Homeopathy 2013; 102(02): 114-122
DOI: 10.1016/j.homp.2013.01.003
Original Paper
Copyright © The Faculty of Homeopathy 2013

Homeopathy – between tradition and modern science: remedies as carriers of significance

Yannis Almirantis

Verantwortlicher Herausgeber dieser Rubrik:
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Publikationsverlauf

Received18. Juli 2012
revised29. Oktober 2012

accepted29. Januar 2013

Publikationsdatum:
17. Dezember 2017 (online)

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The healing potential and description of homeopathic remedies, as determined in homeopathic pathogenic trials (HPTs) and verified by medical experience, are often found to be meaningfully connected with the symbolic content attributed to the original materials (tinctures, metals etc) through tradition or modern semantics. Such a connection is incompatible with a biomolecular mechanistic explanation of the healing action of remedies. The physiological effects of crude substances are often similar to the symptoms of illnesses cured by the corresponding homeopathic remedy. This is considered a manifestation of the similia principle. Evidence is brought here that in several cases the inverse situation occurs, with the healing properties of the crude substance and those of its homeopathic preparation partially coinciding, the remedy usually having broader healing properties.

The existence of these two possibilities in the relationship of medicinal actions of remedy and the crude substance, offers evidence in favor of a direct involvement of the level of significances in the mechanism underlying the homeopathic phenomenon. Finally, an experimental methodology is proposed, which may bring the result of double-blind randomized studies for homeopathic remedies closer to the reported performance of homeopathy in real life medical practice. If successful, this method would be a further indication of a non-local, significance-related interpretation of homeopathy.