Homeopathy literally means “similar suffering”. The underlying principle of homeopathic medicines is that “like cures like”.

Dr. Hahnemann diluted each medicine until he identified the greatest dilution that would still produce a response and yet be completely non-toxic. He found that substances that produced symptoms in high doses could treat and indeed cure those same symptoms when given in very dilute preparations. The original substance is diluted to the point that there are statistically no remaining molecules of substance, rendering the remedies completely safe to ingest. What remains is the “energy” of the original substance which is able to resonate with your vital force to stimulate natural healing.

People who drink coffee may experience a heightened state of mental alertness, jitteriness and sleeplessness. For a person complaining of agitation and anxiety with insomnia, a homeopath might prescribe a remedy prepared from coffee to treat these symptoms.

People with arthritis may experience redness, warmth, pain, burning, and swelling. Similar symptoms can be caused by stings from bees. Not surprisingly, a homeopathic remedy prepared from bee venom is sometimes used to treat those suffering from arthritis.

People exposed to plants in the Rhus family, such as poison oak, ivy and sumac, often experience redness, itching and swelling of the skin, sometimes with crusting and oozing. People with dermatitis manifesting with these characteristics may respond to a homeopathic remedy prepared from one of these plants.

The idea that a substance can be damaging in large amounts, but beneficial in small amounts is not new to science, in fact this concept (‘hormesis’) has been around for decades and is increasingly well documented in such fields as biology and toxicology.

There are even examples of ‘like cures like’ in conventional medicine e.g.

• Digitalis in high doses causes arrhythmias, but this drug is used routinely in low doses to treat this condition

• The stimulant amphetamine-based drug Ritalin is used to treat Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

• Small doses of allergens such as pollen are used to de-sensitize allergic patients.

However an important difference in homeopathy is that the medicinal doses given are so small that toxic side-effects are avoided.