Update on hormesis and its relation to homeopathy
Introduction
The accepted definition of hormesis is divided into two parts: a substance or another stressor agent which, on one hand, causes noxious activity in a biological system when applied in high concentration and, on the other, may reveal an enhancing activity when applied in low concentrations/quantities/doses. The stressor agent can be chemical (heavy metals, trace elements insecticides, pesticides, etc.), physical (electrical, mechanical, heat, cold, etc.), biological (bacterial, viral, etc.) — basically any agent or factor able to cause a deleterious effect. The biological systems can be manifold: bacteria, fungi, algae, yeasts, animals, humans, protozoa and plants.1 The range of endpoints includes longevity, reproduction, cancer, survival, growth, metabolic effects and others.2, 3 This phenomenon is nonspecific, can occur in any biological system and can be caused by any stressor. It is quantifiable and reproducible. This is the reason that hormesis is recognized as a phenomenon which appears in any area of life.
Section snippets
Historical aspects
As early as the mid-18th century, there were anecdotal reports of the stimulatory effect of low doses of noxious substances.2 The famed physician and founder of modern pathology, anthropologist and biologist Rudolph Virchow, described an increase in the motility of ciliae in the tracheal epithelium when exposed to low concentrations of potassium- and sodium hydroxide — motility which is halted by high concentrations of these same substances.4 The first systematic description of the phenomenon
What is hormesis?
EL Kendig defines hormesis as18:
A dose–response relationship for a single endpoint that is characterized by reversal of response between low and high doses of chemicals, biological molecules, physical stressors or any other initiators of a response.
He emphasizes that, for a response to be hormetic, a system must: (1) include both a positive and negative response in its dose–response curve (relative to the baseline of the y-ordinate of a dose–response curve); (2) the point of response-reversal
Is hormesis a kind of low-dose homeopathy?
To the homeopathically trained, there is something familiar in the hormetic dose–time relationship. In homeopathy's founding manifesto, Samuel Hahnemann describes the primary action of any ‘artificial morbidic agents’ on a healthy body, followed by a secondary action (counteraction or therapeutic action) produced by the body's defense mechanism.39 An example is the reaction to placing your hand in a bowl of ice water. In the water, the hand feels cold (primary action). Once removed, however, it
Discussion
Hormesis as a scientific system appeared almost 150 years ago with the work of Hugo Schulz. A number of earlier publications suggest the ideas may have been around before then, but they presented no general concept and were ignored. The newly emerging science was, however, marginalized because Schulz was identified with homeopathy, because of the similarity between hormesis' basic principle and homeopathy's Law of Similarity, and because homeopaths claimed that hormesis validates homeopathy.
Conclusion
There are currently several crucial differences between hormesis and homeopathy which seem to refute any idea that they stem from the same root. Exploring the differences between both systems, may answer the key question of whether they do indeed share a root or embrace the same principles. Such exploration may also spur research within both systems to answer open questions. Beyond that, physicochemical research of dilutions and solutions may open new research avenues outside the fields of
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