Homeopathy was founded in 1796 by the German doctor Samuel Hahnemann and counts as complementary medicine. It is based on Hahnemann’s law of similarities: „Similar things should be healed by similar things“ (similia similibus curentur). Following that, a homeopathic medicine should be chosen in such a way that the main ingredients, administered undiluted, could produce similar symptoms in healthy people to those of which the patient suffers.
Homeopathy is still subject to controversy within the medical society, because similar to Rudolf Steiner’s theory of Anthroposophical Medicine it is nearly impossible to carry out clinical studies that adhere to the criteria of science, e.g. a regular medical double-blind study. Due to the very individualized treatment, which means taking into account the unique characteristics of each patient when choosing the remedy, the same diagnosis in two patients might require a different treatment for each of them.
Nonetheless, one can witness incredible success in treatments by homeopathic remedies. In Germany and France, for example, homeopathy is well-accepted.