Education
Homeopathy was brought to the United States in 1825 by several doctors who had studied in Europe. They, in turn, taught other doctors about homeopathy practice. Slowly schools were established, and a medical organization was formed. By the mid-1800’s, several medical colleges existed that taught homeopathy. At the turn of the century there were 22 homeopathic medical colleges and 22% of the doctors used homeopathy. But the mechanical model of the body and of disease pushed homeopathy into the background, numbers of homeopathic schools decreased, and by the late 1940’s hardly any courses in homeopathy were taught in the US. One of the few courses available was taught at the National Center for Homeopathy (founded in 1926). The present day resurgence of homeopathy is slowly bringing homeopathy back to its place in the medical health care system in the US.

A list of approved educational programs in homeopathy can be obtained from the Council for Homeopathic Education (CHE) at 801 Fairfax Street, Suite 306, Alexandria VA 22314 or at their web-site at http://www.healthy.net/pan/pa/homeopathic/natcenhom/edudir.htm. Please contact the programs directly for further information.

Official Licensing Bodies
The practice of homeopathy is not officially licensed. There are many training programs and courses in homeopathy in both the US and abroad; however, no diploma or certificate from any school or program is recognized as a license to practice homeopathy in the United States. Certification of competency to practice homeopathy is available to MD’s and doctors of osteopathy through the American Board of Homeopatherapeutics. The same type of certification is available to NP’s through the Homeopathic Academy of Naturopathic Physicians. It is granted to all professionals through the Council for Homeopathic Certification, which was formed in 1982 to monitor and approve the quality of courses offered for licensed professionals.

Every state requires a license for the practice of medicine, the diagnosis and treatment of illness. Consequently states also regulate the practice of homeopathy. Medical doctors and osteopathic doctors are the only professions allowed to diagnose and treat illness in all of the states. There are several states that also license naturopathic physicians to diagnose and treat illness. These states are AK, AZ, CT, HI, ME, NH, OR, UT, VT, WA. Generally, homeopathy can be employed legally by those whose degrees also entitle them to practice medicine in their state. This includes MD’s, DO’s, ND’s, DDS’s, DVM’s. Some DC’s are permitted by their state law to administer homeopathic remedies. Other health care providers such as nurse practitioners, physicians assistants, dentists, veterinarians, chiropractors, licensed acupuncturists, nurse midwives, and podiatrists may be allowed to use homeopathy within the scope of their licenses, depending on the laws of the state in which they reside.

Three states in the US have homeopathic licensing laws: Arizona (1982), Connecticut (1892), and Nevada (1983). That means that MD’s and DO’s practicing homeopathy in any of those three states must be licensed by the state homeopathic licensing board.

References:
American Institute of Homeopathy. Available at www.homeopathyusa.org

Barnes J, Resch KL, Ernst E. “Homeopathy for postoperative ileus? A Meta-analysis.” Journal of Clinical Gastroenterology. 25(4): 628-633, 1997.

Bellavite P, Signorini A. Homeopathy: A Frontier in Medical Science. North Atlantic Books, 1995.

Boissel JP, Ernst E, Fisher P, Fugraff G, Garattini S, de Lange de Klerk E. Overview of data from the homeopathic intervention over no treatment or placebo; Report of Homeopathic Medicine Research Group. Brussels: European Commission, 1996.

Chapman EH, Weintraub RJ, Milburn MA, Pirozzi TO and Woo E. “Homeopathic treatment of mild traumatic brain injury: A randomized, double blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial.” Journal of Head Trauma Rehabilitation. 14(6): 521-542, 1999.

Eskinazi, Daniel. “Homeopathy Revisited”. Archives of Internal Medicine. 159:1981-1987, 1999.

Gassinger CA, Wunstel G, Netter P. “[A controlled clinical trial for testing the efficacy of the homeopathic drug Eupathoium peerfoliatum D2 in the treatment of the common cold]. Arzneimittel Forschung. 31(4): 732-736, 1981.

Hahnemann, Samuel. The Chronic Diseases. Their Peculiar Nature and Their Homeopathic Cure. Homoeopathic Book Service, 1998.

Hahnemann, Samuel. ”Essay on a new principle for ascertaining the curative powers of drugs, and some examination of the previous principles.“ Hufeland’s Journal. 2:391-439, 465-561, 1796.

Hahnemann, Samuel. Organon of the Medical Art. Edited by W.B. O’Reilly. Bird Cage Books, 1996.

Hahnemann, Samuel. Overview of Medicine. 6th ed. Blaine, WA: Cooper Publishing, 1982. Homeopathic Educational Services. Available at www.homeopathic.com.

Integrated Health Care: A Way Forward for the Next Five Years. Foundation for Integrated Medicine (on behalf of the steering committee for the Prince of Wales’ Initiative on Integrated Medicine). London, 1997.

Jacobs J, Jimenes LM, Gloyd SS, Gale JL and Crothers D. ”Treatment of acute childhood diarrhea with homeopathic medicine: A randomozed clinical trial in Nicaragua.“ Pediatrics. 931(5): 719-725, 1994.

Kleinjen J, Knipschild P, ter Riet G. ”Clinical trials of homeopathy“. British Medical Journal. 302:316-23, February 1991.

National Center for Homeopathy. Available at www.homeopathic.org.

Reilly D, Tayor MA, McSharry C, Aitchison T. ”Is homeopathy a placebo response; Controlled trial of homeopathic potency, with pollen in hayfever as model.“ Lancet. 2(8512): 881-886 Oct. 18, 1986.

Reilly D, Taylor MA, Beattie N, et al. ”Is evidence for homeopathy reproducible?“ Lancet. 344(8937): 1601-1606, Dec. 10, 1994.

Ullman, Dana. Discovering Homeopathy. Berkley, CA: North Atlantic Books, 1988.

Ullman, Dana. The Consumer’s Guide to Homeopathy. New York: Tarcher, 1995.

Vithoulkas George. Homeopathy: Medicine of the New Man; A Frontier in Medical Science. North Atlantic Books, Berkley, CA, 1992.

Vithoulkas George. A New Model for Health and Disease. North Atlantic Books, 1991.

Vithoulkas George. The Science of Homeopathy. New York: Grove Press, 1980.

Weiser M, Strosser W, Klein P. ”Homeopathic versus conventional treatment of vertigo. A randomized double-blind controlled clinical study“. Archives of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery. 124(8): 879-885, 1998.

Content last modified on Sep 4, 2003