health insurance system, if prescribed by a physician, until June 2005, when the Government, after a 5-year trial, withdrew insurance coverage for homeopathy and four other complementary treatments, as they did not meet efficacy and cost-effectiveness criteria. In the UK, homeopathic remedies are sold over the counter, and five homeopathic hospitals are funded by the [[National Health Service]]. Homeopathy is not practiced by most of the medical profession, but is supported by the [[Prince of Wales]] and other members of the royal family.<ref>Leary B et al (1998) It Wont Do Any Harm: Practice and People At The London Homeopathic Hospital, 1889-1923, in Juette R et al (1998) Eds. 'Culture, Knowledge And Healing: Historical Perspectives On Homeopathy In Europe And North America' Sheffield Univ. Press, UK [http://www.homeoint.org/english/index.htm Homéopathe International The English language version]</ref><ref>Fisher P, Ward A (1994) Medicine in Europe: complementary medicine in Europe BMJ 309:107-111[1]; Homeopathy was regulated by the European Union in 2001, by Directive 2001/83/EC. [http://www.pheur.org/ European Directorate for the Quality of Medicines]</ref>
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===Dilutions===
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All homeopathic remedies are created through repeated dilution of a substance.Remedies made with a soluble substance are made by diluting the substance with water and/or alcohol and vigorously shaking it. The resulting solution is then repeated diluted with the same process until the desired dilution is reached. On the other hand, when a homeopath uses a non-soluble substance to make a remedy, he would grind the substance and dilute it with lactose. The number of times a substance is diluted by 10 times its volume is marked with the number and X, while the number of times it is diluted by 100 times its volume is written as the number and C. In a 5X remedy, for instance, the substance would have been diluted so the solution has one part of the substance per 10^5 parts of the solvent. Most remedies are of a dilution between 6X to 30X.<ref name=quackwatch>http://www.quackwatch.com/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/homeo.html</ref>
  
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== History ==
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===Provings===
  
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For the early Greek physician [[Hippocrates]] of Cos, who lived at about 400 BCE<ref>[http://www.iep.utm.edu/h/hippocra.htm Hippocrates (c. 450 BCE to 380 BCE.)]</ref>, the four 'humours' (blood, black bile, yellow bile and phlegm) were the key to understanding disease. His ideas persisted through the writings of [[Galen]] (131-201 CE) until at least 1858, and [[Rudolf Virchow]]'s theories of cellular pathology. Diseases, it was thought, were the result of some 'imbalance' of the humours, and physicians of the day focused on restoring that balance, either by trying to remove an excess of a humour, or by suppressing the symptoms. "Bloodletting, fever remedies, tepid baths, lowering drinks, weakening diet, blood cleansing and everlasting aperients and clysters (enemas) form the circle in which the ordinary German physician turns round unceasingly", wrote Hahnemann while translating into German the Treatise on Materia Medica (1789) by the Edinburgh physician [[William Cullen]].<ref>See Peter Morrell, [http://homeoint.org/morrell/articles/index.htm Articles on Homeopathy]. [http://www.wholehealthnow.com/homeopathy_pro/homeopathy_1825_1849.html Homeopathy Timeline].</ref>
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Homeopaths conduct "provings" to find new substances with which they would make new remedies. In a proving, participants are given a particular substance without being told of what it is, and are asked to report on what effects the substance had on their bodies.<ref>http://homeopathyeurope.org/research/provings/</ref> The data collected from the proving would then, theoretically, allow the homeopath to understand what illnesses a remedy made from the substance would cure; such a remedy would supposedly cure illnesses with symptoms similar to those caused by the substance itself.
  
