Homeopathy (or homoeopathy) is a 200-year-old form of alternative medicine that claims to stimulate a healing response and strengthen the body’s ability to heal itself. Those who practice it claim that it is a holistic system of medicine based on the theory of treating ‘like with like’. It claims to stimulate the body’s own healing response to disease, using specially prepared, highly diluted preparations.

Homeopaths say they aim to treat the whole person, taking into account personality, lifestyle and hereditary factors, as well as the history of the disease. Since all people are unique, homeopathic medicines are prescribed to treat individuals.

The effectiveness of homeopathy is yet to be proven by medical science. There is no such thing as a homeopathic vaccine, and homeopathic medicines are not a replacement for conventional medical treatment of serious diseases or infections.

While homeopathic medicines are not considered in themselves harmful, homeopathy can be considered dangerous if a person relies on it as a medical treatment and uses homeopathic medicines as a replacement for conventional medical treatment when dealing with serious diseases or infections.