Hahnemann did not invent these ideas. They date from the time of the classical Greeks and Romans, particularly the followers of Hippocrates. Like Hippocrates two thousand years earlier he realized that there were two ways of treating ill health, the way of opposites and the way of similars (Homeopathy Simply Explained, 1). The Renaissance doctor Paracelsus developed and studied these precepts more in depth. Hahnemann systematized the study of these principles; the first time a medical doctor had conducted thorough empirical studies to determine with what, when, and how often to treat patients (Care Path Partners, 1). Homeopathy was brought to the United States (beginning in 1825) by several doctors who had studied in Europe. They, in turn, converted other doctors to homeopathic practice. By the late 40's, no courses in homeopathy were taught in the U.S. The American Foundation for Homeopathy began to teach homeopathy as a post-graduate course for doctors in 1922, and the courses, now run by the National Center for Homeopathy, have continued to this day (NCH, 2). .
Homeopathy differs from conventional medicine, and may thought to be better than conventional medicines in numerous aspects. For one, homeopathy attempts to stimulate the body to recover itself. First, one must accept that all symptoms, no matter how uncomfortable they are, represent the body's attempt to restore itself to health. Instead of looking upon the symptoms as something wrong which must be set right, we see them as signs of the way the body is attempting to help itself. So if a person had "the common cough" instead of trying to stop the cough with suppressants, as conventional medicine does, a homeopath will give a remedy that will cause a cough in a healthy person, and thus stimulate the ill body to restore itself. Second, one must look at the totality of the symptoms presented. We each experience a cough in our unique way.
