There is probably no modality of holistic medicine so misunderstood as homeopathy. In fact, to many people, homeopathy is a world in which black is white, good is bad, and the rules make no sense at all. However, properly understood and practiced, homeopathy is a sensitive, effective form of medicine that seeks above all to truly cure the individual of all disease and even tendency to disease, rather than suppress or alter symptoms.

I was first drawn to homeopathy for myself when I saw how well it worked on my dogs. I was not very well at the time, suffering from severe depression and grief over the loss of many friends to AIDS in short period of time, and chronic bronchitis that had followed on pneumonia. I was in the office of my veterinarian, Cheryl Schwartz, with Colleen, my chow mix, and Cheryl looked at me and said, "Are you going to do something about that cough?" She referred me to a lay homeopath in Oakland, CA, named Sally Savitz. Sally patiently took my case and gave me a homeopathic remedy, which I took in the car on my way home. I had been depressed and miserable for weeks; before I got home, I was singing.

It took several practitioners and a few years to untangle the web of grief and respiratory problems I suffered from, but untangled they finally were. Along the way, I have used homeopathy to treat injuries and illness in myself and my dogs and cats, working with homeopathic doctors and veterinarians as well as doing prescribing for acute and minor problems, and first aid, for my pets and myself.

What is Homeopathy?
The most common mistake I encounter in people new to holistic care is a tendency to use "homeopathic" interchangeably with "holistic" or "natural" or even "herbal." This is not correct.

Homeopathy is a branch of holistic medicine, but not all holistic medicine is homeopathy. Homeopathy was discovered and developed by German physician Samuel Hahnemann (1755-1843). Unlike herbal medicine or even Traditional Chinese Medicine (herbs and acupuncture), homeopathy really is a whole new way of looking at health and disease. It is so different that many people can't grasp it, and continue to use homeopathic remedies as if they were herbal or conventional Western allopathic drugs. This is not correct practice, but more importantly, it doesn't work all that well! You might get some benefit, you might actually make things worse, you might accomplish nothing, and you definitely will miss out on the true goal of homeopathy, which is to cure the patient, not just the disease.

Homeopathic Theory of Disease
In homeopathic theory, disease is seen as originating not originally because of pathogens like viruses or bacteria, but because of a disruption in the "vital force" or life energy of the individual. Hahnemann said that the origin of disease is on the spiritual plane, not the physical plane, so that usually when we talk about "causes," we really aren't talking about the first cause. We're just talking about the causes we can perceive.

Therefore, in homeopathic theory, colloidal silver or antibiotics or hot herbal compresses or whatever you use to "kill germs" will not cure you.

The Cause of Disease
All people, and our domestic animals, have inherited weaknesses and susceptibilities with which we are born. In homeopathic theory these are known as "miasms." Some of these predispositions are genetic tendencies to certain conditions such as hip dysplasia or allergies. Others are behavioral, others are neurological. One animal or child might be born who is very sensitive to vaccines, while another has no problem with vaccines, but can't tolerate certain foods, or pollens, or perhaps has an inherited weakness in his or her eyes.

(Miasms can also be contracted after birth, from infectious diseases, suppressive treatments, and other causes. To learn more about miasms, read the excellent series of articles called Miasms in Classical Homoeopathy by homeopath David Little.)

The Single Most Similar Remedy
When you do something to challenge an individual, such as give them poor nutrition or subject them to stress, they will have symptoms in their area of weakness. This will be different in everyone. That is why in homeopathic treatment, individualized prescriptions are used that are precisely chosen for the way they match the EXACT, unique symptoms of that individual. That is why you could have a hundred dogs with a reaction to their parvo vaccine, and each of those hundred dogs could get a different remedy to treat that reaction. That is why you can't just give Thuja or Lyssin after a vaccine and expect it to work, because the key to curing chronic disease with homeopathy is to find the single remedy, out of thousands, that when given to healthy people produces the exact symptoms that the patient has. That is known as the "symptom picture" of that remedy, and it is finding that single most similar remedy which is the entire art of homeopathic treatment.

In a litter of puppies, each puppy can have inherited a miasm from their parents but each of those puppies will demonstrate this miasm in different ways. One might have allergies, another chronic ear infections, another might eat stool and have red skin, and another might have anal gland problems, while another might have behavioral problems. All or some of these puppies might seem perfectly fine until they are challenged by stress, bad diet, repeated vaccination (or just one vaccination, if they are particularly sensitive to vaccines), harsh drug therapies, exposure to diseases, etc. Then they will begin to express their disease in their own way.

