and prescribe it. (Encarta, 1998).The principle of the minimum dose has two parts. In the first part, the homeopathic physician only prescribes a small number of doses of the homeopathic medicine and waits to see what effect the medicine has. Second, the medicine is given in an infinitesimal dose. Homeopaths have discovered that the effect of homeopathic medicines is strengthened upon successive dilutions as long as the medicine is violently shaken between each dilution. Medicines are typically used in very high dilutions. (Encarta, 1998).It is the use of infinitesimal doses that is the most controversial aspect of homeopathy and the reason why most conventional doctors claim it functions only as a placebo. However, a number of controlled studies have been performed which show the effectiveness of homeopathic medicine in treating a number of diseases. One summary of this research is a study published in the British Medical Journal. The authors of this study are not homeopaths but medical school professors who were asked by the Dutch government to review the existing research. The results reported neither positive nor negative effects of the use of homeopathic remedies. Instead the outcome suggested that homeopathy should continue to be researched as a possible, useful alternative to conventional therapy. (Kleijnen,1991). This information was a huge success in the eyes of naturopaths and others that use alternative medicine as a source of care.People who practice homeopathy as a form of medical treatment need to be prepared to deal with the potential consequences of that practice. There should be an understanding of anatomy and pharmacology, with a good formal grounding in homeopathy and clinical training. The best place to get the first part of the training is in medical, nursing or physician assistant programs. Good training in homeopathy, with clinical rotations, is not that easy to find. As in conventional medicine, there are ti...
