Homeopathy is a system of medicine based on the reproducible observation that disease may be treated by a substance that produces similar effects in healthy individuals. This observation – the law of similars, Similia Similibus Curentur – was first postulated by Hippocrates and developed into a complete therapeutic system by Samuel Hahnemann beginning in 1796. The AIH holds this foundation as the basis of all homeopathic practice.
A homeopathic medicine is prescribed based on its documented ability to produce similar symptoms in a healthy person as the patient is experiencing. The more similar the match between the medicine’s documented symptom picture and the patient’s characteristic symptoms, the more effective the result.
The human organism possesses inherent properties of sensitivity, irritability, and reactability. When threatened by disorder or disease, all living organisms exert an effort to maintain or regain normal physiological equilibrium. Homeopathic medicine works with this natural healing response, not against it.
Homeopathic medicine views the state of being unwell as a holistic disturbance in the homeostasis of the total being – evidenced by symptomatology with or without associated demonstrable physical or laboratory abnormalities. The totality of the patient’s characteristic symptoms, not the disease diagnosis alone, guides the prescription.
Only one homeopathic medicine is prescribed at a time, never mixtures or combinations. This principle allows clear observation of the medicine’s action and the patient’s response.
A single homeopathic medicine is prescribed in optimal posology – the correct potency, dose, and frequency of repetition for the individual patient. The dose must be sufficient to trigger a healing response while avoiding unnecessary aggravation.
Homeopathic medicines are prepared according to the standards of the Homeopathic Pharmacopoeia of the United States and administered in accordance with the principles of homeopathic practice. A substance that is capable of evoking certain symptoms when administered to a healthy person under controlled conditions may become a potentially effective therapeutic agent when prepared and prescribed in this way.
The decision to employ homeopathic medicine and its effectiveness in a given case is governed by detailed knowledge of the individual patient in accordance with the law of similars, and through careful observance of the following specific practices:
The total symptom complex of the patient must be obtained through a detailed history. The characteristic symptoms of the individual patient – not the disease diagnosis alone – guide the prescription.
Employment of diagnostic procedures, supported by laboratory studies when appropriate, ensures the physician understands what they are treating, the pathology involved, and what genuine recovery looks like.
A clear assessment of the probability and degree of recovery to be anticipated from treatment must be established before prescribing.
Evaluation of the sensitivity of the patient to homeopathic medicine and the probable reaction and response of this patient to its administration informs the posology decision.
Detailed knowledge of the pathogenesis – the symptom picture – of a significant number of homeopathic medicines listed in the homeopathic materia medica and compendium is essential to accurate prescribing.
Careful and accurate matching of the homeopathic medicine’s pathogenesis to the symptom picture presented by the patient is the clinical art at the center of homeopathic practice.
A single homeopathic medicine is administered in optimal posology – the correct potency, dose, and frequency of repetition required to evoke the desired healing response in the patient.
The physician must remember that they are treating a patient who has some disorder. They are not prescribing for a disease entity or specific diagnosis alone. The totality of the patient is always the guide.
The Homeopathic Pharmacopoeia of the United States (HPUS) is the official compendium for homeopathic medicines in the United States. It details the sources, composition, and preparation of homeopathic medicines prescribed on the basis of the law of similars. All homeopathic medicines prescribed by AIH members are prepared in accordance with HPUS standards. Under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, homeopathic medicines are recognized as legal drugs – a designation that reflects their longstanding place in American medicine and the regulatory framework that governs their manufacture and use.
“Nor do I know of any effective way to combat error, save by proclaiming truth.”
– Carroll Dunham, MD, 1870
“Homeopathic medicine is inductive science – built on documented, reproducible observations of how substances affect healthy individuals and applied to sick individuals whose symptoms match those observations.”
“Under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, homeopathic medicines are recognized as legal drugs – a designation that reflects their longstanding place in American medicine.”