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After 1783, disillusioned with medicine and the many toxic effects of its cures, Hahnemann began to use smaller and smaller doses of drugs, trying to minimize their toxic effects while retaining their efficacy. Cullen had written that Cinchona bark (which contains quinine) was effective because it was bitter, and Hahnemann pondered about this; he felt that this explanation was implausible because other substances that were as bitter had no therapeutic value. Accordingly, he took Cinchona bark himself, and saw that its effects were similar to the symptoms of the diseases that it was prescribed for. For Hahnemann, this was a breakthrough, and it led him to formulate the 'Principle of Similars' on which homeopathy is based, expressed by him as similia similibus curentur or 'let likes cure likes'.<ref>At least one writer has suggested that Hahnemann was hypersensitive to quinine, and that he might have had an allergic reaction ([http://www.angelfire.com/mb2/quinine/allergy.html Thomas WE "The basis of homeopathy"]).</ref>
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==Theoretical Plausibility==
  
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He had concluded that diseases are caused by "spirit-like derangements of the spirit-like power that animates the human body", and was searching for a way to harness this power for healing.  
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Homeopathy has many implausible aspects which do not make sense under our current understanding of [[physics]] and [[medicine]]. The high dilutions used in many remedies preclude them from having any effect on the body; a remedy with a dilution of 24X or above is highly unlikely to contain a single molecule of the original substance it's made out of, while common homeopathic remedies can have a dilution number of up to 30X.<ref name=quackwatch/> Homeopathy's core teaching that the potency of a drug increases with dilution goes against current medical understanding, which states that, in most cases, the potency of a drug increases as dosage goes ''up'', not ''down''.
  
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=== Provings ===
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In order to explain away the fact that homeopathy is physically implausible, homeopaths hold that water has an ability to receive an imprint of the chemicals it had interacted with, and that it therefore would be able to retain the pharmacological effects of a substance, even if it had been diluted to the point that it's no longer existent in the final remedy. This concept is called ''water memory'', and water having memory was first claimed to have been observed in 1988 by a French scientist only to be debunked two months later.<ref>http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,968080,00.html</ref>
  
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Homeopathic remedies are found by 'provings', in which volunteers are given substances, the effects of which are recorded as a 'Drug Picture', these drug pictures are subsequently used to compare with a patient's symptoms in order to select, as a remedy, the substance whose effects are closest to the patient's symptoms. Today, homeopaths use about 3000 different remedies from animal, plant, mineral, and synthetic substances, including 'Natrum muriaticum' (sodium chloride or table salt)[9]<ref>[http://www.abchomeopathy.com/r.php/Nat-m ABC Homeopathy, Natrum Muriaticum]</ref>, 'Oscillococcinum' (a 200C product made from duck heart and liver that is prescribed for colds and flu-like symptoms) 'Roadrunner' (Geococcyx californianus)<ref>HPathy [http://www.hpathy.com/repertory/ Homeopathy Repertory]</ref> and 'Arnica'<ref>Bandolier. [http://www.jr2.ox.ac.uk/bandolier/booth/alternat/AT012.html Efficacy of Homeopathic Arnica]</ref>. Other 'isopathic' remedies involve diluting the agent or product of the disease; for example, [[Rabies]] nosode is made from the saliva of a rabid dog. Some homeopaths use more esoteric substances, known as 'imponderables' because they originate from electromagnetic energy 'captured' by alcohol or lactose ('X-ray', 'Sol' (sunlight), 'Positronium'<ref>Anti Matter. [http://www.hominf.org/posi/posiintr.htm The Homœopathic Proving of
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== Efficacy ==
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Positronium]</ref>, and 'Electricitas'<ref>MATERIA MEDICA [http://homeoint.org/clarke/e/elect.htm Electricitas]</ref>](electricity), or with a telescope ('Polaris'). Recent ventures into more esoteric remedies include 'Tempesta'<ref>[http://uk.geocities.com/veryscarymary/stormremedy1.html The Homeopathic proving of 'Tempesta' the Storm by Mary English]</ref> (thunderstorm), and 'Berlin wall'.<ref>[http://www.biolumanetics.net/tantalus/Cases/BerlinWall.htm THE BERLIN WALL: A REMEDY OF POWER]</ref>
 
