ABSTRACT
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15.1 INTRODUCTION
Homeopathy has been in practice since its establishment in the late 1800s and patients around the world have used homeopathic remedies since then, primarily in Europe, and a number of countries in southeast Asia (India and Sri Lanka). While homeopathy gained acceptance and recognition in the United States more than a century ago, the American Medical Association’s (AMA) opposition to its teachings and practice accelerated its demise. Despite this opposition from allopathic physicians, an increasing trend of its use in the United States has been noted (D’Huyvetter and Cohrssen, 2002; Merrell and Shalts, 2002). Antagonism was consistent and harsh, and claims were made that homeopathy was no more than a pseudoscience, thus forcing homeopaths to either assimilate or to stop practicing medicine and treating patients. Unfortunately, the antagonism is still ongoing. Homeopathic institutions were either forced to join allopathic institutions or simply close down
(Jonas et al., 2003). However, allopaths and homeopaths have adopted practices from one another – homeopaths adopted conventional treatments such as diphtheria antitoxin, while allopaths borrowed homeopathic remedies, such as the use of nitroglycerin in the treatment of cardiovascular pathology. It is estimated that homeopathic physicians use conventional medications in a quarter of the patients they consult (Jonas et al., 2003). Despite scrutiny from physicians and scientists, this medical system has seen an unprecedented growth in the number of patient users globally in recent years.
