path-, patho-, -path-, -pathia, -pathic, -pathology, -pathetic, -pathize, -pathy +

An abnormal condition or disease of the blood.

Any disease of the liver.

Any disease of the liver.

1. An abnormal sensitivity to stimuli.
2. Antipathy or aversion excited by suffering; opposite of sympathy.

Pertaining to a love of, or strong feeling for, the clergy.

Pertaining to diseases of horses.

1. The study of abnormal or diseased tissue or microscopically visible changes in diseased tissue.
2. The study of the structural alteration of cells and tissues caused by disease.

A system of medical treatment based on the use of small quantities of remedies that in massive doses produce effects similar to those of the disease being treated.

Homeopathy, historical background

Homeopathy was invented by the German physician Samuel Hahnemann (1755-1843) in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. It was both refined and popularized by the American physician James Tyler Kent.

Homeopathy is based on the theory that each naturally occurring element, plant, and mineral compound will, when ingested or applied, result in certain symptoms. Hahnemann believed that, by diluting these substances in a standardized manner, one could reach the true essence of that substance. Hahnemann described this process of dilution as "potentizing" (German: potenziert) the substance. These dilute amounts could then be used to treat the very symptoms they were known to produce.

Hahnemann and his students approached their treatments in a holistic way, meaning that the whole of the body and spirit is dealt with, not just the localised disease. Hahnemann himself spent extended periods of time with his patients, asking them questions that dealt not only with their particular symptoms or illness, but also with the details of their daily lives.

It is also suggested that the gentle approach of homeopathy was a reaction to the violent forms of medicine of the day, which included techniques such as bleeding.

The sameness of feeling; sympathy.

One who specializes in the use of water to treat and cure diseases.

The system of using water to treat and cure diseases.

The use of water to treat and cure diseases.

Hydrotherapy combined with induced sweating, as in a Turkish bath.

The obsolete doctrine that disease is due to changes in the constitution of matter.

1. Sickness or disturbances experienced in high altitudes due to reduced air pressure; high-altitude sickness.
2. Produced by reduced barometric pressure; not always distinguished from hypobarism and altitude sickness.