What is homeopathy and how is it different from holistic medicine or alternative medicine?
• Answer: The phrase “alternative medicine” means any healing or preventive health practice that falls outside the mainstream of Western medicine — and this includes homeopathy. But the term “alternative medicine” has generally been replaced by the phrase “integrative medicine,” to illustrate that many “alternative” treatments are in fact used simultaneously, or integrated, with conventional medicine. Holistic medicine is another commonly-used phrase to represent the collection of unconventional therapies. But what sets homeopathy apart from some other alternative treatments is that it is based upon a complete system of beliefs and practices. Homeopathy relies on the tenet that “like treats like,” meaning in order to cure something you have to expose the body to small but controlled amounts of the offending substance. The idea is to stimulate the immune system and help the body build its own defenses — in much the way a vaccine does. But what makes homeopathy unique is that it takes