  
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=== Preparation of similars ===
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Many scientific studies have shown homeopathy to be ineffective; there is no sound evidence to suggest that its effects are any more than a placebo.<ref name=researchpaper/> Although some studies and meta-studies do show some results that are promising to homeopathy, they are usually contradicted by later studies. For instance, a 1997 study concluded that homeopathy's effects are not completely due to the placebo effect, but still said that there was no evidence to conclusively show that homeopathy has much efficacy in treating any ailment.<ref>http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(97)02293-9/abstract</ref> The 1997 study was later contradicted by a 2005 study, which concluded that homeopathy cannot treat any condition whatsoever, and that its purported ability to cure illness was a product of the placebo effect.<ref>https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?cmd=Retrieve&list_uids=16125589</ref>
  
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The most characteristic — and controversial — principle of homeopathy is that the efficacy of a remedy can be enhanced and its side-effects reduced by diluting it, in a process known as 'dynamization' or 'potentization'. Liquids are diluted (with water or alcohol) and shaken by ten hard strikes against an elastic body ('succussion'). For this, Hahnemann had a saddlemaker construct a special, wooden, 'striking board', covered in leather on one side and stuffed with horsehair (the board is displayed at the Hahnemann Museum in Stuttgart). When insoluble solids are used as the basis of remedies, such as [[quartz]] or oyster shell, they are diluted by grinding them with [[lactose]] ('trituration'). The original serial dilutions by Hahnemann used a 1 part in 100 (centesimal; 'C' potencies), or 1 part in 50,000 ( Quintamillesimal; 'LM' or 'Q' potencies). The dilution factor at each stage is 1:10 ('D' or 'X' potencies) or 1:100 ('C' potencies); Hahnemann advocated 30C dilutions for most purposes (i.e. dilution by a factor of 10030 = 1060). The number of molecules in a given weight of a substance can be calculated by Avogadro's number; the chance that there is even one molecule of the original substance in a 15C solution is small, and it is very unlikely that one molecule would be present in a 30C dilution. Thus, homeopathic remedies of a high 'potency' contain just water, but water that, according to homeopaths, retains some essential property of one of the substances that it has contacted in the past.<ref>There are 6.02 × 1023 molecules in one mole of a substance (Avogadro's number). Seawater tastes salty because it contains sodium chloride (common table salt), and typically one drop of seawater (0.05 ml) contains about 200 mg of salts, mainly sodium chloride - about 2 × 1019 molecules. One drop of a 10C dilution of this would be expected to contain at most one molecule of sodium chloride. [http://www.lsbu.ac.uk/water/ Water Structure and Behaviour] has references to current scientific understanding of water, with entries on "memory effects" and homeopathy</ref>
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== Regulation ==
  
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Hahnemann's explanation for how higher potencies could be more efficacious was that the friction involved in succussion might release some hidden curative power of substances. He wrote in 1825: "The effect of friction is so great, that not only the physical properties, such as caloric, odour, etc., are thereby called into life and developed by it, but also the dynamic medicinal powers of natural substances are thereby developed to an incredible degree".  
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Homeopathic products are not as regulated as conventional medicine products; they do not come under as much scrutiny for their effectiveness. In the United States, the Food and Drug Administration regulates homeopathic products, but does not check for their effectiveness in treating illnesses or for their safety. While some states do require practicing homeopaths to be licensed, others allow homeopaths to operate without licenses.<ref name=nccih>https://nccih.nih.gov/health/homeopathy</ref>
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== Risks ==
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When homeopathic remedies, which are generally ineffective, are used to treat a serious condition, such usage could worsen the condition as it would delay treatment with proven conventional treatments. The National Centre for Complementary and Integrative Health has expressed concern over the use of homeopathy in lieu of actually working remedies, advising people to “not use homeopathy as a replacement for proven conventional care.”
 +
 
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In addition to that, some homeopathic remedies are not diluted enough to render its active ingredient or ingredients inactive; this makes it possible for them to cause real side effects, because they contain actual pharmacologically active ingredients.<ref name=nccih/>
 +
 
