Do Homeopathic Remedies Really Work?

The alternative medicine industry is booming, raking in about $34 billion in out-of-pocket spending every year. But do homeopathic and other complementary medicine approaches really work?

The theory behind homeopathy is to treat diseases with very diluted substances. Diluting substances to this degree, however, makes it impossible for their active ingredients to take effect.

Most traditional research has shown that homeopathy is no more effective than a placebo. Randomized, controlled studies consistently demonstrate that homeopathy's fundamental theory has no scientific basis.

The diluted-substance theory of homeopathy is often criticized because it defies a fundamental law of chemistry: the law of mass action. This law states that chemical reaction rates are proportional to the concentration of the substances in the reaction.