The remedies are diluted beyond the point at which any molecules of the substance
can theoretically still be found in the solution. This paradox, that the remedy
becomes more potent through dilution, and the fact that the exact mechanism that
makes a homeopathic cure work is unknown, is the reason many biomedical scien-
tists reject homeopathic medicine. Of course, if biomedical pharmacologists had to
understand exactly how the conventional drugs they develop worked, our pharma-
copoeia would likely be much smaller.
A number of theories are proposed for homeopathy’s effectiveness. A remedy may be
like a hologram: No matter how many times a substance is diluted, a smaller but
complete essence of the substance remains. Modern chaos theory supports the obser-
vation that major changes occur in living organisms when bodily substances are
activated only slightly. The basic assumption of chaos theory is that minute changes
can have huge effects. Advances in quantum physics have led some scientists to sug-
gest that electromagnetic energy in the remedies interact with the body on some
level.
Researchers in physical chemistry have proposed the memory of water theory, which
posits that the structure of the water-alcohol solution is altered during the process of
dilution and retains its new structure even after the substance is no longer present. It
seems likely that remedies work through some bioenergic or subatomic mechanism
that we are not yet capable of understanding. The situation may be likened to the
products of many of our advances in the understanding of energy, such as radio, tel-
evision, microwave ovens, and cordless telephones, all of which were previously
unimaginable.When Life Is Out of Balance.
Homeopathy is a method for treating the sick rather than a set of hypotheses about
the nature of health and illness. The assumption is, however, that a vital force—
known as qi or prana in other traditions—exists. It is necessary to have adequate
nutrition, exercise, rest, good hygiene, and a healthy environment to adapt and
maintain homeostasis. In other words, health is the ability of people to adapt their
equilibrium in response to internal and external change. Illness is primarily a distur-
bance of the vital force, manifested as symptoms of distress. Vital force or life energy
is the ultimate origin of health and illness alike, ending only with the death of the
person.
Symptoms of illness represent people’s attempts to heal themselves. Thus, homeopa-
thy views symptoms as an adaptive reaction that is the best possible response that
can be made in the present circumstances. For example, a cough is the body’s
attempt to clear the bronchi; inflammation is the body’s effort to wall off and burn
out invading foreign bodies; and fever is the body’s way to create an internal envi-
ronment that is less conducive to bacterial or viral growth. Given this perspective,
the therapeutic approach is to aid the body’s efforts to adapt to stress or infection.108 ABSOLUTE BEGINNER’S GUIDE TOALTERNATIVE MEDICINE