Homeopathy

The first homeopathic consultation (homeopathic interview) usually lasts one hour. Often the patient is given pamphlets to read beforehand with information on homeopathic treatment. During a spontaneous conversation (anamnesis), the homeopath establishes contact with the patient, tries to understand him and learn about his problems, wants to find out why the patient feels bad, what he does not accept in his life, what he lacks to feel happy, what clearly makes him feel better, and what those around him think about him and his condition (so-called hetero-anamnesis) and reassure. Homeopaths use hetero-anamnesis (e.g., a teacher's opinion), for example, with school-aged children. The homeopath also inquires about the diagnosis made by a doctor or specialist

The efficacy of homeopathy in animals is also debated due to the lack of evidence. Animals do show a placebo effect in scientific studies, but this does differ from humans: after all, animals are not supposed to realize what effect is intended by a particular treatment. However, the evaluation of treatment takes place by humans, who may be influenced by various psychological effects (see above). Homeopathic treatments are commonly used in animals for conditions that are impossible or difficult to evaluate objectively, such as nervousness, excess libido, etc. Disorders often remain transient for humans and animals, so the healing effect may be wrongly attributed to the homeopathic remedy that was administered.