A Brief History Of Homeopathy

More than two hundred years away from its inception Homoeopathy stands tall with its presence in more than 160 countries across the world and as the fastest growing alternative medicine across the world with an ever increasing fraction of the population to its use and efficient delivery. Though the inception was a sheer coincidence, the history of this magnanimous system actually dates back to ancient times, as the major working principle behind it “Simila Simibus Curentur” was known to man as early as ancient Hindu mythology. Even Hippocrates the father of medicine described about it in Fifth century B.C. It was then up to Dr.Christian Friedrich Samuel Hahnemann, the Father of Homoeopathy to understand it fully, the capability and scope of that law in the late eighteenth century and refine it to such a fine therapeutic tool, that within no time Homoeopathy gained international acclaim and momentum.

Homoeopathy was never an open challenge for conventional medicine or allopathy defying anyone.The initial practitioners of Homoeopathy had been through a fire-walk when it came to variable acceptance status, intense opposition from allopaths and pharma lobbies who were fast loosing their opportunities in places where Homoeopathy fountained, and often went through critical endangered times related to career and even life. In spite of its philosophic strength and potential to be a primary or mainstream treatment, Homoeopathy was formerly conceived by general public as an alternative opportunity for those who suffered from illnesses, acute or chronic, who spent a considerable time in conventional treatment which rendered temporary relief during medications, until the drug induced diseases set in. The latter years found Homoeopathy crossing international boundaries crossing Europe to Asia and US and in turn getting largely global. The world wars, the ever alarming rate of war casualties and the invent of antibiotics did let Homoeopathy suffer a setback in the first half of twentieth century, but proved more like a recoil into its renewed recent advances of today.

The repeated and ever continuing surrender of antibiotics to drug resistance by infective agents forcing the launch of new generation molecules very frequently gave more relevance and reason for Homoeopathy yet again bringing it back, rejuvenated and powerful to the health care spectrum in the second half of the century. And today at the wake of the post antibiotic era as loudly suggested by the omnipotent New Delhi Mellow [NDM] strain of organisms at UK media, Homoeopathy stands further tall as the future of medical treatment rendered to humanity. The general approach of conventional medicines in its cause and disease specific management above the holistic vision of patient and disease proved another reason for the intellectual community to strongly urge for the use of Homoeopathy worldwide. The understanding about the use of the ultra dilutions in Homoeopathy and the perception of the fact that this leads to no side effects at par with other streams of therapeutic disciplines gave Homoeopathy yet another thousand miles into global acceptance.


With the good times came in the worst. The UK healthcare related media [eg-lancet] woke up from its acceptance to Homoeopathy to an outright hostile mode and repeatedly urged through their media to all medical practitioners to stay away from use of Homoeopathy and to urge their patients too on the same. The fast displace of the allopathic medicines used due to the increasing prevalence of Homoeopathic medicines, therapies and other alternative streams was leading to the loss of millions to the pharmas per annum which got them to dire straits. The reasons suggested for the avoidance of Homoeopathy was the observation that medicines worked by “placebo effect” and they called the philosophical base as “pseudoscience”. Quite surprisingly, the studies conducted to prove the outcome was based on protocols used for trials on allopathic medicines. One could compare this to a English grammar study and verification done to French, because the alphabets used in French were English alphabets ! This deliberate act and the pre-designed outcome did convict to the rest of the world and create a havoc in the minds of those who constantly resorted to the solutions to their illnesses with Homoeopathy but did not last long.

Homoeopathy today means a huge answer to those suffering from acute and chronic diseases in majority of the clinical specialties and diseases with the most leading among Dermatology, Allergy, Pulmonology, Psychiatry, Paediatrics, Life-style diseases, Gynaecological diseases, Rheumatology, Gastro-enterology, Nephrology and also in leading surgical specialties like Urology, ENT and Orthopaedics where homoeopathic medical solutions often fairly relieve diseases where otherwise surgery is indicated. Conventional medicine always stands far ahead in Emergency management, Trauma, Poisoning, Life threatening situations and pure surgical conditions. The drift of priority in medical treatment in the therapeutic form is observed to be in favor of alternative medicines across the globe, a large fraction of which resort to Homoeopathy.

The genuine fact that conventional medicine experts are more clinicians, surgeons and those with intense diagnostic abilities in leading specialties, often get less important and less useful for a neutral or integrated understanding about inter-disciplinary management in developing and underdeveloped countries as they are more enthusiastic prescribers here than those exercizing their expertise in their domains. In developed countries the part of prescription and delivering therapeutic guidelines are taken over by clinical pharmacologists.This paradox often create often create a huge vaccum for alternative therapeutic methods to be extended to the patients from these expert hands, as they often become flag bearers of antibiotics and drugs of antipathic nature.

More about Homoeopathic approach in ailments, here the person seeking Homoeopathic treatment undergoes a very detail case taking incorporating every dimension as discussed at the beginning of the article. The diagnosis of the person hold prior to the actual clinical or disease diagnosis. Though there are offshoots like specific remedies, combinations, tincture therapies etc prevalent among Homoeopaths, the most sought and the most complete is always classical homoeopathy which takes more effort for a doctor, be it a case of any specialty or clinical discipline. Here the approach to the case is more close to the philosophic fabric of Homoeopathy, but the clinical skills stands tall in terms of diagnosis and prognostic assessments using criterias.

I conclude by urging the readers to have an open mind towards the Homoeopathic approach to disease management and for those who have never been through one, it would be a delight to be treated by the most post-modern therapeutic discpline on the face of the earth. I say so considering the fact that Allopathy was 650 years old when Homoeopathy took shape approximately 220 years back.

Dr Sreevals G Menon MD
National Mass Media Officer, Indian Homoeopathic Medical Association

Source: varthalokam