Dear Joseph:

The Church, as far as I know, has made no comment on homeopathy directly, but has warned about healing methods that include homeopathy as they relate to New Age philosophies and techniques. In the Church's extensive document on the New age, A Christian Reflection on the New Age it is stated:

Formal (allopathic) medicine today tends to limit itself to curing particular, isolated ailments, and fails to look at the broader picture of a person's health: this has given rise to a fair amount of understandable dissatisfaction. Alternative therapies have gained enormously in popularity because they claim to look at the whole person and are about healing rather than curing. Holistic health, as it is known, concentrates on the important role that the mind plays in physical healing. The connection between the spiritual and the physical aspects of the person is said to be in the immune system or the Indian chakra system. In a New Age perspective, illness and suffering come from working against nature; when one is in tune with nature, one can expect a much healthier life, and even material prosperity; for some New Age healers, there should actually be no need for us to die. Developing our human potential will put us in touch with our inner divinity, and with those parts of our selves which have been alienated and suppressed. This is revealed above all in Altered States of Consciousness (ASCs), which are induced either by drugs or by various mind-expanding techniques, particularly in the context of “transpersonal psychology”. The shaman is often seen as the specialist of altered states of consciousness, one who is able to mediate between the transpersonal realms of spirits and gods and the world of humans.

There is a remarkable variety of approaches for promoting holistic health, some derived from ancient cultural traditions, whether religious or esoteric, others connected with the psychological theories developed in Esalen during the years 1960-1970. Advertising connected with New Age covers a wide range of practices as acupuncture, biofeedback, chiropractic, kinesiology, homeopathy, iridology, massage and various kinds of “bodywork” (such as orgonomy, Feldenkrais, reflexology, Rolfing, polarity massage, therapeutic touch etc.), meditation and visualisation, nutritional therapies, psychic healing, various kinds of herbal medicine, healing by crystals, metals, music or colours, reincarnation therapies and, finally, twelve-step programmes and self-help groups. The source of healing is said to be within ourselves, something we reach when we are in touch with our inner energy or cosmic energy.

Inasmuch as health includes a prolongation of life, New Age offers an Eastern formula in Western terms. Originally, reincarnation was a part of Hindu cyclical thought, based on the atman or divine kernel of personality (later the concept of jiva), which moved from body to body in a cycle of suffering (samsara), determined by the law of karma, linked to behaviour in past lives. Hope lies in the possibility of being born into a better state, or ultimately in liberation from the need to be reborn. What is different in most Buddhist traditions is that what wanders from body to body is not a soul, but a continuum of consciousness. Present life is embedded in a potentially endless cosmic process which includes even the gods. In the West, since the time of Lessing, reincarnation has been understood far more optimistically as a process of learning and progressive individual fulfilment. Spiritualism, theosophy, anthroposophy and New Age all see reincarnation as participation in cosmic evolution. This post-Christian approach to eschatology is said to answer the unresolved questions of theodicy and dispenses with the notion of hell. When the soul is separated from the body individuals can look back on their whole life up to that point, and when the soul is united to its new body there is a preview of its coming phase of life. People have access to their former lives through dreams and meditation techniques.

In addition to the New Age cosmology of many practitioners of homeopathy there is also the problem that homeopathy is not scientifically verified. The "evidence" for homeopathy almost entirely anecdotal. Anecdotal evidence is not reliable evidence because the placebo effect cannot be separated from the objective analysis.

The alleged positive effects of homeopathy seem to be merely placebos. According to Dr. Isadore Rosenfeld, author of "Dr. Rosenfeld's Guide to Alternative Medicine", homeopathy is tolerated by the medical community as long as it is not used "to treat life-threatening illnesses for which conventional therapy is known to be effective."

Dr. Rosenfeld points out, however, that the World Health Organization "considers homeopathy a legitimate form or traditional medicine and is sanctioned almost "everywhere in the world, including most of the the United States."

Dr. Rosenfeld's recommendation is to "stay with establishment methods that have a proven track record. However, for symptoms that are not life-threatening, and for which conventional medicine has either no treatment or a potentially toxic treatment, homeopathy may be a reasonable alternative. If you go that route, consult a reputable practitioner who is also an M.D. Regardless of the treatment suggested, get a second opinion to make sure the diagnosis is correct."

One reason to consult a M.D. who happens to also practice homeopathy is that he is in better position to know when to use conventional medications and when to use homeopathy remedies. Also, something a lot of people do not seem to know, is that taking herbs and supplements and the like can be dangerous. There are contraindications that can be present. Taking certain herbs together with other herbs or medicines can even be poison.

The people who put out the PDR (Physicians Desk Reference) also product a PDR for Herbs and a PDR for Supplements. These reference books give possible contraindications that need to be know BEFORE taking various combinations of alternative substances or combinations of those substances and conventional medicines.

Always check with a M.D. about this.

Another problem is that herb and supplements are not regulated by the government so a person has no way of knowing for sure about the quality of the substance or its potency or dosage. This can be dangerous.

If one is interested in a homeopathy alternative they need to learn ALL the facts, consult a M.D., and research the market for product that can be trusted as to its quality and potency. (Note: because the label says it is high quality, doesn't make it so).

I hope this helps.

God Bless,
Bro. Ignatius Mary