By reading those signs, you will be guided to the correct remedy for that puppy, and in time, a good homeopath can undo most of the problems that a puppy is born with. Sadly, we see more and more dogs and cats today who have multiple miasms (like humans do now), and their cases are complicated and layered. Only the best homeopaths and most patient, observant owners can get through these cases to cure. When you have a pup who is born with multiple miasms, and then you wean that puppy inappropriately, feed it inappropriately, raise it in a polluted world, give it insufficient exercise (as is the fate of most companion animals), vaccinate it over and over and over for multiple diseases, expose it to other diseases in crowded, unnatural settings such as dog parks or boarding kennels, force it to either live in parasite-infested environments or to wear a haze of pesticides to kill the parasites.... well, God only knows that Hahnemann himself probably would have a hard time curing that puppy. And then that puppy grows up, and sires a litter of puppies, and passes on all the inherited and acquired miasms to the next generation.

Is this real? I believe it is. I came to believe it as I saw each generation of unvaccinated, non-suppressed, homeopathically treated puppies be healthier and "clearer" than the generations before. Can I prove it? Definitely not. It's just that one day I realized I had never actually seen HEALTH before. And now that I've seen it, I also see how many dogs are cheated of it, even before they are born.

Suppression
Homeopathic theory is based on the idea that the body will always do the best it can do with any stimulus, pathogen, or disease. It will always attempt to eliminate the harmful influence, and failing that, it will attempt to isolate or externalize it as much as possible, preserving and protecting the most vital organs and systems of the body. Homeopathic remedies are prescribed on the belief that the "symptoms" of the body should not be suppressed, because they are the body's best efforts at cure, or maintaining equilibrium. Instead of drugs to suppress or eliminate the symptoms, a substance is given which in a healthy person will cause the same symptoms as are being exhibited by the patient. (This is the foundational law of homeopathy, and is known as the law of similars: Let like be cured by like.)

Acute illnesses are those that, if you survive them, will usually burn themselves out and you will recover. Sometimes if you are weak, they will linger and a state of chronic disease will arise. But you can make this process worse by using suppressive treatments. These are treatments that suppress instead of curing the problem, and they can be herbal, allopathic, or even homeopathic! Homeopathic remedies, wrongly prescribed, can cause suppression, although usually it won't last unless the wrong remedy is given repeatedly (as is often the case with the "recipe" approach advocated in many books, by eclectic or untrained practitioners, and on the labeling of many remedies).

The Laws of Homeopathy
The most basic law of homeopathy is the "Law of Similars," which simply stated is "Let like be cured by like." Hippocrates observed this law more than a thousand years before the time of Samuel Hahnemann.

One common example of the law of similars in action is the use of allium cepa, or onion, in homeopathic potency, to treat certain kinds of head colds. When someone has a cold characterized by red, burning, running eyes, the administration of allium cepa, which will cause those same symptoms in a person without a cold, can help the body throw off or move beyond the illness.

The next law is known as the "Law of Cure," formulated by homeopath Constantine Hering in the 1800s. Cure in homeopathic theory is said to move in a predictable order: From above downward, from the most to least serious organs or systems, from the mental to the emotional to the physical, and backward in time. It is by this process that a homeopath will know how to judge if a case is being cured or just suppressed or palliated (a relief of symptoms without cure). It is by observing this process that the homeopath will be able to know if the remedy he or she prescribed worked as desired, and will guide them in knowing how to proceed with the case. When the workings of the law of cure are disrupted by the use of other therapies, even "benign" ones such as acupuncture, it makes it difficult or impossible for the homeopath to continue with the case. For more information on the Law of Cure, read Hering's Laws and the Timeline.

The other important law is the law of the minimum dose: Never give more than the absolute smallest dose to achieve the result you want.

It is this last law that gives most skeptics their biggest challenge. Homeopathy traditionally uses doses of substances that are so small that there is literally not one atom left of the crude substance. These substances are diluted, but not only diluted; they are also shaken and prepared in a process known as "potentizing." Without potentization, the remedies lose their action as they are diluted. With potentization, every step of the process dilutes the substance but makes the remedy more powerful, rather than less. The remedies are marked with numbers to indicate how many times they have been diluted and shaken; the higher the number, the more potent the remedy is. There are a number of systems for this process, and the two most common are distinguished by the letters "C" and "X." The number "M" indicates another common method. "M" remedies are very high potencies. Most remedies sold in health food stores range from 6X to 30X, or 6C to 30C.

