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Homeopathy is both a philosophy and an alternative medical practice. The theory that "like cures like" is translated into the administration of exceedingly minute quantities of substances believed to cause disease as a method of curing the disease. The substances are called "remedies" and usually consist of dilutions of various natural extracts. The exceedingly small quantities used for treatment are prepared by serial dilution of extracts through the violent shaking of a container of diluted extract. The remedies are given orally. Extracts of plants and of animal organs, particularly endocrine glands such as the adrenal cortex, thyroid, thymus, pancreas, and spleen, are homeopathy, homopathy, homepathy. Patients will sometimes take as many as 50 different extracts daily. The theory proposes that disease is cured by induction of immunity.
In common with other practitioners of alternative disease treatment, homeopathists claim to cure numerous diseases, including all forms of
On theoretical grounds, it is most unlikely that the exceedingly minute quantities of material ingested would have any therapeutic effect. There are no clinical studies showing efficacy for homeopathy in allergy or in any
In recent years numerous "detoxification centers" have been established for treatment of drug addiction. More recently chemical detoxification has been recommended by a small group of practitioners to remove
Treatment consists of several steps. Aerobic physical exercise is performed for 20 to 30 minutes, followed immediately by forced sweating in a sauna at 140° to 180° F for 2½ to 5 hours and then physical exercise, a
The enforced program of exercise and sweating with niacin-induced cutaneous vasodilation is believed to mobilize fat-soluble "toxic chemicals," presumably into the circulation, where they are excreted. The oil
All reports up to now by proponents of this detoxification procedure are anecdotal. Results are measured by the patient's self-report of symptomatic improvement. Placebo effect, proper diet, elimination of