Homeopathy has become recognized over the years as a form of medical treatment that is without side effects.

In the eighteenth century, Dr. Samuel Hahnemann, convinced that existing medical practices did more harm than good, began to look for an alternative that would be safe, gentle and effective. He believed in the innate capacity of the human body for healing itself and reasoned that instead of suppressing symptoms, as allopathy does, one should seek to stimulate them and so encourage and assist the body's natural healing process.

Basing his work on the ancient like-cures-like principle, Hahnemann found that he could produce effective remedies by greatly diluting substances that in large doses would have created symptoms similar to those seen in the patient. Hahnemann had already discovered that a small dose of quinine in a healthy person produced the symptoms of malaria. A number of systematic experiments followed this discovery. Hahnemann and his followers took small doses of various substances, carefully noting the symptoms they produced. Subsequently patients suffering from similar symptoms were treated with these substances. The results were usually encouraging and often remarkable.

Hahnemann then worked to establish the smallest effective dose as he realized that this was the best way to avoid side effects. In so doing he unexpectedly discovered one of the basic tenets of homoeopathy that the more a remedy was diluted, the more effective it became. Thus, by trial and by perseverance, Hahnemann finally arrived at his goal -- an alternative form of medical treatment that was both effective and safe.

Homoeopathy concentrates on treating the patient rather than the disease. One of its principles is that a person's response to a disease varies according to his or her basic temperament. Due to this fact, a homoeopathic doctor will not automatically prescribe a specific remedy for a specific illness. The prescription will take into account the patient's temperament and responses to certain conditions. Because it is the patient who is being treated and not the disease, patients with the same ailment may often require different remedies. On the other hand, different patients experiencing different ailments could well benefit from the same remedy.

Rapid results are often achieved in cases of acute illness but where a patient's vitality is low the treatment may be long term. In chronic illnesses, sufferers must be patient and give homoeopathy time to take effect. Plenty of rest and appropriate diet in congenial surroundings help recovery. If irreversible body changes are present, other forms of medical or surgical treatment may be necessary. Once these have been given, homoeopathic medicines will help to prevent deterioration or recurrence.

Some of the happiest results of homoeopathic treatment can be seen in babies and children, where natural vitality is at its highest. The effective treatment of children gives conclusive proof that homoeopathic cures are not, as it is sometimes suggested, purely psychological.

Homoeopathy is not a cure-all, rather it is a way of looking at people in their surroundings and helping them to increase their sense of harmony and well-being. Homoeopathy does not reject the great discoveries of modern science, only their commercial abuse. In many cases, homoeopathy is complementary to the newer methods of modern medical practice.

In its present form homoeopathy has stood the test of time. Today it has been highly developed in many countries and is formally accepted as a safe and effective form of medical treatment that stands in its own right.