Although the structure of hydrogen bonds in pure water should be identical to those in homeopathic dilutions of salt solutions, the evidence finds that the structures are actually very different.
Researchers used thermoluminescence to study the structure of solids. The process involves bathing a chilled sample with radiation and then observing a pattern of light, which reflects the sample’s atomic structure, that is released when the sample is warmed up.
When researchers used the method on ice, they saw two peaks of light. They then looked at solutions of lithium chloride, which destroys hydrogen bonds, and sodium chloride, which also destroys hydrogen bonds but to a lesser extent. The peak for the sodium chloride solution was smaller and disappeared for the lithium chloride solution.
Homeopaths believe that patterns of hydrogen bonds remain even after many dilutions. To test this claim, researchers used samples that had been diluted way beyond the point when any ions of the original substance could remain.
Compared with pure water, the ultra-dilute lithium and sodium chloride solutions had substantially different thermoluminescence peaks. According to researchers, this proves that the networks of hydrogen bonds in the samples were different.
While some say the experiments were trustworthy and could be reproduced, others argue that the experiments were not blinded and pointed out that it’s important to keep experiments as foolproof as possible.
New Scientist June 11, 2003
Homeopathy is a system of medicine that is based on the Law of Similars. The idea is to stimulate the body to recover itself by giving patients miniscule doses of something that cause symptoms similar to those they are already experiencing.
The theory behind this is that the minute dose will stimulate the body's own healing powers without side effects. The remedies usually come in doses that have been diluted many times over, and many conventional doctors believe the dilution of the remedies is so great that they can't have any effect.
However, as the above study shows, it appears that solutions that have been extremely diluted still retain patterns of hydrogen bonds. This finding is in-line with a previous study that found that water is capable of carrying molecular information or biological messages.
This "imprinting" is activated when a substance is dissolved in water and then diluted repeatedly until not a single molecule of the substance could remain.
The current study, as well as the previous findings, offers much encouragement for homeopaths and will likely help to bring more concrete credibility to their often beneficial treatments. Homeopaths wisely look at symptoms as the body’s attempt to heal itself and consider the whole individual when looking for treatments, rather than focusing on "curing" a particular disease without regard to the rest of the person.
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