| Of all the natural medicines, none is more divisive | | | | increasingly dissatisfied with medicine. He suspected |
| than homeopathy. Many chemists, biologists and | | | | that the accepted therapies of bloodletting, mercury |
| physicians are quick to dismiss this 200 year-old | | | | overdoses and other popular treatments were, in |
| system of natural healing as nothing but absolute | | | | fact, doing more harm than good. He soon |
| quackery and in many countries around the world, | | | | abandoned his orthodox medical career to devote |
| just calling yourself a homeopath can result in | | | | himself full-time to the studies that would eventually |
| imprisonment. But millions of lay people and thousands | | | | give us the branch of natural healing that Dr. |
| of educated, competent health care professionals | | | | Hahnemann coined "homeopathy".Unlike his |
| from all walks of life believe completely in the healing | | | | mainstream contemporaries, who experimented only |
| power of this controversial system of natural | | | | on sick people and laboratory animals, Dr. Hahnemann |
| healing.Homeopathy is so popular in Europe that over | | | | gave his experimental remedies to healthy adults to |
| 30% of the family practitioners in France prescribe | | | | study their reactions under real-life conditions. Dr. |
| homeopathic remedies and more than 40% of | | | | Hahnemann noticed that healthy people receiving |
| England's doctors regularly refer patients to | | | | extremely small amounts of certain medications |
| homeopaths. Here in the U.S., homeopathy is enjoying | | | | exhibited many of the same symptoms the |
| something of a renaissance, as well. Though | | | | medications were supposed to eliminate. He called his |
| homeopathy is considerably less well-known here, a | | | | discovery the "Law of Similars" and it is this law upon |
| growing number of Americans are turning to | | | | which the rest of homeopathy is built. Even modern |
| homeopathy for help with everything from AIDS to | | | | mainstream practices like immunization and radiation |
| the common cold.Based on the use of extremely | | | | owe their widespread acceptance to this first law of |
| dilute preparations known as "remedies", homeopathy | | | | homeopathy.His discovery of the Law of Similars was |
| grew from the meticulous research of an 18th | | | | the fuse that ignited the rest of Dr. Hahnemann's |
| century German physician named Samuel Hahnemann. | | | | research. This research, the results of which were |
| At the height of his career, Dr. Hahnemann was the | | | | compiled into exhaustive volumes he called "provings", |
| personal physician to the German royal family and the | | | | has been continually updated by other homeopaths |
| author of one of the most respected chemistry | | | | ever since.Lisa Barger is a traditional naturopath |
| texts of the time. But despite his personal and | | | | specializing in natural health education. To learn more |
| professional successes, Dr. Hahnemann grew | | | | about Ms. |