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Psychological Aspects of Homeopathy and The Placebo Effect

Homeopathic treatment takes a holistic approach, considering the patient’s mind, body and emotions rather than as a group of symptoms to be cured. The remedy prescribed fits the patient’s physical and psychological symptoms. Stress over a prolonged period of time could lead to indigestion, weaker immunity system, sleeplessness or worse. The opposite is also true, when certain physical illness lead to emotional uneasiness. An experienced homeopath will consider the psychological aspects of homeopathy before administering the remedy.

Is It Merely Psychological?

A difficult question to answer, considering the arguments put forward by physicists who claim that the diluted medicinal substance in each dose is so negligible that there is hardly any potency of cure left in it. However, on the other hand, homeopathic remedies administered to infants with problems in teething, colic, stomach upsets have proved successful.

Even in animals there are some amounts of success. If you think that one has to “believe” in homeopathy for it to work then how does one explain the psychological aspects of homeopathy in the above cases? Today, millions of people turn to alternative medicines like homeopathy for healing.

Alternative medication, mainly derived from ancient healing and superstition which have been around for centuries, explains some of the psychological aspects of homeopathy. People want to “believe” that these “natural” medicines and therapy are effective and curable and can be explained by science. Most scientists believe that believe in a therapy may be an important factor in healing known as the placebo effect. The placebo effect becomes psychic healing which to some extent explains the psychological aspects of homeopathy.

According to Deepak Chopra, “Beliefs, thoughts and emotions create the chemical reactions that uphold life in every cell.” The traditional Indian medicine Ayurveda which has been around for thousands of years asserts that by thought alone the medicines needed to cure the illness can be created within the body.

The goal of the homeopathic treatment is to encourage the body to return to its natural state of balance and health. The medication helps to fill up the gaps in the body to stimulate the patient’s own healing potential and energies. The psychological aspects of homeopathy help the patient to have access to the body’s natural strength and wisdom, so that chemical based medication can be avoided. If you think that you have to “believe” in homeopathy for it to work, you need to know that it is not a placebo effect.