Talk:Homeopathy/LEADdiscussion/current lead

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Homeopathy (also homœopathy or homoeopathy; from the Greek ὅμοιος, hómoios, "similar" + πάθος, páthos, "suffering" or "disease") is a form of alternative medicine first defined by Samuel Hahnemann in the late 18th century.^[1] Homeopathic practitioners contend that remedies for diseases can be created by taking substances that can create, in a healthy person, symptoms similar to those of the disease. According to homeopaths, serial dilution, with shaking between each dilution, removes any negative effects of the remedy while the qualities of the substance are retained by the diluent (water, sugar, or alcohol). The end product is often so diluted that it is indistinguishable from pure water, sugar or alcohol by laboratory tests but is still claimed to have an effect on consumers.^[2][3][4] Practitioners select treatments according to a patient consultation that explores the physical and psychological state of the patient, both of which are considered important to selecting the remedy.

Although some randomized, controlled trials have demonstrated some efficacy in specific conditions^[5][6][7] the majority of claims for efficacy of homeopathic treatment beyond the placebo effect have not been supported by scientific and clinical studies.^{[8][9][10][11]} The ideas behind homeopathy were developed in the premodern era, and currently stand diametrically opposed to modern pharmaceutical knowledge.^[12][13][14] The lack of scientific evidence supporting its efficacy,^[15] and its adherence to a theoretical approach that does not conform to modern scientific principles, have caused homeopathy to be sometimes characterized as pseudoscience.^{[16][17][18][19]} A 1998 medical review noted that homeopathy's use of highly diluted material "overtly flies in the face of science and has caused homeopathy to be regarded as placebo therapy at best and quackery at worst."^[20]

Current usage varies from two percent of people in Britain and the United States using homeopathy in any one year,^[21][22] to 15 percent in India, where homeopathy is now considered part of its Indian traditional medicine.^[23] Homeopathic remedies are generally considered safe, with rare exceptions;^[24][25] however, homeopaths have been criticised for putting patients at risk by advising them to avoid conventional medical treatments, such as vaccinations,^[26] anti-malarial drugs^[27] and antibiotics.^[28] In many countries, the laws that govern regulation and testing of conventional drugs often do not apply to homeopathic remedies.^[29]