What are the Risks of Homeopathy?

Is homeopathy safe? Yes - it is safe for everyone - including high-risk groups such as babies - children - pregnant - and nursing women. Because this 200-year old medical system employs natural processes to create remedies for different types of diseases - its treatments are completely safe and do not have side effects. Aside from being natural - homeopathic treatments are prepared in high dilutions {which means very low doses of a substance is diluted in water or alcohol} and are taken with the guidance of well-trained specialists. Homeopathic medications do not interfere with traditional medicines - so a patient does not need to worry about having adverse reactions to his medications.

However - just because homeopathic medicine is safe - doesn’t mean it can never be risky. Using homeopathic medications raises safety concerns because of several factors. The following are the risks associated with homeopathic treatments:

• Some patients temporarily feel worse after starting their homeopathic treatment. This happens because the body stimulates the symptoms for a brief time and attempts to restore health at the same time.

• Homeopathic treatments may worsen a pre-existing condition. This is not a cause for alarm - though. This just indicates that the right remedy has been used. Also - the aggravations rarely occur. Typically gentle and brief - the homeopathic aggravations can be serious for people with life-threatening diseases.

• Severe aggravations can happen. Also called a healing crisis - these aggravations are a sign that the proper remedy has been used. However - there might be something wrong with the frequency or dosage of the medication - which have resulted in the worsening of the conditions.

• Taking multiple remedies or the wrong ones can cause unpleasant symptoms. Therefore - it is advised that you don’t take homeopathic medicines other than what you are currently taking. Multiple or combination medications may cause confusion to your treatment - which may hamper your healing process. In addition - make sure that the homeopath gives you the right diagnosis and that the medication prescribed to you is the correct one for your specific condition. If you have doubts - consult your current physician.

• The homeopathic treatment may cause the symptoms to relapse. To keep this from happening - the patient must stop taking the remedy when the symptoms disappear or when the patient has felt some relief.

• Some homeopathic products have problems with packaging and labeling. For example - a number of products have vague or confusing labeling such as “treats gastrointestinal disorders,” which is too broad as it refers to a wide range of conditions. Other products have been reported to have incorrect labels and lack tamper-resistant packaging.

• There are medicines that have plants or vitamins that are not included in homeopathic references but are sold as homeopathic products.

• There is no law yet requiring the Food and Drug Administration {FDA} to conduct testing and reviewing of homeopathic remedies.

If you are concerned about the safety of the homeopathic remedy you are going to use - make sure that you consult first your doctor or healthcare provider. Homeopathy is a safe treatment method - so long as it is done under the supervision of a trained and experienced homeopathic practitioner.