Homeopathy is a safe and natural form of medicine, based on the practice of treating like with like. Homeopathy comes from the Greek words homios, meaning like or similar, and italic, meaning suffering. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Homeopathy deals with treating the whole person rather than the disease alone. The homeopath will consider the patient as a whole, both physically and psychologically, taking into account physical appearance, likes, dislikes and temperament. It is therefore a highly personalized form of treatment, whereby different drugs may be recommended to patients who apparently suffer from the same disease. Homeopathy is an established form of healing. Today many major pharmaceutical companies are researching and mass producing homeopathic medicines. homeopathic medicines Homeopathic medicines are very similar to conventional medicines, they are taken in the same way, but the way they work is completely different. The medicines are not synthetic and are derived from natural sources. Over 60% of homeopathic remedies are prepared from plant or plant materials. Other remedies are prepared from naturally occurring mineral substances, including metals, non-metallic substances and mineral salts. Animal sources of homeopathic remedies include cuttlefish (think or the juice provides cuttlefish) and the honeybee. Homeopathic medicines are prepared by obtaining the remedy in its most concentrated form and then, through a long dilution process, preparing a medicine whose potency is sufficient to carry out the treatment. Potency describes the extent of dilution of the remedy and is indicated by the number following the name of the medicine itself. The higher the number, the greater the dilution (up to one part remedy to a trillion parts diluent). homeopathic medicines Homeopathic medicines, commonly referred to as remedies, can come from the plant, mineral or animal kingdom. Some common remedies include Arnica Montana, from the leopard's bane plant; belladonna, from the deadly nightshade plant; Calcarea, calcium carbonate from oyster shells; sepia, from cuttlefish ink; and the element, sulphur. Homeopathic remedies today are produced using the same dilution principles as in Hahnemann's time. In the common 1:100 dilution, one drop of the homeopathic substance is added to 99 drops of water and/or alcohol. The mixture is then strengthened through a process called "succussion" - repeated blows on a hard surface for a specific period of time. Remedies can be diluted up to 1000 times, leaving only an infinitesimal trace of the substance. Remedies are typically diluted 10, 100, or 1,000 times, which results in potencies marked with the Roman numerals X, C, and M. Homeopathic remedies range from 6X as the lowest potency to 1M or more as the highest potency. Remedies can be taken orally in the form of a pill, powder or drops rubbed on top or injected. There are usually no side effects from homeopathic treatments, but a patient may experience what is called a "healing aggravation," a temporary accentuation of symptoms. This is seen as a positive sign that the remedy is working. Depending on the severity of the symptoms, the homeopath may choose an antidote, which produces the opposite effect of the remedy. The antidote may be another homeopathic remedy or a strong substance, such as perfume, camphor, or coffee, which are known to block the effects of a remedy. In the United States, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has recognized homeopathic medicines as drugs since 1938, working with the Pharmacopoeia Convention.