What is Homeopathy?

Homeopathy is a system of natural medicine that works with the body’s innate ability to heal itself. Homeopathic medicines are safe, effective and gentle in their action. They are holistic in as much as they not only target a health issue, but also affect the entire person, mind, body and spirit.

Quantum physics tells us that matter and energy are one and the same thing. The speculation that homeopathic medicine works “energetically” has come about because the infinitesimal, highly diluted remedial substances used in this method of healing can produce profoundly positive constitutional changes. These positive changes are possibly the result of unobserved quantum effects.

One of the principles of the homeopathic system is the minimum dose, which is the premise that disease can be cured with minute quantities of homeopathic medicines. These medicines, or remedies, are found only after collecting symptoms from the entire person. This means that a person’s emotional, mental and physical states are taken into consideration and not just the spot where it hurts.

The other principle of the homeopathic system is the principle of similars, which can be explained in the following way. You may have treated yourself homeopathically when you are ill when you take a substance that produces in a healthy person the symptoms of your illness. For example, in many cultures raw onion and garlic are used to treat colds. A cut onion may make our eyes and nose run with burning discharges and causes us to sneeze. These are the same symptoms we have with a cold. In some ways homeopathy can be compared to a vaccination. However, vaccines are live viruses or bacteria. In homeopathy, you are being treated with a remedy that could produce the symptoms of your ailment in a healthy person.

Homeopathic remedies have no trace of its mother tincture left. The remedy is so highly diluted that it is called an “imprint” of the substance used.

Homeopathy has been practiced for two hundred years and is not a new treatment method or medical craze. My grandparents saw only homeopaths for their health issues.  My parents, however, went to medical doctors first, often with unsatisfactory results. Inevitably, they too went to the homeopath. Most often, my parents resorted to homeopathic remedies and herbs to cure themselves from colds to childhood diseases.

HOW ARE HOMEOPATHIC MEDICINES PRODUCED?

Homeopathic medicines are dilutions prepared from many natural substances as for example plants and minerals as well as animal and bacterial tissues. The remedies are made by successive dilutions, meaning they are diluted with water and alcohol, then a drop from the dilution is again mixed with a certain amount of the liquid and so on. At each step of dilution, the substance is shaken (succussed) rapidly. The procedure of dilution and succussion is repeated multiple times to achieve different potencies. The more often the remedy is diluted and succussed, the more powerful it becomes. It is not understood why, but theories are being tested and a greater understanding is inevitable. In the meantime, we know that homeopathy works as “energy” medicine.

WHY IS HOMEOPATHY SO EFFECTIVE?

The reason homeopathy is so effective is that it treats the whole person and not the disease. The treatment is not by ICD9 code. Homeopaths do not diagnose. Rather, they prescribe remedies based on a symptom picture given by the patient including all aches and pains from head to toe. This includes mental functions, emotions, and time of day when conditions are worse or if a person is too hot or too cold. Subjective symptoms are very important. They are often private and secret feelings but when they are expressed, these are vital clues for determining a remedy.

HOW CAN I FIND THE CORRECT HOMEOPATHIC REMEDY?

 The correct remedy is found by checking a multitude of symptoms against a multitude of remedies in what is called the homeopathic repertory and homeopathic Materia Medica. It takes a lot of skill and expertise on part of the practitioner to find the correct medicine. But when it is found, it works like a miracle. It happens sometimes that the practitioner has to try several remedies or several different potencies for the patient to achieve the desired state of health, but when the correct remedy is found, the result can be astonishingly rapid.

HOMEOPATHIC MEDICINES ARE CATALYSTS

Homeopathic medicines work together with our own healing powers. Our bodies are equipped to heal themselves when nutritional conditions are met to assure a healthy immune system response. Many times we may feel ill one day, thinking something is “coming on”, and the next day we are fine again; your body has taken care of it overnight. Sometimes this ideal condition can break down and we do get sick. Our weakened vital force cannot handle the attack and needs help. The help comes in a well-chosen homeopathic remedy that is based on the patient’s symptoms. It will give the body’s vital force the desired push toward health.  Many times the remedies work profoundly by eliminating long-standing, chronic illnesses in a process that can be compared to a deep spring-cleaning of the body. With well-chosen medicines symptoms disappear from the inside out from above downward, from more important organs to less important organs and finally from the trunk to the extremities. Your feelings of fear, anxiety and negative emotions are also swept away in this deep cleaning process. The patient’s vitality is restored and he emerges stronger in body, mind and spirit.

DOES HOMEOPATHY INTERFERE WITH OTHER MEDICINES?

Homeopathy is gentle and harmless. It does not interfere with any other mode of treatment. You can treat yourself and your children while saving a lot of money. Remedy kits with first aid medicines are available at low cost. These are easy to take small, sweet pellets or tablets. It is best to take them on their own, not with food or drink, preferably at bedtime. Remedies last for a long time and don’t lose their effectiveness. They should be stored away from extreme temperatures and strong smelling chemicals and substances, like perfume.

PROTOCOL FOR TAKING HOMEOPATHIC MEDICINE

Without touching the tablets or pellets, shake four to six of them into the cap that covers the bottle. Put them under your tongue and let them dissolve. Don’t eat or drink anything 20 minutes before or after taking them. Make sure your mouth is free of flavors like mint, coffee or anything with a strong taste. The medicine is best taken at bedtime, but anytime is equally good if the above precautions are observed.

ALWAYS CONSULT A HOMEOPATHIC PROFESSIONAL

Be aware that homeopathy is a serious medical specialty and, although it is portrayed here simplistically for home use, individuals should never attempt to treat constitutional or life threatening illnesses. A constitutional illness is a health problem of long standing or a chronic condition that a person is born with or has inherited tendencies toward. Any condition that does not show quick improvement must be referred to a qualified practitioner or medical doctor who is schooled in homeopathy. Besides, nothing is more difficult for a homeopathic practitioner to unravel than a case of unsuccessful self-treatments with partially indicated remedies. It is advised to always consult with your medical doctor before attempting a new treatment.