Homeopathy for sciatica is a debated use of an even more controversial treatment, that being homeopathic medicine. This Eighteenth century creation of the German born Samuel Hahnemann is still used today to treat virtually every conceivable health issue known to man. I have heard many interesting accounts of homeopathy therapy over the years and decided to look into it myself, both by researching the topic carefully and by interviewing a few practitioners, as well as some outspoken critics.
This article details my research findings on the subject of homeopathy and its uses for treating sciatic nerve conditions.
What is Homeopathy for Sciatica?
Well, we all know what sciatica is, being that we are all reading this site. Homeopathy, on the other hand, can be a mysterious and greatly misunderstand healthcare topic. Homeopathic medicine is a general term of the system of treatment formulated by Samuel Hahnemann, although care providers, called homeopaths, have been known to deviate from his original theories and teachings to a large degree.
To sum up the system, homeopathy is concerned with treating problematic health issues using diluted preparations of various components, including organic and inorganic compounds, plant materials, animal materials, minerals and some ingredients which would surprise many advocates, including infected blood, mucus, tumors, urine and feces. Components can be ground up or dissolved and most are eventually liquefied using distilled water or alcohol. Many homeopathy remedies are ingested, while others are used topically.
Many modern homeopaths have included nontraditional applications which they have invented, including application of materials to clothing, exposure to various natural and man-made forces, such as x-rays or sunlight, and even psychological suggestion.
Homeopathy Details
Sciatica may be caused by many possible reasons, both structural and non-structural. In the case of homeopathy, the cause is always universal. Homeopaths believe that sciatica, like all diseases and painful complaints, is caused by miasms, which is a treatment–specific name for all causative disturbances in the vital life energy of all things. Some practitioners have been known to compare these miasms to evil spirits, while others tend to think of them as internally-motivated derangements, caused by the mental state of the patient.
The goal of treatment is to introduce substances into the body which will mimic the symptoms of the condition in unaffected healthy patients.
In other terms, a homeopath will make a concoction of ingredients which will cause sciatica in a healthy person in order to help a person with real sciatica symptoms recover. This is called the Law of Similars and is the basis of most homeopathic treatment.
Homeopathy for Sciatica Synopsis
Homeopathy is treated like a joke in some areas of the world, but is tightly controlled in others. Some preparations are considered drugs or even regulated substances. Regardless, there is no scientific evidence that any of this system makes any sense whatsoever or has any possibility for efficacy, except through the placebo effect.
In my own research, I was both interested and aghast at what I discovered in this previously unknown art. I like the fact that there is often mention of internal psychoemotional contributors responsible for the development of disease. This jives well with accepted mindbody medical theory. However, that is about where my positive thoughts on homeopathy for sciatica end. For the sake of not insulting an entire profession of people worldwide, I will keep my comments as respectful as possible.
I find the system to be frightening and based on what seems to be nothing more than a fanciful imagination. There is much literary evidence of the harm caused directly and indirectly by homeopathic treatment, yet only suspect anecdotal evidence that it has ever done any good anywhere, anytime, ever. In my interviews with 3 noted NY homeopaths, I found their descriptions and theories to be one part propaganda, one part nonsense and one part WTF? This is as nice as I can put it. Really folks, I am trying here…
To summarize it, while the theory of building up immunity to agents is certainly scientific when used in such things as vaccination, which is ironically completely against homeopathic belief, there simply exists no shred of evidence that the basic theory used in treatment is valid to any degree whatsoever. This is all I have to say, or it will only get worse from here.
In all fairness, I can mention that homeopathy is a very successful branch of alternative medicine and is cited as being the best thing since sliced bread by countless patients with all sorts of health issues worldwide. Maybe I am missing something. Maybe not…
