What Is Homeopathy?
Homeopathy as a therapeutic system is approxi-
mately 200 years old. It was developed by Samuel
Hahnemann (1755–1843), a German physician
and chemist. Homeopathy came to most of Europe,
the United States, Russia, and Latin America in the
1830s. During epidemics of cholera, typhus, and
scarlet fever, homeopathy was significantly more
effective than the conventional medical approaches
of the times. In 1869, the American Institute of
Homeopathy opened free dispensaries for the poor
and voted to admit female physicians, unheard of
in conventional medicine. By the 1890s, 15% of
American physicians used some homeopathic
remedies in their practice, learned in the 22 home-
opathic medical schools and practiced in more
than 100 homeopathic hospitals.
During and after the Civil War, the practice of med-
icine began to change with technical achievements such as anesthesia, antiseptics,
surgery, microbiology, vaccines, and antibiotics. State legislatures began to license
physicians and accredit medical schools. The American Medical Association (AMA)
invited homeopaths to become members in exchange for licensing, seeking to create
a monopoly against lay healers, midwives, and herbalists. When the homeopaths
chose not to join forces, the AMA began to persecute homeopathy, and in 1914, pro-
posed uniform standards of medical education and assumed the power of accredita-
tion, using it to phase out homeopathic colleges. Most homeopathic medical schools
closed down, and by the 1930s others had converted to conventional medical
schools.
The Homeopathic Pharmacopoeia of the United States was written into federal law
in 1938 under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, making the manufacture
and sale of homeopathic medicines legal in this country. In the 1960s, homeopa-
thy’s popularity began to revive in the United States. According to a 1999 survey of
Americans and their health, over 6 million Americans had used homeopathy in the
preceding 12 months.
About half of the homeopaths in the United States are physicians. The others are
licensed health care practitioners such as nurse practitioners, dentists, naturopathic
physicians, chiropractors, acupuncturists, and veterinarians. Training in homeopa-
thy is offered through professional courses at the National Center for Homeopathy
in Alexandria, Virginia. The certification process involves a specified number
of hours of training, three years of clinical practice, and written and oral106 ABSOLUTE BEGINNER’S GUIDE TOALTERNATIVE MEDICINE
note
In the U.S., the
homeopathic drug mar-
ket has grown into a
multimillion dollar
industry. The National
Center for
Homeopathy esti-
mates that Americans spend
$165 million a year for homeo-
pathic preparations, and that
sales are rising by 20–25 percent
a year. Most of these remedies
are not regulated by the FDA
and are available as over-the-
counter medications.