homeopathy

ho·me·op·a·thy

noun \ˌhō-mē-ˈä-pə-thē, ˌhä-\

Definition of HOMEOPATHY

: a system of medical practice that treats a disease especially by the administration of minute doses of a remedy that would in larger amounts produce in healthy persons symptoms similar to those of the disease

— ho·meo·path \ˈhō-mē-ə-ˌpath\ noun

Origin of HOMEOPATHY

German Homöopathie, from homöo- homeo- + -pathie -pathy

First Known Use: 1826

Other Medicine Terms

analgesia, angina, diabetes, hepatitis, logorrhea, palliate, pandemic

ho·me·op·a·thy

noun    (Medical Dictionary)

plural ; ho·me·op·a·thies

Medical Definition of HOMEOPATHY

: a system of medical practice that treats a disease especially by the administration of minute doses of a remedy that would in healthy persons produce symptoms similar to those of the disease—compare allopathy 1

—ho·meo·path·ic or British ho·moeo·path·ic \ˌhō-mē-ə-ˈpath-ik\ (audio pronunciation) adjective

—ho·meo·path·i·cal·ly or British ho·moeo·path·i·cal·ly \-i-k(ə-)lē\ (audio pronunciation) adverb

Variants of HOMEOPATHY

ho·me·op·a·thy or British ho·moe·op·a·thy \ˌhō-mē-ˈäp-ə-thē, ˌhäm-ē-\ (audio pronunciation) (audio pronunciation)

homeopathy

noun    (Concise Encyclopedia)

System of therapeutics founded in 1796 by Samuel Hahnemann on the principle that “like cures like.” That is, substances that in healthy persons would produce the symptoms from which the patient suffers are used to treat the patient. Hahnemann further stated that the potency of a curative agent increases as the substance is diluted. When it was introduced, homeopathy was a mild, welcome alternative to heavy-handed therapies such as bleeding, but it has since been criticized for focusing on symptoms rather than causes. With the rise of alternative medicine, it has seen a resurgence.