Since homeopathy is widely used in India since 1810, many believe
that India is a science. This belief, homeopathy was invented in Germany
in 1796 by Dr.Samuel. If homeopathy is effective in treating diseases
or not is a moot question.
Homeopathy works on the principle that substances that cause disease
can, in small doses, treat people who are ill. In homeopathy, medicines
are diluted with alcohol or water to an extent that there are only
traces of the active substance. This trace amount is sufficient to
create a healing response in the patient’s what homeopaths claim.
However, the doses are so low that they are as good as placebos
(medicines that have no active ingredient in them), like sugar pills.
Placebos are known to be effective as some people respond to sugar
pills. It is important to note that modern drugs are designed and
evaluated based on how they outperform placebos. Homeopathy has no side
effects and causes no harm because the amount of active ingredient is
very less.
Homeopathy should have waned over time with the development of
theories, like the germ theory, working on the principle that germs
cause disease. Many studies now show that homeopathy is not an effective
treatment for various diseases. In 2010, the Committee for technology
and science of UK House of Commons pronounced homeopathy ‘there is no
better a placebo’. Although still offers the National Health Service in
the UK for patient choice.
The National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC), Australia,
concluded that homeopathy is not effective for the treatment of any
medical condition. This body evaluated 225 papers and presented a report
saying – some studies reported that homeopathy was effective. However,
the quality of these studies was poor and suffered serious flaws in its
design and have not enough participants to support the idea that
homeopathy worked any better than a sugar pill. In a statement, the
National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) has warned that
people who choose homeopathy can put your health at risk if they refuse
or delay treatment for which there is good evidence of safety and
efficacy.
In India, most of the educated class, working turn to homeopathy for
the treatment of various diseases. The government not only encouraged
but also produces degree holds homeopathic physicians each year. In
2014, to compensate for the gap of medical services reaches the common
man, the government stepped forward and allowed homeopaths prescribe
allopathic medicines after a year of additional training in
Pharmacology. While this movement received mixed reactions from the
medical fraternity, did not seem to be the solution.