Homeopathy Q&As
Published by Bupa's health information team, February 2009.
Answers to questions about homeopathy
This section contains answers to common questions about this topic. Questions have been suggested by health professionals, website feedback and requests via email.
- Is it possible to overdose on homeopathic remedies?
- After taking homeopathic tablets for a few months and with regular check-ups from my homeopath, my asthma feels much better. Isn't that proof that it works?
- What is the placebo effect?
Is it possible to overdose on homeopathic remedies?
No, it isn't possible to overdose on homeopathic pills, at least not on those that are highly dilute. Homeopaths and scientists have differing opinions on why this is.
Explanation
Most homeopathic remedies don't contain chemically active ingredients. Homeopaths say that the remedies affect your body's energies and no chemical trace of the original substance is released into your body tissues and cells. They claim that because of this, you can't overdose on homeopathy in the same way that you can with conventional (chemical) medicines. For this reason homeopathy is assumed to be safe to treat babies, children, breastfeeding mothers and even animals.
Supporters of homeopathy say that the fact that it's not possible to overdose is one of its benefits. However, scientists say that you can't overdose on homeopathic remedies because they don't contain any active substance and have no medicinal effect on your body. They say that if a remedy is a placebo ('dummy') treatment, you can't harm yourself by taking too much.
Most homeopathic remedies have dosage instructions on the packaging. As with all medicinal products, follow the instructions and keep them out of the reach of children. However, unlike conventional medicines, you don't need to worry about the effects if you take too much of a homeopathic remedy by mistake.
Although it isn't possible to overdose on homeopathic remedies, you should be aware that homeopaths claim that two out of every 10 people taking homeopathic remedies find their symptoms get worse for a short while after taking the correct one. Homeopaths call this 'homeopathic aggravation' and believe it shows the remedy is working.
Further information
- British Homeopathic Association and Faculty of Homeopathy
0870 444 3950
www.trusthomeopathy.org - The Society of Homeopaths
0845 450 6611
www.homeopathy-soh.org
Sources
- An overview of positive homeopathy research and surveys. The Society of Homeopaths. www.homeopathy-soh.org, accessed 6 February 2009
- Homeopathy: the ultimate fake. Homeowatch. www.quackwatch.org, accessed 6 February 2009
- Past, present and future medicine. The Society of Homeopaths. www.homeopathy-soh.org, accessed 6 February 2009
- Pregnancy and childbirth. The Society of Homeopaths. www.homeopathy-soh.org, accessed 6 February 2009
- Is homeopathy safe? British Homeopathic Association. www.trusthomeopathy.org, accessed 27 January 2009
- Homeopathy simply explained. The Society of Homeopaths. www.homeopathy-soh.org, accessed 27 January 2009
After taking homeopathic tablets for a few months and with regular check-ups from my homeopath, my asthma feels much better. Isn't that proof that it works?
Although it's good that your condition is improving, this doesn't necessarily mean that homeopathy is an effective treatment for asthma.
Explanation
Your experience alone isn't enough to prove that homeopathy works. It's possible that other people may have had different experiences after using the same homeopathic tablets for their asthma.
In addition, this isn't enough to show that homeopathy works because other things could have influenced your asthma. Any change that happened around the time of your course of homeopathic treatment, such as a new inhaler prescription or stopping smoking, might have improved your symptoms anyway.
It's also possible that meeting regularly with your homeopath may have helped you to control your asthma better. This could be because you have been keeping a close eye on your condition and have had lots of one-to-one time and advice, rather than just the homeopathic tablets.
Although it's good that your symptoms have improved, there is no strong evidence that homeopathy is effective to treat asthma. It's important to continue with your conventional medicines because asthma is a serious condition and stopping your usual treatment could be very harmful to your health.
Further information
- British Homeopathic Association and Faculty of Homeopathy
0870 444 3950
www.trusthomeopathy.org - The Society of Homeopaths
0845 450 6611
www.homeopathy-soh.org
Sources
- McCarney RW, Linde K, Lasserson TJ. Homeopathy for chronic asthma. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2004, Issue 1. Art. No.: CD000353. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD000353.pub2. www.cochrane.org
What is the placebo effect?
The placebo effect is when you are given a remedy that is known not to work but it appears to have an effect. This is mainly because you expect it to.
Explanation
An example of the placebo effect is described here. You have a headache and a friend gives you some painkillers. You hope, expect and believe that you will feel better soon. After an hour, as expected, you do feel much better. Later, she tells you that the pills were actually sweets and it wasn't painkillers that made you feel better. It's possible that something else made your headache go away, for example, if you drank a glass of water with the pills or had a nap after taking them. Maybe your headache would have improved anyway. It may also be that it was all of these things, combined with your expectation that the 'remedy' you took would make you feel better.
If you're given treatment that actually is effective by someone who is also sympathetic to your condition, this will result in a placebo effect as well as the benefit of the treatment.
In medical research the placebo effect is used to help find out the effectiveness of new medicines and treatments. There are often two groups being studied - one is given the medicine and the other is given a placebo ('dummy'), such as a sugar pill. The people taking part in the study shouldn't know which group they are in. It's likely that there will be some placebo effect with a few people in the placebo group feeling the effects of the real medicine. However, if the medicine is effective, there should be many more people in the group taking it who feel its effect. This is called a placebo-controlled trial.
There is no scientific evidence to support homeopathy even though some people have found homeopathic remedies helpful. Many doctors believe that this is at least in part because of the placebo effect. Placebo-controlled trials have shown that homeopathy doesn't help to improve symptoms any more than a placebo for any condition studied.
Sources
- Ernst E. A systematic review of systematic reviews of homeopathy. Br J Clin Pharmacol 2002; 54(6):577-582
Related topics
Publication date: February 2009
Homeopathy factsheet
Visit the homeopathy health factsheet for more information.
Rate this page
