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A German doctor named Samuel Hahnemann created Homeopathy around 1800. He believed a substance that causes a symptom should also relieve it. This idea of "like cures like" became homeopathy's Law of Similars. Vaccines work along the same lines by giving a weakened or dead version of a disease to person so his or her immune system will create antibodies to prevent the person from ever contracting the disease. However, in homeopathy, the substances used are not disease-causing germs. Instead, herbs and other natural materials are used in extremely diluted solutions. The other main principle of homeopathy is the
Law of Infinitesimals, which states the more diluted the medicine, the stronger the benefit. Hahnemann experimented with many plant, animal, and mineral substances to see what symptoms they caused and might cure. Because large dosages could be dangerous, Hahnemann tried smaller, more diluted doses. He concluded the best cure was a diluted one. Many homeopathic remedies contain a mere one part per million or less of the herb that is supposed to cure a problem. Whether or not this works is a matter of debate. Little scientific research has been done on homeopathic remedies, and the studies that do exist are inconclusive. Homeopathy
is popular in the U.K., and the British Medical Journal has published several contradictory studies on the subject. A widely cited research paper in August 2000 seemed to show homeopathy had a positive effect on allergic rhinitis. But a larger, placebo-controlled study published in March 2002 found homeopathic remedies were no more effective than a placebo for treating asthma. Homeopathy remains an unproven, alternative practice and doesn't seem to have much support in the medical world. Still that doesn't stop countless people from believing in it and using it faithfully.
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