I don't believe homeopathy works. However, I have seen studies mentioning that a placebo effect (which has a real measurable impact) can be triggered just by knowing you are taking a remedy, even if you know the remedy is bogus. So somehow, you are tricking yourself that you are going to get better. So in a way, you could get better by taking homeopathy even if it has nothing to do with what is (or rather is not!) in the pills.
I don't see much harm in taking homeopathy for a common cold for example, however for anything more serious, you are probably endangering yourself.
But if you can feel better, without having any possible dangerous side-effect, it is actually a powerful effect we should leverage for minor ailments. Most drugs are not trying to cure you anyway, but are only bringing you some relief.
I am not trying to defend the efficiency of homeopathy there, but I am saying that triggering the placebo effect is beneficial.
Ultimately, the goal of any cure is to make you feel better. And there is lots of evidence that psychology can have very powerful effects on your body.
Indeed. Even if we dispose of any debatable improvements in recovery from various illnesses that may be caused by reducing stress, etc., that still leaves the rather broad category of physical ailments that are largely psychosomatic (that is, the physical distress, though very real, arises as a result of or is greatly exacerbated by mental state). That being said, the purely psychological effect needs to be used responsibly, scientifically (that is, the patient needs to be monitored on the basis of more than just feeling) and in conjunction with real medicine - the peddling of woo-woo on its own by people who are essentially answerable to no-one and who believe in the woo-woo (or at least disbelieve in or pathologically distrust scientific medicine) is dangerous and deadly, and it's just about time to put a permanent stop to it.
I don't see much harm in taking homeopathy for a common cold for example, however for anything more serious, you are probably endangering yourself.