Homeopathy: How It Really Works (Paperback)

~ Jay W. Shelton (Author) "Two cases illustrate how easy it is for a critical thinker to become interested in homeopathy..." (more)
Key Phrases: New York, Homeopathy Today, Hering's Laws (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"...a thoughtful and balanced account of the subject in which the counter-arguments are given fair play..." -- Anthony Campbell's Book Reviews (online)

"This is probably the single best reference on homeopathy around..." -- About.com Agnosticism/Atheism site

Product Description

The popularity of homeopathy has increased dramatically both in America and worldwide: Annual world sales of homeopathic remedies total about $1.5 bilion. In his thorough and fascinating examination of this alternative therapy, physicist Jay W. Shelton analyzes the history, the remedies, the research evidence, and the logical structure of homeopathy in clear, straightforward language that any interested reader can understand.

Developed by German physician Samuel Hahnemann (1755-1843), homeopathy is based on two key principles. First, the Law of Similars states that symptoms induced in healthy volunteers after ingesting a substance are the same symptoms in sick people that this substance can cure. For example, if the bark from the cinchona tree induces a headache in a healthy person, then a cinchona homeopathic remedy may cure people with the same headache symptoms. Homeopaths consider almost everything--from plants to moonlight--a potential remedy. Second, the concept of potentization states that the most dilute remedies--including those that contain none of the original material--have the greatest healing power, but only if they have been shaken in a particular way during their preparation. Many homeopaths believe that the amount of a remedy taken at one time is irrelevant--consuming a small dose has the same healing effect as ingesting a larger one.

These are just some of the features of homeopathy that are difficult to reconcile with conventional science, yet homeopaths report that their patients improve after treatment. Shelton agrees that homeopathy often helps people, but he is not convinced that the remedies themselves contribute. According to Shelton, accumulated clinical evidence, analysis of homeopathic theory, and alternative explanations for homeopaths' cured cases seem to indicate that nonremedy factors are the cause of the observed healing. Working from this assumption, Shelton explores why so many people continue to believe otherwise.

This balanced and in-depth assessment will interest both homeopaths and conventional medical practitioners, as well as consumers curious about this well-known and much-publicized alternative therapy.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 318 pages
• Publisher: Prometheus Books (January 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 159102109X
• ISBN-13: 978-1591021094
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,768,604 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Scientific investigation of homeopathy, February 19, 2004

By	"hslynch" (Boulder, CO USA) - See all my reviews

Extremely well-researched book into how homeopathy works. History, testimonials, thorough bibliography. Most important, applies scientific methods and criteria to all aspects of homeopathy. Conclusion: it works, it helps people, but not for the reasons people who use it think it does. Read it to see why!

10 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars No Pep Talk- No Put Down: the real deal about Homeopathy, February 16, 2004

By	Don Fineberg (Santa Fe, NM United States) - See all my reviews

A really smart, well-trained scientist takes a look at a really puzzling question. How does Homeopathy work? On a variety of controversial topics, many book reviews say something like `this book tells it like it is'; but this actually means that the book says what the reviewer already believes. Shelton's book is not about homeopaths offering testimonials to their work, nor is it about physicians' putting-down this field. Instead, it is a clear description of the way a clear-headed, unbiased thinker examines a subject.

Shelton's book is engaging to read and easy to use. Each chapter is divided into sections. Central ideas are highlighted and bulleted. I especially liked the "dialogues" between homeopaths and skeptics that brings to life their different viewpoints. It's to the point and straightforward about homeopathy in specific and scientific theories in general. Finally, the book includes an easy-to-use glossary of common homeopathy terms. This book is a must read for anyone that uses or considers using homeopathic remedies. It is also an eye opener for any healer or any doctor willing to take the time to examine what their treatments really offer to their patients. Most important, it is a real help to all of us, who at one time or another, for some reason or another, become patients ourselves. What kind of treatment would you want? Here's a book that gives us a way to answer that question.

Whether you are the kind of person that loved science in school, or found that it left you cold, you will enjoy the way a genuine scientist and teacher like Shelton examines a complex subject. He looks at the evidence. He stays both open and skeptical. He offers alternative explanations to what he discovers. He concludes by saying that if new evidence proves him wrong in the future, he would be "delighted," because that is how science makes progress. After reading Shelton's book, you know that it what he really believes.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Excellent Book, September 18, 2007

By	Book Fan - See all my reviews

Helpful, insightful, and well thought out. I highly recommend it for anyone interested in learning about what Homeopathy is really all about.