Homeopathy
Homeopathy i/ˌhoʊmiˈɒpəθi/ is a system of alternative medicine created in 1796 by Samuel Hahnemann, based on his doctrine of
like cures like, according to which a substance that causes the symptoms of a disease in healthy people will cure similar symptoms in sick people.[1] Homeopathy is considered a pseudoscience,[2][3][4] and its remedies have been found to be no more effective than placebos.[5][6] Hahnemann believed the underlying causes of disease were phenomena that he termed
miasms, and that homeopathic
remedies addressed these. The remedies are prepared by repeatedly diluting a chosen substance in alcohol or distilled water, followed by forceful striking on an elastic body.[7] Dilution usually continues well past the point where no molecules of the original substance remain.[8] Homeopaths select remedies by consulting reference books known as
repertories, and by considering the totality of the patient's symptoms, personal traits, physical and psychological state, and life history.[9] Homeopathy lacks biological plausibility[10] and the axioms of homeopathy have been refuted for some time.