Connie Menezes, a registered homeopath outlines the history of homeopathy for Mayo Advertiser readers.
Homeopathy has been known since the time of Hippocrates (5th century BC ) and was established as a system of medicine in 1796 by a German doctor Samuel Hahnemann (1755 – 1843 ).
The principles and practice — laws of cure, laws of similars, and materia medica — were laid down by Hahnemann over 200 years ago and remain unchanged to the present day. This is in sharp contrast to modern medicine where today’s orthodoxy can become tomorrow’s heresy, ie, drugs fall in and out of fashion.
Hahnemann's opposition to orthodox medicine made him many enemies in the medical profession. Hahnemann made his own remedies and, as they do not need to be repeated often, this incurred the wrath of the apothecaries who feared being put out of business. Restrictions on his practice were imposed but despite this, by the time of his death in 1843, aged 88, homeopathy had spread to Europe, North and South America, and Asia.
Homeopathy made its name in the USA in the late 1800s; by 1900 there were 22 homeopathic medical schools, 100 homeopathic hospitals, and 1,000 homeopathic pharmacies. However the antagonism of the American Medical Association and the major drug companies towards homeopathy contributed to the suppression of this form of medicine. As a result, homeopathy’s halcyon days took a sharp decline in the 1900s. The fear of homeopathic practice becoming successful and the desire to suppress it continues to the current day. Nevertheless, homeopathy still lives on in spite of its ardent critics and detractors.
Contact Connie Menezes on 098 28499 or 086 165 9065 to make an appointment.
