Homeopathy and well-being: Brain waves as measurable markers

Homeopathy and well-being: Brain waves as measurable markers

Homeopathy is a medical practice that aims to help the body heal itself. A central principle here is the “similarity principle,” which involves using a very small amount of a natural substance that, if administered to a healthy person, could produce symptoms similar to those experienced by the patient. The inventor of homeopathy, Samuel Hahnemann, emphasized that an improvement in subjective well-being - how a person feels - is a crucial indicator that the treatment is working.

Research from April 2024 examines how subjective well -being can be better understood and measured as a measure of the therapeutic effect in homeopathy. It shows that subjective well -being is not only an important factor in homeopathic literature, but is also taken seriously in conventional medicine. Improvements in well -being after homeopathic treatments are supported by changes in brain activity that can be made visible with techniques such as EEG (electroencephalography) and functional MRI (magnetic resonance imaging).

In the future, this finding could lead to subjective well-being becoming a standardized measure of the effectiveness of homeopathic treatments. This would be a revolutionary step that would allow patients' responses to homeopathic remedies to be objectively quantified and verified. The ability to measure subjective well-being would allow physicians to better tailor treatments to their patients' individual needs and to evaluate the effectiveness of homeopathic remedies on a scientific basis.

In summary, research suggests that subjective well-being can be considered a valid criterion for the effectiveness of a treatment in homeopathy. Thanks to modern imaging techniques, these subjective experiences could be measured objectively in the future and better integrated into research and practice.

Basic terms and abbreviations

• Homöopathie: Eine medizinische Praxis, die auf dem Prinzip basiert, dass der Körper sich selbst heilen kann durch Substanzen, die in sehr kleinen Dosen verabreicht werden, und die, wenn sie in größeren Mengen eingenommen würden, ähnliche Symptome wie die zu behandelnde Krankheit hervorrufen würden.
• Ähnlichkeitsprinzip: Ein Grundprinzip der Homöopathie, das besagt, dass eine Substanz, die bei einem gesunden Menschen bestimmte Symptome hervorruft, in verdünnter Form eine heilende Wirkung bei Krankheiten mit ähnlichen Symptomen haben kann.
• EEG (Elektroenzephalografie): Eine Methode, um elektrische Aktivität im Gehirn zu messen. Wird oft verwendet, um Gehirnfunktionen und -störungen zu untersuchen.
• Funktionelle MRT (Magnetresonanztomografie): Ein bildgebendes Verfahren, das verwendet wird, um die Gehirnaktivität zu beobachten und zu messen, indem Veränderungen im Blutfluss in verschiedenen Teilen des Gehirns verfolgt werden.
• Subjektives Wohlbefinden: Wie sich eine Person insgesamt fühlt, einschließlich Aspekte wie Stimmung, Zufriedenheit mit dem Leben und das generelle Gefühl des Glücks.

Subjective well -being as a measurable marker for the therapeutic effect in homeopathy

Homeopathy, based on the principle of similarity, aims at a therapeutic response of the body to its own disorders. Samuel Hahnemann, the founder of homeopathy, emphasized the improvement of subjective well-being as a crucial parameter for the success of homeopathic treatment. This study aims to provide a narrative review of existing literature on subjective well-being as an indicator of therapeutic actions in homeopathy and to explore methods of how subjective well-being could be quantified and applied in future research.

Results and discussion

Subjective well-being has been extensively studied in the medical literature, both in conventional and complementary medicine. Improvements in well-being have been observed in clinical studies involving, among other things, positive psychology and meditation. These positive subjective results are supported by objective evidence associated with changes in brain activity measured by electroencephalography (EEG) or by “brain mapping” using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Neurophysiological reactions in the brain were observed in test subjects who had taken a homeopathic medication.

The study of brain activity as an objective neurophysiological biomarker offers the potential to make subjective well-being quantifiable in the context of homeopathy research. Identifying specific electrophysiological changes in response to homeopathic treatments could help establish a direct link between subjective well-being and objectively measurable neurological conditions.

Conclusions

The study underlines the importance of subjective well -being as an integral part of the assessment of homeopathic therapies. The possibility of quantifying subjective well -being through neurophysiological parameters opens up new perspectives for research and could form the basis for an objective evaluation of the effectiveness of homeopathic treatments. This approach could not only enrich research in homeopathy, but also contribute to the development of guidelines for clinical practice based on objective measurable criteria.

For more details and full insights into the study, please visit https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38636544.