God's Medicine

Homeopathy is a type of alternative medicine based on the belief that the body can cure itself. Developed in the late 1700s in Germany, homeopathy uses tiny amounts of natural substances, such as plants and minerals, to trigger the healing process. A basic belief behind homeopathy is “like cures like.” In other words, something that causes symptoms in a healthy person can — in a very small dose — treat an illness with similar symptoms. This is meant to trigger the body’s natural defenses. For example, onions can make your eyes water and your nose run. For those who sneeze a lot and have runny nose, try allium cepa (onion), a homeopathic remedy and within 5 minutes, you’ll stop sneezing and your nose clears up. Homeopathic doctors (who are also called “homeopaths”) weaken these ingredients by adding water or alcohol. Then, they shake the mixture as part of a process called “potentization.” They believe this step transfers the healing essence.