Mainstream pharmacology is much more precise when the exact mechanism of the disease is known, and specific drugs can therefore be administered. Homeopathy could be more effective when considering the complexity of the disease and subtle regulations. The homeopathic approach may be useful specifically because it does not focus on the cause of the disease, but on the teleonomy of the patient’s reaction. It is therefore not to be considered an alternative approach, but complementary to effective drug use.

For example, some people frequently become infected (primarily upper-respiratory infections) due to climatic change, cold weather, stress or contact with an infected person (in schools or hospitals). It is known that often there is no molecular or genetic explanation which fully justifies such an increase of susceptibility to infection. It is obvious that the immediate cause of the infection could be microbial, but it is also true that the whole ‘terrain’ plays an important role. Therefore, a more logical and effective approach is one where the focus is placed on complex response stimulation, a homeopathic cornerstone (6,7).

Footnote
For all correspondence: Prof. Paolo Bellavite, Department of Scienze Morfologico-Biomediche, University of Verona, Piazza L. A. Scuro, 37134 Verona, Italy. Tel: +39…; Fax: +39 045 820 2978; E-mail: paolo.bellavite@univr.it
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