Do you have to believe in homeopathy for it to work?

1 What is homeopathy and how does it work?
The term «homeopathy» is made up of the Greek words «homoion» (= similar) and «pathos» (= disease) and means the art of curing a disease with something similar to it. A simple example of this is the vaccination that we are all familiar with: in a smallpox vaccination, for example, a virus similar to the life-threatening smallpox virus is injected into the skin. This usually results in a short, generally harmless localised vaccination reaction. This is the vaccine disease similar to true smallpox, which is deliberately induced in the patient as a preventative treatment. This disease teaches the body to produce antibodies against the group of smallpox viruses, making it easier for the specifically trained defence system to overcome any subsequent smallpox infection. However, vaccinations are by no means the only area where the principle of similarity is also applied in conventional medicine on a material level. Homeopathic immunotherapeutics that stimulate the body's own defences are also playing an increasingly important role in the direct treatment of acute and chronic diseases.
2 Who was the first to use homeopathic treatment methods?
The German physician Samuel Hahnemann (1755-1843) was the first to apply this principle of stimulation based on similarity in a more comprehensive way: During a self-experiment with the malaria drug quinine, he noticed that the drug produced similar symptoms in him as a healthy person as it was able to cure in the sick person. He then tested the effect of numerous other medicines on healthy test subjects and tried to treat patients suffering from similar symptoms. In fact, his new healing principle proved itself in the best possible way, as small doses of the otherwise poisonous belladonna, for example, proved to be an effective remedy for scarlet fever after a scarlet fever-like rash was observed in addition to other typical symptoms of the disease when tested on healthy people.
3 What is meant by «potentisation» and «high potencies»?
For Hahnemann, the question arose as to how small a dose of a homeopathic remedy could be chosen in order for it to still have a therapeutic effect. Systematic dilution experiments yielded a surprising result: if the dilution was carried out in stages (for example, one drop of the starting solution to 100 drops of the solvent) and with the application of energy (e.g. by vigorous shaking), the effect was still clearly perceptible for sufficiently sensitive test subjects, even at very high dilution levels! The effect of these «energised» dilutions was particularly evident in therapeutic applications: The homeopathic healing effect could also be achieved through these dilutions without the slightest risk of material poisoning, indeed the healing effect was even more pronounced in many cases with this form of application! Remedies diluted in this way with the addition of energy down to the non-material range are referred to as «high potencies».
4. are there scientific studies that prove that homeopathy is more effective than a placebo?
Yes, there are now quite a large number of such studies. Double-blind studies, in which the purely psychological treatment effect is systematically eliminated, prove the effect of high potencies with scientific clarity. However, this is still disputed by conventional medicine, sometimes with arguments that are not very scientific. A detailed description of this controversy can be found on my website(www.hanspeterseiler.ch).
5 Which diseases can be treated with homeopathy?
As a regulative healing system that stimulates the patient's own healing powers, homeopathy can only be effective if, firstly, the patient's defences are functional and, secondly, any organs damaged by the illness are still capable of regeneration. These conditions are naturally far more common in paediatrics and adolescent medicine than in geriatrics, for example, which is why the use of homeopathy in paediatrics is particularly beneficial.

6 For which diseases do homeopathic remedies not work?
If a non-regenerative organ system fails, such as the islet cells of the pancreas in diabetes, a causal cure is not possible with either homeopathy or conventional medicine. However, conventional medicine can help a great deal here through targeted substitution treatment with insulin, which a regulative treatment method such as homeopathy cannot do.
7 How does the homeopath find the right remedy?
Today's scientific homeopathy mostly uses computerised directories (= repertories), which greatly facilitate the often difficult task of finding the most suitable remedy for a particular case of illness. For a holistic healing effect, as many of the patient's physical and mental symptoms as possible must match the so-called drug picture of the appropriate remedy.
8. can I treat my child with homeopathy myself?
This is possible in simple cases and taking into account the side effects that also occur in homeopathy, but it is always better to seek specialist treatment.
9. what are the side effects of homeopathic treatment?
By definition, a material toxic effect is not possible when using non-material high potencies. On the other hand, a non-material stimulation treatment according to the principle of similarity can very well cause an intensification of the symptoms of the disease. However, an initial homeopathic aggravation of this kind that does not go too far is by no means a bad sign, but requires very close observation of the patient and, if necessary, an immediate adjustment of the dosage.
10. do you have to believe in homeopathy for it to work?
In a double-blind study, the «belief factor» is neutralised twice over: in the highly qualified ADD study by Swiss paediatrician Heiner Frei, for example, neither the children suffering from attention deficit disorder nor he himself knew whether the appropriate homeopathic remedy or just a placebo had been administered. However, the assessment by the parents as well as by the school showed a statistically significant improvement for the homeopathically treated patient group, which proves an objective effect of high-potency homeopathy that is independent of belief.