Homeopathy is a safe and natural form of medicine, based on the practice of treating like with like. Homeopathy is derived from the Greek words homios, meaning like or similar, and italics, meaning suffering. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Homeopathy aims to treat the whole person rather than the disease alone. The homeopath will consider the patient as a whole, both physically and psychologically, taking into account their physical appearance, likes, dislikes and temperament. It is therefore a highly personalized form of treatment, so that patients who apparently suffer from the same disease may be advised different medications. Homeopathy is a well-established form of healing. Today, many of the largest pharmaceutical companies research and mass produce homeopathic medicines. Homeopathic medicines Homeopathic medicines are very similar to conventional medicines, they are taken in the same way, but their mode of action is completely different. The medications are not synthetic and come from natural sources. More than 60% of homeopathic remedies are prepared from plant or plant materials. Other remedies are prepared from natural mineral substances, including metals, non-metallic substances and mineral salts. Animal sources of homeopathic remedies include cuttlefish (think or juice provides sepia) and bees. Homeopathic medicines are prepared by obtaining the remedy in its most concentrated form and then, through a lengthy process of dilution, preparing a medicine of sufficient potency to effect 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 of remedy per trillion parts of diluent). homeopathic medicines Homeopathic medicines, commonly called 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; Calcarea, calcium carbonate from oyster shells; sepia, from squid ink; and the element sulfur. Today's homeopathic remedies are produced using the same dilution principles as in Hahnemann's time. In a common dilution of 1:100, one drop of homeopathic substance is added to 99 drops of water and/or alcohol. The mixture is then energized by a process called “succussion”: repeated tapping on a hard surface for a specific duration. Remedies can be diluted up to 1000 times, leaving only a tiny trace of the substance. Remedies are typically diluted 10, 100, or 1,000 times, resulting 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. high. Remedies can be taken orally in pill, powder or drop form, rubbed topically or injected. Homeopathic treatments generally cause no side effects, but a patient may experience what is called "healing worsening," a temporary increase in symptoms. This is considered a positive sign that the remedy is working. Depending on the severity of the symptoms, the homeopath may choose an antidote that produces the opposite effect of the remedy. The antidote may be another homeopathic remedy or a strong substance, such as perfume, camphor.