Outdoor Joe's is a Homeopathic Solution, But What is Homeopathy?

Homeopathy 101 

The oxford dictionary defines homeopathy as “the treatment of disease by minute doses of natural substances that in a healthy person would produce symptoms of disease.” 
In its simplest form, homeopathy is a natural alternative to modern medicine. 

The word homeopathy comes from a combination of the Greek words homoios meaning ‘like’ or ‘same’ and patheia meaning ‘suffering’ or ‘feeling.’ Together, they represent homeopathy’s emphasis on using medicinal substances that invoke the ‘same feeling’ as the root ailment.
For example, red onions cause tears and a runny nose. A homeopathic remedy for seasonal allergies might include red onion extract because it triggers a natural release of histamine. 

History

Homeopathy started in Europe more than 200 years ago and is the longest continuously practiced alternative medicine in Europe. The practice began in 1796 after German physician Samuel Hahnemann noticed flaws in mainstream medicine. He found that the common medical practices of the 18th century were ineffective and often exacerbated the patient's suffering. As a more natural approach to medicine, Hahnemann began to practice homeopathy.

As shown in the graph below, homeopathy grew to extraordinary popularity at the turn of the 20th century. After globalization and modern medicine began to improve, homeopathic medicine became less common. It wasn't until the early 1980's that many consumers, likely unsatisfied with modern medical treatments, began to revisit homeopathy. In the past 40 years, homeopathy has grown to extraordinary popularity as new research and remedies have been discovered.

Methodology 

The homeopathic methodology is based on two principles: 

Similia Similibus Curentur meaning ‘like cures like.’ This principle was coined by Hippocrates, a  Greek biologist and physician who is often referred to as the Father of Medicine (hence why modern physicians take a Hippocratic Oath). Speaking about this principle Hippocrates wrote, 

“By similar things a disease is produced and through the application of the like is cured”. Hippocrates (460-377 BC)

The logic behind ‘like cures like’ is that the body’s natural healing response to an ailment is indicated by the symptoms of the ailment. For example, when the body has an infection, it uses a higher body temperature (fever) to try to kill the virus or bacteria. In this case, the fever is not the root ailment, but a sign that the body is going through its natural response. 

Applying this concept to ‘like cures like,’ homeopathic medicine uses natural substances to trigger the body’s vital healing response. This can give the body a head start in its fight against current or future ailments. 

Law of Infinitesimal Dose states that the lower the concentration of a homeopathic remedy, the more potent its action becomes. This law goes hand in hand with the Arndt-Schultz Law which states, “weak stimuli accelerate vital activity, medium stimuli raise it slightly, strong ones suppress it and very strong ones halt it.” Often, the law is reduced to “small doses stimulate, medium doses inhibit and large doses kill.” 

This principle could be applied to modern vaccine methodologies, where the body is introduced to a small dose of a dangerous virus or bacteria in order to stimulate vital activity. Instead of giving patients large doses of dangerous pathogens, which could be destructive, doctors give small doses. 

Safety 

The term ‘alternative medicine’ may provoke all kinds of fears and uncertainties in consumers who are unfamiliar with homeopathy. In the age of modern medicine and drug regulation, consumers rely on institutions like the FDA to tell them what is and is not safe. Regulatory bodies like the FDA have strict standards for how remedies are developed, tested, and marketed.

In most cases, having this protective measure is a good thing. cGMP regulations keep consumers safe from pharmaceutical companies looking to make a quick buck, or unprofessional drug developers trying to sell an untested product. Unfortunately, many safe and effective homeopathic remedies like Outdoor Joe's get caught in the filter and are unable to keep up with changing regulations and manufacturing standards. 

Instead of spending millions of dollars to compete with large pharmaceutical companies, many natural and homeopathic alternative medicines opt to keep prices affordable and let consumers see the efficacy for themselves. 

Outdoor Joe's as a Homeopathic Remedy 

Outdoor Joe's Poison Ivy Solution is considered a homeopathic remedy because it uses the extract from poison ivy (rhus toxicodendron) to treat poison ivy, poison oak, and poison sumac. The urushiol oil in poison ivy causes the skin's unpleasant reaction, so ODJ's builds the body's immunity by introducing it to a low dosage of the oil over the span of several weeks. By the time the skin makes contact with urushiol in nature, it is familiar with the toxin and knows how to fight it.