Aspirin is used to treat pain, fever and inflammation. Its various side effects include ringing in the ears and hemorrhages. Prepared homeopathically, aspirin can be used to treat the very same symptoms it is capable of causing.

"You'd expect a remedy made from aspirin to be helpful for Meniere's syndrome," explained Dr. Stephen Albin, Salem's only full-time homeopathic doctor.

Homeopathy means "similar to the suffering," because it's based on the principle of "like cures like." This is why many of the remedies are made of poisonous substances; however, they are diluted to a point where toxicity is impossible, as opposed to conventional and herbal medicine, which use substances in their raw forms. Therefore, it is very safe, even for pregnant and nursing women. The remedies strengthen the body's immune response, acting somewhat like a vaccine.

Homeopathic medicine can be a powerful alternative to treat a wide range of conditions, mental or physical, including virtually any viral, bacterial, or fungal infection.

"Over the years, I've used other therapies, but I've found that homeopathy is the most curative of all. I tell you, if you've worked with something for 30 years, you know it works. I would've given up on it a long time ago if it didn't," Albin, a licensed naturopath, said.

According to homeopathic theory, pathologies that are suppressed with drugs tend to manifest themselves later in different organs. Homeopathy attempts to remove the roots of disease, something referred to as "miasms," which are illnesses that have afflicted humans for hundreds of years, such as syphilis and tuberculosis, leaving a genetic disturbance and causing a range of side effects in the following generations, from asthma to cancer.

Some critics claim that homeopathy is no better than a placebo, but Dr. Albin, who recently helped a 15-year-old cat recover from paralysis, contended that homeopathy works well on babies and animals.

"The most logical conclusion is that it is not based on faith. Homeopathy, statistically, works much better than placebos."

He clarified that some studies have come to that conclusion because they come from an allopathic perspective, where one remedy is used to treat one specific disease.

In homeopathy, all mental, emotional, physical and personality symptoms are taken into account to prescribe a remedy that works well for that person. There are thousands of remedies, and the wrong remedy would have no effect on the patient.

Since the FDA began regulating homeopathic remedies, it has labeled each one for a specific problem, just as regular medicine is labeled.

"This has caused many people to take the wrong remedy. You might have to try a couple of different remedies until you find the most appropriate. It really depends on the skill of the homeopathic doctor and how well the patient can communicate his or her symptoms," Albin said. "If something doesn't work, don't assume that homeopathy doesn't work. You probably tried the wrong remedy."

Albin predicts that homeopathy will become increasingly popular as people use it and see its effectiveness: "Buy a bottle of Arnica and try it the next time you hurt yourself. Arnica is so effective to treat bruises and traumas that during World War II, every German soldier had it in his medical kit."

"I've treated people who have taken nothing but homeopathy their whole lives, and they're the healthiest people," Albin said.