Homeopathy exposed: Why it isn't real medicine and may be dangerous

What science says about homeopathy

Despite loud promises of healing, these preparations often contain no molecule of an active substance, and their use instead of evidence-based therapy risks wasting valuable time.

This branch of alternative medicine originated in Germany at the end of the 18th century and is based on the bizarre principle of “like cures like.”

Homeopaths believe that a substance that causes symptoms of a disease in a healthy person can cure the same symptoms in a sick person. For example, since ordinary onion causes a runny nose and tearing, its extract is added to remedies for allergies or colds, while other products use poison ivy, bees, and arsenic compounds.

During production, the raw material is repeatedly diluted in water or alcohol and vigorously shaken, a process called “potentization.” Supporters of the method believe that water supposedly remembers healing properties, and the more diluted the remedy is, the more powerful its effect.

In reality, most such preparations are so diluted that they contain no physical molecules of the original substance at all.

Placebo effect instead of real healing

Today, sugar pellets, drops, and sprays are widely used to treat migraines, depression, arthritis, and even irritable bowel syndrome.

If a person experiences subjective improvement after taking such products, science explains this as a classic placebo effect — a powerful psychological and physiological response of the brain to the expectation of recovery. The theories on which homeopathy is based fully contradict the basic laws of chemistry and physics, which is why none of these remedies has official medical approval anywhere in the world.

Hidden risks and toxic impurities

Since homeopathic syrups and tablets are usually just water or sugar, they do not cause direct side effects. However, medical experts warn about several serious dangers of such treatment.

Using homeopathy for asthma, heart attacks, or cancer deprives patients of the chance for timely medical help, which can be life-threatening.

Some products (so-called “nosodes”) are sold as a safe substitute for vaccines, leaving the body completely unprotected against real infections.

Due to the lack of strict regulation, dangerous toxins are sometimes found in such products (for example, in 2017, the reputable organization FDA detected toxic substances in homeopathic teething gels for infants).