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Question Title	Posted By	Question Date
Should Christians take homeopathic medications?	Nancy	Tuesday, January 11, 2005
Question: In previous posts, the phrase "homeopathic medications" seems to be used interchangeably with herbal medications in general. I am writing to clarify the difference, and obtain spiritual direction based on this. While many homeopathic medications are made from herbs, they are unique in their manufacture and apparent mode of operation. Homeopathic medications are made from tinctures of natural substances, but that is where the similarity ends. These tinctures are then diluted and succussed (or shaken) repeatedly to increase their potency. Cures are affected through the "law of similars" by matching the effect of the natural substance on healthy people with the symptoms of the patient. The problem rests with the process of potentization. The strongest remedies are indeed some of the most dilute and, in theory, may not even contain any of the original herbs. Given this, there is no apparent physiological explanation for why these medications work. Most explain their efficacy by pointing to energy-based theories of some sort. (This is true even of reputable homeopaths that prescribe on the basis of symptoms and get their remedies from modern pharmaceutical companies. I say this to differentiate between them and homeopaths that use divination, etc. as a part of their practice.) Also, the founder of homeopathy, Samuel Hanneman, was a Freemason and attributes his discovery of homeopathy to the "Father." I have also seen a post on your site in which the "vital energy" referred to by Hanneman in his writings is compared with the "universal energy" of New Age teachings. My homeopath's methods seem empirical, and the medicines do seem to affect a cure. Yet this contradicts the nature and history of the medicines themselves. I am confused? Should I continue taking them? Note that the Church, in "Christ the Bearer of the Water of Life" says New Age techniques are sometimes advertised under the title "homeopathy." Please help.
Question Answered by Bro. Ignatius Mary, OLSM Dear Nancy: Homeopathic medicine has at its core the idea that the body develops imbalances that must be corrected. The "vital energy" theory is the same as the "universal energy" theory in that they both seek a balance between the "energies" in the body with that if the "vital/universal energy." Although there are other aspects of Homeopathy, such as considering the whole person and not just the symptom or disease, this fundamental philosophical presumption behind Homeopathic theory is contrary to the facts of science and the body and to the Christian worldview. Given that Hanneman was a Freemason, with their distorted view of God, a red flag should be immediate. As for the defining principle of Homeopathy of the "Law of Similars" there is no evidence from appropriately designed studies that the "law of similars" actually operates. This "law", as well as other non-scientific findings in Homeopathy that were made 100-200 years ago, were made before medical science fully understood the nature of health and disease. In fact those were times in which medical science had little knowledge of how to conduct experiments that separate cause and effect from coincidence as well as the placebo effect. Given the totally anecdotal nature of the so-called "cures", the illogic and lack of even the remotest scientific method in developing homeopathic theories and methods, the lack of understanding and recognition of the law of coincidence and the law of placebo, and the connection with the Eastern cosmology of "energies" and "balances" should lead a Christian to abandon Homeopathy in my opinion. God bless, Bro. Ignatius Mary For information on how to receive help see our Help page. We suggest that before contacting us directly for help you try the Seven Steps to Self-Deliverance. These self-help steps will often resolve the problem. Also our Spiritual Warfare Prayer Catalog contains many prayers that may be helpful. If needed you can ask for a Personal Consultation.

Question Title

Posted By

Question Date

Should Christians take homeopathic medications?

Nancy

Tuesday, January 11, 2005

Question:

In previous posts, the phrase "homeopathic medications" seems to be used interchangeably with herbal medications in general. I am writing to clarify the difference, and obtain spiritual direction based on this.

While many homeopathic medications are made from herbs, they are unique in their manufacture and apparent mode of operation. Homeopathic medications are made from tinctures of natural substances, but that is where the similarity ends. These tinctures are then diluted and succussed (or shaken) repeatedly to increase their potency. Cures are affected through the "law of similars" by matching the effect of the natural substance on healthy people with the symptoms of the patient.

The problem rests with the process of potentization. The strongest remedies are indeed some of the most dilute and, in theory, may not even contain any of the original herbs. Given this, there is no apparent physiological explanation for why these medications work. Most explain their efficacy by pointing to energy-based theories of some sort. (This is true even of reputable homeopaths that prescribe on the basis of symptoms and get their remedies from modern pharmaceutical companies. I say this to differentiate between them and homeopaths that use divination, etc. as a part of their practice.)

Also, the founder of homeopathy, Samuel Hanneman, was a Freemason and attributes his discovery of homeopathy to the "Father." I have also seen a post on your site in which the "vital energy" referred to by Hanneman in his writings is compared with the "universal energy" of New Age teachings.

My homeopath's methods seem empirical, and the medicines do seem to affect a cure. Yet this contradicts the nature and history of the medicines themselves. I am confused? Should I continue taking them? Note that the Church, in "Christ the Bearer of the Water of Life" says New Age techniques are sometimes advertised under the title "homeopathy." Please help.

Question Answered by Bro. Ignatius Mary, OLSM

Dear Nancy:

Homeopathic medicine has at its core the idea that the body develops imbalances that must be corrected. The "vital energy" theory is the same as the "universal energy" theory in that they both seek a balance between the "energies" in the body with that if the "vital/universal energy." Although there are other aspects of Homeopathy, such as considering the whole person and not just the symptom or disease, this fundamental philosophical presumption behind Homeopathic theory is contrary to the facts of science and the body and to the Christian worldview. Given that Hanneman was a Freemason, with their distorted view of God, a red flag should be immediate.

As for the defining principle of Homeopathy of the "Law of Similars" there is no evidence from appropriately designed studies that the "law of similars" actually operates. This "law", as well as other non-scientific findings in Homeopathy that were made 100-200 years ago, were made before medical science fully understood the nature of health and disease. In fact those were times in which medical science had little knowledge of how to conduct experiments that separate cause and effect from coincidence as well as the placebo effect.

Given the totally anecdotal nature of the so-called "cures", the illogic and lack of even the remotest scientific method in developing homeopathic theories and methods, the lack of understanding and recognition of the law of coincidence and the law of placebo, and the connection with the Eastern cosmology of "energies" and "balances" should lead a Christian to abandon Homeopathy in my opinion.

God bless,
Bro. Ignatius Mary

For information on how to receive help see our Help page. We suggest that before contacting us directly for help you try the Seven Steps to Self-Deliverance. These self-help steps will often resolve the problem. Also our Spiritual Warfare Prayer Catalog contains many prayers that may be helpful. If needed you can ask for a Personal Consultation.