What
is Homeopathy?
What are Homeopathic Remedies?
How Homeopathic Remedies are prepared?
How do Homeopathic Remedies act on the body?
What kind of problems can Homeopathic Remedies be effective?
Your Responsibility as a patient in Homeopathy:
What should I be aware of when taking Homeopathic Remedies?
What is Homeopathy?
Homeopathy
is an alternative system of medicine that was founded in
the early 19th century by a German physician, Dr. Samuel
Hahnemann. The word "homeopathy" is derived from
two Greek words: homoios (like or similar) and pathos (suffering).
Homeopathy is based on the Natural law of cure, "like
cures like" means that a substance that causes certain
symptoms when taken in large doses can remove those symptoms
when taken in minute, specially prepared forms. Homeopathy
uses these highly diluted substances to cure illnesses by
stimulating our own immune system to fight against diseases
instead of suppressing the illnesses. Because the substances
used in homeopathy are extremely small, there are no side
effects, adverse reactions, or contraindications. Homeopathy
is a system of health care, which concentrates on care of
the whole person not the specific disease, by methods that
are specific, gentle to the body. Therefore the most important
part of homeopathic treatment lies in the lengthy interview
which the homeopath conducts with the patient in order to
determine all the symptoms which the patient is experiencing.
The homeopath then decides which medicine to prescribe based
on the closest match between the patient's symptoms and
the known symptoms elicited by the medicine in a healthy
body.
What
are Homeopathic Remedies?
A
homeopathic remedy is normally a single substance usually
derived from a plant, an animal, or a mineral, which is
then subjected to a special procedure, which brings out
the medicinal properties of the original substance. When
a substance is taken by a healthy volunteer, it produces
a number of symptoms in the volunteer. This is called 'proving'.
Provings are done on healthy human beings not on animals.
There are currently about 2000 substances whose specific
effects on the body have been recorded including mental,
emotional and physical symptoms. Examples are salt, poison
ivy, snake poisons, etc. This means that a disease can be
cured by a medicine that is capable of producing symptoms
similar to those experienced by the patient in a healthy
person.
How
Homeopathic Remedies are prepared?
Homeopathic
medicines are prepared by successive dilutions and vigorous
shaking between each dilution which makes them capable of
stimulating body's defense mechanism. The degree of dilution
is referred to as the "potency" of the remedy,
with higher dilutions corresponding to higher potencies.
The potency is denoted by a number and a letter on the label,
such as "6C", "30C", "12X",
etc. (higher numbers denote higher potencies). Homeopathic
remedies are available in different preparations: tablets,
liquids, and globuli (small white pellets). Tablets and
globuli are made of impregnated milk sugar, whereas liquid
preparations are solutions of the medication in water with
some amount of alcohol added as a preservative.
How
do Homeopathic Remedies act on the body?
When
the homeopathic remedy is given to a patient, it produces
a set of symptoms similar to the disease condition but slightly
stronger in strength, which can be removed easily by our
defense mechanism along with natural illness. Homeopathic
remedies act to enhance the body's innate immune system,
which in turn helps the individual resist disease and become
more flexible in adapting to one's environment. The response
is strengthening to the individual from the inside out.
What
kind of problems can Homeopathic Remedies be effective?
Homeopathic
remedies can be effective for a wide range of problems including
first aid, acute illnesses and chronic problems.
1) First Aid
Homeopathic remedies can be extremely effective in the treatment
of common household occurrences such as falls and bruises,
minor burns, bee stings and spider bites, skin reactions
such as diaper rash and poison oak, infant teething etc.
First aid remedies, when correctly chosen, can act quickly
and safely.
2)
Acute Homeopathy
Homeopathy can be useful in treating acute health problems
in which the symptoms will eventually go away on their own
without treatment. Examples include colds, coughs, sports
injuries, etc. Because homeopathic remedies are completely
safe and without harmful side effects they are well suited
in the treatment of conditions that arise in pregnancy and
infancy.
3) Constitutional Homeopathy
Homeopathy is particularly effective in the treatment of
long-term health problems. For example, in cases of recurrent
ear infections in children, although the child may obtain
antibiotic therapy for the acute ear infection, the problem
may recur frequently, leading to a general state of impaired
health. In such a case, homeopathy can be used to strengthen
the system to prevent the future infections. Constitutional
Homeopathy Addresses the Physical, Mental and Emotional
Planes. The philosophy of homeopathy holds that the mind,
body and emotions are not separate. Every human experience
can leave an imprint in the physical body or the emotional
sphere. For this reason, the homeopathic process begins
with an initial in-depth interview. The homeopath will ask
an extensive range of questions to achieve a complete understanding
of the state of health on the physical, mental, and emotional
planes. Homeopathic Medicines Stimulate an Internal Readjustment
Toward Balance. In health, our bodies respond to stress
in a variety of mechanisms that maintain a process of continual
balance known as homeostasis. When stress or trauma exceeds
the organisms ability to respond, the vital force or internal
defense mechanisms will be unable to neutralize the stress.
A variety of chronic symptoms can often be the result including
such diverse conditions as; recurrent infections, fatigue,
digestive disturbances, headaches, chronic allergies, and
emotional imbalances such as depression or anxiety, etc.
Your
Responsibility as a patient in Homeopathy:
The
key to finding the right homeopathic remedy is individualization.
This means that the totality of all symptoms experienced
by the patient (including those apparently unrelated to
the main complaint) has to be known in order to prescribe
the medicine. The mere name of a disease, like flu, cold,
arthritis, fibromyalgia, etc. is not enough. In homeopathy,
the goal is not the removal of symptoms but the recognition
and removal of the underlying cause of the symptoms. For
this reason, the correct homeopathic remedy is based on
understanding the whole person rather than matching the
symptoms of the disease. Homeopaths are interested in understanding
all levels of function: mental, emotional, and physical.
Generally, all of the presenting symptoms of the patient,
including the chief complaint, behavioral tendencies, and
the patient's personality traits, are important symptoms
in homeopathic analysis.
What
should I be aware of when taking Homeopathic Remedies?
Homeopathic
preparations are extremely safe to take because of their
highly diluted form. Nonetheless, frequent repetition of
a dose without the advice of a professional is not recommended.
Remedies should not be taken together with food because
this might interfere with their absorption. Take them at
least 30 minutes before or after eating or drinking and
let them dissolve in the mouth. Your homeopath will give
you more specific instructions if necessary. Sometimes an
initial worsening of your symptoms can occur. This initial
aggravation is usually a good sign and signifies that your
body is responding to the remedy. Although the physical
symptoms might get worse for a short period of time, you
as a whole will start to feel better almost immediately.
The aggravation will subside quickly, followed by the recovery.
