A homeopath is a type of alternative health care provider who treats patients using homeopathy, a method of diagnosis and treatment developed by German physician Samuel Hahnemann in the late 1800s. Homeopathy is a system of medicine that uses remedies to treat bodily imbalances that result in health problems. Homeopaths have various levels of certification. Homeopathy is strictly regulated in some countries, and practicing as a homeopath requires a specific level of education and passing certification exams, whereas in others, people can advertise themselves as homeopaths with little or no training and no professional certification.
The key to homeopathy is an individualized approach in which each patient is treated as a unique individual, acknowledging that everyone is different and that small differences can affect how a remedy acts on a patient. When a patient visits a homeopath, the homeopath spends a significant amount of time interviewing him or her in order to learn more about them and to create a profile that will be used in treatment. Following an interview, the homeopath will determine the best course of action. The patient may require a remedy or another type of treatment, which the homeopath or another healthcare provider can provide.
The principle of “like cures like” is used in many remedies. Substances that cause symptoms in healthy people can be used to treat those same symptoms in sick people, according to Hahnemann. The pills, powders, and liquids used by homeopaths to treat their patients are made from highly diluted materials, with only a few molecules of the original substance remaining. Some critics of homeopathy argue that it is based on the placebo effect because remedies are so dilute that they are not pharmacologically active.
Homeopaths rely on repertories, which list all of the different remedies as well as the appropriate applications for each one. Depending on personal preference and the patient’s situation, the homeopath may consult a repertory while the patient is in the office or wait until the patient has left and discuss the patient’s remedy at a later visit. Herbal medicine, nutrition, and other tools may be used by a homeopath to treat patients.
Instead of focusing on specific symptoms and treating them, a homeopath looks at the body as a whole. Many alternative medicine modalities use this approach. Around the world, alternative medical practices have received varying degrees of acceptance. It may be used as a primary treatment method in some countries, but it may be largely rejected in others. Other medical communities combine traditional and alternative medicine, utilizing the best aspects of both to treat patients.