Homeopathy: A Pseudoscience or an Alternative Medicine? - Essay Sample

Introduction

Homeopathy is a widely discussed alternative medicine, considered by the scientific community as a pseudoscience and is based on two principles proposed, in 1810, by the German physician Samuel Hahnemann (1755-1843), in his Organ of Medicine: the "law of the similar "and the" law of infinitesimals" (Gray, 2017). According to the first principle, a substance that causes certain symptoms in a healthy individual will cure the sick patient with the same symptoms. According to the second principle - a kind of "less is more" - a remedy becomes more effective when diluted so that the most potent are those diluted to the point of not containing a single molecule of the active substance. Sickness is often accompanied by pain and disease. The search for relief is usually an emergency for those affected and, in many cases, the same body has its own mechanisms to combat many conditions; the bones are welded, the cold heals and the wounds close. In addition, modern medicine fights many diseases with proven efficacy or, in other cases, improves symptoms. But diseases are far from overcoming and many of the ailments (still) have no medical solution. As a solution to these ailments without cure, or as an alternative to traditional treatments, there is homeopathy. Homeopathy has raised a lot of debate with some people supporting its use and others against its use. Countries such as England have been trying to ban homeopathy while in countries such as Germany and Austria, there are no regulations that exist regarding homeopathic treatment (Chaar, 2017). In the USA, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulates how such drugs are manufactured and administered. The current research seeks to conduct in-depth research on whether homeopathy is a remedy or a harmful treatment option. Questions that will be answered by the current research include:

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• What is homeopathic medicine?
• What is the prevalence of the use of homeopathic medicine?
• What are the benefits of homeopathic medicine?
• What are the dangers of homeopathic medicine?
• What are the controversies surrounding the use of homeopathic medicine?
• Is homeopathy controversial or is it just unethical?

Preliminary Research. So far in my research, I have found two reliable sources on homeopathy, what it entails, and its effects. To begin my research, I went to WVU Libraries to find reliable databases to conduct some information on my topic. I went to CQ Researcher first to find information on my topic.

Haller, J. S. (2009). The history of American homeopathy: from rational medicine to holistic health care. Rutgers University Press.

This database provided me with a lot of information on homeopathic medicine. Homeopathy tries to fight the disease by stimulating the natural self-defense that every organism has, helping it to be cured by means of the homeopathic medicine that, in addition, would help the body to rebalance itself, with which it is also attributed a preventive character. The controversy comes from the so-called homeopathy or homeopath professional. Psuedo doctors who receive consultations and charge both for their work at that time and for sometimes very expensive medications, without much sense or notion of what is being acquired. In other countries, homeopathic medicines have their own regulations that, on the other hand, also receive criticism because their regulation is considered deficient. Its production and commercialization, therefore, are perfectly legal and are minimally regulated.

Singh, S., & Ernst, E. (2008). Trick or treatment: The undeniable facts about alternative medicine. WW Norton & Company.

This source provides insight into why some people support homeopathic drugs. The first argument is that many people are finally satisfied with this therapeutic approach. Why divert them from these treatments, even if their mode of action is not clear? Many patients who are in a state of dissatisfaction or ill-being are finding the homeopathic consultation an alternative solution that generalists often do not have time to give them. Although homeopathy is a medicine of secular tradition, the truth is that most of the scientific community considers it a pseudoscience. So much so that the view that it simply provides a placebo effect is widespread. This does not prevent numerous patients from resorting to it. Those against it argue that the promotion and use of homeopathic products are dangerous, as it may delay the search for adequate, evidence-based medical care, or, worse, deter the patient from doing so.

Stakeholders

The stakeholders in this problem are; the state (government) who provides regulations on how medicines should be manufactured and banning them if they are dangerous, the pharmaceutical industries who manufacture and sell the medicines, doctors who administer the drugs, and the general population who consume the drug and are either affected by the drug positively or negatively.

Research Plan

The next step in my research plan is to get even more information on homeopathic medicine, its effects, and its dangers. I plan on looking at databases such as EbscoHost and Lexis Uni, both of which are reliable databases to obtain information from. Scholarly medical journals using databases like PubMed would be most helpful in my research, as are public policy journals with articles analyzing this disturbing trend.

References

Chaar, B. (2017). Ethical dilemmas: Homeopathy and pharmacists. Australian Pharmacist, 36(1), 58. https://dx.doi.org/10.12865%2FCHSJ.40.01.10

Gray, B. (2017). How should we respond to non-dominant healing practices, the example of homeopathy? Journal of bioethical inquiry, 14(1), 87-96. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11673-016-9760-y

Haller, J. S. (2009). The history of American homeopathy: from rational medicine to holistic health care. Rutgers University Press.

Singh, S., & Ernst, E. (2008). Trick or treatment: The undeniable facts about alternative medicine. WW Norton & Company.