Psychological symptoms are given just as much weight as physical symptoms in homeopathy. Hahnemann believes that any mental disruption can weaken the body’s “vital force” and cause disease. Both modern advocates and critics cite the placebo effect as a possible reason homeopathic remedies work: if patients believe homeopathic remedies are helpful, they feel better. Whether the mind or remedy itself is the cause of homeopathic healing is still not known.
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Hahnemann concocts drugs using very low concentrations of extracts derived from natural sources. These drugs are considered [or thought] to be nontoxic alternatives to the more dangerous allopathic medicines of his era, such as bloodletting, purging, blistering, and massive doses of plant extracts. Hahnemann tests hundreds of these substances on himself, including plants, animal parts and chemical compounds, and he catalogues their effects. Most notably, he tests cinchona, a South American tree bark that is both a cure of malaria and a cause of malaria-like symptoms. Today it is known that the active chemical in cinchona bark is quinine, which is the basis of the modern anti-malarial drug chloroquine.
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Hahnemann’s spiritual beliefs are not fully known. However, many modern enthusiasts view homeopathy as a tool for addressing spiritual matters. These individuals believe that effective remedies allow people to fully express their natural power and address negative spiritual/emotional attributes like fear, anger, and jealousy.
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