What is homeopathy? How are homeopathic medicines made? Do homeopathic medicines work? What are the common criticisms of homeopathic medicines? What homeopathic medicines are there? Are homeopathic medicines reimbursed by the health insurer? This and more is explained in the article below.

What is homeopathy?

Homeopathy is an alternative medicine that consists of prescribing strong dilutions of substances that, if they were not diluted, would produce the same symptoms as those of the disease that the dilution is trying to combat. There is no scientific evidence that homeopathy actually helps. That is why you often find that homeopathic medicines have not been tested against scientific criteria.Homeopathy is based on a so-called placebo effect . A placebo is a substance that is presented as a medicine, but contains no active ingredients. The placebo effect – also sometimes referred to simply as placebo – refers to the positive mental effect that the medicine has because the user has confidence in its effect. The placebo effect occurs very often. For example, if you have just taken a painkiller, you may immediately feel better. However, the painkiller only takes effect after a while.Because any improvements after taking a homeopathic medicine can almost exclusively be explained by placebo effects, homeopathy is considered pseudoscience .

How are homeopathic medicines made?

Homeopathic medicines are made from plant, animal or mineral components. These components are considered to produce approximately the same symptoms as the disease they wish to combat if administered to humans in their pure form.Example:Suppose you want to make a homeopathic medicine against flu. The symptoms of flu are clear. Homeopathy is now looking for plant, animal or mineral components that produce the same symptoms as flu. This extract then serves as the basis of the homeopathic medicine.Once a suitable concentrated extract has been found, this extract is diluted step by step. This is called potentiation , because this operation would give the drug strength. The mixture is shaken vigorously.If a single substance is used for dilution – the so-called simplex agents – then this is called classical homeopathy . Complex homeopathy uses complex remedies . This is a mixture of different substances that are diluted together.

Do homeopathic medicines work?

Homeopaths mainly focus on strengthening the internal balance and not so much on directly combating germs. In addition, people are not only interested in the diagnosis of a particular disease, but also why the disease manifests differently in one patient than in another. Not only the externally observable symptoms are important, but also the patient’s state of mind when experiencing these symptoms. Homeopathy is therefore based on three different levels:

• Physical level
• Emotional feeling level
• Mental level

According to homeopaths, diseases arise on the energetic level, which is one’s own life force: a control of the above three levels.Because the method of homeopaths is very complicated and the products are not scientifically proven, it is very difficult to say whether homeopathic medicines work. There are plenty of examples of people where homeopathic medicines worked, but the question is always: Would the ailment have also been resolved without the homeopathic medicine? This is very difficult to answer. There are scientific studies that show that homeopathic medicines work and that they are more than just placebos.Research from 2004 by Gühtlin, Lange and Walach shows that approximately 80% of patients who used homeopathic medicines had an improvement in their complaints. The treatment costs for these patients were also significantly lower and the patients hardly had any side effects.

Are homeopathic medicines reimbursed by the insurer?

Most health insurers in the Netherlands reimburse homeopathic medicines, but often only in the supplementary package. However, abroad it varies greatly whether homeopathic medicines are reimbursed. In countries where there is great aversion to homeopathy, little is reimbursed by insurers. Because what is and is not reimbursed may differ per insurer in the Netherlands, it is a good idea to contact your insurer and inquire about the maximum amount of homeopathic medicines that you can declare.

Criticism of homeopathic medicines

The core of the criticism leveled at homeopathic medicines is that there is a lack of scientific evidence proving the effectiveness of the medicines. Below is a list of frequently heard criticisms of homeopathic medicines:

• It has not been scientifically proven that a disease can be cured by finding an effective drug that produces symptoms similar to those of the disease.
• At dilutions of about 12C one reaches the Avogrado limit . There is then a maximum of one molecule of the original substance that was diluted in the solvent. In homeopathy, however, in some cases dilution is much greater. In fact, this dilution can no longer be distinguished from a pure solvent.
• There is no scientific evidence in homeopathy that mother tincture is transferred to the solvent by shaking. There is no evidence that energy is transferred in this process.
• Sometimes it is pretended that the drug works, while this does not necessarily have to be the case. It can therefore be a dangerous misconception to treat serious diseases only with homeopathic medicines. This is a common problem, especially in developing countries.

Which providers of homeopathic medicines are there?

Well-known providers of homeopathic medicines are VSM and A.Vogel .Well-known A.Vogel products are:

• A.Vogel Echinaforce (One of the most well-known products from A.Vogel. Considered effective against flu.)
• A.Vogel Pollinosan Hooikorts Eye Drops
• A.Vogel Menstruasan
• A.Vogel Drosera Complex Drops
• A. Vogel Cinuforce
• A. Vogel Gastonol
• A. Vogel Arnicaforce

Well-known VSM products are:

• VSM Calendulan Wound Spray
• VSM Spiroflor
• VSM Nisylene
• VSM Tussistin
• VSM Tonsiotrene
• VSM Cardiflor
• VSM Arniflor
• VSM Nisyspray
• VSM Chamodent