How does potentization increase the strength of the remedy? The answer is not known, although theories abound. It is beyond the scope of this article to detail the large amount of research that has been and is being done in homeopathy, but it is outlined on the website of the Homeopathic Education Service. Some speculate that homeopathic potentization frees some form of energy inherent in the substance, and it is this energy that resonates with the vital force to promote the body's own efforts at healing.

But How Does it Work (If it Works at All)?
If you find this too much to swallow, you are not alone. Many people believe homeopathy is nonsense medicine, or at best, a placebo. I, too, was very skeptical about homeopathy, and the only thing that changed my mind was seeing the effects it had on my animals.

Researchers Paolo Bellavite, MD and Andrea Signorini, MD said in their book Homeopathy: A Frontier in Medical Science that the single largest stumbling block to acceptance of homeopathy is a lack of a firm theory to explain how it works. I tend to agree.

What is the Treatment Like?
Homeopathic remedies are described in a book known as a materia medica of homeopathic remedies. They are chosen by consulting with a book known as a repertory of symptoms, and cross-referencing with the materia medica. This is known as taking the case.

In chronic disease, such as allergies, cancer, diabetes, epilepsy, or arthritis, it's best to work with a trained homeopath. These cases are difficult, and it's rare that we have enough objectivity about our own animals to select the right course of remedies. In addition, there are often long periods of time between remedies, while the vital force acts, and it's not usually very comfortable for us to wait. The impulse to do something is very strong, and we may lack the training to know if the chronic case is getting better, or worse, as it unravels.

However, treatment for most acute illnesses and minor injuries, and first aid, can be administered at home. I use a pocket materia medica combined with repertory published by Boericke (no commercial interest, just a site where it can be purchased). It is also available in most health food stores that have book sections, or can be ordered. You simply look up the symptoms in the repertory, make notes of the remedies that appear most often, and then read the description of that remedy's symptoms, known as the "symptom picture," in the materia medica.

Case taking is an art as well as a science, and it takes much practice and study to get really good at acute prescribing. Strong, unique symptoms are the most important; nearly all parvo cases, for example, share certain symptoms, such as vomiting and diarrhea, so these symptoms are of less use in taking the case than those that are unique or particular to that animal.

Classical Homeopathy and More Information
Homeopathy does not just involve using homeopathic remedies, but prescribing them in accordance with the laws of homeopathy. This is known as classical homeopathy. The use of combination remedies (more than one remedy at a time) is not classical practice, nor is the use of remedies to suppress symptoms.

To find a doctor or other human health care professional who practices classical homeopathy, visit the website Referrals to Classical Homeopaths in the United States and Canada. To find a veterinarian trained in the practice of classical homeopathy, contact the Academy for Veterinary Homeopathy.

For more information on homeopathy in general, visit Homeopathic Educational Services. For more information on homeopathy and pets, read Larry Bernstein, DVM's Homeopathic Primer.

Recommended Reading on Homeopathy:
When you purchase books through these links, I receive a small commission on the sale, which is used to defray the costs of maintaining this site.

Homeopathic Care for Cats and Dogs: Small Doses for Small Animals by Don Hamilton, DVM.
The first, best place to start in researching this issue. I actually think this is the best book for an overview of homeopathy even for those looking at it from a human perspective!

Discovering Homeopathy: Medicine for the 21st Century by Dana Ullman.
The next best place to start, if a book on animals doesn't work for you. Lots of interesting citations on research. A great overview and introduction, even for skeptics.

The Complete Homeopathy Handbook: A Guide to Everyday Health Care by Miranda Castro.
An excellent guide to help you familiarize yourself with prescribing for acute conditions and first aid.

Organon of the Medical Art (Sixth Edition) by Samuel Hahnemann.
The last edition of his great work by the founder of homeopathy. Written in the 1800s in German, Wenda Brewster O'Reilly has done an incredible job editing the Steven Decker translation. This book is for anyone truly serious about the study of homeopathy. Homeopathic veterinarian Christina Chambreau, DVM, says all homeopaths should read it at least once a year.