About Homeopathy or ≪Similia Similibus Curentur≫
Journal Title: American Journal of Engineering and Applied Sciences - Year 2016, Vol 9, Issue 4
Abstract
Abstract Homeopathy or homoeopathy (from the Greek όμοιος/homoios, "similar" and πάθος/pathos, "suffering" or "disease") is a science created by Samuel Hahnemann in 1796. The homeopathic practice rests on three principles: The similarity, the individualization of cases and the infinitesimal. The use of the infinitesimal was proposed by Hahnemann in the early nineteenth century with the publication of "Organon der Heilkunst" (Organon of the art of healing). The compounds used do not become homeopathic unless they respect the principle of similarity, according to which a patient should be treated with a substance producing experimentally in a healthy person symptoms similar to those presented by the affected person, use of the substance being adapted to the patient thanks to the principle of individualization according to which the homeopath analyzes all the symptoms of the person and not only those related to the disease. Substances chosen according to this method can be administered in non-toxic weighted doses, but most prescribers use them in dilutions, sometimes very large, which have previously been subjected to very high and very frequent vibrations. Although some clinical trials produce positive results, multiple systematic reviews indicate that this is due to chance, questionable research methods, or publication biases. Despite a certain popularity, the therapeutic efficacy of homeopathy has not been demonstrated as a general and permanent solution. The vast majority of the scientific and medical community considers that homeopathy is a pseudo-science coming into contradiction with current knowledge in chemistry and biology established after the fundamental principles of homeopathy themselves proposed more than two Centuries. In particular, they point out that certain homeopathic dilutions are such that the excipient no longer contains a single molecule of the diluted remedy and therefore can't act chemically. Moreover, the fact that effects are observed is disputed by published meta-analyzes which conclude that homeopathy has not demonstrated its clinical efficacy beyond the placebo effect and yet, the Homeopathy works, despite some malicious feedback. Copyright © 2016 Raffaella Aversa, Relly Victoria V. Petrescu, Antonio Apicella and Florian Ion T. Petrescu. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Authors and Affiliations
Raffaella Aversa, Relly Victoria V. Petrescu, Antonio Apicella, Florian Ion T. Petrescu
Keywords
Related Articles
- EP ID EP202438
- DOI 10.3844/ajeassp.2016.1164.1172
- Views 122
- Downloads 0
Biomimetic and Evolutionary Design Driven Innovation in Sustainable Products Development
Abstract An innovative, design-driven, sustainable approach in conceiving, developing, producing, using new materials can be effective in strengthening the competiveness and success of creative industries linked to manu...
Smart Orthopaedic Implants: Applications in Total Knee Arthroplasty
Abstract Total knee arthroplasty is a common orthopaedic procedure conducted in the United States with approximately 700,000 surgeries performed annually. A common complication following total knee arthroplasty is anter...
Dynamic Simulation and Optimum Operation Strategy of a Trigeneration System Serving a Hospital
Abstract This paper presents a numerical analysis of a trigeneration system in a hospital, aiming at determining the cost-optimal operating strategy as a function of the energy demands to be matched. The system includes...
Exploitation of Battery Energy Storage in Load Frequency Control -A Literature Survey
Abstract Deregulation of the electricity market and the continued attempts by the international community to reduce the effects of global climate change have resulted in a rapid increase in the usage of different renewa...
Porosity Analysis in Porous Brass Using Dual Approaches
Porosity Analysis in Porous Brass Using Dual Approaches Ryan Yeargin, Rob Ramey and Cindy Waters DOI : 10.3844/ajeassp.2016.91.97 American Journal of Engineering and Applied Sciences Volume 9, Issue 1 Pages 91-97 Ab...