Homeopathy is a medical science that uses the energy pattern of natural substances to mimic illness and stimulate healing. It is based on two principles: “Like Cures Like” and “The Minimum Dose.” The first principle, “Like cures like,” means that any substance which can produce symptoms in a healthy person can cure the same symptoms in a person who is sick. For example, when you chop onions it produces the symptoms of watering eyes and burning nose. A remedy made from onion can cure those symptoms in a person with allergies or hay fever. Poison ivy produces a burning, itching rash and stiff, painful joints. A homeopathic remedy made from poison ivy is used to treat everything from rashes and burns to rheumatoid arthritis. The second principle, “The Minimum Dose,” tells us to use the least amount of medicine necessary to stimulate healing. To conform to this principle, homeopaths use remedies from which all toxic substances have been removed, leaving only the energy pattern. It is this energy pattern that evokes a healing response. The remedy provides information to your body/mind about healing. It is similar to the way a floppy disc can provide information to your computer. Today there are over two thousand homeopathic remedies that are used to treat everything from colds and flu to arthritis, depression, and cancer. Homeopathy is practiced in clinics and hospitals throughout the world. It is part of the National Heath Service in England, France, and the Netherlands.