The Growing popularity of Homeopathy Medicine today

Source : Photo Taken from The Telegraph, UK

February 28, 2013, Hyderabad, India – Homeopathy, the fastest growing system of medicine today, is the second largest medical system in the world, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).  It is used by over 150 million people in India and over 500 million worldwide.

People are increasingly getting fed up of side-effects of modern medicine. They are opting for safer, holistic medicine and homeopathy is a foremost option. There has also been a real shift in the way people think about their health today.

Rising convention healthcare costs, not to speak of iatrogenic diseases (medicine-caused illness), is yet another factor for the surge of interest in homeopathy. Many people are attracted to homeopathy so its emphasis in treating the whole person-body, mind and spirit. In this age of managed group practices also find the ‘Individualised’ approach of homeopathy particularly appealing.

A survey conducted by A.C. Neilsen reports that 62% of current homeopathy users in India have never tried conventional medicines; also 82% of homeopathy users would not switch to conventional medical treatment. 

All homeopathic Pharmacies and pharmaceutical are FDA regulated. All Homeopathic Pharamas follow Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) in strict compliance with national Pharmacopeia standards. As far as implementations of standards are concerned, this is, of course, a state subject one reason why implementation varies from state to state. As far as homeopathic medicines are concerned, it is recommended that consumers buy sealed, original packs from reputed Pharma Companies, or Chemists.

During the last 25-30 years, over 180 Controlled and 120 randomised trials into homeopathy have been conducted and corroborated by meta-analysis. In a majority of instances, the healthy, healing benefits of homeopathy. There are a number of ongoing research (evidence-based medicine) studies in the area too-augmenting the tangible benefits of homeopathy in the clinical setting-besides patient-based evidence. However, one must remember that the Pharmaceutical Concept in modern medicine is old; there are over 200 major MNCs in the field. Their strength is derived from surplus funding, R&D and aggressive marketing. Homeopathy Pharmas are relatively new. There are just 4-5 MNC homeopathic Pharmas today. Funding, R&D and also comparatively small. It is time this changed for the better.