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== Relation to liberalism ==
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The connection between the usage of homeopathic remedies and [[liberalism]] is not proven nor discussed by any reliable source, but liberals have been shown to be more likely to believe in other pseudosciences than [[conservatives]]; for instance, more liberals believe in the pseudoscientific myth of [[astrology]] than conservatives.
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Health food stores frequented by liberals may have homeopathic remedies in stock.<ref>http://scienceissexy.com/2014/11/15/spreading-pseudoscience-5-ways-liberals-are-as-bad-as-conservatives/</ref>
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David Copeland, a practicing homeopath and politician who passed legislation that exempted homeopathic remedies from certain forms of governmental scrutiny over their safety and effectiveness, was a democrat.<ref>http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=C000769</ref>
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== See also ==
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*[[Naturopathy]]
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*[[Mind/body]]
  
 
== References ==
 
== References ==
 
<references />
 
<references />
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[[Category:Complementary Medicine]]
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[[Category:Pseudoscience]]

Latest revision as of 15:01, April 9, 2019

Homeopathy is a system of alternative medicine whose practitioners believe that if a large dose of a particular substance causes a symptom when administered, then the same substance would cure ailments causing similar symptoms when a smaller, more diluted dose is administered; this is called "like cures like".[1] Practitioners repeatedly dilute substances with water and/or alcohol and vigorously shake the resulting solution; the resulting "remedy" often contains very little, if any, molecules of the original substance. However, homeopathists believe that this procedure makes their remedies more potent through a phenomenon known as dynamization.[2] Because of the alternative criteria for the marketing of homeopathic medicine as such in the US, the use of a homeopathic medicine label can be a loophole to sell legitimate and effective medicine without going through the lengthy process of ordinary FDA approval. Zinc gluconate products for example have a proven track record of treating the common cold.[3]

Homeopathy regards diseases as 'morbid derangements of the organism', that involve some disturbance in a 'vital force.' Today, most homeopaths still believe that the fundamental causes of disease are internal and constitutional and that it is contrary to good health to suppress symptoms. They also accept the concept of 'latent Psora', the early signs of an organism’s imbalance which indicate that treatment is needed.

Modern scientific consensus states that homeopathy is pseudoscientific; there is a lack of evidence to suggest that homeopathy's effects are any more than placebo,[4] and the basic premises of homeopathy seem impossible under our current understanding of the world.

History

Homeopathy was created in the 18th century by physician Samuel Hahnemann, who noticed cinchona bark, used to cure malaria, could cause malaria-like symptoms.[5] He believed that his new system was more humane and effective than the conventional medicine of his time,[6] but it was greeted by the establishment with derision and contempt.[7] Since then, homeopathy became more popular. Homeopathic hospitals of the time were better for their patients than conventional hospitals, as they generally prescribed medicines that had no effects at all, while contemporary conventional hospitals had dangerous, potentially fatal treatments.[8] As new medical discoveries were made and conditions in conventional hospitals improved, however, homeopathy fell into decline.[9] Today, homeopathy is not an accepted part of conventional medicine, and its theories are not generally regarded as scientifically credible, but nevertheless it has more than 100,000 practitioners worldwide, and 500 million users.

Methods

Dilutions

All homeopathic remedies are created through repeated dilution of a substance.Remedies made with a soluble substance are made by diluting the substance with water and/or alcohol and vigorously shaking it. The resulting solution is then repeated diluted with the same process until the desired dilution is reached. On the other hand, when a homeopath uses a non-soluble substance to make a remedy, he would grind the substance and dilute it with lactose. The number of times a substance is diluted by 10 times its volume is marked with the number and X, while the number of times it is diluted by 100 times its volume is written as the number and C. In a 5X remedy, for instance, the substance would have been diluted so the solution has one part of the substance per 10^5 parts of the solvent. Most remedies are of a dilution between 6X to 30X.[10]

Provings

Homeopaths conduct "provings" to find new substances with which they would make new remedies. In a proving, participants are given a particular substance without being told of what it is, and are asked to report on what effects the substance had on their bodies.[11] The data collected from the proving would then, theoretically, allow the homeopath to understand what illnesses a remedy made from the substance would cure; such a remedy would supposedly cure illnesses with symptoms similar to those caused by the substance itself.

