Does homeopathy work for babies and children? 2026

Pablo, ten months old, had been sick for 15 days and was not getting better. On the contrary, in the last week I had a fever every other day, one day the thermometer read 37º and the other 38º. His parents took him to the pediatrician three times, but neither the examination nor the tests showed that he had anything pathological, no urine infection, no sore throat, no cold. "You have a fever without a source of infection," the doctor had told them, but that did not reassure Sandra and Gerardo at all. They were also not encouraged to know that the rash that the child had on his arm would go away with corticosteroids. "We were worried because the child was not improving, and on the other hand we did not want to give him corticosteroids," says Sandra. «So we consulted with a homeopathic pediatrician that some friends had told us about. He told us to give him Licopodium 30 CH for five days, and he was cured," he adds.

Like this couple, many parents turn to homeopathy when their children become ill, as do some women who turn to homeopathy when pregnant. In mothers' forums on the internet, conversations about homeopathic remedies for the most common diseases are a recurring issue and, according to Dr. Isabel Morrás, a homeopathic pediatrician with a private practice in San Sebastián, 4,400 pediatricians use them in our country.

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A different diagnosis

What is this alternative medicine like? First, homeopaths consider the patient as a unit. They do not separate the physical from the emotional and the psychological. To make the diagnosis, they not only look at the symptoms, they are also interested in other aspects. «In addition to the traditional means that I use as a pediatrician (x-rays, tests, if necessary, etc.), I ask the parents how the child reacts to cold, heat, sweat; I ask about your appetite, what things you like to eat, what you reject, how you poop, how you sleep, how you wake up, what character you have... And I'm also interested in the history of pregnancy and childbirth, which are very important," Dr. Morrás tells us.

Contemplating the influence of the emotional and psychic on the disease is precisely what led Dr. Isabel Morrás to train as a homeopath. «When I worked in the Emergency Service of the Nuestra Señora de Aranzazu Hospital in San Sebastián, the parents of the children I cared for told me (in addition to the symptoms) other things, such as "since he had a little brother, the problems have started." "I saw that this was very important, and in homeopathy I found the tool to help them."

The treatments have no side effects

Another aspect highly valued by parents is that homeopathic remedies have no adverse effects. Only a few come from chemical substances, the majority are of vegetable (plants), animal (they are extracted from oysters, snakes or spiders, etc.) and mineral (salt, for example) origin.

These substances do no harm because they are extremely diluted. To understand what a homeopathic remedy is like, it is necessary to know the production process, which was established in the 18th century: first a tincture of the chosen component (plant, mineral, animal, etc.) is obtained, then it is diluted one hundred times in a hydroalcoholic solution (that is, one part of the tincture is added to 99 of the hydroalcoholic solution, thus obtaining a 1 CH dilution), and then this solution will be dissolved successive times until the desired dissolution is obtained. Thus, if a remedy has a 30 CH solution, the tincture will have dissolved in the hydroalcoholic solution 30 times more; and if it has a 200 CH dilution, it will have dissolved 200 times more. In the end, not a single particle of the tincture is found in the remedy; What remains, according to homeopaths, is "the memory of water."

Recurrent allergies and infections

Can these remedies cure any disease? Those who practice homeopathy assure that their medicine not only cures but also helps prevent the most common disorders in children, except for mechanical problems, such as inguinal hernias.

"Most of my consultations are for asthma," says Dr. Isabel Morrás. Children also come with other allergic diseases, such as rhinitis or atopic dermatitis, and with repeated infections, such as cystitis and tonsillitis. But parents also often ask for help with other common children's problems, such as teething problems, awakenings and night terrors, jealousy, shyness or difficulties adjusting to school.

In these psychological disorders, the homeopath also prescribes a remedy, which in children usually takes the form of granules, globules (spheres) or syrup. Of course, one may wonder if a psychological problem, such as jealousy, can be cured by taking a substance. Isn't it about assuming that the parents no longer love him exclusively, that they share their love and attention with the brother? Dr. Isabel Morrás is convinced that homeopathy improves these psychic conflicts. "Help that child be stronger and overcome that situation, which is normal," he clarifies.

Many doctors consider it to be a fraud.

Several medical societies and many scientists and doctors denounce that homeopathy lacks a scientific basis. The reason is that, although homeopathic remedies are sold in pharmacies, it has not been possible to prove that they contain anything more than water and sugar. "It is the same as if we put a drop of propolis in the swamp that supplies Bilbao," wrote Dr. Jesús Martínez in the article Homeopathy? No, thanks, published in Being Parents. "In a few days no one there should catch a cold again... but the consultations in winter are still full." And the doctor adds that this experiment was carried out before a notary.

"I have heard comments like that," says Teresa, "but I don't agree, my daughter has less bronchitis since she goes to the homeopath." How do these critical doctors explain why there are so many satisfied parents? «On the one hand, homeopathy treats diseases that have a limited duration, that go away on their own, that do not need anything. On the other hand, there is the placebo effect, which acts by 10%-15% in all types of medications, in which suggestion and the belief that it will work really works," our collaborator, pediatrician Jesús Martínez, tells us.

«In addition, adds the author of the book (ed. Temas de hoy) and the blog My son's doctor, we are talking about disease prevention: you give your son a pill so he doesn't get a cold; So, if you don't get a cold, you think it works very well; And if he gets a cold, you think that maybe the child was going to get two or three colds and he only got one.

The attitude of parents towards children's illnesses also greatly influences their evolution. "Children's illnesses depend a lot on their parents," says Dr. Jesús Martínez. «There are children whose snot is hanging, their parents see them, clean them and they do not have any feeling of illness. But there are other children who have a clear drop of mucus coming out of their nose and their parents take them to the emergency room because they have caught a cold. If the parents can convince themselves that those snots, those four distempers that the child has, will go away, they will experience the process more calmly and will say that this homeopathy works.

Careful! Before trying, consult with your pediatrician

"I don't lose anything by trying, it might be good for him," says Álvaro, father of a one-and-a-half-year-old boy who is following antibiotic treatment to prevent urinary infections. In this sense, the American health information portal for parents and children KidsHealth (with information in English and Spanish) recommends that "before trying any alternative medicine procedure with a child, it is a good idea to talk to your pediatrician to make sure that it is not dangerous and would not conflict with any other medical treatment that the child is following."