Theoretical Plausibility

Homeopathy has many implausible aspects which do not make sense under our current understanding of physics and medicine. The high dilutions used in many remedies preclude them from having any effect on the body; a remedy with a dilution of 24X or above is highly unlikely to contain a single molecule of the original substance it's made out of, while common homeopathic remedies can have a dilution number of up to 30X.[10] Homeopathy's core teaching that the potency of a drug increases with dilution goes against current medical understanding, which states that, in most cases, the potency of a drug increases as dosage goes up, not down.

In order to explain away the fact that homeopathy is physically implausible, homeopaths hold that water has an ability to receive an imprint of the chemicals it had interacted with, and that it therefore would be able to retain the pharmacological effects of a substance, even if it had been diluted to the point that it's no longer existent in the final remedy. This concept is called water memory, and water having memory was first claimed to have been observed in 1988 by a French scientist only to be debunked two months later.[12]

Efficacy

Many scientific studies have shown homeopathy to be ineffective; there is no sound evidence to suggest that its effects are any more than a placebo.[4] Although some studies and meta-studies do show some results that are promising to homeopathy, they are usually contradicted by later studies. For instance, a 1997 study concluded that homeopathy's effects are not completely due to the placebo effect, but still said that there was no evidence to conclusively show that homeopathy has much efficacy in treating any ailment.[13] The 1997 study was later contradicted by a 2005 study, which concluded that homeopathy cannot treat any condition whatsoever, and that its purported ability to cure illness was a product of the placebo effect.[14]

Regulation

Homeopathic products are not as regulated as conventional medicine products; they do not come under as much scrutiny for their effectiveness. In the United States, the Food and Drug Administration regulates homeopathic products, but does not check for their effectiveness in treating illnesses or for their safety. While some states do require practicing homeopaths to be licensed, others allow homeopaths to operate without licenses.[15]

Risks

When homeopathic remedies, which are generally ineffective, are used to treat a serious condition, such usage could worsen the condition as it would delay treatment with proven conventional treatments. The National Centre for Complementary and Integrative Health has expressed concern over the use of homeopathy in lieu of actually working remedies, advising people to “not use homeopathy as a replacement for proven conventional care.”

In addition to that, some homeopathic remedies are not diluted enough to render its active ingredient or ingredients inactive; this makes it possible for them to cause real side effects, because they contain actual pharmacologically active ingredients.[15]

Relation to liberalism

The connection between the usage of homeopathic remedies and liberalism is not proven nor discussed by any reliable source, but liberals have been shown to be more likely to believe in other pseudosciences than conservatives; for instance, more liberals believe in the pseudoscientific myth of astrology than conservatives.

Health food stores frequented by liberals may have homeopathic remedies in stock.[16]

David Copeland, a practicing homeopath and politician who passed legislation that exempted homeopathic remedies from certain forms of governmental scrutiny over their safety and effectiveness, was a democrat.[17]

See also

References

  1. ↑ http://www.webmd.com/balance/guide/homeopathy-topic-overview
  2. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20020826082134/http://altmed.creighton.edu/Homeopathy/philosophy/dilution.htm
  3. ↑ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12424502
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1874503/
  5. ↑ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1676328/
  6. ↑ Hahnemann S (1796) translated into English as "Essay on a New Principle". Hahnemann's Organon der Heilkunst in English translation
  7. ↑ Dean ME (2001) Homeopathy and the progress of science Hist Scixxxix
  8. ↑ "British Medical Journal", BMJ 1 (533): 283–4, 1871 Registration required for access
  9. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20070705095116/http://altmed.creighton.edu/Homeopathy/history.htm
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 http://www.quackwatch.com/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/homeo.html
  11. ↑ http://homeopathyeurope.org/research/provings/
  12. ↑ http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,968080,00.html
  13. ↑ http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(97)02293-9/abstract
  14. ↑ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?cmd=Retrieve&list_uids=16125589
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 https://nccih.nih.gov/health/homeopathy
  16. ↑ http://scienceissexy.com/2014/11/15/spreading-pseudoscience-5-ways-liberals-are-as-bad-as-conservatives/
  17. ↑ http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=C000769
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